Decade - MZM

Go back when I was five, eighty five, west Garfield

Park, Maypole Ave, down the streets watching cars peel

Pop had 3 jobs, down he was holding it

Made sure we was fed, while his shoes had holes in it

The family, three sisters and me

Mom and Dad, and my Auntie Annie

Wife of my dad’s brother, but she was a widow

Never remarried, she saw us as her kids tho

Pop couldn’t work no more, the course is rough

Moms and auntie took the reins and supported us

For me it was simple, TV, kid attractions

Michael Jackson, had me practicing backspins

Moms worked magic, she became a genie too

Fed seven of us with ingredients for two

Outside, grown folks used to rock new fits

And never had a job, so I wondered how they do it

I never was a street cat, never had to hug the strip

The older dudes, always kept me from the shit

Said I was smart, need to stick to books

And don’t dabble in the streets cause you don’t wanna get hooked

Dad wanna move us, the hood filled with bullshit

Every single night, sounds of sirens and bullets

North side, Albany Park is what’s next for him

In the alleys shooting canicas with the Mexicans

Heard NWA, Straight Outta Compton

Not that big on rap but this was popping

Moved again, West Rogers Park and it was on then

Shout to Danny Floyd, he put me on to Common

'Round the same time, I was getting into trouble

For all sorts of shit, ended up in handcuffs too

As a teenager, I thought I was a true Mack

But got curved by pretty hoes cause I had food stamps

Bitches ain’t shit, word to Chronic, true dat

But Buckshot, «Who got tha props» made me choose rap

Trying to show the homies, the shit that I’m on

My escape was writing down my thoughts in rhyme form

Finna enter high school, ima end here fam

This is my story, in a ten year span

Decade

Ohhhhhh

Ohhhhhh

Ohhhhhh

Ohhhhhh, And we go…

I know where I’m at now, take it back to day one

Can’t know where to go, if you forget where you came from

Ohhhhhh

Ohhhhhh… and we go!!!

Lemme rewind to nine-five, Mather high, cypher shit

I had to show everbody that I could spit

More than a notebook and what I had jot in it

I had to rock with it, spit off the top with it

From the golden era, you don’t wanna battle rap him

Money shot your bitch and use your shirt if I don’t have a napkin

But back to benches, I had to represent if

I want heads to take a brown kid serious

Tried ta be a DJ, breakbeat scratch and cut

But that ain’t go nowhere, cause I was trash as fuck

Nine-seven, got booted out, I was drunk and high too

Kicked outta high school, so now, what do I do

Couldn’t hold a job, I got fired from all of em

Watched my mother cry, when she saw the drugs call her son

Tried school again, to prove what I could do then

Ended up in Truman, spit bars, giving contusions

Met dudes I was cool with, became crew with

To this day they my brothers, it extends beyond music

And ah, lemme tell you how I changed my fate

'fore cancer took Annie Ray, she said to be somethin great

So in memory of her I’ma try and get knowledge

And be the first man in my family tree to see college

Tryna prove em wrong, those who always doubt the kid

All of them teachers who said I won’t amount to shit

Dropped an EP, trying to get my name out

But crabs in a bucket, had to go the hate route

Said get in where you fit in, but I was stuck somewhere between the nerds and

the bangers

Spit words filled with danger

First album dropped in the stores on consignment

Shout to everybody who would buy it

Keep pushin the name as the watch would tick

But had to shift focus as my pops got sick

He took a permanent vacation, the one above callin'

Got me questioning God like why the fuck would you call him?

Boo I was with seemed like she understand me

So I made her family, but gotdamn me

She caved under pressure, did her thing with another

Punk muthafucka who I thought was my brother

Haven’t even mourned dad, shit gets ridiculous

Now I’m signing papers for irreconcilable differences

And we in '05, so lemme end here man

This is my story in a ten year span

Decade

Ohhhhhh

Ohhhhhh

Ohhhhhh

Ohhhhhh, And we go…

I know where I’m at now, take it back to day one

Can’t know where to go, if you forget where you came from

Ohhhhhh

Ohhhhhh… and we go!!!

So we in '05 and it’s filled wit some more shit

Moms getting sicker, she’s diagnosed quick

Bills stackin up, and it’s all on me

Tryna handle business, it all falls on me

Dropped a mixtape which was dope, buzz comin back

Shout to Mike Slugs, homeboy hooked me up with that

Album number 2, GP, we done recording it

Getting ready to drop but the road has a fork in it

Rob Fury who’s my partner in crime

He had a baby girl, so for him it’s father time

So how do I expect him to perform to form

When he’s busy being a dad to a brand newborn

And the sound changed, new heads running it

No disrespect but I just couldn’t fuck with it

Bills getting higher, wages getting garnished

Small money from rap, had to focus on this job shit

On a different note, got snakes I gotta deal with

I almost erased that bitch on some real shit

My whole mind consumed wit spite and revenge it’s

Got me kinda antsy, like a hype off syringes

So I just pretend it’s not me, feeling it

But I’m getting sicker, not sure how to deal with it

To me it was big, though I’m sure there’s harder issues

So those I know see me, smiles been artificial

I became a hermit, hiding from everybody

Wanna break the mirror, get away from everybody

Made some new friends, saw it as a new beginning

But it’s full circle, some of what’s new is ending

Doc kept me medicated, said it’ll help the guy

Dark cloud over my head, but can’t tell you why

Kept it all inside me, everyone dumbfound

Think about it, y’all ain’t see me after sundown

Tried to take myself away, failed when I tried though

Musta been a sign, god knows something I don’t

Broke to my sister, all she could do is cry though

Like I ain’t think about her kids, why I wanna die for

Either I take control, or it controls me

Gotta get rid of them, they don’t own me

Sometimes they creep, ain’t as easy as it sounds

But we here now we just gotta beat it to the ground

Ohhhhhh

Ohhhhhh

Ohhhhhh

Ohhhhhh, And we go…

I know where I’m at now, take it back to day one

Can’t know where to go, if you forget where you came from

Ohhhhhh

Ohhhhhh… and we go!!!