[Nas]

Uhh

Yo, yo-yo, y'all

Whattup? Whattup

It's time man (Word, it's time?)

Straight up, it's time man

Aight, set that shit off

(Set it off then nigga, set it off)



Broken glass in the hallway, bloodstained floors

Neighbors, look at every bag you bring through your doors

Lock the top lock, momma shoulda cuffed me to the radiator

Why not? It might've saved later from my block

N.Y. cops, hookers crawlin off the stroll, coughin

stitches in they head, stinkin and I dread thinkin they be snitchin

But who else, could it be, shook at these, unmarked vans

Parked in the dark -- NARC's, where's your heart?

Hustlers starve; they bust a U-e I jog

to my building -- come out later wearin camouflage

See the sergeant and the captain -- strangle men

Niggaz gaspin for air; til they move no more and just stare

with dead eyes -- tired of riots, shit is quiet

Simple-minded fools infiltrate grimy crews

Overcrowded cribs, uncles home from bids, sister's pregnant

father's on drugs, moms is smokin, beds is piss-infested

Had eight partners growin up, eight turned to seven

Seven turned to six niggaz, got two in heaven

Six of us, holdin it, now it's five rollin thick

The sixth one's parole flipped; five niggaz, went to fo' quick

when he went O.T., college life, converted into gangbangin

Four niggaz still hangin, years passed and slang changin

Three of us now, fourth nigga ain't around

We all thought he was real -- he did the snake shit

Fake shit -- beat his ass down, yo his mouth

could've got us all wasted, what a fuckin clown

All I got left in the end is two of my best friends

And we all goin out, to the death for these ends, WHAT?



Ne