[Chorus]
I got so much trouble on my mind, refuse, to lose!
Since I brought you up to speed in '99, my name's been news
Got my label off the ground, put on, my folks
Dropped some classic but right now, we're all, still broke
[Blueprint]
And everybody's still lookin at me - because I took the lead
And taught 'em to believe, tried to maximize what my crew could be
A wise man once said... with great power comes great responsibility
Sometimes I wish it was somebody else instead but I took it on willingly
My mom showed me the path to follow, how to be a role model
Now I can't do a show without hittin the bottle
Come home and pass out like my father would do
Up at 9 A.M. load up a van, drive to another city do it again
Sell a couple CD's, get a couple more fans
Watch people criticize me like they know who I am
Blueprint you spit too slow, your vocals are mixed too low
The basslines in your beats be makin my speakers blow
Aesop put you on track, RJ got you on his back
Stick to production, stop tryin to rap
Another good album with bad distribution
Another 100 magazines my music's not reviewed in
By the time the fans impressed, realize I'm the best doin it
I'll be makin shitty music
[Chorus]
[Blueprint]
Too many people got their hands out, feel like I've been takin inventory
Not too many livin off of hip-hop, all I hear is hard luck stories
You're either too depressed to make a record, or way too broke to put it out
Or too proud to get up off your ass, and go the independent route
I used to wanna be signed, I don't think it's meant to be
Most signed cats I know got less money than me
Checkin they mailbox for checks they never see
Might as well be puttin they records for free!
When they wanna sign you, they'll put anything you ask for in the contract
But when the same cats owe you money - they never call you back
All the fans you had from day one start to reject you when your shows get packed
They say you're sellout cause you got more fans
And they never did like you and thought you was whack
Damned if you do damned if you don't
I'll be damned if it don't feel just like a setup
But my suggestion box is closed
And I wish I could make everybody just shut up
The first thing I learned about this rap game
Is sometimes it's best to be quiet and listen
There's a whole lot at stake
So don't be a bigmouth that makes bad decisions
Don't get caught up in the hype
Talk numbers before your music is sent in
Sometimes the numbers ain't right
So when you get a bum deal send it back with revisions
Drrrrrrrrrrrrrrrop!
