Before I was a ni99a I was a KING of a far away paradise
A time when the minds of man knew no limitations
A time when history was written in mathematical equations
My heritage shines as bright as the eastern star
Followed by three wise men as it was written who travelled from a far
Original man...original philosopher...divine scholar and undeniable prosperer
I've battled oppressive empires from Roman to Republicans
Democrats to Diplomats, while society continues to wipe it's feet on my very
existence like welcome mats
I've been sold, beaten, shackled and traded
Booked, sentenced, out-smarted and jaded
Yet I've risen time and time again...
To continue a beautiful struggle living in a world of sin
A world where my influence on mankind is undeniable
A world where my creativity has been copied more than Xerox
A world of rehabs and detox, freestyles and beat box
Apartheids, freedom rides and beat-downs by beat cops
I've stood in lines of all kinds tryin' to get mines
Welfare lines, picket lines, circuit-court lines to pay ticket fines
Even that long a-- BMV line just for my right to drive
Oh yeah, I"ve paid my dues as they say...
Even when I was broke and couldn't pay the gas or the light bill, I still paid my dues
And you can't put a price tag on bloodshed and tears
But yet and still I've been told through legislation and discrimination that my life wasn't worth a dime
And through all the crimes I've committed, even those against my own
My worst is forgettin' where I came from
Forgettin' how I got this far and what got me here
Rememberin' that I can't sit on my a-- and live in fear
That I"ve got to continue to push and scratch and crawl and fight
And shout and scream with all my might
And teach and preach and read and write
And stand up to wrong until it's all right...
