Rhyme Book

Lyrics

It started with a rhyme book in the sixth grade The main objective was not to get paid Always knew things would turn out this way Center of attention, bright lights, the big stage Due to my complexion they kept a eye on me Shoulda did the math earlier, now that's irony No need for comparing stats Question is would they have cared if I was black? Can't lie, chose a narrow path You can recognize a pioneer by the arrows in his back The name Jin synonymous with spittin' I kicked down doors, all my big fans won't tell you different Now I got a fam to feed, though Need that real bread, not that wheat toast Put it all on the line like a free throw And when the beat drop, I'm going beast mode The fire I spit, you would think I lit a matchstick Far from a freshman, I don't belong on that list I used my words to infect your students like the bird flu The school nurse too, that's how you make a class sick So-called rappers got me the least bit impressed I put 'em in a crunch like tryin' to put ya knees to ya chest And while y'all searching for the keys to success I just pick the locks, we are the streets in the flesh I been the underdog but never unprepared Stop saying your joint bangs, I've had it up to here Cleaning out my attic, ain't got it all upstairs Ya crew is straight outta Minecraft, just a bunch of squares I'm a glimpse of greatness, my potential is enormous Check the skills I display, this is a peek of my performance Denzel in Training Day, '96 Jordan fade-away After guzzlin' two gallons of Gatorade Safe to say I paved the way for a lot of up-and-comers The industry is Sudoku, they just lookin' at the numbers It's like a jungle sometimes, it makes me wonder how I keep from goin' under, keep from goin' under The original message was loud and clear, somewhere Along the way it got cloudy and nearly disappeared All you need now is a laptop and some beats from the net I plugged my mic into my boombox With the dual cassette decks Hip-hop is for the youth, that's who it truly is serving Only right to pass the torch and continue the burning Know where you came from, that's the root of the sermon 'Cause I bet LeBron can you tell you who's Julius Erving When Kool Herc planted the seed at Sedgewick and Cedar You think he knew that he'd be giving birth to future leaders My rhyme book was more than just a place to write lyrics Nobody's listening but I knew every page would hear it I knew every page would hear it I knew every page would hear it My rhyme book was more than just a place to write lyrics Nobody's listening but I knew every page would hear it