It was always me versus the world Until I found it's me versus me Why, why, why, why? Why, why, why, why? Just remember what happens on earth stays on earth! We gon' put it in reverse Darling I told you many times And I am telling you once again Just to remind you sweetheart that my— Oh Lamar, Hail Mary and marijuana, times is hard Pray with the hooligans, shadows all in the dark Fellowship with demons and relatives, I'm a star Life is one funny mothafucka A true comedian, you gotta love him, you gotta trust him I might be buggin', infomercials and no sleep Introverted by my thoughts Children listen, it gets deep See once upon a time inside the Nickerson Garden projects The object was to process and digest poverty's dialect Adaptation inevitable, gun violence, crack spot Federal policies raid buildings and drug professionals Anthony was the oldest of seven Well respected, calm and collected Laughin' and joking made life easier Hard times, momma on crack A four-year-old telling his nanny he needed her His family history pimpin' and bangin' He was meant to be dangerous Clocked him a grip and start slangin' Fifteen scrapin' up his jeans with quarter pieces Even got some head from a smoker last weekend Dodged a policeman workin' for his big homie Small time hustler, graduated to a brick on him Ten thousand dollars out of a project housing That's on the daily, seen his first mil twenty years old Had a couple of babies, had a couple of shooters Caught a murder case, fingerprints on the gun They assumin', but witnesses couldn't prove it That was back when he turned his back And they killed his cousin He beat the case and went back to hustlin' Bird shufflin', Anthony rang The first in the projects with the two-tone Mustang That 5.0 thing, they say 5-0 came Circlin' parkin' lots and parking spots And hoppin' out while harrasing the corner blocks Crooked cops told Anthony he should kick it He brushed them off and walked back To the Kentucky Fried Chicken See at this chicken spot There was a light-skinned nigga that talked a lot With a curly top and a gap in his teeth He worked the window, his name was Ducky He came from the streets the Robert Taylor Homes Southside Projects, Chiraq, the Terror Dome Drove to California with a woman on him and 500 dollars They had a son hoping that he'd see college Hustlin' on the side with a nine to five to freak it Cadillac Seville, he'd ride his son around on weekends Three-piece special with his name on the shirt pocket 'Cross the street from the projects Anthony planned to rob it Stuck up the place before back in '84 That's when affiliation was really eight gears of war So many relatives telling us, selling us devilish works Killing us crime, intelligent, felonious Prevalent proposition with nines Ducky was well aware, they robbed the manager And shot a customer last year He figured he'd get on these niggas good sides Free chicken every time Anthony posted in line Two extra biscuits, Anthony liked him and then let him slide They didn't kill him, in fact it look like They're the last to survive Pay attention, that one decision changed both of they lives One curse at a time, reverse the manifest And good karma and I'll tell you why You take two strangers And put 'em in random predicaments Give 'em a soul so they can Make their own choices and live with it Twenty years later them same strangers You make 'em meet again Inside recording studios where they reaping their benefits Then you start reminding them 'bout that chicken incident Whoever thought the greatest rapper Would be from coincidence Because if Anthony killed Ducky Top Dawg could be servin' life While I grew up without a father and die in a gunfight So I was taking a walk the other day