This Life ForeverJAY-Z

Blackhand Enertainment roc-A-Fella Records
In association with the streets
The Black Gangster
In conjunction with everything official yeah

I ride through the ghetto
Windows down halfway
Halfway out of my mind music on 9
Blasting Donny Hathaway
Me and my niggas spending half the day
Plotting, how we gon' get this math
Today without getting blast away
I wake up to the same problems after today
Life is harsh, nigga got a right to spark
Right from the start, they place
Me in the ghetto, tender age of nine
My tender mind had to surrender to crime
Wouldn't wish this on nobody life
To end up like mine
Ever since I was quite young a
Nigga been in a bind
Had to scratch for every plaque
Even rap ain't all it's cracked up to be
Niggas don't stack up to me
Had to hustle in a world of trouble
Trapped in, claustrophobic
The only way out was rapping
America don't understand it
The demographics I tapped in
I'm the truest nigga to do this, nigga
And anything else is foolish
Like those who stay high
Under God's grey skies
My lyrics is like Bible, made to save lives
In the midst of all your misery nigga
Stay fly never let em see you frown
Even smile when you down
Shit, I floss on my off days
Fuck what they all say
Niggas can't stop me with rumors
I'm too strong all day
Socks explode and sweatpants
Pockets is bulging
Holdin' it down on the corner
With my block frozen my spot is rolling
Drop the price on the coke and
Drove the competition out and let
The dough flow in
The cops is closing in, I can do the time
But what's really on my mind
There ain't no hoes in the pen
I play the low and try and
Make it hard to find me
Feds still tryna build a case since '93
I told them I'm retired
But they like whatever
You know them pigs don't wanna see
You get your life together

I'm stuck in this life forever
The more things change the more
They stay the same
Who am I to change the game?
You gotta move quick like heroin and cocaine
The block's hotter than it's ever been
(Once again)

Hold the gun at eye level
I ain't afraid of conflict
I let the nine rip
Nigga say "hi" to the devil
I blind with the bezel
I'm in line with the ghetto
What y'all niggas afraid of
My mind or the metal?
Niggas tryna subtract my life
My mathematics is precise i carry the 9
So fucking with me just ain't the answer
I just can't lose when I was
Young I was like Fresh
Poppa raised me to chess moves
And though you're gone, I'm not bitter
You left me prepared
We got divided by the years
But I got it from here don't sweat that
Sounds bump from Marcy to LeFrak
To that project in DC where my
Man caught his death at
Over my years I've seen Rooks
Get tooken by the Knight
Lose they Crown by tryna defend a Queen
Checkmate in 4 moves
The Bobby Fischer of rap with raw moves
In a time where we all move
Let's face it: either you're
Dough chasing or basing
Lacing, crack's got you feelin'
Strong like Mason
Careful, any infiltration, I'm leaving niggas
Leaking more than just information

I'm stuck in this life forever
The more things change the more
They stay the same
Who am I to change the game?
You gotta move quick like heroin and cocaine
The block's hotter than it's ever been
I'm stuck in this life forever
The more things change the more
They stay the same
Who am I to change the game?
You gotta move quick like heroin and cocaine
The block's hotter than it's ever been

Uh, real shit, huh the Black Gangsta
Blackhand Entertainment roc-A-Fella
They'll never interrupt this thing of ours
Uhh, The Black Gangsta jigga, Hova
Roll with me now