Artist: Joe Budden Album: All Love Lost Song: Slaughtermouse Typed by: Nickolye16@aol.com {"You are now listening to AraabMuzik"} [Joe Budden] Yeah, yeah Look, it was around '99, baby comin while I was at rock bottom Ironic shit, I was listenin to "Rock Bottom" Pockets, rabbit ears, no paper, lot of cotton Had some charges stemmin from me and my squad robbin Had to leave the hood, shit stayin, not an option I bumped your shit forever, felt we had a lot in common A rapper expressin wit who spoke in depressive stints All that introspectiveness, I couldn't measure what it did Listen, I'm writin to you now cause we don't get to talk much 'cept for in the stu' when we be passin through the halls and such I wonder if you catch me stare at you in awe much And we be busy workin so I never share my thoughts much Remember signin four niggaz with an attitude? Well maybe we'll get your star power and his magnitude All I thought is it was 'bout to be on But I never guessed that I was 'bout to be wrong We encountered some things, maybe we should've figured out all along Who the fuck was I to be too vocal in my doubt for some songs? Even I can't be that dumb to step over the threshold and be the guy who says no to so many records sold Whole career, I never bit my tongue, I let it go Too many times bein a rebel ain't end in what's best for Joe That second album came and added truth to the slander But we learned what's good for the goose ain't good for the gander Guess I'm askin for advice right now Experience and leadership to help suffice right now I guess I'm askin how would you do it, before I do somethin too stupid Before my group lose it just to get our views lucid Every other day these niggaz want a new exclusive Should I be in the mix more? Maybe I'm too secluded Do you think you'd be as famous now if you had to put out "My Name Is" now? The way the game is now, off lyrics, shit is shameless now Just tell me how you'd maneuver if you came in now It's just thoughts, e'rything is criss-crossed Gotta be cool with Complex and Pitchfork if I wan' get my shit off These simple-minded niggaz won't think you fuck with us if they don't see you poppin bottles in the club with us It's about fashion now, which I hate because I dress like shit I'm just the best when I spit But different times I was feelin like the odd man out Like I should leave, they'd be better with the odd man out Like when I wasn't on that intro, I felt a little weird But that was for the team so I didn't really care For real, for the team how I happen to be When +Bad Met Evil+ nigga who was happier than me? Think back, the way that I was on that shit You'da thought it was my album and I was on that shit Like FUCK rap, happy to see a friendship get mended Cemented and any frivolous tension get ended Joell you my G, Weapon Waist you my O.G. cuz Nickel, you know I look at you like it's blood Here's the flowers, before this end is covered with mud We can disband right NOW and it's gon' always be love For a brief period I tried to rhyme like y'all I was high, maybe tryin to prove that I'm like y'all But I'm NOT! I suck at all that syllable shit I'd rather make the pen bleed to see the feelin you get I'm bein honest, we might never sell a million and shit To me it's more value in keepin it trill with my nig' And to Em, one of the illest ever on the mic We're less different than we are alike This ain't about star power, I ain't on the hype Never mind skin color, I see beyond the white My whole life I fought trauma like you Had ups and downs with my baby mama like you I had my fair share of transgressions like you Had a bad temper once and fought aggression like you Did drugs, popped pills, fought depression like you These are things you'd never pick up from our sessions in the stu' I beefed with, Hov, 50, Game and Wu Got in my own way a lot, I'm sure the same as you The whole label think I'm crazy, I been peeped it I'm only mad I couldn't keep a better secret Still when I hear your voice my head goes wrong Takes me back to that lil' boy with my headphones on And the way you saved my life back then, is how I'm savin them Plaques and charted tracks won't take me away from them So I hope you understand FUCK this record deal, you inspire me as a man I'll cut it short, before I start feelin like a +Stan+ House Gang for life, word to the pig on Royce hand Uhh, success'll never disable me No record label will ever label me My morals ain't for sale, can't under-the-table me I'll ride it out even when e'rything ain't savory My brothers love me, they won't enable me And they won't kill me, they won't Cain and Abel me Uhh, it's how I'm feelin at the moment... {*fades out*}