1 [Intro]
2 Freedom or jail, clips inserted
3 A baby's bein' born same time a man is murdered
4 The beginning and end, so far as rap goes
5 It's only natural, I explain my plateau
6 And also what defines my name
7 [Hook]
8 Yeah, long live the idols, may they never be your rivals
9 Pac was like Jesus, Nas wrote the Bible
10 Now what you're 'bout to hear's a tale of glory and sin
11 No I.D. my mentor now let the story begin
12 [Verse 1]
13 I used to print out Nas raps and tape 'em up on my wall
14 My niggas thought they was words, but it was pictures I saw
15 And since I wanted to draw, I used to read 'em in awe
16 Then he dropped Stillmatic, rocked the cleanest Velour
17 Fast forward, who thought that I would meet him on tour?
18 I'm earnin' stripes now nigga, got Adidas galore
19 Backstage I shook his hand, let him know that he's the man
20 When he said he was a fan it was to hard to understand
21 No time to soak up the moment though, cause I was in a jam
22 Hov askin' where's the record that the radio could play
23 And I was strikin' out for months, 9th inning feeling fear
24 Jeter under pressure, made the biggest hit of my career
25 But at first, that wasn't clear, niggas had no idea
26 Dion called me when it dropped, sounded sad but sincere
27 Told me Nas heard your single and he hate that shit
28 Said you the one, yo why you make that shit?
29 I can't believe I let Nas down
30 Damn, my heart sunk to my stomach, I can't believe I let Nas down
31 I got defensive on the phone, resentment was in my tone, fuck it
32 [Hook]
33 [Verse 2]
34 I couldn't help but think that maybe I had made a mistake
35 I mean, you made "You Owe Me" dog, I thought that you could relate
36 But while I shot up the charts, you mean tellin' me
37 That I was not up to par, when I followed my heart
38 Granted, my heart was tainted by my mind, I kept on sayin'
39 Where's the hits? You ain't got none
40 You know Jay would never put your album out without none
41 And dog, you know how come
42 Labels are archaic, formulaic with their outcomes
43 They don't know, they just study the charts
44 Me, I study the shows, the fans, study their hearts
45 I had a feelin' I was killin', and this music we were spillin' out
46 Would change lives forever, fuck the label, put it out
47 Friday Night Lights blew, that was classic number 2
48 Now it seemed as if the Nas comparisons was comin' true
49 Still no release date from the label, are they insane?
50 Gooch told me play the game to change the game but on the way
51 I let Nas down, I got noone to blame, I'm ashamed I let Nas down
52 But this is God's plan, you could never understand, fuck it
53 [Hook]
54 [Verse 3]
55 I always believed in the bigger picture
56 If I could get them niggas to listen outside my core then I can open a door
57 Reintroduce 'em to honesty, show 'em that they need more
58 The difference between the pretenders and the Kendrick Lamars
59 And so, I took the fall like the son of the Lord
60 On the cross, dyin' for that fake shit you niggas bought
61 For the past decade, if I should pass please let this be my last essay
62 Therefore I write from the heart
63 Apologies to OG's for sacrificin' my art
64 But I'm here for a greater purpose, I knew right from the start
65 I'm just a man of the people, not above but equal
66 And for the greater good I walk amongst the evil
67 Don't cry mama, this the life I choose myself
68 Just pray along the way that I don't lose myself
69 This is for the nigga that said that hip-hop was dead
70 I went to Hell to resurrect it, how could you fail to respect it?
71 Lettin' Nas down, I got the phone call, quietly I mourned dog, I let Nas down
72 Yeah, and on this flight, may I never lose sight, fuck it
73 [Hook]