Big L — Street Struck

[Intro] A come on... Yeah, it's the Big L Coming at you once again, in nine-five And I dedicate this one To all my peoples from Uptown, and everywhere Check it [Verse 1] Yo, where I'm from it ain't cookies and cream There's a lot of peer pressure growin' up as a young teen You never know when you gonna get wet 'Cause mad clowns be catchin' wreck with a Tec just to get a rep Instead of cool friends, they'd rather hang with male thugs Instead of goin' to school, they'd rather sell drugs It's best to go the right route and not the wrong one Because it's gonna catch up with you in the long run Brothers be on the corners, actin' stupid, gettin' lifted Their life is twisted, and most of them are quite gifted In other words, they got talent But they'd rather sell cracks, and bust gats And run the streets actin' violent To them it's all about hittin' skins and makin' some easy green 'Cause that's all they show you on the TV screen All they care about is a buck or bustin' a sweet nut They don't give a (What?) 'cause they're street struck [Chorus] You better listen to L rhyme 'Cause being street struck'll get you nothin' but a bullet or jail time So pay attention to L rhyme 'Cause being street struck'll get you nothin' but a bullet or jail time [Verse 2] Before the rap contract, I was sellin' crack Stay strapped with a Mac, I was into all of that I started rappin' and got nice as hell If it wasn't for this, I might be doin' life in jail And some of my peeps are still in the game selling 'caine If that's what you gotta do to maintain, go head and do your thang But with the cash profit, make an investment And try not to go to the grave like the rest went 'Cause you can be rich with crazy loot, own a house and nine cars What good is that if you're dead or behind bars? Ayo, it's not even funny I've seen a lot of my peers give up their careers For some fast money They could've been boxers, ballplayers, or rap singers Instead they bank robbers and crack slingers Ayo, they used to be legit kids, now they corrupt They had dreams, but gave 'em up, 'cause they're street struck [Chorus] You better listen to L rhyme 'Cause being street struck'll get you nothin' but a bullet or jail time So pay attention to L rhyme 'Cause being street struck'll get you nothin' but a bullet or jail time You better listen to L rhyme 'Cause being street struck'll get you nothin' but a bullet or jail time So pay attention to L rhyme 'Cause being street struck'll get you nothin' but a bullet or jail time [Verse 3] I still chill with my peeps in the streets But most of the time I'm in the crib writin' rhymes to some dope beats Or either callin' up some freaks to bone But word up, I try to leave the streets alone But it's crazy hard kid, in other words, it's spooky The streets be callin' me, like the crack be callin' Pookie It ain't a dumb joke, listen to this young folk 'Cause where I'm from, you can choke from the gun smoke Stay off the corners, that might be your best plan Before you catch a bullet that was meant for the next man Or end up with a deep cut Or relaxin' on a hospital bed from bein' street struck [Chorus] You better listen to L rhyme 'Cause being street struck'll get you nothin' but a bullet or jail time So pay attention to L rhyme 'Cause being street struck'll get you nothin' but a bullet or jail time You better listen to L rhyme 'Cause being street struck'll get you nothin' but a bullet or jail time So pay attention to L rhyme 'Cause being street struck'll get you nothin' but a bullet or jail time [Outro] Word up Ayo take it from me, the Big L 'Cause I been through it all, you know what I'm sayin'? Stay off them corners, and stay out of trouble And I gotta say rest in peace to all the casualties of the streets I'm outta here