Rakim - In The Ghetto Lyrics
Planet earth was my place of birthBorn to be the soul controller of the universeBesides the part of the map I hit firstAny a rhyme that I can adapt when it gets worstThe rough gets going, the going gets roughWhen I start flowing, the mic might bustThe next state, I shake from the power I generatePeople in cali used to think it was earthquakescause times was hard on the boulevardSo I vote God and never get scarred and gauledBut it seems like Im locked in hellLooking over the edge but the r never fellA trip to slip cause my nikes got gripStand on my own two feet and come equipAny stage Im seen on, a mic I fiend onI stand alone and need nothing to lean onGoing for self wit a long way to goSo much to say but I still flow slowI come correct and I wont look backcause it aint where youre from, its where youre atEven the (ghetto)I learn to relax in my room and escape from new yorkAnd return through the womb of the world as a thoughtThinking how hard it was to be bornMe being queen wit no physical formMillions have settled wit one destinationTo reach the best part, its life creation9 months later, a job well doneMake way, cause here I comeSince I made it this far, I cant stop nowTheres a will and a way and I got to know howTo be all I can be and moreAnd see all there is to see beforeCalled and go back to the essenceIts alot to learn so I study my lessonsI thought the ghetto was the worst that could happen to meIm glad I listen when my father was rapping to mecause back in the days, they lived in cavesExile from the original man, a straight wayNow thats what I call hard timesI rather be here to exercise the mindThen I take a thought around the world twiceFrom knowledge to born back to knowledge preciseAcross the desert, thats how to store a radiantBut they couldnt cave me in cause Im the asiantReaching for the city, a mecca, visit medinaVisions of neffertiti then I seen aMind keeps traveling, Ill be back after iStop and think about the brothers and sisters in africaReturn the thought through the eye of a needleFor miles I thought and I just fought the peopleUnder the dark skies on a dark sideNot only there but right heres an apartheidSo now is the time for us to reactTake a trip through the mind and when you get backUnderstand youre third eye seen all of thatIt aint where youre from, its where youre atEven the (ghetto)Even the (ghetto)No more props, I want propertyIn every borough, nobodys stopping meBecause Im thorough, rhymes are making real estate for me to ownWherever I bless a microphone007 is back and relaxingOn poignant reacting and ready for actionIm so low key that you might not see meIncognito and taking it easyQuiet, its kept on a hush hushIn front of a crowd, I get loud, theres a bumrushBe calm, keep a low pro, and play the backgroundOver the wack rapper, put the mic back downSo rip it, break it in half, go head and slam itcause when its time to build, Im a mechanicIm bonding and mending, attaching and blendingSo many solos, there is no endingPeople in my neighborhood, they know Im goodFrom london to hollywood, wherever I stoodFootprints remain on stage ever sinceAs I walk the street, I leave fossils and dentsWhen I had sex, I left my name on necksMy trademark was left throughout the projectsI used to get rich when I played celoWhen I rolled 4, 5, 6, they go we knowSo I collect my cash then slideI got my back, my guns on my sideIt shouldnt have to be like thatI guess it aint where youre from, its where youre atEven the (ghetto)Im from the (ghetto)Word up, peace
