Hustler's Withdrawal

(album: M.I.A.M.I. - 2004)

[Verse 1]
Yo, he went from a street kid doin regular street things
Straight to a street king
Takin over the city, block by block
Breakin down bricks, servin em rock by rock
He's everything a young gun wanna grow up to be
But if only these young guns could see
That murder, money and lust, is slowly murderin us
Cause the drug game aint what it used to be
So look deeper when they paint you a picture
And try to sell you a dream, cause alot of these drug lords
Turn to the feds, and turn into fiends
The crack game aint everything its cracked up to be
Now the cat that was a neighborhood celebrity
Is coppin rocks, off the new kids on the block
At the same time, tryna school em
But these hoodlums got heads as hard as the rocks that hes doin
Hustlins like a drug, its got withdrawal symptoms
And if you know this, you wont stkip pain
But you will gain wisdom, and wisdom gains power
Dont let your life go sour over power

[Chorus 2x]
Hustlins like a drug, its addicting
The more you huste, the more you get addicted
The longer you hustle, the deeper the addiction
(Its a hustlers withdrawal)
If you used to push weight, you'd relate

[Verse 2]
Not only did my father used to deal the dough
He used to do the dope, used to deal
I'm just keepin it real
Now my father doesnt have shit,
I dont have shit, we dont have shit
Cause he didnt stack SHIT!
With all the money he made
He didnt think for one second to put money away
Thats cause his mind was clattered with white thoughts
He's lucky that he didnt end up outlined in white chalk
The only thing I can say I've gained from my father is
Knowledge of the street game, and I hope that yall follow this
I cant say I havent sold weed or cocaine
But I can say this, money that comes quick, leaves quick
And yall better believe this
Cause this I've lived, and witnessed
Catch a couple of charges, now your on the laws shit list
Now your forced to do business
Until this business does you of course
Cause you can die from doin dope or dealin dope
You choose the road that you get to follow
And you choose the people that you look up to as role models

[Chorus 2x]

[Verse 3]
I know about hustlers
But I wont mention no names
Cause they still got cases pending
And some are even appealing life in the cage
At least they made it past the first phase: they reached a certain age
Hustlins like ADs, at first your infected with HIV
And then its full blown, only different is
Instead of havin no immune system
You become immune to the system, of havin dough, by a dealin blow
Its a fast life, and even if you survive your mind'll die slow
Dirty money attracts dirty things
And if you plain to deal the dope, I hope your ready for the murder game
Cause thats what it brings
I'm not a preacher, I'm not tryna preach, no
I'm not a teacher, I'm not tryna teach, but
Yet like a faucet, I'm tryin to leak
Info to these youngns and their kinfolk
And let em know theres more to life than a key to coke
If you use to push weight, then you can relate, cause you've probably had a taste of
Hustlers Withdrawal

[Chorus 2x]