Latino

(album: The Brick: Bodega Chronicles - 2007)

[Intro: Joell Ortiz]
Uhh, look around in my neighborhood (aquí en el barrio, tú sabes)
See how we live, see right there on that corner
That's where they sell the drugs (la manteca broder)
Run the numbers and, play dominoes, whistle at the fly ladies
You know, I'm Latino, hahahahaha (pa que sepa)

[Joell Ortiz:]
The dope gets sold by the bodega
While y'all call it dope, we call it the manteca
We don't look for lotto numbers in the newspaper
We play it right over the counter by the Now & Laters
Sit down on milk crates and play dominoes
¡Capicu! Slam it down, tell 'em adios
Another round of beers before we go upstairs
And watch a fuzzy TV on some of the oldest chairs
Relax, take a bath and get nice and clean
Come out just in time for dinner, you know rice and beans
A little chicken, maybe tostones, it's up to Ma
She might be tired keepin this house all up to par
Sometimes I look out the window and see some nice wheels
I got a thing for rims, they give me slight chills
Round here you get killed over a ice-grill
Guns pop but the O.G.'s carry knives still (word)

[Chorus: Joell Ortiz (La Bruja)]
(Latinooooo) I'm that and I'm proud
If you don't know us let me tell you about (Latinooooos)
We got beautiful women (la-la-la la-la-la la-la)
And they all seem to know their way around the kitchen
I'm (Latinooooo) yeah we stick together
We had hard lives so our skin is thick forever
We (Latinoooooos) I'm that and I'm proud (la la la la la la laaaa)
If you don't know us let me tell you about

[Joell Ortiz:]
See e'ry block got a different crew
This kid I knew got paralyzed cause of his tattoo
And he wasn't in a gang
Just some young punk tryin to come up and get a name
Put a bullet in his brain, it's a shame
But yo, on a better note
Latina women look so good from head to toe, get 'em and never let 'em go
Baseball is big in my town
So is boxing, a hundred he don't see the ninth round
These young girls is fresh, they like to get piped down
Babies havin babies, guess who on the WIC line now?
Guess who got welfare? Guess who on Medicaid?
Guess who left they kid with their girl for eleven days?
Without callin, cause he's ballin
One year from now he'll have a child support warrant
It happen all the time in my community
That's the difference between someone like you and me I'm

[Chorus]

[Joell Ortiz:]
Big Chino got a truck, and a bike, and a boat
But Chino got a gun cause his life full of coke
And Chino havin fun, he don't like bein broke
But Chino gon' be done, FBI is no joke
And I don't want Chi' to get knocked
When the truck around he buy ice cream for the block
See where I'm from the kids look up to the hustlers
Even if they're family with some of the customers
My abuela used to tell me to stay off the corner
You heard what happened to Mrs. Rivera's daughter?
See she had got caught in the crossfire right there in broad day
Shot her in the back tryin run in the hallway
By my buildin all you hear is, "Oye
Ten cuidado la policia esta en la esquina de Broadway"
There's action all the time in my neighborhood
But see we all mind our business like a neighbor should

See this one right here is for all my Latinos around the world
Around the world man, there's so many of us man
Be proud of who you are man, I love y'all niggaz
Joell Ortiz

[Chorus: w/ ad libs]

[Joell Ortiz & La Bruja:]
Latinooooos