Common Ground

(album: Almost Famous - 2001)

[Bicasso:]
It's a kid on the corner of his block
And there's a genius in his room with a deep thought
It's a grower in the hills with a crop
But if they all come together what they got?
A little power unified to make a knot
Well of course
And if a plan to expand is endorsed for some more
Lend a hand, pay attention and explore
We all in this people we all in this...

[The Grouch:]
Well I don't know where you've been
But if you got here I'll let you in
Welcome you with open arms, now let's begin
Set the scene, serious as fuck minus the mean
Build up your esteem and get to growing
I'm showing fools a place where they can come
And release the dumb deeds they've done
Cause ever since I was young I've been shown I wasn't alone
I roamed with my unhoned skill
And anyone who talked down on me
I knew they didn't know the deal
My belief was way larger than life
Taking charge with the might in my mind
And recognizing that in other mankind
I knew I was on the right path, see
Combating a fight, wrath raging for way too long
And you might say you're strong, proud, loud and so on
Steadily doing damage every time you get your flow on
I build in Oakland, Chicago and everywhere else I go
There are people who know exactly what I mean
More than a scene, great minds think alike
So when you find hate it ain't tight
Decipher the paint right
Get your sights set on what's important
Stop distorting the big picture
When will it hit ya?

[Bicasso:]
It's a kid on the corner of his block
And there's a genius in his room with a deep thought
It's a grower in the hills with a crop
But if they all come together what they got?
A little power unified to make a knot
Well of course
And if a plan to expand is endorsed for some more
Lend a hand, pay attention and explore
We all in this people we all in this...

[JC:]
A rich man in poor man's body
That's what I was growing up, hustling for the buck
Mentally torn between just to be or not to be
It gotta be it betta, be betta days ahead of me
Cheddar cheese, luxuries, were never gave to me
Instead I shift from home to home, feeling lone was I prone
From the destiny in which I lay to wallow
To live for today and give a fuck about tomorrow
The sorrow and hatred is my only perception
Because all my memories are filled with lies and deception
The stressing, deprived of a childhood and adolescence
Learn my lesson, now it's all good
I never thought I'd see the streets of so many hoods
My heart done broke so many times, boy it's harder than wood
It's been a long road, but you know the game unfolds
I listen to the stories told by the cats of old
Trying to tell me I don't know about struggling
Like in the slave days, but ain't shit changed
Instead we ain't wearing chains, huh
I feel the same pain but it's escalated
Niggas feel free, but still ain't emancipated
So getting' faded is what's left off the green leaf
Hindering the mind, but when I'm high I feel fine
Been in the wrong place at the wrong time
All the time
Trying to journey into the light
But the dark ain't far behind
I'm at a color disadvantage but I manage
To make it work for me by the use of my talents
And use common sense to gain dollars and cents
And ain't ashamed of what I do
Until the day I repent

[Bicasso:]
It's a kid on the corner of his block
And there's a genius in his room with a deep thought
It's a grower in the hills with a crop
But if they all come together what they got?
A little power unified to make a knot
Well of course
And if a plan to expand is endorsed for some more
Lend a hand, pay attention and explore
We all in this people we all in this...

[PSC:]
I stay humble through the many of fumbles I found trouble
And trouble it doubles in cities amongst the rubble
I learned from my mistakes to miss another
Resembling ignorance, isn't it all in the struggle?
Got you wondering, why?
You wanna bubble so you hustle
Building the muscle that's not needed
So the other one you ignore it
And feed it more fantasy and you store it, the bubble
(Your circumference of comfort)
"Ghetto fabulous" important in society
A circle of clubbing and girl fucking amounts to really nothing
While we fronting for the public
We shove it down the throats of our kids and watch em love it
And got the nerve to wonder why shit's fucked up
The government lucked up, by giving fools the right to bear arms
Cause we shoot each other down after last call...
What the fuck y'all?

[Bicasso:]
It's a kid on the corner of his block
And there's a genius in his room with a deep thought
It's a grower in the hills with a crop
But if they all come together what they got?
A little power unified to make a knot
Well of course
And if a plan to expand is endorsed for some more
Lend a hand, pay attention and explore
We all in this people we all in this...