Politics As Usual

(album: Reasonable Doubt - 1996)

You know how we do
Roc-A-Fella... forever

You can catch me
Skating through your town, putting it down, y'all relating
No waiting, I'll make your block infrared hot: I'm like Satan
Y'all feel a nigga's struggle, y'all think a nigga love to
Hustle behind the wheel, trying to escape my trouble
Kids stop they're greeting me, I'm talking sweet to keys
Cursing the very God that brought this grief to be
My life is based on sacrifices, jewels like Isis
And fools that think I slip, you fuck around
You get your guys hit, they built me to be filthy
On some I-do-or-die shit, for real
The price of leather's got me, deeper than ever and
Just think, winter's here, I'm trying to feel mink, nigga

Politics as usual

I took my Frito to Tito in the district
Blessed me with some VS
Somethings I can live with: stop fronting
And for the dough I raise, gotta get shit appraised
No disrespect to you, make sure your word is true
I'm taking wages down in Vegas just in case Tyson
Have a major night off, that's clean money, the tax write-off
You ain't seen money in your life, when it
Comes to this cheese y'all like Three Blind Mice
I'm smoking bros who pump Willie, I expose
The furthest you Chiles been is the Poconos
My portfolio reads: leads to Don Corleone, nigga please
10-year felon, heavy on the wrist, I faze yous
With the diamond flooded Jesus and blind your facials
For life... sharight, Jigga, I keep it tight, nigga

Politics as usual

You feel my triumph never – feel my pain
I'm lying low in the leathers, I am, the best that's ever came
The game changes like my mind just ain't right
Rewind get this dough, I guess it ain't your night
Sucking me in like a vacuum, I remember
Telling my family, "I'll be back soon." That was December
'85 and Jay-Z rise 10 years later
Got me wise still can't break my underworld ties
I wear black a lot, in the Ac', act a lot
Got matching VCRs, a huge Magnavox
Ten inch, green like spinach, pop wines that's vintage
It's a lot of big money in my sentence
Hitting towards a mil', lip a, written I kill like that
Check baby one-two cat, yeah, I do that
Ain't no stopping the champagne from popping
The drawers from dropping, the law from watching – I hate 'em

Politics as usual