Slaughtermouse (letter To Eminem) Lyrics - Joe Budden

Yeah, yeah 

Look, it was around '99 

Baby comin' while I was at rock bottom 

Ironic shit, I was listenin' to "Rock Bottom" 

Pockets rabbit ears, no paper, lot of cotton 

Had some charges stemmin' from me and my squad robbin' 

Had to leave the hood, shit stayin', not an option 

I bumped your shit forever, felt we had a lot in common 

A rapper expressin' wit who spoke in depressive stints 

All that introspectiveness, I couldn't measure what it did 

Listen, I'm writin' to you now 'cause we don't get to talk much 

'Cept for in the stu' when we be passin' through the halls and such 

I wonder if you catch me stare at you in awe much 

And we be busy workin' so I never share my thoughts much 

Remember signin' four niggas with an attitude? 

Well maybe we'll get your star power and his magnitude 

All I thought was it was 'bout to be on 

But I never guessed that I was 'bout to be wrong 

We encountered some things, maybe we should've figured out all along 

Who the fuck was I to be too vocal in my doubt for some songs? 

Even I can't be that dumb to step over the threshold 

And be the guy who says no to so many records sold 

Whole career, I never bit my tongue, I let it go 

Too many times bein' the rebel, ain't end in what's best for Joe 

That second album came and added truth to the slander 

But we learned what's good for the goose ain't good for the gander 

Guess I'm askin' for advice right now 

Experience and leadership to help suffice right now 

I guess I'm askin', "How would you do it?" 

Before I do somethin' too stupid 

Before my group lose it just to get our views lucid 

Every other day these niggas want a new exclusive 

Should I be in the mix more? Maybe I'm too secluded 

Do you think you'd be as famous now 

If you had to put out "My Name Is" now? 

The way the game is now, awful lyrics, shit is shameless now 

Just tell me how you'd maneuver if you came in now 

It's just thoughts, everything is criss-crossed 

Gotta be cool with Complex and Pitchfork if I wanna get my shit off 

These simpleminded niggas won't think you fuck with us 

If they don't see you poppin' bottles in the club with us 

It's about fashion now, which I hate 

Because I dress like shit, I'm just the best when I spit 

But different times, I was feelin' like the odd man out 

Like I should leave, they'd be better with the odd man out 

Like when I wasn't on that intro, I felt a little weird 

But that was for the team, so I didn't really care, for real 

For the team, how I happen to be 

When Bad met Evil, nigga who was happier than me? 

Think back, the way that I was on that shit 

You woulda thought it was my album and I was on that shit 

Like fuck rap, happy to see a friendship get mended 

Cemented and any frivolous tension get ended 

Joell you my G, Weapon Waist you my OG 'cause 

Nickel you know I look at you like it's blood 

Here's the flowers, before this end is covered with mud 

We can disband right now and it's gonna always be love 

For a brief period I tried to rhyme like y'all 

I was high, maybe tryin' to prove that I'm like y'all 

But I'm not, I suck at all that syllable shit 

I'd rather make the pen bleed to see the feelin' you get 

I'm bein' honest, we might never sell a million and shit 

To me it's more value in keepin' it trill with my nigs 

And to Em, one of the illest ever on the mic 

We're less different than we are alike 

This ain't about star power, I ain't on the hype 

Never mind skin color, I see beyond the white 

My whole life I fought trauma like you 

Had ups and downs with my baby mama like you 

I had my fair share of transgressions like you 

Had a bad temper once and fought aggression like you 

Did drugs, popped pills, fought depression like you 

These are things you'd never pick up from our sessions in the stu' 

I beefed with Hov, 50, Game and Wu 

Got in my own way a lot, I'm sure the same as you 

The whole label think I'm crazy, I been peeped it 

I'm only mad I couldn't keep a better secret 

Still when I hear your voice, my head goes wrong 

Takes me back to that little boy with my headphones on 

And the way you saved my life back then is how I'm savin' them 

Plaques and charted tracks won't take me away from them 

So I hope you understand 

Fuck this record deal, you inspired me as a man 

I'll cut it short, before I start feelin' like a Stan 

Housegang for life, word to the pig on Royce's hand, uh 

Success'll never disable me 

No record label will ever label me 

My morals ain't for sale, can't under-the-table me 

I'll ride it out, even when everything ain't savory 

My brothers love me, they won't enable me 

And they won't kill me, they won't Cain and Abel me, uh 

It's how I feel at the moment