Truth Is Lyrics - Pete Rock

[Black Ice] 

Hey yo 

When you look at me and my brothers what's your first impression 

Does the sight of us leave you guessin or do you understand the stressin 

The aggression, the look of no hope on me and my niggaz faces 

Like the lord overlooked us when he handed down his graces 

You see embraces, fall short on the numb tips of street entrepeneur fingers 

Still stuck in the walls of the project halls where the coke smell still lingers 

External blingers is all we can be cause on the inside we been given nothin to shine on 

And a record deal's harder to get than coke, so my niggaz get they grind on 

Cause the TV tells us, aim high nigga, make all goals lateral 

But see that takes paper that we don't have so, niggaz put they souls up as collateral 

Now, some niggaz reclaim 'em, some blame 'em, make an excuse to sell 'em 

But when a nigga goes from not doin to doin, what can you tell him? 

Not to be a nigga? Shit I gots to be a nigga, that's how I pay the bills 

And I'ma do that whether I got to sling this coke or exploit these rhyme skills 

See America makes you an opportunist, and at the same time they institutionalize you 

So the fact that niggaz get, big record deals 

big money and go to jail shouldn't surprise you 

That's what lies do, you see most of these guys 

do have raw talent just an infinitile education 

So the business feed you all the weed and ecstasy 

and a little bit of paper to provide some pacification 

from all the bullshit frustration they serve you 

Meanwhile they corrupt your perception of what the real is 

See they takin all our businessmen, and givin 'em the mindsets of drug dealers 

Took all our messengers, made 'em rappers 

just flappin they jaws afraid to admit their treason 

Took all our soldiers for the cause, made 'em killers for no reason 

And bein fucked up, well that's in this season 

So, if you're negative you're positive, and if you're positive you're called a hater 

But I maintain control of my soul cause I know it gets greater later 

And I told y'all the last show shit, a nigga no hater, I just know what the truth is 

Been intertwined in this puddin for 'bout a year now so I know where the proof is 

See, it lines these midtown Manhattan skyscrapers 

where former hustlers like myself sign papers 

and pull off fucked capers like, 16 infamous stars of the time 

They got us choppin and, baggin and 

servin that shit to niggaz 16 bars at a time now 

The crime is undetectable by the feds 

cause in heads of our kids is where the track is 

And music is potent it's straight to the soul 

so it's much more addictive than crack is 

Now, the high is just an illusion all lies and confusion 

But to feel that rush just once, my young bucks'll go through it 

So in essence, they still floodin the streets with the thugs, drugs and the killing 

They just usin these record labels to do it 

Takin our hearts off demos, puttin us in limos 

tryin to fuck up divine direction 

But, young black men have been trained to chase money 

and pussy, so we fall victim to our own erection 

And begin to convince ourselves we're on our way somewhere where we're not goin 

But ignorance is bliss and niggaz love this so, niggaz take pride in not knowin 

We not growin, nigga I give a fuck how slick you flowin 

if you ain't showin nuttin to these kids or addin nuttin positive to the earth 

Black Ice been destined to touch the world ever since I was born 

To be real, fuck a record deal, God gives me what I'm worth 

"Soul Survivor" nigga {*echoes*} 

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