Rasool

His name was Rasool

Carmel complected boy from the twenty two

Rough on the outside but inside he was cool

Rasool was a king but also a fool

Back on the block again with the same crew

Tariq from the west side, little John from the Avenue

Always seen 'em 'bout a quarter to two

Shakin' hands with everybody

But at the same time sharin' the blues

And ohh he passed it on

Shakin' hands till what was in his pockets was gone

He'd be outside in the cold with his bubble goose on

But inside somehow, I knew he wasn't warm

Around ten thirty on that dreary night

His boys said they were hungry

Wanted to get a bite, now they didn't send a runner

Rasool knew it wasn't right

But he stayed anyway tryin' to get the chain he liked

Ohh, how the shots rang in the streets

Hittin' everybody in the surrounding vicinity

Children of children, one young father to be

And Rasool lay dead on my North Philly street

At fifteen years old, it was the first death I'd seen

But in years to come there'd be many many brothers slained

Tryin' to win at the game

But the game ain't designed for no kind of winning

Oh this is a friend of Rasool, begging you to think about

What you do and who you call your crew

The very choices you make, may make a Rasool out of you

Now you don't want that, do you?

You don't want that, do you?

Do you? Do you? Do you? Do you?

You don't want that

You don't want that

You don't want that

You don't want that