Now I Feel Ya

...it's a new day... ya know what i'm sayin'?

A new day, brings a new problem to a brother

And all i gots ta say is thank god for my mother

Cause without my mommy dear my life would've been joke

Either locked up playin' dead and still slangin' dope but nope

The lord he had a plan for me

And with his help, my mother made a man of me

Didn't blindfold me to the world we was livin' in

Taught me how to save my little dividends

So when i graduated i'd have a little school money

But in the sixth grade i wanted to be the school dummy

And flunked outta school with the flag pole

And left my mother dear at home with a sad soul

Because my mother worked the fingers to the bone

Cause we was alone, and me i bought an "f" home

My real pops he broke out with the style

So i respect my stepdad, for raisin' another nigga's child

So now we livin' comftable

Taught me the game and how to be responsible

But back then i couldn't see it

I wanted to be a grown man at fourteen so the kid's leavin'

And ended up in a big fight

And told me not to come home until i got my shit right

So now i'm livin' at my grandma's home

My grandma's strong, she's got nine kids of her own

And keepin' me ain't no big deal

But now that i'm much older i see just how the shit feels

Being kind-hearted, not wantin' to tell me no

Even though my grandfather just had a stroke

And now the money's low

And pretty soon a brother's gonna have ta go

Or either try to find a job so i can help out

I'm in the ghetto, i gots ta get myself out

And when i get out i gotta try to pave the way

So my family can have a better place to stay

I'm losin' all hope, a brother's fallin' short

I can't cope, so now i'm slangin' dope

And now my granny knows i'm doin' wrong

She just prayin' for me heavily

Take care of her grandson

And the lord must of heard her prayer

Cause he made me get a grip

And got me on up outta there

I heard my mother say them streets is gonna kill ya

You couldn't have told me nothin' back then

But now i feel ya...

I'm eighteen, and now i'm havin' big fun

My baby's mother just had my first son

May eleven, i never will forget the day

A star's born, let's name him little scarface

My first born and yo i'm a proud father

I gotta son, i gots ta be my son's father

And sellin dope ain't the way that i can get ahead

But what the hell, i gots ta keep my baby fed

I buy him milk, and pampers tryin ta do my part

And he's my son, i gots ta try to make him hard

I buy him clothes, and jewelry not the tonka toys

Because the tonka toys will only punk my boy

And i don't want my son to look at life

Through a replica of reality tryin' to make it life-like

But yet and still i let my son be a kid

Just give him up the real, exactly like my momma did

So when he gets to be a man he'll appreciate

The game i gave him way back when he used to roller skate

And now my son is four years old

I really gots ta give the real and try to play the father's role

Because these years he'll remember most

So it's all about little marcus and me becomin' close

But i got a buncha obstacles

If it ain't my line of work it's the girlies on my popsicle

Now everybody's got my baby

Wantin' to have their hands in my pocket tryin to drive me crazy

"it's your daughter, don't she look like you?"

I just can't tell, why don't you take it to ma momma dukes

Because my mother knows the real deal

All these hoochies poppin' coochie tryin' to get a free meal

So now we in and outta court

Tryin' to get mo money, braggin' om the child support

Tellin' her friends that she's breakin' me

Now eveybody knows, that she was just fakin' g

Come to find out, the girl never had me

She's the baby's mother but me i ain't the baby's daddy

And biological tests done proved

You gotta get up off of me and go after the other dude

But now i finally got a real daughter

No need for the testin'

I know that i'm the baby's father

I heard my daddy say them hoes will try ta kill ya

You couldn't have told me nothin' back then

But now i feel ya...

I feel ya...

Now i'm twenty-two and finally got a grip on life

It's nineteen ninety-three, i put away my pocket knife

And got a bigger stick to fight with

I'm young and black so my choice ain't a nightstick

Because we livin' in a concentration set

And everyday, we face to face with death

I seen my homies go and come

And judgement day is just somethin we can't run from

So i know my number's comin' up

So i gotta protect myself from suckers who be runnin' up

And even though i hate killin' off my own kind

I gotta be a man and as a man i'm a defend mine

My brother corners tryin to keep the neighbourhood at peace

Don't fight each other, we gots ta stand and fight the beast

So united we stand but we gonna fall quick

Because we always tryin to take another brother's shit

And the cops is in the same boat

Just because we comin' up quick they think we slang dope

They shootin' ta kill, they gats ain't sparkin' duds

They shot my long time partner rudy in cold blood

And now the story's all twisted up

And if they gave the cop the chair

I really wouldn't give a fuck

Because he left my partner's family with memories

And after hearin' this i know you don't remember me

But yet in still i find it hard for me to stay in touch

I see his parents and then i started breakin' up

Because i know what you did was wrong

But you won't realize until you dead and gone

It ain't no justifiable homicide, you never gave a warning

You straight up shot him from behind

But all the cryin' in the world ain't gonna bring him back

You give a gat to a black he don't know how to act

But you gotta tell your story to the judge

Not the imitation judge, the judge that everybody loves

And if the man upstairs grants you forgiveness

Then in reality you took care of your business

But regardless i know you wanna kill me

But i ain't goin' out like dat

Ya feel me?