Chess

[Intro - Samuel L. Jackson in "Fresh"]

Now what kinda player am I? Am I an offensive man or a defensive man?

That's right, I'm neither. I play my opponent

If he likes to attack, I force him to defend himself

If he's a cautious man, I draw him into dangerous waters

See, you get so frustrated playing defensive positions

you make stupid moves you would never make if you were thinking

When you come here boy, check that shit at the door

[Bridge]

I'm at the top of my game, cut the check

Somebody better king me, I'm the best

Let's play a game of checkers, better yet

The game don't love nobody, let's play chess

[Chorus]

I keep forgettin' we're not in love anymore

I keep forgettin' things will never be the same again

I keep forgettin' how you made that so clear

I keep forgettin' things will never be the same again

[Verse 1]

I got street knowlege, that's why I outsmart em all

Gotta play chess in the streets, it's the art of war

Rapper get robbed, they took the jewels off your neck

You call the person who you payin' to protect

He got all your jewelery back, more or less

But now you owe him more, you in debt

Guess who got you robbed

Why don't you take a wild guess

The person you pay to protect you, he playin' chess

Oil price high, buildings fall, government stressed

They need somebody to blame for all this mess

capture Sadam but ain't captured Bin Laden yet

That's cause he doesn't exist, they playin' chess

A DJ, he helps artists progress

But as soon as they get in position, they forget

So now he got his own artists on the set

They risin' straight to the top, they playin' chess

[Bridge]

[Chorus]

[Verse 2]

Life is like a game of chess, get it straight

You cheated on your wife, called it a mistake

I told her I hate to see a heart break

You feelin' bad, lemme take you on a date

I just took your queen right in front of your face

Now it's easy to get to the king, checkmate

One man's pain is another man's pleasure

He treat you like trash, I could treat you way better

'Cause one man's trash is another man's treasure

This is chess not checkers, chess not checkers

She don't love you no more, eat dinner out the fridge

+When a woman's fed up+, you see the difference kid

You try to deny it but you admit what you did

She know you better than yourself, there it is

Females are intelligent, that's the wisdom kid

They're built from the top down like a pyramid

[Bridge]

[Chorus]

[Verse 3]

Life is like a game of chess, get it straight

I made my first hit record, checkmate

I'ma do numbers on my release date

Here's another hit record, checkmate

You sold millions of records, but what's next?

You need a couple of bombs from funk flex

A diss record'll make everybody upset

But that'll make you hot, you playin' chess

Used to be an artist, but now you an exec

You signed a buncha wack artists at your desk

You make sure they wack so you can sound fresh

I guess they just your pawns, you playin' chess

Record labels, y'all signing acts right and left

He pop bottles and celebrate his success

Y'all put him on the shelf but told him he was next

He just a tax write-off, yall playin' chess

[Bridge]

[Chorus]

[Papoose]

I got my rooks on the chessboard, uh

I got my knights on the chessboard, uh

I got my bishops on the chessboard

If you play your cards right you can get yours