song lyrics
You Gotta Be... lyrics

(I used to be a stick-up kid)  --> Rakim

[ VERSE 1 ]
Everybody in the ghetto tell me...
Is it a lie that I must be a ruffneck
And wear a frown just to be down?
I kinda don t agree with bein (tough)
But you gotta be (rough)
It s either you claimin your hood, or you re not a gee
Forget about respect, I refuse to be the next guy
Fitted for a casket, either with it, or get blasted
I choose to gangbang, they give me a chrome-plated trigger
Say, "If you got any heart, go rob that Mini-Mart, nigga"
Now look what I done did, damn, I had to be the big man
They re lookin at me shifty, better shut up fore I get slammed
Man, I m not a thief, good grief, and I don t wanna act hard
But then they said if I didn t do it, they was gonna gat, far
As I could see (I was gonna be)
The next new member of the crew, cause it s 8 of them and 1 of me
I don t wanna do it, but I will
Cause I still want folks to think that I m hard and tough
Cause you gotta be (rough)
Cause you gotta be (tough)
Cause you gotta be (rough)
(I used to be a stick-up kid)

[ VERSE 2 ]
Well, it s the niggeroe, again, right back in where I left off
Still tryin to make a decision, I might go to prison if I don t step off
But if I don t rob this store, then I m not sure
If I m gonna be considered as a gee
And you gotta be (rough)
Cuffs are temporary, homies are for life
So I grab the deuce-deuce and go inside
I decide to prove in the Mini-Mart, "Don t nobody move
Start fillin up the paper sack with loot, or I might shoot"
But things didn t go as planned, cause this man had his own gun
We re standin toe to toe, eye to eye, so I figured why not
Pull the trigger? Put this nigga on the ground
It ll show that I had poise, then my boy ll know I m down
But I didn t do it quick enough, or he thought of it first
Cause he blasted to the chest, and now I m restin yellin, "Nurse!"
And holdin on to life, or at least tryin to hold on
In a jailward wearin cuffs
Cause I had to be (rough)
Cause you gotta be (tough)
Cause you gotta be (rough)
(I used to be a stick-up kid)

And everybody, everybody gotta be rough, y all
(I used to be a stick-up kid)
And everybody, everybody gotta be tough, y all
(I used to be a stick-up kid)

[ VERSE 3 ]
Well, that s the end of my tale, but before we know
Fools ll just forget what I said, and the story go
On and on, until you re up to no good
And back throwin up your hood
And still doin what you shouldn t
Niggeroes, come together, cause divided we fall
So stall that gang shit, stand up
Quit standin in handcuffs
Really hard s when you got loot
And you ain t gotta shoot
Damn man, enough is enough
So why you gotta be (rough)
Cause you gotta be (tough)
Cause you gotta be (rough)
(I used to be a stick-up kid)
song lyrics