We Follow

We had no chance probably, we idolized Pablo
Shawn Carter gave us the Blueprint, we bravo
Tony and Carlito, George and Alpo
They all came from nothin' like us, so they sparkle
But we ain’t stupid, of course we know better
The odds is against us, it’s like winnin' the lotto
Sittin' by the window, staring at tomorrow
Dollar and a dream, bean and a bottle
Number and a line of credit for you to borrow
Directions with no direction, this shit is hollow
We was never meant to go deep, this shit is shallow
Yet, we get pushed on frontlines for battle
And we been gone for so long
We don’t even know where home is
Everything left that’s right — is wrong
And they wonder why we wallow
Away from the path of the system, where we watched
Our mothers get pressed and our fathers get swallowed
We supposed to still give a fuck about tomorrow?
We had no chance probably, we idolized Pablo
«C.R.E.A.M, get the money,» that’s the only motto
Tony and Carlito, George and Alpo
They all come from nothing like us, and so we follow
The hits kept comin', and we kept dodgin'
Our people getting' drugged, we just kept throbbin'
Families involved, we just kept watchin'
With our back against the wall, we had no options
We knew it wasn’t right, we had no option
We saw the money comin' in, so we kept coppin'
We saw whole lives change in front of us
For the first time in generations
Hell no, we couldn’t stop it
Get real, the hustle — you couldn’t knock it
A mile in these shoes, you couldn’t walk it
You could hear all the whispers but couldn’t talk it
You could sweep it under the rug but couldn’t mop it
Is that a devil or a profit?
Every time I thought of going back, I put my hands in my pocket
Reached in, pulled out no profit
No advancement, no future, no logic
Correct me if I’m wrong but protect me if I’m wrong
I can see the gates, we just tryna unlock it