[Hook]
West coast native (4x)
[Verse 1]
I was born 1981
September 22, first born son
Got my feet wet in the city of rain
Learned how to walk in the muddy terrain
Used my tape decks to study the rap game
Been around for a while
Seen a lot of things change
This is my native land, language I understand
Before I made records, I was a fan
I was into east coast mostly
The lifesavers were my favorite group locally
2000 cream team with the speakers on max
And the DJ would scratch with his sneakers on his hands
Man, you could find me in the front row
With the double X clothes on
Pockets full of papers that I wrote on
Always had rhymes with me
That's why I know how to write them so quickly
[Hook]
West coast native (3x)
[Verse 2]
Where was I
Lemme pick up where I left off
A few years after Hammer pants and Criss Cross
I took it serious, notebooks, pencil leads
Flow go with the beat like a needle and thread
Needle to the record, free styling in my room
No audience, letting the ba** go boom
For the love of it and that's the native lung of it
Back then never knew what would become of it
Before I had my driver's license
I was an*lyzing who could rhyme the nicest
Shy and silent, but something inside was rising
Each step got more surprising
[Hook]
West coast native (3x)
[Verse 3]
I learned the hard way, nobody taught me how
Kept flowing even though I had a sloppy style
Didn't know how to count my bars right
Must have learned how to play my cards right
So many emcees light years ahead of me
What can I do that hasn't been done already
Not much, I'm a novice in this
Made mistakes, I can't go back and fix it
I was wicked, never sought forgiveness
Never thought I'd write rhymes with the gospel in it
I'm not the El Capitan or lieutenant
Things never penned how I planned, I admit it
Thank God I repented
I was so foolish
I thought I could get saved by the music
Be He chose me
It's a lot to take in and that's how the story begins
Let's get it in