[Intro]
Check It
[Verse 1]
My homie finally free after two years I get to see him
A handshake pulled into a hug is how I greet him
He was 18 when he got caught selling that weed
He 20 now and I'm the age that he used to be
He asked me how have I been and have I kept up with our peers
He said it's crazy how so much can change in just two years
We sat laughed and chilled and even talked about the real
How people willing to k** just to get some dollar bills
He said speaking of dollar bills who accepting applications
I pulled up a list of near job locations
I put on my coat as I got ready to roll
He said before you go it's one thing that I need you to know
It was cool getting to sit down and laugh and clown with you
And when I get the chance I'ma hit the town with you
I told him if you need some help you know I'm down with you
But if you doing wrong you ain't gone bring me down with you man
[Break 1: Snoop Lion]
I was still in the neighborhood. I was still, you know, a part of the hood, and despite all this big sh** that was going on around me, I still was the same person so it couldn't affect me. It never got bigger than me, and I see the same, you know things with yourself, as far as being connected with all your homies how you started off and how it was all about you and your homies. That's what it was about with me. Me and my homies making sure everybody eat, make sure everybody's involved, but as you grow you lose certain homies. Because it's called, “closing the gap.”
[Verse 2]
Yeah, so it's been about three months since bro got out
He doing good for himself and even got a job now
We both a little busy so we talk from time to time
He used to rap so we put on some beats and kicked some rhymes
He said the job cool but the boss don't be letting me breathe
What's up with you though man I'm tired of talking about me
I told him pretty soon I'm getting ready to leave
I'm about to go to college man and get myself a degree
And at that moment then his attitude changed he looked at me strange
The next words that came out of his mouth that explained
He said you don't need to go to school to get paid
I'm about to quit this job link up with me and we'll sell this weight
I was disgusted by the envy that I heard in his voice
I told him don't mess up my life because you don't got a choice
You had one shot my n***a that was your fault you blew it
He turned around in disdain as if he already knew it
And turned off the music and then homie was holding a gat
He said, you crazy n***a, nobody talk to me like that
He said, I never have and never will bow down to a buster
I can't believe I thought you was a straight-up natural-born hustler
I said you got caught the first time that you was trying to sell d**
And now you jealous cause I won't let them pigs jail us?
He kept it aimed at me for two minutes but never popped it
I think he didn't have the nerve the n***a only co*ked it
He turned the gun around and said I'm tired of the nonsense
I'm yelling out wait bro you still got options
The last thing he said was go get that degree for us
And then he said I'm sorry and he let the gun bust
[Break 2: Snoop Lion]
This is the gap when we start, this is the gap as you grow. Notice how you grow and they don't so how do you close the gap? You gotta come back down, when you come back down you lose, so you gotta keep going up. That's why closing the gap gotta be them catching up to you, and if they don't catch up you gotta leave them behind. Because you gettin' to the point now where you gotta start cutting out, you know what I'm saying and it's like you can't look back when you cut them out cause if they meant to be there they gone be there
[Outro: Snoop Lion]
This sh** ain't made for everybody you know what I'm saying. It's like everybody going to be a f**in' star, everybody ain't gone be the sh**, everybody ain't gone be what you are. It was 60 n***as that you was rapping with and out of them 60 you the motherf**in' one. And you can go back and try to help all 60 of them, but guess what, ain't none of them gone ever be you. And I done done it many times. I done tried to make n***as stars, rapped on they sh**, and took them on tour. Damn near gave n***as my shoes my clothes my everything you can have all. I can't make you a star, stars are born they not made, hear what I'm sayin'? So it's like if you ain't born one you can't make one. You can't take your energy and put it into somebody and make them what you are. I had to cut a lot of n***as out that I really felt like, “Man, I wonder how he doin'.” You know what? I can't worry about how he doin', ‘cause if I worry about how he doin' then I'ma miss a beat, and I might miss my lines on stage and they may not wanna pay me like they been payin' me. I gotta get this money