My live has been like
One long journey, filled with a lot of ups, and definitely a lot of downs
Check it
I dedicate this verse here, to my grandfather
Who pa**ed away earlier this year,
At his funeral I ran threw a whole box of tissues
My tears are dry, but I still miss you
And I promise that I'll never forget you
These last six bars just made it official
Yeah I know he can hear me,
Even though he don't speak English, he can understand clearly,
What his grandson is trying to express
(sigh) It's tough, but I'm trying my best
I remember as a kid just runnin' with him,
Every year I would spend a whole summer with him,
Visit him in the projects,
And he knew I was intrigued by them shiny objects
Cuttin' a Rolex out of magazine ad Told me when I grow up, I could buy one for my dad,
So much energy like me quite clever,
These are memories I will treasure forever,
Every now and then I still shed a tear
Walking through Chinatown I feel his spirit in the air
For your legacy I go harder
Tell my kid that your great grandfather was a great grandfather,
But let me walk you to the timeline Take you back to my pops and moms grind
They both immigrated to this country as teenagers,
You know, typical American dream chasers,
Immigrating blew up like disco,
Heads were movin' from New York and to Frisco,
My pops said, "NY, let's go,"
This was in the 70's when he used to rock a 'fro,
Bell bottoms, pimp hat with the tilted brim,
I've seen pictures and I still don't think it's him,
Fast forward to '82
That's when he met my moms, got married, and had a baby too
That baby's who? That baby's me, Jin Au-Yeung,
My moms was wild young,
Only eighteen a senior in high school,
When I was eighteen, that was my school,
NMB, I'm a Charger for life,
I put that on every single bar that I write
Picture a young couple, tryin' to get on track
What are the options, a restaurant, a laundry mat?
So they went with plan A,
From that point on, I was at the restaurant every damn day
But I was only twelve, I just wanted to play
When my friends would come, I'd give the food away,
I know that's bad for business,
So I apologize now if it still makes a difference
I guess deep down, I just hated the fact I felt trapped,
And that was my way of getting you back
I can't go back in time and I hate it But I can't tell you your hard work is appreciated
See to the customer, that's just a plate of rice
But to my family, that sh** could save a life
And this is more than Chinese food It's a life story of a Chinese dude
And I ain't come here to tell you what to eat,
It's just food for thought over a beat
Nah, I ain't here to tell you what to eat
It's just food for thought over a beat