[Verse One] Now most of us could waste a whole lifetime Doin sh** we don't believe in, so I'm retrievin words Of gold to expose my soul on the sheets Combined with the beat of song, complete, to compete Nah cause most of y'all won't understand it Takin this existance for granted Never goin after what you really want Cause you ain't got the heart So your life never starts to have meaning Fiending for somethin to fill that void Annoyed with the surroundings you picked Cause they don't seem to fit your person Rehearsin what they said would make you happy Until you realized one day, "Damn they trapped me" But who are they anyway? To tell you how to live A college degree, then a career, the only decent way to raise kids But I disagree, see I wasn't put here to make a living My living makes me, so even if it takes me a lifetime I'mma write rhymes that I feel Some sh** for when I'm fired, that sh** for when I'm chill And even if I never make that ticket to a meal I'll still be a success cause my purpose will have been filled [Verse Two] It came to me like a vision The decision was all mine, combined with the fact The lack of points on my GPA made a college hard to find Walk a line into this world, of the so-called real Never backed by a deal, so there was no desire to appeal To the ma**es of those, who seemed closed captioned To the fractions of light, that glimmer in the dimmer night Sight obscured, by this BULLsh*t~! we must endure Pure thought caught before it can become manifest Leavin us obsessed, with these objects that bring temporary joy Decoys in the game just like these b-boys and fame To get you to stop focus on the art And start focusin upon makin the charts Not to start pointin fingers Cause I had the benefit of learnin from others mistakes Those who helped make hip-hop what it is today To go through the sh** and cause me to say What the f** is the music business anyway? Paradox Coca-Cola commercials advertisin dreadlocks Government officials tryin to communicate with us through hip-hop Which should only serve as a demonstration That our generation holds control of this nation But the creation of Hip-Hop Temples won't help If the music don't stay up to par So many rap superstars supernova, and just burn out Get addicted to the cash then the label turn 'em out [Verse Three] I hadn't picked up the a in days, just been amazed On how many motherf**ers actually think that this rhymin is a phase Ain't ate a decent meal in days So I guess that this dispels the rumors that this rhyme sh** pays Nowadays, it seems MC means anybody on the block who can make words rhyme But I remember a time when I rapped, and no one noticed me And now fools is blowin up, off some third grade poetry And it's a damn shame that we let the game get so low Where it's the dumbest motherf**ers representin hip-hop, wherever you go And these fools take pride in bein ignorant Not to say that I'm innocent; cause I buy these fools records too So the label can get paid and bring out, another ignorant crew And I know too many heads tryin to get college degrees So how long, will we tolerate remedial MC's? So please, realize If somethin doesn't evolve or advance, it dies You listen to the sh** out now, and tell me where the future lies... ... b**h