This is for you, and you   And you, and you      Now I came up with little bad ass yea gas, to never had ass yea gas   Slept and ate with our peeps but we let the streets raise us   Kept the weed blazin', don't let the drink age us   Used to live outrageous, now we just couch potatoes      Without the wages, to break out the project cages   Make do with what we got, use the logic that God gave us   Losin' faith is enough to make a man crazy   Can't even pay my landlady      How the fuck I'm 'posed to save for my unplanned baby?   Joined the Navy, and my uncle sayin', "Pay me"   Maybe I'm just too damn lazy but you can page me   Lately, been hustlin' grams daily      Holdin' down my spot on the corner like Champ Bailey   But I know I ain't the only one, you feel me?   On the gun, livin' on the run, look how they done momma's only son   X me out like I'm a Roman numeral   Damn, and ain't tryin' to see me again, till my funeral      For so long I been grindin', grindin'   Paid my dues, put my time in, time in   Even went down for tryin', I pushed on   Never once did I give up, give up   Every time I fell I would get up, get up   Always kept my spirit up, I pushed on      Now we finally feelin' plush   Doin' gotta do to keep our nails airbrushed   Jade straight out the box, damn ne'er been touched   Damn I'm feelin' good, B lined me up      Till we never seen a Pontiac diamond toed   Nappy Roots, what it mean to ya? Mines and us   And don't be callin' us slow, we ain't grind it up   Now my people all smiles 'cuz we out the slums      Sayin, "Look at Big Bud ol' sloppy drunk   I remember when he sold tapes out the trunk"   Now here's the routine, jump out the truck, T shirt and blue jeans   '94 Jays with the blue shoe strings      When I first hit the grind ain't stop for shit   And my only motivation was a pot to piss   See it hit me so hard ain't have a penny to myself   I swallowed up my pride and asked Skinny for some help   And I'm sayin'      For so long I been grindin', grindin'   Paid my dues, put my time in, time in   Even went down for tryin', I pushed on   Never once did I give up, give up   Every time I fell I would get up, get up   Always kept my spirit up, I pushed on      Want me to stop, I did, but I couldn't stop the shit   Dawg, I cried for this, stole and lied for this   Scream when I felt this shit   Toured for 16 months straight, lost breath for this   Heh, yelled for this      Sinnin' every night, know I'm goin' to Hell for this   The hurt and the betrayal, compelled by this   Tough wall to climb but Nappy Roots scaled the shit   Just don't let me rap in vain, people pray over this      Don't take my word for it, see for yourself and shit   Everybody out in the wind, ain't no help with this   I coulda thrown in the towel, coulda walked away   Eyes on the prize, so I'm strong today      Simply want it, believe it, think it, breathe it   Chase it, cease it, maintain, keep it   Hold it, control it, never let go of it   Hold on, press on, push on, I'm gone      For so long I been grindin', grindin'   Paid my dues, put my time in, time in   Even went down for tryin', I pushed on   Never once did I give up, give up   Every time I fell I would get up, get up   Always kept my spirit up, I pushed on      For so long I been grindin', grindin'   Paid my dues, put my time in, time in   Even went down for tryin', I pushed on   Never once did I give up, give up   Every time I fell I would get up, get up   Always kept my spirit up, I pushed on      For so long   Paid my dues   Now I, I pushed on   Alright, give up, I pushed on   I never have kept on   Ohh, ooh