Street Knowledge
BADBADNOTGOOD / Ghostface Killah Lyrics

Made money, watch for the cops that go a hundred, crazy summer
Having earned some cash, be vigilant of the overly aggressive cops during a wild summer

Moved on up, Fivers are on it, that or a shooter
Advanced in status, either attracting eager followers or hostile assailants

Who I'm around, every hoovers want a new block
Being aware of the company one keeps, as gang members are always seeking new turf

These is the projects, let me screw you top of the day
Living in the low-income housing projects, waking up early to work hard and hustle

Thermometer hot, niggas a shoot bruh and be up
The environment is dangerously hostile, with people shooting each other and remaining active

More gun shots than in Felluajah, call it Chiraq
The frequency of gunfire is higher than in a warzone, making the city reminiscent of a combat zone

Hundred-g lines, no time to lye back want a Maybach
Dealing drugs in large quantities, with no time to rest, aspiring to own a luxury car

Get a real junkie to test the product, hold the ice pot
Have a genuine drug addict try out the merchandise, keeping the rocks of crack as cool as possible

Warm up the pot, let it rock up, stay on your grind
Heat up the drug solution to form solid rock, and remain dedicated to the hustle

Get that shit jumpin', start off with dimes and on the week days
Create a thriving drug trade, initially beginning with ten dollar bags and working up to larger amounts, targeting customers on weekdays

Take 25 give 'em all three bags
Provide 25 customers with three bags of drugs each

Within a week you're gettin' money, the cliché
In just seven days, earning a significant amount of money, despite it being a common occurrence in the illegal drug trade

Come through bumpin' your head and he say
Arrive confidently while nodding to music, with someone complimenting you

They all say that he paid
Everyone acknowledges that you make considerable money

And now people wondering what he made
Others are curious about the exact amount of money you have amassed

And if your weak eh, can he be robbed, beast hey
If you appear vulnerable, it could attract robbers or provoke them to challenge your strength

Now he gotta go Mobb Deep on me
Now you must deal with a dangerous and unexpected situation, requiring a tough and aggressive response

Don't let 10 miles get you oxed up, boxed up in the cage
Don't allow ten years of serving a jail term to be your reality

On some bruja shit, bitches burning bundles of sage
Engaging in often ineffective or superstitious practices, as some women burn bundles of sage to ward off negative energy

Your crack rock too pure, they gonna set you up
If your crack rocks are too potent, others may attempt to sabotage your operation

Chain too big on your neck, they calling you King Tut
Wearing a conspicuously large chain around your neck, others mockingly refer to you as the ancient Egyptian King Tut

Trust the one who's sweat bands is narc ID's
Put your faith in someone who appears to be a narcotics agent, based on their wristbands

And run for the hills, if you hear anybody yell freeze
Quickly flee the area if anyone shouts 'freeze'

Stash your cheese better, them shoe boxes don't work
Secure your money more effectively, as storing it in shoe boxes is not sufficient

That's some old school shit, like money in the mattress
Storing money in a mattress, like the old days, is also outdated and vulnerable to theft

Bitches is actresses, just screw 'em and leave
Women are phony and performative, only useful for sexual gratification before being discarded

They fuck up your whole operation like Adam and Eve
Women can ruin an entire criminal enterprise, as represented by the biblical story of Adam and Eve's fall from grace

Don't play the roof tops, change the color of your blue tops
Avoid conducting drug deals on rooftops and alter the appearance of your blue tops to evade detection

And them bags with the smiley faces, get new stocks
Replace the drug bags featuring smiley faces, as they attract too much attention

You can't run in skinny jeans, serve fiends my any means
Skinny jeans restrict movement, making it difficult to move quickly; however, when it comes to serving drug addicts, anything goes

Sprinkle coke in the dust blunt to spice up your greens
Add cocaine to a marijuana joint, to liven it up

This the school of street gems from your boy Tony Yano
These are valuable lessons from Tony Yano on the nuances of the streets

You wanna check for it nigga, slide across the Verrazano
If you do not believe him, you can visit Tony in person by sliding across the Verrazano Bridge

Street knowledge, we puttin' these books to the test
Applying what they have learned from the streets, to see if it really works

We puttin' two to the chest for niggas who rock vests
Prepared to shoot those wearing bulletproof vests, aiming for the unprotected areas

Food for though, spittin' out verbs for sport
Providing mental nourishment, using rhyme and wordplay for entertainment

In these streets you better walk the walk or come up short
The streets demand action, not just talk, or you will fall behind in the game of survival