What We Do
Beanie Sigel Freeway & Jay-Z Lyrics

Man if I get rocked, this shit for my kids nigga
If I face danger or get in trouble, I do it for the sake of my children

Even though what we do is wrong...
Despite the fact that our actions are morally questionable...

We still hustle 'til the sun come up
We continue working hard until sunrise

Crack a 40 when the sun go down
Drink a 40-ounce bottle of alcohol when the sun sets

It's a cold winter
Metaphorically, life is difficult and challenging

Y'all niggaz better bundle up
You all need to prepare and protect yourselves

And I bet it be a hotter summer, grab a onion
I predict that the upcoming summer will be intense, so be prepared

Yes the ROC gets down, you hot now, listen up
The ROC (record label) is successful, so pay attention to what we have to say

Don't you know cops' whole purpose is to lock us down?
Do you not realize that the main objective of the police is to arrest us?

And throw away the key
And imprison us for a long time

But without this drug shit your kids ain't got no way to eat, huh?
If not for the drug business, your children would have no means of survival, right?

We still try to keep Mom...smilin'...
We still make efforts to keep our mothers happy

'Cause when the teeth stop showin' and the stomach start growlin'
Because when our mothers are struggling to eat and are hungry...

Then the heat start flowin'
Then we resort to violence and conflict

If you from the hood I know you feel me ([Jay-Z:] Keep goin'...)
If you come from a disadvantaged neighborhood, I know you can relate to what I'm saying

If a sneak start leanin' and the heat stop workin'
If a firearm is pointed at us and our weapons fail...

Then my heat start workin' I'm-a rob me a person
Then I resort to using my firearm and will commit robbery

Catch a nigga sleepin' while he out in the open...and I'm-a get him ([Jay-Z:] Keep flowin'...)
If I come across someone who is vulnerable and unaware, I will take advantage of the situation and harm them

We gotta raise our kids while we livin'
We have the responsibility of raising our children as we navigate through life

Make a million off-a record bail my niggaz outta prison
Earn a substantial amount of money through music to pay for the release of my incarcerated friends

Fuck a Bentley or a Lexus just my boys in the squadder
I prioritize the presence of my close friends over material possessions like luxury cars

Nigga talk reckless then I hit 'em with the Smif 'n...
If someone talks disrespectfully, I will retaliate with violence

But I'm never snitchin' I'm a rider
I will never provide information to authorities, I remain loyal

If my kids hungry snatch the dishes out ya kitchen
If my children are hungry, I will go to extreme lengths to find food

I'll be wylin' til they pick me outta line-up...
I will engage in reckless behavior and criminal activities until I am identified and arrested

We keep the nines tucked, chopped dimes up, rap about it
We carry concealed weapons, divide drugs into smaller amounts, and boast about it in our music

Wyle out, fuck niggaz up, laugh about it
Act crazy, harm others, and find amusement in the violence

I'm not tryin' to visit the morgue but Freeway move out 'til I sit with the Lord
I don't want to end up dead, but I will continue my reckless lifestyle until I face judgment in the afterlife

'Til I...get my shit together, clean up my sins
Until I am able to improve myself and repent for my wrongdoings

Freeway got it in like 10 in the mornin'
Freeway is involved in illegal activities as early as 10 in the morning

And I can get it to ya like 10 while you yawnin' mang...
I can provide you with drugs as early as 10 in the morning while you are still waking up, my friend...

Still deliver the order mang!
I am still able to fulfill drug orders, my friend!

And I ain't talkin' bout chicken and gravy mang!
And I'm not referring to food like chicken and gravy, my friend!

I'm talkin' bout bricks 'o ye-yo, halves and quarters
I'm talking about bricks of cocaine, half and quarter ounces

4 and a halves of hash you do the math
Calculate the total weight of 4 and a half ounces of hashish

Swing past us scoop up your daughter
Come by our location and pick up your daughter

She want to roll wit' a thug that rap, you do the math
She wants to be with a rapper who is also a thug, it's not hard to figure out

He won't blast 'til my stacks in order mang!
He won't engage in violence until he receives proper payment, my friend!

... Mang! Lemme get 'em Free
... My friend! Let me handle this, Free

Hove never slackin' mang, zippin' in the black Range
Jay-Z is always prepared and active, driving around in a black Range Rover

Faster than the red ghost, gettin' ghost wit' Pac-Mang
Jay-Z moves quickly, like the red ghost in the Pac-Man game, while evading trouble

One-time know a got a knack to get that change
The police are aware that Jay-Z has a talent for making money

Leader of the black gang, are-O-see mang
Jay-Z is the leader of a black gang associated with the ROC (record label), my friend

Bang like T-Mac, ski mask air it out
Jay-Z is capable of firing weapons like Tracy McGrady and will cover his face with a ski mask while doing so

Gotta kill witnesses 'cause Free's beard's stickin' out
In order to avoid being identified by Free's noticeable beard, we have to eliminate any potential witnesses

Y'all don't want no witness shit, we squeeze hammers mang
You don't want to see us using firearms, my friend

Bullets breeze by you, like Lousiana mang...
Bullets will pass by you swiftly, just like the wind in Louisiana, my friend...

But I gotta feed Tianna mang...
But I have to support and provide for my loved one, Tianna, my friend...

So I move keys you can call me the Piano Man
Therefore, I engage in drug trafficking and you can refer to me as the Piano Man, my friend

Rain...sleet, hail...snow man
I am unbothered by any weather conditions, my friend

Slang dough, E, hydro man...
I sell drugs, ecstasy (E), and hydroponically grown marijuana, my friend...

...no, B. Sige in the third lane
... No, it's Beanie Sigel in the fast lane

Gramps still prayin' workin on my nerves man...
My grandfather still prays, which sometimes annoys me, my friend...

Like, 'Son you gotta get your soul clean...
He tells me, 'Son, you need to cleanse your soul...

Before they blow them horns like Coltrane...'
Before it's too late and I face judgment, similar to when the horns play in a John Coltrane jazz piece, my friend...'

But still I cry tears of a hustler
However, I still shed tears of someone involved in the hustle and street life

Wipe tears from my mother, pull out beers for her brothers...
I comfort my mother and provide drinks for her brothers

That's above us, make beds for the babies
That's a higher priority for us, we ensure the babies have a comfortable place to sleep

Tuck kids under covers, buy cribs for their mothers
We protect and hide the children under blankets, and provide cribs for their mothers

Shit I'll probably be wylin' with their fathers
I'm likely to engage in reckless behavior alongside their fathers

Tell Ms. Robert, tell Enijah that I'm ridin' for her father
Inform Ms. Robert and Enijah that I will support and stand by their father

That's like my brother, like same mother different father
He is like a brother to me, even though we have different biological fathers

Any problems dog know I got 'em
If there are any issues, know that I will handle them

And still we grind from the bottom
We continue to work hard and strive for success despite starting from a disadvantaged position

Just to make it to the bottom sold crack in the alleyways
Just to reach the lowest point, we sold drugs in the streets and back alleys

Still gave back Marcy a Dollar Day
We still support and give back to our community, Marcy Projects, with a Dollar Day event

Real gangstas make hood holidays
True gangsters create special occasions and celebrations within their neighborhoods

They ain't thank us but we still paid homage mang
Although they didn't appreciate us, we still showed respect and paid tribute, my friend

Soul Food Sunday lookin' like Big Momma's mang
Every Sunday, we gather for a soul food meal that resembles a feast at Big Momma's house, my friend

Tell the gang I never break my promise mang... mang... unnh!
Inform the gang that I always keep my word, my friend... my friend... (grunting)