My Conscience
Fat Joe Lyrics

I don't give a fuck...no
I don't care about anything.

Sex-money-murder we call this the hit em' up flow
This song is about the sex, money, and murder culture that exists in our society.

Barely fifteen got my first triple beam
At the young age of 15, I got my first triple beam to start selling drugs and making money.

Tryna get with Fat Cat and Pappy to do my thing
I was trying to associate myself with Fat Cat and Pappy, the drug lords, to make more money from their business.

I'm jus a kid with ambitions and visions of gettin' cream
I was just a young kid with big ambitions and dreams of making a lot of money from selling drugs.

Ronald Reagan told me "yo Joey jus do ya thing"
Ronald Reagan, indirectly through his policies, encouraged me to continue doing what I was doing without thinking about the consequences.

Now I'm lookin back man I ain't have no conscience
I had no moral compass and didn't think about the harm and danger that my actions could cause.

Slap a nigga silly 'til them niggaz fell unconscience
I was violent and didn't hesitate to harm others to establish my power and control.

Now it would be fuckin' with me so called activist tryna diss me publicly
Now that I have fame and success, some activists are trying to criticize me and make me feel guilty about my past deeds.

And they don't even kno' where my heart at heart at and I don't even know where to start at start at
The activists don't know the real me, and I myself don't know how to face my past and deal with my guilt.

But this ya conscience speakin' no time for cryin' and weepin'
This is my conscience speaking, telling me to stop feeling sorry for myself and take action.

You tryna climb you reachin' up to ya prime you eatin'
You are trying to become successful, and you are doing well.

You ripped a rhyme last weekend you cleared a mill no cheatin'
You performed well last weekend and made a lot of money without cheating.

Who gives a fuck wat dey speak jus keep movin' leadin'
Don't care about what the critics say, just keep moving forward and leading the way.

You from da place of dem heedins cops need to see dem
You come from a place where there are a lot of criminals, and the police need to see them.

For no reason young hustler in da streets bleedin'
Young hustlers are being hurt and killed in the streets, for no apparent reason.

Moms greivin' Joe you came up from all dat
The mothers of the dead young hustlers are grieving, but I managed to come out of that lifestyle.

Fuck dat you taught how to survive crack
I learned how to survive and thrive in the crack-selling business.

My mind [x3] Is playin' tricks on me Am I dreamin' or they tryna put da fix on me Reminiscin' wen I used to have dem breaks on me My mind [x3] Is playin' tricks on me
I am feeling paranoid and not sure if I can trust others or my own mind. I am remembering my past and how difficult it was.

Would da critics come at you if you was Arnold Schwarzenager Killin' cops in movies promotin' graphic anger You should run for governor Republicans be lovin' yea
If I were someone popular like Arnold Schwarzenager, and I starred in movies where I killed cops and promoted violence, the critics would come after me. They think I should become a Republican and run for governor.

Yea wave da confederate flag like sum southners Nah I rather b on da block like a hustler guns with da mufflaz D's put da cuffs on us hes an mc and dese streets put they trust in us Yea Joey crack but dey also put dey lust in us
I would rather stay on the block and continue selling drugs than wave the confederate flag like some southerners. The police arrest us, but the streets trust us. People are attracted to our criminal lifestyle.

Dey fuss with us ain't nobzody helpin' 'em one minute Dey cheerin us next minute dey cussin us Fuck em [x5] Dats dat nigga bitch hoe shit I don't even trust my conscience Says no I want to hit him with a nine Dese are sum thoughts re-occurin on my mind now
People are unpredictable, and they criticize us as soon as things go wrong, but they also cheer for us when things go well. I don't trust my own conscience, and sometimes I think of violence towards my enemies.

Is dis my conscience speakin' sounds like my mentor Yep you guessed it how else could I enter it's been a couple of years since we rocked the joint venture you ain't been callin' me lately you don't rememba
This is my conscience speaking, but it sounds like my mentor. My mentor and I haven't spoken in years, and I miss him, and I wonder if I should call him or not.

Shit who you think I got my whole style from dem live shows Before da twenty thousand seat arenas, before cocaine You Scott Laroc back to back in dem Beamers I was just a youngin' on da corner I'm a slinga you was on ya album cover finger on da nina flip Da 360 man you da teacher Self destruction damn you da leader
My whole style came from watching you perform live shows. Before I became famous and started performing in big arenas and taking cocaine, you and Scott La Rock were driving Beemers and showing off your guns. I was just a young corner boy selling drugs, while you were already famous. You showed me how to sell drugs, but we were both self-destructive.

Joe let's take it back to Don Carter gena you and Big Pun Had da whole Bronx demeanor 560 gear Dat boricua pride did burners with da tats crew on da 2'5 and 5'5 Ya was with relativity I was jive all dat bull shit you been through how you survive KRS dats why I am da greatest of all time Joe I'm da best u must be out ya fuckin' mind
Let's take a trip down memory lane and remember the time when we used to hang out with Don Carter Geno, and you and Big Pun had the whole Bronx vibe. We used to wear 560 gear and show off our Puerto Rican pride, and we would shoot guns with the Tats Crew on the 2'5 and 5'5 blocks. You were with Relativity, and I was with Jive, and we both went through a lot, but you managed to survive. KRS is the reason why I am the greatest of all time, and you are out of your mind for thinking that you are the best.

[Chorus:]
The chorus is talking about the paranoia that the rapper is feeling and how his mind is playing tricks on him.