Still Real
Fat Joe Lyrics

It's so depressing, uh..
This song is really quite sad and heavy.

Be the realest shit I ever wrote (Money and cars bitches)
I am being completely honest in this song, even mentioning money and cars and women.

Shit Is Real Part 2.. (drugs) modern day.. (society yaknow?)
This song is a continuation of my earlier song 'Shit Is Real', discussing the realities of modern-day society and drugs.

See what it's like to walk in my shoes
I want the listener to try and understand my experiences and struggles.

It ain't all fun and games (ya heard?)
Life can be tough and challenging, and it's important to acknowledge that.

I'm sick and tired of stressin, every days a different lesson
I am exhausted from constantly dealing with stress and learning new lessons.

I'm free-fallin tryna leave this deep depression
I feel like I'm falling deeper and deeper into depression and it's a struggle to try and escape it.

My son Joey still slow, my moms got cancer in her throat
My son has learning disabilities and my mom is battling cancer, which is really difficult for me.

My big brother sniffin dope
My brother is struggling with a drug addiction.

Lemme know how many motherfucker want to be just like me
I question how many people want to be in my shoes, because it's not all glamorous.

Screamed at and treated like shit by your wifey
I get treated badly and disrespected by my wife.

This hot bitch be sweatin the coke cash
This woman is only interested in my money from selling cocaine.

My baby mother think I grow dough out my ass
The mother of my child thinks I have endless amounts of money.

It's like, how much fight I got left in me?
I'm struggling to find the motivation to keep fighting.

Niggaz won't be happy till they bring the fuckin death of me
There are people out there who want me dead.

But you never see Joe look weak or flow off beat
Despite all my struggles, I keep going and don't let it show in my music.

and Charlie sees the board in four more weeks
Charlie, whoever that may be, will be out of jail soon.

You gotta walk where I walked
You need to understand my experiences and struggles.

Bang where I bang
You need to experience the dangers and risks I have experienced.

Slang where I hang
You need to talk and act like me to understand what I've been through.

To get where I'm going to
In order to truly understand me, you need to experience everything I have experienced.

Stay where I stay
To truly understand my life, you need to live where I have lived.

Blaze who I blazed
You need to smoke the same things I smoke to understand my experiences.

Pay dues how I payed
You need to go through the same struggles and hardships I have been through.

Uh, yo, the South Bronx, nine years later
This song is set in the South Bronx, nine years after my previous song 'Shit Is Real'.

Ain't nuttin changed, niggaz still playa haters
Sadly, things haven't changed and there are still people who dislike or hate me.

T.S. the best that's done it, forever live and never front it
My label, Terror Squad, is the best and we never pretend to be anything we're not.

Reminisce of when I used to hold heat and tell niggaz "run it"
I used to be involved in violent and illegal activities, such as robbing other people at gunpoint.

Now we flooded with jewels, hundreds of dudes
Now we have a lot of money and can afford expensive and flashy jewelry, and have a big entourage.

Crowd the Coliseum to hear they favorite tunes
We have a large fan base that comes to see us perform at the Coliseum.

Then at the time of our prime we caught a sick one
When we were at the height of our success, something bad happened.

The angels came down, took my twin Big Pun
My friend and fellow rapper Big Pun passed away.

Shit were unbalanced throughout the whole world
Everything felt imbalanced and chaotic after Big Pun's death.

All I could do was try to provide for his seeds and his old girl
I did my best to take care of Big Pun's children and girlfriend after he died.

Hope your listenin, tell Ton' that we still missin him
I hope Big Pun is listening and I want him to know we still miss him.

I'm like a prisoner in jail with no visitors
I feel trapped and isolated, like a prisoner with no one to visit me.

Yeah, uh, aiyyo the third verse is dedicated to you
This part of the song is directed at someone specific.

Even though you switched teams, I'm praying for you
Even though this person has betrayed me, I still care about them and hope they're doing okay.

We used to stay up all night countin dollar for dollar
This person used to be close to me and we used to make money together.

You was my son's godfather, where the fuck is your honor?
This person had a special role in my son's life and should have acted with more honor and loyalty.

Can't even rap the shit we did together
I can't even rap about the things we used to do together because now we're no longer friends.

You'd probably have me shackled locked down doin bids forever
This person has betrayed me and I fear they would set me up to get arrested and locked up for a long time.

You broke the first code
This person went against the unspoken rules and moral code that we used to follow.

I'd like to twist ya wifey till it roasts gold
I am angry and frustrated with this person and would like to get revenge on them by hurting their partner.

Snitch nigga, turned state to sold ya soul
This person has betrayed me and turned their back on our community by becoming a snitch for the state.

How could a nigga that was clappin in the streets
How could someone who used to be tough and gang-affiliated turn into a snitch and betray everyone they used to know?

start yappin to the deez, like what I rightly should believe?
How could this person start talking to the police and telling them things, and expect me to believe anything they say anymore?

Like ever verse is a charge, for every hurt there's a scar
It feels like every time I write about my life, it's like I'm being charged with something. I have scars from all the hardship I've been through.

I never once tried to hurt cha'll
I have never intentionally tried to hurt anyone, despite what they may think of me.

I'm just tryna do me, sell a few CD's
I'm just trying to make a living by selling my music and being true to myself.

Buy land in Miami and cop a new be
I have dreams and goals, such as buying real estate in Miami and getting a new car.

Motherfuckers think it's sweet
People might think my life is easy or cushy because I have money, but it's not.

Think a nigga got money and a nigga don't feel pain
Just because I have money doesn't mean I don't experience pain and struggle like everyone else.

You ain't never feel my pain
No one can ever truly understand my pain unless they have experienced it themselves.

You don't know what the fuck I'm goin through
It's impossible for someone to know or understand everything that I'm experiencing right now.

Niggaz lookin at me like, "He got it made"
Some people assume that my life is perfect and easy because I have money and fame.

Like I ain't lose Pun, my grandfather a week later
Despite my success, I have still experienced great loss in my life, including the death of my friend Big Pun and my grandfather.

My aunt a month later
I have lost multiple loved ones in a short period of time.

Like my fuckin sister ain't in a coma right now!
My sister is currently in a coma, which is a deeply painful and difficult experience for me and my family.

You motherfuckers don't know pain!
People who have not experienced what I have experienced cannot truly understand my pain.

Let's get one thing clear; money'll never buy you happiness
Money cannot buy true happiness, despite what people may think.

My true niggaz walk with me now!
Despite all the pain and struggle, I know I have people who support me and are there for me.