My Conscience
Fat Joe feat. KRS-One Lyrics

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

Sex-money-murder we call this the hit em' up flow
This is a high-risk lifestyle...we call it the hit em' up flow

Barely fifteen got my first triple beam
I was only fifteen when I got my first scale for weighing drugs

Tryna get with Fat Cat and Pappy to do my thing
I was trying to join Fat Cat and Pappy's drug crew to make money

I'm jus a kid with ambitions and visions of gettin' cream
I was just a kid with high aspirations of making a lot of money

Ronald Reagan told me "yo Joey jus do ya thing"
Ronald Reagan's policies allowed me to become a successful drug dealer

Now I'm lookin back man I ain't have no conscience
Looking back, I realize that I had no moral compass

Slap a nigga silly 'til them niggaz fell unconscience
I used to violently attack people and knock them unconscious

Speakin' of my conscience
Speaking about my moral compass

Now it would be fuckin' with me so called activist tryna diss me publicly
My conscience is bothering me now that activists are publicly criticizing me

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 where my true intentions lie, and I'm not sure how to explain it

But this ya conscience speakin' no time for cryin' and weepin'
This is your conscience speaking, there's no time for crying and feeling sorry for yourself

You tryna climb you reachin' up to ya prime you eatin'
You're working hard to reach your goals and you're finally seeing success

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

Who gives a fuck wat dey speak jus keep movin' leadin'
Don't worry about what others say, just keep moving forward and leading

You from da place of dem heedins cops need to see dem
You come from an area where there's a lot of crime, the police need to see that

For no reason young hustler in da streets bleedin'
Young street hustlers are getting hurt for no reason

Moms greivin' Joe you came up from all dat
Mothers are grieving for their children hurt by violence, but you were able to overcome it

Fuck dat you taught how to survive crack
You were able to survive the difficult life of being addicted to crack

[Chorus:] 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
The chorus is about feeling paranoid, being unsure if someone is trying to set you up, and remembering a time when you were poorer

Would da critics come at you if you was Arnold Schwarzenager Killin' cops in movies promotin' graphic anger
Would movie critics criticize Arnold Schwarzenegger for portraying cops who kill, promoting graphic anger?

You should run for governor Republicans be lovin' yea
If you were like Arnold Schwarzenegger, you should run for governor, as Republicans would love you

Yea wave da confederate flag like sum southners Nah I rather b on da block like a hustler guns with da mufflaz
I would rather stay true to my roots, be on the block, carry guns with silencers, than wave a confederate flag like some Southerners

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
The police put us in handcuffs, but people in the streets trust us. They admire Fat Joe but also lust after him

Dey fuss with us ain't nobzody helpin' 'em one minute Dey cheerin us next minute dey cussin us
People are always changing their opinions, one minute they show us support, the next they criticize us

Fuck em [x5] Dats dat nigga bitch hoe shit I don't even trust my conscience
I don't care about those people (fuck them), they just talk nonsense. I don't even trust my own conscience anymore

Says no I want to hit him with a nine Dese are sum thoughts re-occurin on my mind now
My conscience is telling me not to attack someone with a gun, but these thoughts keep recurring in my mind

[Chorus:] My mind [x3] Is playin' tricks on me
The chorus repeats the feeling of paranoia and uncertainty

Is dis my conscience speakin' sounds like my mentor
Is my conscience talking to me or is it just me remembering advice from 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
Yes, you guessed it, my mentor's advice is back in my mind. It's been years since we worked together and you haven't been in touch

Shit who you think I got my whole style from dem live shows
My mentor taught me everything I know about performing live

Before da twenty thousand seat arenas, before cocaine You Scott Laroc back to back in dem Beamers
Before playing in huge arenas and before I started using cocaine, you and Scott La Rock would drive exquisite cars

I was just a youngin' on da corner I'm a slinga you was on ya album cover finger on da nina flip
I was a young person on the street corner selling drugs, while you were on your album cover posing with a gun

Da 360 man you da teacher Self destruction damn you da leader
You taught me about the importance of being well-rounded, but you also led me down a path of self-destruction

Joe let's take it back to Don Carter gena you and Big Pun
Joe, let's remember the good old days when we used to hang out at Don Carter's bowling alley with 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
We had the whole Bronx attitude, wearing expensive 560 gear. We had pride in our Puerto Rican heritage and were associated with the TATS crew on 2nd and 5th Avenue

Ya was with relativity I was jive all dat bull shit you been through how you survive
You were signed to Relativity and I signed with Jive Records. I'm impressed you survived everything you've been through

KRS dats why I am da greatest of all time
KRS-One is the reason why I'm the greatest rapper of all time

Joe I'm da best u must be out ya fuckin' mind
No, Joe, I'm the best rapper, you must be out of your mind to think otherwise