Street Knowledge
Ghostface Killah Lyrics


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Made money, watch for the cops that go a hundred, crazy summer
Moved on up, Fivers are on it, that or a shooter
Who I'm around, every hoovers want a new block
These is the projects, let me screw you top of the day
Thermometer hot, niggas a shoot bruh and be up
More gun shots than in Felluajah, call it Chiraq
Hundred-g lines, no time to lye back want a Maybach
Get a real junkie to test the product, hold the ice pot
Warm up the pot, let it rock up, stay on your grind
Get that shit jumpin', start off with dimes and on the week days
Take 25 give 'em all three bags
Within a week you're gettin' money, the clichΓ©
Come through bumpin' your head and he say
They all say that he paid
And now people wondering what he made
And if your weak eh, can he be robbed, beast hey
Now he gotta go Mobb Deep on me

Street knowledge, we puttin' these books to the test
We puttin' two to the chest for niggas who rock vests
Food for though, spittin' out verbs for sport
In these streets you better walk the walk or come up short
Street knowledge, we puttin' these books to the test
We puttin' two to the chest for niggas who rock vests
Food for though, spittin' out verbs for sport
In these streets you better walk the walk or come up short

Don't let 10 miles get you oxed up, boxed up in the cage
On some bruja shit, bitches burning bundles of sage
Your crack rock too pure, they gonna set you up
Chain too big on your neck, they calling you King Tut
Trust the one who's sweat bands is narc ID's
And run for the hills, if you hear anybody yell freeze
Stash your cheese better, them shoe boxes don't work
That's some old school shit, like money in the mattress
Bitches is actresses, just screw 'em and leave
They fuck up your whole operation like Adam and Eve
Don't play the roof tops, change the color of your blue tops
And them bags with the smiley faces, get new stocks
You can't run in skinny jeans, serve fiends my any means
Sprinkle coke in the dust blunt to spice up your greens
This the school of street gems from your boy Tony Yano
You wanna check for it nigga, slide across the Verrazano

Street knowledge, we puttin' these books to the test
We puttin' two to the chest for niggas who rock vests
Food for though, spittin' out verbs for sport
In these streets you better walk the walk or come up short
Street knowledge, we puttin' these books to the test
We puttin' two to the chest for niggas who rock vests




Food for though, spittin' out verbs for sport
In these streets you better walk the walk or come up short

Overall Meaning

In Ghostface Killah's "Street Knowledge," the rapper discusses the street life and the knowledge necessary to survive in it. He speaks about making money and being aware of the law enforcement officers who may try to catch him. Ghostface emphasizes his rise to the top and the people who are now around him as a result. He mentions the dangers of his environment, with several references to gun violence in places like Chicago. The rapper talks about starting small in drug dealing and slowly building up the business, acknowledging that it can be a clichΓ© but still an effective way to make money.


Line by Line Meaning

Made money, watch for the cops that go a hundred, crazy summer
I earned a lot of money, but I have to be careful of the aggressive police in this hot season.


Moved on up, Fivers are on it, that or a shooter
I've upgraded, but I have to be cautious of the police and rival gangs.


Who I'm around, every hoovers want a new block
I have to be careful of who I associate with because everyone wants a bigger piece of the drug market.


These is the projects, let me screw you top of the day
This is a dangerous neighborhood, and I have to be proactive to survive each day.


Thermometer hot, niggas a shoot bruh and be up
The temperature and tension are high, people are quick to shoot and bounce back.


More gun shots than in Felluajah, call it Chiraq
This neighborhood experiences more gunfire than a war zone in Fallujah, which is why it's nicknamed Chiraq.


Hundred-g lines, no time to lye back want a Maybach
I have to keep selling drugs and can't relax until I can afford a luxury car.


Get a real junkie to test the product, hold the ice pot
I need to make sure my drug customers are satisfied by having a trustworthy addict try out my product while I hold the stash.


Warm up the pot, let it rock up, stay on your grind
I need to heat up and mix the drugs and continue putting in the work to make money.


Get that shit jumpin', start off with dimes and on the week days
I need to get my business moving by starting with lower amounts and selling during the weekdays.


Take 25 give 'em all three bags
I'll sell drugs to 25 people, each getting three small bags of drugs.


Within a week you're gettin' money, the clichΓ©
By following these drug selling methods within a week, I'll earn money like the typical drug dealer clichΓ©.


Come through bumpin' your head and he say, They all say that he paid
When I come through listening to music and nodding my head, people assume I'm paid and successful in the drug game.


And now people wondering what he made
People are curious about how much drug money I have made.


And if your weak eh, can he be robbed, beast hey
If I appear weak, people may try to rob me, but if I seem strong, they may fear me.


Now he gotta go Mobb Deep on me
Now people may try to attack or harm me, and I have to defend myself like the rap group Mobb Deep.


Don't let 10 miles get you oxed up, boxed up in the cage
Don't let your location or situation make you feel trapped and hopeless.


On some bruja shit, bitches burning bundles of sage
People may use witchcraft or superstitious methods in this neighborhood, including women burning bundles of sage.


Your crack rock too pure, they gonna set you up
If your crack is too pure, people may try to rob or trick you and claim it's fake.


Chain too big on your neck, they calling you King Tut
If you wear a large flashy chain, people will associate you with the rich king Tut and may target you for robbery.


Trust the one who's sweat bands is narc ID's
Only trust someone who has a government-issued identification as proof that they are not an undercover cop.


And run for the hills, if you hear anybody yell freeze
If someone yells 'freeze,' run away as fast as you can to avoid the police or danger.


Stash your cheese better, them shoe boxes don't work
Hide your money better, using shoeboxes won't cut it as it is a common hiding spot.


That's some old school shit, like money in the mattress
Hiding money in a mattress is an outdated and easily discovered method.


Bitches is actresses, just screw 'em and leave
Women in this lifestyle may be fake and deceitful, so don't trust them and only use them for sexual pleasure.


They fuck up your whole operation like Adam and Eve
Women can ruin your entire business and bring you down like how Eve caused Adam's downfall in the Bible.


Don't play the roof tops, change the color of your blue tops
Don't sell drugs from the rooftops, and frequently change the color of the shirt you wear to avoid being tracked by police or gangs.


And them bags with the smiley faces, get new stocks
Don't use drug bags with smiley faces on them as they can draw unwanted attention, and get new ones regularly.


You can't run in skinny jeans, serve fiends my any means
Don't wear skinny jeans as they are not practical for running, and do whatever it takes to serve drug addicts.


Sprinkle coke in the dust blunt to spice up your greens
Mix cocaine into a marijuana blunt to enhance its effects and make it more appealing to customers.


This the school of street gems from your boy Tony Yano
These are valuable lessons learned from firsthand experience on the streets, brought to you by Tony Yano.


You wanna check for it nigga, slide across the Verrazano
If you want more information or proof, come see me and cross the Verrazano Bridge to my neighborhood.


Street knowledge, we puttin' these books to the test
We are taking these street lessons and putting them into practice to see if they work.


We puttin' two to the chest for niggas who rock vests
We are not afraid to use lethal force on people who try to harm us and are wearing bulletproof vests.


Food for though, spittin' out verbs for sport
These words of wisdom are meant for contemplation and are delivered with a sense of style and rhythm.


In these streets you better walk the walk or come up short
You have to be able to back up your words with action in order to survive in these harsh streets.




Lyrics Β© Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC, Kobalt Music Publishing Ltd.
Written by: Adam Feeney, Alexander William Sowinski, Chester A Hansen, Matthew Adam Tavares, Tommy Paxton Beesley, Tremaine Johnson, Wayne Kaliff Gordon

Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
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Comments from YouTube:

Nick

Trees verse is so faded and raspy... and I love every damn line.

Adam Khattak

For sure one of my favourite tracks on the album. Both Ghost and Tree flow on this track so well together, reminds me of some old school shit.

Patrick Daley

MC Tree and Ghostface killah is a collab that I never knew I wanted. They work so well together man if tree, ghostface, and badbadnotgood don't make a whole album together the world will be worse for it

churchvan

I swear I keep coming back just for that Tree verse. why does his voice/flow never sound that great in his other stuff?

Jessika Cardenas

tree verse sounds dope I wanted to hear him keep spittin

chuckdock7

Instant classic! Tree represent for us here in the Chi baby! Ghost one of my personal top 5 MC's of all time!

905 Review

so so glad this album introduced me to Tree

Fish Man

Trees verse is crazy

J R

Had to look up who this was ASAP wtf

ducanhbui

That beat, tree's voice and ghost's hook ..Farr

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