Ghetto
Infared & Cross Ft. Styles P. Lyrics

We, we are the champions, we can't stop
We are the ones who succeed despite the odds and we won't quit

Cause you just can't keep them
They can't stop us from succeeding

Ruff Ryders down, down, down
The Ruff Ryders crew is always ready to rise up and overcome struggles

By any means necessary, I'mma hold down tradition
I will do whatever it takes to maintain our cultural heritage and way of life

White tee, blue jeans, yeah, I fit the description
I dress like many people from my neighborhood, making me a target for police profiling

Know what's richer for the drugs in our waist
We understand that selling drugs may provide temporary financial gain, but it brings danger and risk to our lives

We dark so they put the flashlight in our face
We are unfairly targeted and discriminated against by police because of our skin color

Racial profiling send me straight to the island
Being targeted for my race leads me to be unjustly incarcerated

Hit me with the night stick, the captain start smiling
Police brutality is encouraged by their superiors and the system

The foul smell of the ghetto will burn your nose hair
The poverty and struggle in the ghetto is overwhelming and can be physically unpleasant

It's forbidden, so no one goes there
The government and society have neglected and abandoned the ghetto, rendering it a forbidden place

The struggle never stops 'til we wake up to spoiled milk
Our fight for equality and justice will continue until our basic needs are met and we can live without fear and struggle

And roaches crawling out our cereal box
The poverty in our communities is so severe that even our food is infested with pests

They feed us lies, blind our eyes
Those in power manipulate us and keep us ignorant to maintain their control

If your hand's the same color as mine's, black man rise
We must come together and uplift each other as a united black community in order to overcome oppression

My people's been in the cage for criminal ways
We have been criminalized for our survival tactics in a society that does not provide equal opportunities

For the fact that we couldn't take minimum wage
We work low-paying jobs that don't allow us to support ourselves or our families

We had stacks in the back of the building
We had to resort to illegal activities to make ends meet and survive

Brothers is crooks but we still read books to the children
We may engage in illegal activities, but we still prioritize education and hope for a better future for our children

Now I keep my mind in the movement
I am dedicated to the fight for justice and equality and stay focused on that goal

Time in the movement 'cause the ghetto need a lot of improvement
We cannot rest until our communities are improved and we are free from oppression

Now we gotta plan for the future and watch for the man
We must strategize and prepare for the future, while also remaining wary of those in power who seek to oppress us

Cause they don't cuff you no more, they just shoot ya
Police brutality and violence against black bodies is at an all-time high, increasing the danger to our lives

Time for a new beginning, revolution is coming
We must start a revolution to overthrow the oppressive system and create a new beginning for ourselves

See the bullets out the Kruger spinning
We witness the violence in our communities and its devastating effects

And we ain't gon' stand down, we gon' stand up
We will not remain silent or submissive to the oppressive system, we will fight for our liberation

Black man, black power, put your black hands up
We embrace our blackness and our power as a united community, raising our hands up in solidarity

The hood ain't been the same since Malcolm and King gone
The loss of Malcolm X and Martin Luther King Jr. have had a significant impact on our communities and our fight for justice

Tales from the hood is what I sing on a rap song
My music tells the stories of our struggles in the ghetto, bringing attention and awareness to our experiences

Everybody petrified ever since 9/11
The fear and paranoia that followed 9/11 has affected everyone, including those in the ghetto

The hood was under attack before 9/11
Our communities have been under attack and neglected long before 9/11

Tell me how we got crack and automatic weapons?
The government and those in power have facilitated the access to drugs and weapons in our communities, perpetuating violence and oppression

My worst nightmare is Bush getting re-elected
The political climate and those in power greatly affect our lives and well-being, and the thought of a re-elected Bush is terrifying

The jails is packed, everybody stressed out
The systems of control and oppression, including the prison industrial complex, disproportionately affect our communities, leading to stress and anxiety

Gimme the key and I'm letting all the lifers out
We desire liberation and justice for those unjustly incarcerated, and will take action to make it happen

So they could rebuild and work for a dollar bill
We believe in second chances and the ability for those incarcerated to turn their lives around and contribute to society

Take the shackles off ya mind, we running outta time
We must free ourselves from mental slavery and take action towards our liberation, time is running out