Get Down
J Period and Nas Lyrics

New York streets where killers'll walk like Pistol Pete
The dangerous nature of the streets of New York where dangerous people walk freely like the notorious Pistol Pete.

And Pappy Mason, gave the young boys admiration
Pappy Mason, a legendary figure in the streets of New York, was admired by young boys for his street reputation.

Prince from Queens and Fritz from Harlem
Prince from Queens and Fritz from Harlem were legendary street figures known for their notoriety.

Street legends, the drugs kept the hood from starving
Street legends were necessary because they kept communities from starving through the trade of drugs.

Pushing cars, Nicky Barnes was the 70's
Nicky Barnes was a notorious drug lord in the 1970s who was known for pushing luxury cars.

But there's a long list of high-profile celebrities
Barnes was among many other high-profile celebrities in that era involved in the drug trade.

Worldwide on the thorough side of things
High-profile celebrities in the drug trade had much sway worldwide.

Livest kings, some died, one guy, one time
Some celebrities in the drug trade died tragically, but this one time in particular stood out.

One day grabs me, as I'm about to blast heat
A chance encounter with someone stopped a young rapper from making a drastic mistake.

40-side of Vernon, I turned well he asked me
In the Vernon area, the rapper turned to see someone who eventually stopped him.

"What you up to, the cops gon' bust you"
The person questioned the rapper about his potential crime and warned him that the police were nearby.

I was a teen drunk off brew, stumbled I wondered
The young rapper was intoxicated and confused by the situation.

If God sent him, cause two squad cars entered the block
The rapper thought that perhaps the person who stopped him was sent by a higher power since two police cars showed up moments later.

And looked at us, I ain't flinch when they watched
The rapper kept his composure despite the police's suspicious gaze.

I took it upstairs, the bathroom mirror, brushed my hair
The rapper went upstairs to check himself in the mirror and prepare himself.

Staring at a young disciple, I almost gave my life to what the dice do
The young rapper reflected on his life and realized that by playing games of chance he was putting himself in jeopardy.

Yeah man, throwing them bones
The rapper was playing dice games.

Hoping my ace get his case thrown
The rapper was hoping a friend would get acquitted of charges against him.

His girl ain't wait for him, she in the world straight hoeing
The friend's girlfriend was unfaithful while he was in jail.

While he looking at centerfolds of pretty girls
The friend was distracted by magazines featuring pretty women.

Showing they little cooch, gangstas don't die he's living proof
The friend is proof that not all gangsters die young.

The D.A. who tried him was lying
The District Attorney who prosecuted the friend was being dishonest.

A white dude, killed his mother during the case
The person who killed the friend's mother was white.

Hung jury, now the D.A. is being replaced
The jury could not come to a decision, and now there is a new D.A.

Pre-trial hearing is over, it's real for the soldier
The friend's pre-trial hearing is over, and the situation is serious.

Walks in the courtroom, the look in his eyes is wild
The friend walks into the courtroom with a frantic look in his eyes.

Triple-homicide, I sit in the back aisle
The friend is on trial for a triple-homicide, and the rapper is in the back of the courtroom.

I want to crack a smile when I see him
The thought of something so serious could almost make the rapper smile.

Throw up a fist for black power, cause all we want is his freedom
The rapper shows support and solidarity for his friend.

He grabbed a court officer's gun and started squeezing
The friend takes action to free himself by taking a gun and holding the courtroom hostage.

Then he grabbed the judge, screams out, nobody leaving everybody
The friend continues to take hostages in order to ensure his freedom.

Some niggas fuck they enemies in they ass when they catch 'em
Some people sexually assault their enemies when they catch them, which is an extreme and violent act.

Weird-ass niggas are dangerous, so don't test 'em
People who engage in extreme acts are often dangerous, so they should not be provoked.

They make you, disappear, this a year that I won't forget
These dangerous people have the ability to make others disappear, which is an unforgettable experience.

Sold CD's double platinum, met mo' execs
The rapper continued to achieve success and gain exposure in the music industry.

Southern niggas, independent label, real killers
Rappers from the south were involved in the music industry and were also violent in their dealings.

Know the business, ran Tennessee for years, now they chilling
The southern rappers were experienced and successful, and now they are enjoying the fruits of their labor.

They had the coke game something crazy
The southern rappers were also involved in the cocaine trade.

Sold music out the trunk of they car, that shit amazed me
The rappers sold their music independently, which was impressive to the rapper.

Put me onto heron blunts, sherm or something
The southern rappers introduced the rapper to different types of drugs.

Took a puff, what the fuck, I turned to punch them
The effects of the drugs were so intense that the rapper reacted violently towards the southern rappers.

Southern niggas ain't slow, nigga tried to play me
People from the south are not to be underestimated, and somebody tried to trick the rapper.

I left from around them dudes, they cool but they crazy
The rapper decides to avoid the southern rappers, acknowledging their likable personalities but dangerous nature.

Now I'm back around the old school that raised me
The rapper returns to his hometown.

New York gangstas, we lounging, out in L.A. see
The rapper is with his gangsta friends from New York in Los Angeles.

A dude wrote my dawg from Pelican Bay
Someone sent a letter to the rapper's friend who is in Pelican Bay prison.

The letter say, "Nas I got your back, the fools don't play"
The letter reassures the rapper that his friend has support and no one will harm him.

I rolled with some Crips down to a Crenshaw funeral
The rapper attends a funeral in Crenshaw with some Crips.

Never saw so many men slaughtered and I knew the ho responsible
The funeral is full of men who were killed, and the rapper knows who is responsible for their deaths.

The nigga still alive in a hospital
The person responsible for the deaths is still alive and recovering in a hospital.

Midnight they crept in his room and shot the doctor too
Someone crept into the person's hospital room at midnight and shot the doctor.

See my cousin's in the game, thugging and things
The rapper's cousin is involved in thug activities.

He plugged me with a dame who was half-Mexicano
The cousin introduced the rapper to a woman who is half Mexican.

Gave the ass up, I'ma mack daddy Soprano
The woman was sexually promiscuous and the rapper takes advantage of this by acting like a mack daddy.

She passed me the indigo, but the imbecile
The woman gives the rapper some drugs.

Should of never tippy-toed, thought my eyes were closed
The rapper was caught off guard and his perception impaired by the drugs.

Opening the hotel room do', to let her goons in
The woman opens the door to allow her associates into the room.

But I moved in a manner, on some Jet Li shit
The rapper reacts quickly like an action star.

I let the hammers blow, wet three kids
The rapper fires his gun and kills three people.

See honey thought I had something to do, with all the drama
The woman believes that the rapper knows about the violence they are involved in.

Cause I was with a crew, that had her people killed
The rapper was with a group of people that had killed some of the woman's associates.

Called up my cousin, told him I ain't fucking with you
The rapper decides to distance himself from his cousin and his thug lifestyle.

He responded cool, but told me out here this how motherfuckers
The cousin is understanding of the rapper's decision, but cautions him about the dangers of the thug lifestyle.

All I really gotta say is that
The rapper has a poignant message.

If that's how our people gon' get down, how we ever gon' get up?
If people continue to engage in violent and criminal behavior, how will they ever progress as a community?

How we ever gon' get up if that's how we get down?
The rapper reiterates his question in a different way.

A shame when you ain't look at it
It is unfortunate when people do not see the bigger picture.

My folk is yo' folk, but we all kinfolk
We are all part of the same community and should look out for each other.

Somebody gotta make a change
In order to progress, someone must initiate change.