Where I'm From
Jay-Roc Lyrics

I'm from where the hammer's rung, news cameras never come
I come from a violent place where there's frequent gun violence, but it never gets attention from the media.

You and your mans hung in every verse in your rhyme
In my neighborhood, everyone talks about their gangster activities and raps about them.

Where the grams was slung, niggas vanish every summer
Drug dealing is a common occurrence in my neighborhood and people often go missing.

Where the blue vans would come, we throw the work in the can and run
When the police raid, we quickly dispose of the drugs and run away.

Where the plans was to get funds and skate off the set
Making money through illegal means was the norm and the plan was to get out of the hood as fast as possible.

To achieve this goal quicker, sold all my weight wet
To make money faster, I sold drugs that hadn't fully dried.

Faced with immeasurable odds still I get straight bets
Despite facing difficult circumstances, I still take risks and try to win.

So I felt I'm owed something and you nothing, check
I believe that I'm entitled to rewards for my hard work, while others who haven't worked hard deserve nothing.

I'm from the other side where other guys don't walk too much
I come from a dangerous neighborhood where people are afraid to walk around too much.

And girls in the projects wouldn't fuck us, said we talked too much
Girls in public housing won't sleep with us because we boast and talk too much.

So they ran up to Tompkins and sought them dudes to trust
Girls would go to Tompkins Square Park to find trustworthy guys to sleep with instead.

I don't know what the fuck they thought, them niggas is foul just like us
I can't comprehend why they thought Tompkins guys were better than us, as they are just as shady and disreputable.

I'm from where the beef is inevitable, summertime's unforgettable
In my neighborhood, violence and conflict are inevitable, and summers are especially memorable for that.

Boosters in abundance, buy a half-price sweater new
People steal so often that there are always plenty of cheap, stolen clothes available to buy.

Your world was everything, so everything you said you'd do
Growing up here, you had to be tough and keep your promises or else you'd be considered weak.

Couldn't talk about it if you ain't live it
You couldn't brag about your gangster activities if you didn't actually experience them firsthand.

Where niggas pull your card, and argue all day about
In my neighborhood, people challenge your legitimacy and argue about who's the real gangster.

Who's the best MC's, Biggie, Jay-Z, and Nas?
People in my neighborhood argue over who the best rappers are.

At each other's throats for the love of foreign cars
People here argue and fight over luxury cars.

Where cats catch cases, hoping the judge R and R's
People here commit crimes and hope for leniency from the judge.

But most times find themselves locked up behind bars, is that all?
Despite hoping for leniency, most people still end up in jail. Is that all there is to life?

I'm from where they ball and breed rhyme stars
My neighborhood produces talented basketball players and rappers.

I'm from Marcy son, just thought I'd remind y'all
I'm from Marcy Projects and wanted to remind you of that fact.

Cough up a lung, where I'm from, Marcy son, ain't nothing nice
Growing up in Marcy Projects was no picnic and was far from pleasant.

(Mentally been many places but I'm Brooklyn's own)
Although I'm well-traveled, I still identify as a resident of Brooklyn.

(Brooklyn, so where you from?)
This is an inquiry about where someone else comes from, specifically in Brooklyn.

I'm from the place where the church is the flakiest
Churches in my neighborhood often have hypocrisy and scandals.

And niggas been praying to God so long that they Atheist
People in my neighborhood have been let down by organized religion and now don't believe in God.

Where you can't put your vest away and say you'll wear it tomorrow
It's too dangerous to assume that you won't need your bulletproof vest tomorrow, so you have to keep it on you.

'Cause the day after we'll be saying, damn I was just with him yesterday
Death is common in my neighborhood and you could be hanging out with someone one day and gone the next.

I'm a block away from hell, not enough shots away from straight shells
My neighborhood is a dangerous place, and it's only a matter of time until people are shot and killed.

An ounce away from a triple beam, still using a hand-held weight scale
I'm always close to dealing drugs but still only use a small scale to weigh them.

You're laughing, you know the place well
You might think this lifestyle is a joke, but if you grew up here, you would know it's all too real.

Where the liquor stores and the base dwell
There are many liquor stores and projects in my neighborhood.

And government, fuck government, niggas politic theyselves
People in my neighborhood don't trust the government and have to rely on their own political maneuvering.

Where we call the cops the A-Team
Police officers in my neighborhood are seen as tough and competent, like the characters from The A-Team.

'Cause they hop out of vans and spray things
Police officers are known to show up in unmarked vans and use excessive force in my neighborhood.

And life expectancy so low we making our wills at eighteen
Life is so dangerous and deadly in my neighborhood that people feel the need to make their wills at an early age.

Where how you get rid of guys who step out of line, your rep solidifies
If you're able to eliminate rivals who cross you, people will respect you more.

So tell me when I rap you think I give a fuck who criticize?
I don't care about criticisms because I come from a place where people are constantly judging you anyway.

If the shit is lies, God strike me
If I'm lying, let God punish me.

And I got a question, are you forgiving guys who live just like me?
Do you forgive people like me who have lived a life of crime and made mistakes?

We'll never know
The answer to that question will always be uncertain.

One day I pray to you and said if I ever blow, I'd let 'em know
I promised that if I ever became successful, I would let others know about my experiences coming from a rough neighborhood.

The stakes, and exactly what takes place in the ghetto
I would shed light on the realities of living in a poor, crime-ridden neighborhood.

Promise fulfilled, still I feel my job ain't done
Although I've made good on my promise, I still feel like there's more I can do to help people in the ghetto.

Check, I'm from where they cross-over and clap boards
In my neighborhood, basketball players make impressive moves and score points, receiving applause from spectators.

Lost Jehovah in place of rap lords, listen
Instead of worshiping God, people in my neighborhood worship successful rappers.

I'm up the block, 'round the corner, and down the street
I'm very close to where you are and know the area well.

From where the pimps, prostitutes, and the drug lords meet
My neighborhood is where all kinds of shady characters gather, including pimps, prostitutes, and drug dealers.

We make a million off of beats, 'cause our stories is deep
Rap music is so successful in my neighborhood because the real-life stories we tell are deep and authentic.

And fuck tomorrow, as long as the night before was sweet
People in my neighborhood live day by day and don't care about the future as long as they had a good time the night before.

Niggas get lost for weeks in the streets, twisted off leak
Drug addiction is a major problem and people can disappear for weeks, getting high off of crack cocaine.

And no matter the weather, niggas know how to draw heat
People in my neighborhood always carry weapons and know how to use them, regardless of the weather.

Whether your four-feet or Manute size, it always starts out with
In a street dice game, no matter how tall or short you are, it always starts with rolling three dice.

Three dice and shoot the five
Players aim to roll a total of five in a street dice game by shooting dice.

Niggas thought they deuce was live, then I hit 'em with trips
People thought they had good rolls and were winning, but then I beat them with a higher roll.

And I reached down for their money, pa forget about this
I quickly took their money and didn't let them get revenge.

This time around it's platinum, like the shit on my wrist
Now that I've become successful, I wear expensive jewelry and have platinum album sales.

And this Glock on my waist, y'all can't do shit about this
I still carry a gun now that I'm successful, and nobody can stop me.

Niggas will show you love, rhat's how they fool thugs
People in my neighborhood may act friendly to fool you into thinking they're not a threat.

Before you know it your lying in a pool of blood
Once you let your guard down, you can easily become the victim of violence in my neighborhood.

(Brooklyn)
This line serves as a reminder that the song is all about the hardships and challenges faced in the Brooklyn area.