Good to Be Home
KOTA The Friend Lyrics

Dead winter in front of my auntie TV
I'm sitting in front of my aunt's TV during a cold winter, feeling life is slow and dull.

Watchin' BET, I'm lovin' the shit I see
I am watching BET and enjoying artists like Nas, Hov, Ja, Biggie, and Pun.

The Nas, Hov's, the Ja's, the Biggie's, the Pun's
I'm listing off artists that I admire and respect.

They dream of makin' the league, I dream of sillier stuff
My dreams are different from those who want to make it in music, I just want to do what makes me happy.

School shoppin', we hoppin' from VIM to Conway
Me and my friends are going shopping for school clothes, jumping from one store to another like VIM and Conway.

And this is right before the internets and MySpace
This is back when the internet and MySpace didn't exist yet.

The Facebooks and IG baddies all up in my face
Nowadays, social media like Facebook and Instagram are constantly in my life.

N64 is how I was spendin' my days
I spent my days playing Nintendo 64.

Park water fountains, I grew up around Italians
I grew up around Italian people in the neighborhood with the water fountains in the park.

Big boss next door quiet, but he move the loudest
The person who lived next door to me was always quiet, but he had a big presence.

Sittin' at the same stoop until he pass
He would sit on the same stoop all day until he had to leave.

Smokin' that cigar, never had a job
I would often see him smoking a cigar but never saw him working.

Never said a word, never did a verb
Although he never spoke a word or did any work, he still had an impact on the community.

Only moved his car from curb to curb
The only time I saw him move was when he moved his car from one side of the street to the other.

Murder shit occur, he heard it first
He was often the first person to hear about any violent crimes that happened in the neighborhood.

In the 90's when people were gettin' thrown off rooftops
This all happened during the turbulent 90's, when violent crimes like throwing people off rooftops were happening.

Pop up in canals, helicopters was too hot
People were appearing in canals and there were so many police helicopters around that it was hard to ignore.

My shorty at the time, she was livin' on New Lots
My girlfriend at the time was living on New Lots Ave.

My best friend was down on Church Ave, like two stops from Prospect Park
My best friend was living on Church Ave, which was two stops away from Prospect Park.

Had to be away from Gates Ave before it get dark
I had to leave Gates Ave before it got dark because it wasn't safe.

Clinton Hill, Fort Greene, where I hone my art
I practiced and improved my art in areas like Clinton Hill and Fort Greene.

Myrtle Ave, at the Five Spot, I had my start, yeah
I got my start at the Five Spot on Myrtle Ave.

Rollin' up the freestyle, me and my homie Mark
Me and my friend Mark would freestyle together.

Chattin' 'bout how we gon' be richer than Tony Stark
We would talk about how we were going to become richer than fictional character Tony Stark.

Sadiq was the roster, always rollin' it proper
My friend Sadiq was always rolling up properly with his marijuana.

Never really in school and always holdin' the contra'
Sadiq never really went to school and always held onto his drugs.

RIP brother
I miss my friend who has passed away.

We gon' choose to remember you as a peace lover
We will always remember him as a person who loved peace and not violence.

Where I'm from, everybody got about three mothers
In my neighborhood, it's normal for people to have multiple mother figures.

Tellin' us to be careful, look after each other
These mother figures always remind us to be careful and watch out for each other.

In the age of the Twitter's fan and cancel cultures
In today's world with Twitter fans and cancel culture, it's important to be aware.

I am 3D, nigga, you never see me
I am more than just a two-dimensional person, but most people only see me that way.

At this point, I'm a pro and you still runnin' with peewee
I am experienced and have been doing this for a while, while you are still inexperienced like a child.

Never lose sleep over sheep, I'm
I don't worry about things or people that are insignificant, like sheep.

Never rollin' over in defeat, I
I never give up or lose hope, even when faced with defeat.

Don't believe in anything I hear, I
I don't automatically believe everything I hear without questioning it first.

Only trust in half of what I see, I'm
I am cautious and only trust what I can see with my own eyes.

From a dyin' breed, I'm
I feel like I am a part of a dwindling group of people, or a dying breed.

Happy that I'm me, I'm
I am content and happy with who I am as a person.

Happy that I found a little peace, I'm
I'm grateful to have found even a small amount of peace in my life.

Happy mama kept me out the streets, uh
I am thankful that my mother kept me out of trouble and off the streets.

Big Mike cut me every week
I regularly get my hair cut by Big Mike.

Waves spinnin' out the chair and the cypher was complete, ah
After getting my hair cut, the spinning waves completed the look for me and we continued our rap cypher.

I'm the son of a hustler
My father was a hustler, and I am his son.

Know when to cash out, keep it goin', and double up
I learned from my father to know when to quit and take the money, rather than risking it all.

Sleep like a breast-fed baby inside my comforter
I sleep well and comfortably, like a newborn baby who has just been breastfed.

I'm on Myrtle, my brother, alert the trumpeters
I'm currently on Myrtle Ave and I'm telling my brother to let everyone know I'm there.

Playin' spades and cashin' up 'til the sun is up
Me and my friends would play Spades and gamble until the sun came up.

Brooklyn nigga, gon' let you know where we comin' from, yeah
I am from Brooklyn and proud of it, and I want people to know where I come from and what I'm about.