Badman
N.O.R.E. Lyrics

No one knows what it's like
Nobody understands the internal experiences I have

To be the bad man to be the sad man
To embody characteristics of a villain and someone who is unhappy

Behind blue eyes no one knows what it's like
Despite appearances, nobody truly understands my struggles

To be hated to be faded
To face resentment and to slowly lose significance

To telling only lies
To be deceptive and dishonest in my actions

You see they dissed me in that resource room
They insulted and belittled me in the special education classroom

A special ed classic
A standout example of someone in special education

Now I make special bread, special bastard
Now I am successful and unique, a special individual

Taught to believe I couldn't achieve
Conditioned to think that I could never accomplish anything

And wasn't smart enough
And that I lacked intelligence

Couldn't be a lawyer, but a carpenter
I was discouraged from pursuing a career in law and directed toward carpentry

What they installed in my head
The negative beliefs they instilled in me

I feel braindead
I feel mentally drained and numb

Said I should just work with my hands because my brain dead
They suggested I focus on manual labor because they believed my intellect was lacking

Said 'Mr Santiago
They addressed me as Mr Santiago

You could never be a doctor
They asserted that I could never become a doctor

You could never be a judge
They claimed I could never become a judge

You don't even speak proper
They criticized my speech and language skills

Probably gonna be a boxer
They predicted that I would most likely become a boxer

Athlete or something like
Or some other type of athlete

Disability, my ADD was something like
My disability, Attention Deficit Disorder, was seen as a hindrance

Thoughts in a straitjacket
My thoughts felt restricted and confined

Brain's in a wheelchair
My mind feels limited and restricted

Feeling like I'm handicapped
Feeling as though I am disabled or disadvantaged

Still feel I'm still there
I still feel trapped in that mindset

Break it down for you
Let me explain it in more detail

Niggas through the syllables
I express myself through the arrangement of syllables in my lyrics

Paint a picture for you
I create a vivid image with my words

Motherfuckers through the visual
I communicate my message through visual elements

While some niggas
While some individuals

Wind up dead in hospitables
End up deceased in hospitals

Little niggas grow up fast to hard criminals
Young individuals rapidly transition into becoming hardened criminals

Somehow, we supposed to make
Somehow, we are expected to succeed

It out this bitch either coke or hoops
Escape poverty and difficult circumstances either through drug dealing or basketball

And my jump shot ain't shit I'm no athlete
I am not skilled at basketball, I am not an athlete

But I can make the cocaine flip
However, I am adept at managing and selling drugs

On the back street
In a covert manner, away from public view

Got smokers running in like a track meet
Drug addicts come to me swiftly, similar to runners in a track meet

Stress'll take a young nigga and
Stress can alter the mindset of a young individual and

Give him a old face
Make him appear older and worn out

Or stress'll take a dumb nigga and
Or stress can transform someone ignorant and

Give him a new case
Subject them to new legal troubles

Foolish pride, before I beg
I would rather maintain foolish pride than

I tighten my lace
Ask for help, so I tighten the laces of my shoes

Get that thing out the dresser
Retrieve my weapon from the dresser

Put you niggas under pressure like
Intimidate and threaten others as if

You pay me or pay the funeral home
They have a choice to pay me or pay for their own funeral expenses

Nigga, what you expected?
What did you anticipate, my friend?

Get mine or get nekkid
Acquire what is rightfully mine or face the consequences

I bang out like an old Western
I engage in violence like in an old Western film

Stickups and killings to fix the
Robberies and murders to resolve the

Leaks in my ceilings cause being broke at 30
Financial difficulties in my life, as being broke at the age of 30

Giving niggas the chills
Creating fear and unease in others

And when you broke your kids hungry
And when you are financially struggling, your children go hungry

And they eating no frills
And they are eating basic, inexpensive food

Before I turn in my cards and fold
Before I give up and accept defeat

Man, I'm gon play that bad guy role
I will continue to assume the role of the villainous character

Nigga, that's all I know
That is the only lifestyle I am familiar with