Going Legit
N.O.R.E. Lyrics

Now tell em to step up into the life of a gangster
Encouraging others to experience the hard reality of a gangster's life.

Cause there is a difference between me and the other rappers
Highlighting that the content in N.O.R.E.'s raps is different and authentic compared to other rappers.

Other rappers talk about what their friends did
Other rappers share stories about what their friends did instead of their own experiences.

And what their friends saw
Other rappers share stories about what their friends saw instead of their own experiences.

Im talking about what I did, and what I saw, smell me?
N.O.R.E. shares his own experiences and things he has seen, giving his music authenticity.

Yo if I had my choice I woulda been rhyme
N.O.R.E. initially wanted to become a rapper.

I woulda been told niggaz that I coulda shine
He would have told people about his potential and his talent for rapping.

A yo boricua, pueto rica, 100 miles I'm running
N.O.R.E. states that he is proud of his Puerto Rican heritage and ready to take on anything.

Im just a nigga for life, straight from, iraq, just living my life
Referring to himself as someone who will always be a part of the street life, no matter where he goes.

No tattle tell, he did it, she did it
He does not snitch on anyone, unlike some people who may snitch on grown men or kids.

Why u snitch on grown men, and snitch on kids
Questioning the motive behind people who snitch on others, especially grown men and kids.

Yo my ice go, platinum grenade for show
N.O.R.E.'s jewelry is so flashy, even the grenade or pin that holds his grenade-shaped pendant is made of platinum.

Tell what? go tell your little stink ass hoe
He's telling someone to go tell his insignificant other because he doesn't care for their opinion.

So what I got dou, she ain't going get nothing dou
He does not owe anyone anything.

I rock the shirlock home brand, made with timberlands
N.O.R.E. wears Sherlock Holmes branded clothing, including Timberland boots which were in style at the time.

Cars ain't nothing now, straight fronting now
He doesn't care much about cars anymore and acknowledges that people are often fronting by pretending to be better or richer than they are.

I crash one get another one f**k it now
He doesn't care much about crashing cars since he can always buy a new one.

Spanish (ten cuidao te dejo plotao)(degracio, degracio)
Saying, be careful or he will leave you dead with no remorse.

Who woulda thought this n-o-r making these hits
Expressing surprise that he has become successful making hit songs.

Who woulda thought this, my niggaz making it rich
Surprised at his friends' successes in making money.

Who woulda thought this; always in and out some shit
He never thought he would be in and out of trouble like he has been.

Who woulda thought this, my niggaz making legit
Surprised that his friends have managed to turn their lives around and become successful through legitimate means.

A yo the movie called thugged out
His life is like a movie about a thug.

End thug out, by thug out, for thugged out
His life is constantly revolving around thug-related activities and events.

You live a day in my life and just buggout
Saying that experiencing his life would shock anyone who knows him.

I used to live in 5e by the drug house
He used to live near a place where drugs were easily accessible.

It was a reign and we all got paid
People made a lot of money during the time that drugs had taken over the street.

Cause when the crack house closed
After the authorities closed down drug houses, N.O.R.E. had to find another way to make money.

Yo you open your stage, yellow
N.O.R.E. started dealing with drugs using yellow baggies to hide their contents.

Bags and green tops, I got mean rocks
He sold cocaine and his merchandise earned him a lot of money.

Selling crack buying out all the weed spots
He sold crack but used the proceeds to buy marijuana.

I had doe but I still was mad
Even with a lot of money, he was still unhappy.

Back then, national, willie was my cab
National and Willie used to drive him around during his drug-dealing days.

I was hated in the hood yo by all the mothers
Mothers of children in the neighbourhood resented his thug ways and often warned their children against him.

I used to, deliver food yo my six brothers
At one point, he was delivering food to his six brothers who possibly lived in the same neighbourhood.

Robbing chinese food man, me and my crew and
N.O.R.E. and his crew used to rob Chinese food vendors for money.

Raster boys saying u,s a rude men
Referring to police that refer to him and his crew as rude men.

I grew up foul
Admitting that while growing up, he wasn't always on the right side of the law.

But now ill improved that, did it for my daughter
He has changed his ways for the better, citing his daughter as a reason for his change.

And my little man...
His son was also a reason for his changed lifestyle.

A yo I came up, what what, making it happen
He emerged from his past and managed to make something of himself by becoming successful in the music industry.

For rapping in the corner the posy we going platinum
The group he was associated with, The Warlocks, became successful in making platinum records.

Niggaz doubting me duo, cause I was latin
People used to doubt him in his music career due to his Latin American heritage.

A nigga rican speaking for all my puerto ricans
N.O.R.E. takes pride in representing all Puerto Ricans through his music.

Dominicano, peruvian, and chicano
He mentions other Latin American groups that he also represents.

We in the same boat, a yo we all sell the same coke
Despite coming from different backgrounds, they all had to sell drugs to survive.

Getting bag in the pins with the same coke
He mentions being arrested for selling the same drugs.

I love my niggaz and my niggaz love me
N.O.R.E. has a close bond with his friends that have been with him through thick and thin.

You get lock, and get bailed like 1-2-3
If his friends get arrested, he will bail them out quickly.

Bartolina at the side yo is your attorney
He mentions an attorney named Bartolina who is known to help people in their legal troubles.

Clap niggaz clap, clap (clap) yo case dismissed
If his legal team doesn't succeed in getting the case thrown out, they will resort to some other means to make it happen.

Tell the judge kiss your ass, dumb ass bitch
He doesn't respect corrupt judges and isn't afraid to stand up to them.

Animal bud, animal thug, animal blood, yo
He refers to himself and his crew as being animalistic, meaning they come from rough backgrounds and have had to be tough in order to survive.

Show my niggaz like animal love..
Despite their rough exterior, his true love is for his crew who have been with him through everything.

Spanish (maricone tan frontiando como si hicieron algo
Calling someone a coward who is pretending to be tough even though they haven't accomplished anything.

En su vida, nunca hicieron mierda, por mi mai que lo odio
Saying that they have never done anything worth mentioning and his mother would hate them for it.

Te lo juro pai, hijo e gran puta, sopla pipi chupa panti
Swearing that they are terrible people who engage in gross activities.

Que se vallan par carajo, jala lo parta la madre de lo tomate
Telling them to go away and cursing them using vulgar language.

Sinverguensa.. he he he he
Calling them shameless people and laughing at their foolishness.

Que? que? que? que?
Repeating the phrase 'what?' several times to signify confusion or a lack of understanding.