Christopher George Latore Wallace (May 21, 1972 – March 9, 1997), also kno… Read Full Bio ↴Christopher George Latore Wallace (May 21, 1972 – March 9, 1997), also known as Biggie Smalls (after a stylish gangster in 1975’s Let’s Do it Again) and Frank White (from the film King of New York), but best known as The Notorious B.I.G. (Business Instead of Game and, since his death, Books Instead of Guns), was a popular Brooklyn-born rapper of the mid-1990s.

His career was overshadowed by the Bad Boy/Death Row Records feud during his life, but following his untimely death in 1997, The Notorious B.I.G. has been celebrated as a hip-hop legend. He is remembered for his storytelling ability, talented freestyling ability, and his easy to understand yet complex flow. The Notorious B.I.G. is considered by many to be one of the greatest rappers of all time.

Early Life

Christopher Wallace was born in the Bedford-Stuyvesant section of Brooklyn, New York. His father, George Latore, left the family shortly after his birth, and his mother, Voletta, was a schoolteacher. While he is known to have dropped out of school and become a drug dealer, his mother has claimed that the family was not poor and that Wallace exaggerated his childhood situation in his lyrics. His best childhood friend and inspiration was a chubby kid who went by the name of Lil Punisha.

Wallace, who originally didn’t stray much farther than his Brooklyn neighborhood to sell drugs, began to traffic drugs to Virginia and Maryland where it was sold at a higher price. He was eventually busted, and served 10 months in jail. Shortly after he was released, he had his first child, T’Yanna.

With a baby on the way, Wallace decided to start rapping. He developed into a talented lyricist, recording a demo tape with local performer Mr. Cee, who was the DJ for Brooklyn MC Big Daddy Kane. This tape reached The Source magazine and they co-signed Biggie in their “Unsigned Hype” column, which is dedicated to aspiring rappers.

Rap career

The demo tape found its way into the hands of then Uptown Records employee Sean “Puffy” Combs (now Diddy, who subsequently arranged for a meeting with Wallace. Combs and Wallace became instant friends, performing together on the 1992 reggae song “Dolly My Babii” by Super Cat.

Wallace first gained notice with “Party and Bullshit,” his first single. He made his second mainstream appearance on the remix of Mary J. Blige’s smash hits “Real Love” and “What’s the 411”. He also appeared on the “Flava in ya Ear” remix. He appeared on the album One Million Strong on a song called “RUNNIN’” with 2Pac & Dramacydal. He also made an appearance on the Trapp album Stop The Gunfight on a track called “Be The Realist” with 2Pac & Trapp. This album also contained a remix of “RUNNIN’” called “Stop The Gunfight.” All of these guest appearances built a sizeable buzz around Wallace’s name leading up to his solo debut.

In 1994, he released “Juicy”, his first mainstream single. He also released Ready to Die, his debut album, which is regarded as one of hip-hop’s all-time classics and credited with revitalizing East Coast hip hop. The album features one of rap’s most famous “playa anthems,” “Big Poppa,” which samples the The Isley Brothers. Wallace’s album drew critical acclaim for its vivid story-telling and razor-sharp lyricism, an example being the line “They don’t know about the stress filled day/Baby on the way, mad bills to pay/That’s why you drink Tanqueray/So you can reminisce and wish/You wasn’t living so devilish” from “Everyday Struggle.”

In 1995, Wallace’s protegés, Junior M.A.F.I.A. (Junior Masters At Finding Intelligent Attitudes), released the album Conspiracy. That same year, Wallace introduced to the mainstream his crewmates Lil’ Kim and Lil’ Cease. His single “One More Chance” debuted at #5 on the pop charts, tying “Scream/Childhood” by Michael Jackson as the highest debut single in music history at the time, although this record has since been surpassed by Jackson’s “You Are Not Alone,” which debuted at number one. “One More Chance,” which sampled the R&B song “Stay With Me,” was a remix of the song by the same name that originally appeared on Ready to Die. “One More Chance” was also his highest selling single, going Platinum in a matter of weeks.

Also in 1995, Wallace featured in Michael Jackson’s song “This Time Around”, which can be found on Jackson’s HIStory album. This was not the only Michael Jackson song in which Wallace featured in. In 2001, Jackson included a rap verse sung by Wallace in his song “Unbreakable”, which is found on Jackson’s “Invincible” album.

By the end of 1995, Wallace had become one of the most famous and popular rappers in the world. He was named “Lyricist Of The Year” by The Source, and many dubbed him the “King Of New York” (a play on his “Frank White” persona.)

Technique

Big was notorized early in his career mostly for his lyrical content, which included hardcore gangsta-rap lyrics at a time when that style dominated the West Coast, and most of his native New York was dominated by the jazziness of A Tribe Called Quest and Gang Starr and the blend of Five Percenter/far East-influenced/gangsta stylings of MCs like Afu-Ra, Jeru the Damaja and the Wu-Tang Clan.

Over the course of his career, fans who called him the greatest would cite his flow, topical diversity, and vivid, detailed storytelling; he also moved from simple thug lyrics to mafioso-like tales of “gangsterism”, a posturing which some speculate probably contributed to his death.

East Coast West Coast Feud

Although Ready to Die made Wallace a star, he is most famed for his involvement in rap’s infamous feud between the East and West Coast scenes. Before Ready to Die was released, he began to associate with rap superstar Tupac Shakur, a New York City native who moved to Baltimore and later Marin City. The two recorded a number of songs together, and Wallace even performed alongside Shakur in a now-famous Madison Square Garden freestyle in 1994. However, their friendship ended when Shakur was shot in November of that year. Though there is no evidence suggesting it, Shakur claimed that Combs and Wallace knew about the shooting beforehand based on their behavior that night and what he had heard from his sources. He also thought that the lyrics in Biggie’s “Who Shot Ya,” were disrespectful and shouldn’t have been released at such a time. Shakur subsequently joined Death Row Records after his release from prison in late 1995.

Death Row Records and Bad Boy Entertainment were the two most successful labels of the 1990s, and with the two biggest stars in rap now associated with different labels, the feud escalated. In 1996, Tupac recorded a song called “Hit ‘Em Up”, in which he claims to have slept with B.I.G.’s wife Faith Evans, and claims that Biggie copied his style. Biggie never made a response, and the two even met before the 1996 MTV Video Music Awards. However, when Shakur was killed in a drive-by shooting in Las Vegas, rumors of Wallace’s possible involvement in the murder cropped up almost immediately. He denied the allegations. Also around this time, he was involved in a car accident that shattered his leg and would force him to use a cane for the rest of his life.

Death

On March 9, 1997, Wallace was shot and killed in Los Angeles, where he had been attending a party by VIBE Magazine near the Petersen Automotive Museum. As his car pulled up to a red light, another car opened fire, hitting him six times and killing him almost instantly.

His murder has never been conclusively solved, though theories abound as to the motives and identities of the murderers. Death Row Records CEO Suge Knight and the Mob Piru Bloods gang with whom he associated are among the prime suspects for involvement. In his book, LAbyrinth, LAPD officer Russell Poole probes the circumstances and figures involved in the shootings.

Funeral

Biggie’s death was a vicious shock to the entire music industry and sent shock waves around the world. The Notorious B.I.G.’s public funeral, however, was anything but peaceful. Wallace was loved in his neighbourhood, his funeral was a massive event. Thousands flooded into his Brooklyn neighborhood to catch a glimpse of his hearse, jumping on cars and clashing with police; ten people were arrested. When someone put on “Hypnotize”, the whole crowd erupted.

Theories about his death

Director Nick Broomfield and co-producer Dmitri Leybman have released an investigative documentary called Biggie & Tupac which implicates the LAPD and Suge Knight. Proponents of this theory defend it because the LAPD’s elite robbery and homicide unit didn’t begin to investigate Wallace’s murder until a month after it happened, and the job was given to a poorly funded division of LAPD investigators; and several prison inmates who were once members of the Mob Piru Bloods have come forward and said that they know for a fact that Suge Knight ordered Wallace’s murder due to their own personal connections.

Conspiracy theories abound about Wallace’s murder: Some believe that the Crips gang may have shot Wallace in retalliation for his not paying for the security services they provided at a previous party. However, it should be noted that such theories are simply speculation, with no hard evidence backing them up.

The Los Angeles Times ran an almost universally discredited article entitled “Who Shot Tupac Shakur?” by reporter Chuck Phillips, which concludes that Wallace was ultimately behind Shakur’s murder. Evidence to the contrary has since surfaced, most notably a dated and timed excerpt from a recording that Wallace made in a studio in New York when he was supposedly providing the murder weapon to hitmen in Las Vegas. The article also claims that he checked in and out of a hotel without being noticed by a single individual, despite being a 6’3”, 300-pound national celebrity.

Posthumous career

Life After Death, Wallace’s second album, debuted at #1 on the charts. The album was released only two weeks after his murder. Its lead single was “Hypnotize”, which was also the last music video he would take part in. Life After Death hit number one on the Billboard charts and spawned several hit singles in the United States. The album sold over 18 million copies worldwide and is one of the best selling hip-hop albums of all time. His biggest chart hit was “Mo Money, Mo Problems,” which featured Combs (under the rap alias “Puff Daddy”) and rapper Mase, and sampled the disco song “I’m Coming Out” by Diana Ross for the beat. The video is noted for having started the “Shiny Suit” era in hip hop. The last video single from Life After Death was “Sky’s The Limit,” featuring 112. The video for this song, directed by Spike Jonze, was noted for the use of children portraying Wallace and his contemporaries, such as Combs, Lil’ Kim, and Busta Rhymes. This technique has been recently used in the Three 6 Mafia music video for “Poppin’ My Collar.”

During the summer of 1997, Combs released his debut album, No Way Out, which featured Wallace on a number of songs, notably in the chorus of the single “Been Around the World” over a David Bowie sample (“Let’s Dance”). However, the single that carried this album to the top was “I’ll Be Missing You,” which was dedicated to Wallace’s memory. The song featured Puff Daddy, Wallace’s widow Faith Evans and 112. The song sampled The Police’s hit song “Every Breath You Take.” All these artists performed the song with former Police vocalist Sting during the 1997 MTV Video Music Awards.

In 1999, Combs released Wallace’s third album, Born Again. It had two hit singles: “N.O.T.O.R.I.O.U.S.,” featuring Puff Daddy and Lil’ Kim (interpolation to the Duran Duran’s song of the same name), and “Dead Wrong” a single that later was remixed with a verse from Eminem. The video for “N.O.T.O.R.I.O.U.S.” also featured appearances by 98 Degrees and Fat Joe.

In 2001, one of Wallace’s raps was featured in Michael Jackson’s song “Unbreakable,” which was included on his multi-platinum album Invincible. Wallace previously collaborated with Jackson in his 1995 song “This Time Around” from the autobiographical album HIStory.

In 2002, Combs gave 50 Cent rights to sample Wallace’s verses from “Niggaz” (a song from the Born Again album) into a song called “The Realest Niggaz.” It got out as a single and was a big hit on New York radio stations. Many have attributed that song as the first big break for 50 Cent, who is now one of hip-hop’s biggest superstars. The song was later put on the soundtrack for the 2003 hit movie Bad Boys 2 with Martin Lawrence and Will Smith. Later on in 2003, Eminem remixed the 1994 Wallace/Shakur collaboration “RUNNIN’” and added a sample of Edgar Winter’s “Dying to Live.” Titled “Runnin’ (Dying To Live)”, the song was released as a single from the soundtrack of Tupac: Resurrection.

On August 28, 2005, at the 2005 MTV Video Music Awards, Combs (who was hosting the event) and Snoop Dogg paid a well-received tribute to Wallace: an orchestra played while the lyrics from “Juicy” and “Warning” played on the arena speakers. In September 2005, VH1 had its second annual “Hip Hop Honors,” with a tribute to Wallace headlining the show. The long awaited The Notorious B.I.G. Duets: The Final Chapter album was released December 20, 2005. The album spawned the singles “Nasty Girl”, which became his first UK #1, as well as “Spit Your Game” “Whatchu Want” and “Hold Ya Head”.

On March 19, 2006, a judge ordered that sales of Ready to Die be halted because the title track apparently sampled “Singing in the Morning” by the Ohio Players without permission.

After Death - If He Were Alive

Many people associated with rap music continuously speculate about how different rap would be today if rappers like Wallace had never died. The rapper Jadakiss, who was a close associate of Biggie’s, stated in an appearance on MTV’s The Shop that most rappers popular today would “be taking fast food orders” if Wallace were still producing music. However, Wallace’s friends Lil’ Cease, Lil’ Kim, and Puff Daddy, all insist that he was not going to be in hip-hop for a very long time. In an interview with XXL Magazine (conducted in 1995 but released in 2003), Wallace himself said he was planning to retire from rap music in 2000 to manage the careers of Junior M.A.F.I.A.

In the song “1970 Somethin”, a song featuring West Coast Rapper The Game and Faith Evans, Game dedicates an entire verse to the New York Emcee. Similarily “copying” his rap style, emulating B.I.G Here is an excerpt:

“If I was in Brooklyn and B.I. was still alive In 2006, it might sound like this NY, 7-1-8’s, 2-1-2’s With Sue’s rendezvous, it’s like Moulin Rouge High fashion, uptown Air Force Ones and Vasquez Puerto Ricans with fat asses Blazed dutch masters, we dump ashes On models in S classes for you bastards Catch a cab to Manhattan, with that Broadway actin’ You hype, that Belly shit’ll get you capped and wrapped in plastic Tell the captain to ask Rog’ What’s Happenin’? I hear, nor speak no evil inside the magnum”

Movie

There is a movie in the works about Wallace’s life. Antoine Fuqua, the director of Training Day, will direct the film. The film is being produced by Wallace’s mother and by his former managers, Wayne Barrow and Mark Pitts.

Legacy

Biggie is widely celebrated as one of the all time greatest hip-hop artists. His lyrics have been sampled by many of today’s more famous names in hip hop, such as Jay-Z, Fat Joe, 50 Cent, Nelly, Pharrell, Snoop Dogg, Juelz Santana, Busta Rhymes, and even R&B stars such as Usher, Akon, Alicia Keys, and Ashanti. He is also sampled in Michael Jackson’s 2001 album INVINCIBLE in the song UNBREAKABLE.

In 2001, elite hip-hop magazine The Source crowned him as the greatest MC of all time. Likewise in 2003, when XXL Magazine asked many elite names in hip hop who they felt was the top 5 rappers of all time, Biggie’s named appeared on more rappers’ lists than any other MC. During Canibus’s 1998 feud with LL Cool J, Canibus responded to LL Cool J’s claim to be the greatest rapper of all time on the song Second Round K.O. by saying “the greatest rapper of all time died on March 9th.”, which was the day Biggie died.

Unfortunately, a huge knock on Biggie’s legacy is the fact that he only recorded two albums while alive, with only two posthumous releases in the near-decade since his death. In 2006, MTV ranked Biggie as the #1 MC of all time, but later recinded that decision primarily due to a lack of material. However, he still ranked number #3, with 2Pac and Jay-Z ranked ahead of him.

At the time of his death, Wallace created a hip-hop supergroup called The Commission, which consisted of himself, Jay-Z, Lil’ Cease, P. Diddy and Charli Baltimore. A song on the duets album called Whatchu Want (The Commission) featuring Wallace and Jay-Z is based on the group.

Trivia

* Among the performers Wallace discovered, or in some way helped further their rap careers, were Jay-Z, Cam’ron, Jadakiss, Styles P, Sheek Louch, Lil’ Kim, Mase, N.O.R.E. and Charli Baltimore
* He attended the same high school in downtown Brooklyn as Jay-Z and Busta Rhymes.
* He was one of the first MCs ever to successfully bridge the gap between commercial and underground success.
* He first signed with Uptown Records in 1993, his first recording deal.
* Method Man is the only artist to feature on Ready To Die, on the track “The What”
* A line from his song “Me and My Bitch” is sampled on Mary J. Blige & Method Man’s Grammy winning single “I’ll Be There For You/You’re All I Need.”
* He collaborated with Bone Thugs-N-Harmony, the only group who have had the opportunity to collaborate with Wallace and each of the late rappers 2Pac, Eazy-E, and Big Punisher in their lifetime. They were first featured with Wallace on the track “Notorious Thugs” which has been recently remixed in the track Spit Your Game. On “Notorious Thugs,” Biggie flips his usual flow to match the speed rapping of Bone Thugs-N-Harmony.
* His song Big Poppa was featured throughout the 2001 movie Hardball.
* Both “Hypnotize” and “Mo Money, Mo Problems” hit #1 after Biggie’s death giving him two posthumous #1 hits - more than any other singer. Other posthumous #1 hits belong to Otis Redding (“The Dock Of The Bay”); Janis Joplin (“Me And Bobby McGee”); Jim Croce (“Time In A Bottle”); and, John Lennon (“(Just Like) Starting Over”).
* Wallace had the ability to create verses in his head and was able to freestyle tracks on the mic without the use of pen and paper. This skill was also shared by Jay-Z, which lead to their eventual friendship.
* Other artists who use this unique style of rapping (and cite Biggie as an influence) include Lil’ Wayne, Kanye West, Common, and Ja Rule.
* According to people close to him, Biggie had as much as five albums worth of lyrics in his head when he died.
* His song Big Poppa was featured in the 2007 movie Superbad.

Last Day
Notorious B.I.G. Lyrics

Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴

Can I live 'til my last day
Hittin' honies that be nasty
Gettin' money in the fast way
And I only care halfway
But I still can't let you pass me

Yo what's beef to you, three niggas with hoodies and bats
That ain't shit compared to one small cat with gats

When we came here we cut off all kind circulation
Breathin', eatin', the whole situation
When we do our shit we do our shit for real
While you take your money for your deal and make your own beats
Compose your own sheets, that's aight but chill
I'ma spend that mil and cop only hot shit
Rock top shit, you know how The Lox get
Then you can see me flyin' in the Bentley cockpit
Lox and B-I, hold our cliqa down for years
Gang not, but we been had our black tears
Niggas under the stairs only understand what we got
Underground, all above must get shot
You couldn't book me Dano, see Luciano put the burners
To all y'all, what nigga bring it I'm callin' y'all

You already know what it's about when I run up in your house
Put the gun up in your mouth and get the money out the couch
Hearin' you out is senseless, perhaps for instance
I give this faggot a french kiss
Black gloves, no prints, dark tints
Word on the street they ain't heard from him since
You know about life after kicked the kid in
Since me and my mi-dan can flip seven gri-dams
Scri-dam the flow is forbidd-en
Either you ridin' or you dyin' cause we swingin' iron
Lox and Poppa, turning niggas into Jim Hoffa
Who gon stop us, your last joint double copper
You gettin' money or your runnin' from the Feds
Ain't nothin' over here but sixteen, with one in the head
And I solemnly swear
That all y'all niggaz out there got a problem this year

Can I live 'til my last day
Hittin' honies that be nasty
Gettin' money in the fast way
And I only care halfway
But I still can't let you pass me

Can I live 'til my last day
Hittin' honies that be nasty
Gettin' money in the fast way
And I only care halfway
But I still can't let you pass me

Before you think of keepin' me down, heatin' me down
The flow like water get deep and you drown
With no soul, many niggas roll with no gold
Even the small kind got a little black hole
Your destiny is somethin' you can never figure out
Niggas is never happy 'til there's blood up in your mouth
There's a lot of killers, but who the hell are you to blame?
There's a lot of dead, how the hell you take the pain?
Live with it, got money you better get with it
My man had the thug in him did his bid with it
Get married to the game but never have a kid with it
Advice from the wise, slice the pies
Too many schemes divides, when dreams collide
Teams provide, war for the street to absorb
Stashed in the ceiling and you slept on the floor
Only a blind dove'll fall in love with a whore

Uhh, uhh, uhh
Who the fuck wanna squeeze?
My Desert Ease make MC's freeze
You wakin up in cold sweats, they just dreams
You still apoligizin', analyzin', my size and your size and
Realizin', a fist fight would be asinine
You just pop wines, I must pop nines
Genuine steel piece, nozzle in your grill piece
You're shook up, two bricks, every cook up
We can hook up, all I see is the future
Disrespect, I shoot ya
By the way, them bricks, get flipped weekly
Sold by soldiers that mix weed with the leak leak
Die for a dollar nigga, life ain't sweet
Play for keeps wet shirts with experts on the creep
I be the mob fiance, about to marry it
Illegal transactions in Farragut with Arabics
Why not, they fit twelve up in the bedroom
Imagine what they stash is like, make you a classic like
My first LP, beef with me is unhealthy
Fuck around and get an ul-cer, loose your pulse or
Collapsed lung, look how many gats I brung
For them homos, still doin' promos
Break both your legs you're movin' slow-mo, got shined to glow mo'
Nine hundred and ninety six grams, you need for mo'

Can I live 'til my last day
Hittin' honies that be nasty
Gettin' money in the fast way
And I only care halfway
But I still can't let you pass me

Can I live 'til my last day
Hittin' honies that be nasty
Gettin' money in the fast way

And I only care halfway
But I still can't let you pass me

Overall Meaning

The song "Last Day" by Notorious B.I.G. features verses from him as well as Styles P and Jadakiss from the group The Lox. The song is from the album "Life After Death," released after Biggie's death. The song talks about living life to the fullest, getting money quickly, and not being afraid of taking risks.

The opening verse by Biggie talks about his desire to live his life in a certain way. He wants to have fun with women but also make money quickly. He doesn't care about others' opinions of him and is willing to take risks to get what he wants. However, he also acknowledges the competition and can't let anyone pass him by.

Styles P and Jadakiss's verses specifically talk about the violence that comes with living a life of crime. They talk about how they're unbeatable and unafraid of any challenge. They also mention how they've been through tough times and have had to deal with emotional pain, hence the "black tears" line. Overall, the song presents a picture of a life of crime that is dangerous but exciting, and the artists are determined to live that life to the fullest.

Line by Line Meaning

Can I live 'til my last day
Can I continue to live my life fully until the very end?

Hittin' honies that be nasty
Engaging with attractive women who have a wild and provocative nature

Gettin' money in the fast way
Making a lot of money quickly and efficiently

And I only care halfway
I only have a moderate level of concern or interest

But I still can't let you pass me
However, I cannot let you surpass or outdo me

Yo what's beef to you, three niggas with hoodies and bats
You think that's a conflict? Three individuals armed with weapons is nothing compared to one small person with guns

That ain't shit compared to one small cat with gats
That is insignificant compared to a single person with firearms

When we came here we cut off all kind circulation
When we arrived, we disrupted all forms of communication and control

Breathin', eatin', the whole situation
We took control of fundamental survival aspects like breathing and eating

When we do our shit we do our shit for real
When we engage in our activities, we do so authentically and genuinely

While you take your money for your deal and make your own beats
Meanwhile, you earn your income from contracts and create your own music

Compose your own sheets, that's aight but chill
Write your own lyrics, that's fine, but relax

I'ma spend that mil and cop only hot shit
I will spend a million dollars and only purchase high-quality items

Rock top shit, you know how The Lox get
Wear fashionable and trendy clothing, just like The Lox members

Then you can see me flyin' in the Bentley cockpit
At that point, you will witness me driving a Bentley with confidence

Lox and B-I, hold our cliqa down for years
The Lox and B-I have been loyal to each other for a long time

Gang not, but we been had our black tears
We are not a gang, but we have experienced hardships and shed tears

Niggas under the stairs only understand what we got
Only those who are oppressed or marginalized truly comprehend our situation

Underground, all above must get shot
If you are not part of the underground scene, you may face consequences

You couldn't book me Dano, see Luciano put the burners
You would not be able to arrest me, as I am well-protected by influential figures like Luciano

To all y'all, what nigga bring it I'm callin' y'all
To all of you, I am challenging anyone who wishes to confront me

You already know what it's about when I run up in your house
You are already aware of the consequences when I invade your home

Put the gun up in your mouth and get the money out the couch
I will threaten you with a gun and take the hidden money from the couch

Hearin' you out is senseless, perhaps for instance
Listening to your perspective is pointless, maybe even futile

I give this faggot a french kiss
I will humiliate and taunt this person by engaging in an act considered taboo by societal standards

Black gloves, no prints, dark tints
Wearing black gloves without leaving fingerprints, driving in a tinted vehicle

Word on the street they ain't heard from him since
According to rumors, no one has heard from him ever since

You know about life after kicked the kid in
You are familiar with the consequences of engaging in violence

Since me and my mi-dan can flip seven gri-dams
My associates and I are capable of flipping a large quantity of drugs

Scri-dam the flow is forbidd-en
Damn, the flow is prohibited and censored

Either you ridin' or you dyin' cause we swingin' iron
You are either participating with us or facing severe consequences, as we possess and use guns

Lox and Poppa, turning niggas into Jim Hoffa
Both The Lox and myself have the power to eliminate individuals without a trace, similar to how Jimmy Hoffa disappeared

Who gon stop us, your last joint double copper
No one can prevent our success, with your last song selling two million copies

You gettin' money or your runnin' from the Feds
Are you making money or evading the authorities?

Ain't nothin' over here but sixteen, with one in the head
There is nothing here except a loaded gun with sixteen rounds and one in the chamber

And I solemnly swear
I sincerely promise

That all y'all niggaz out there got a problem this year
That every one of you individuals out there will face trouble or conflict this year

Before you think of keepin' me down, heatin' me down
Before you consider trying to oppress or attack me

The flow like water get deep and you drown
My rap style is fluid and powerful, capable of overwhelming and drowning you

With no soul, many niggas roll with no gold
Many individuals act without integrity or purpose, they have no valuable possessions

Even the small kind got a little black hole
Even those who appear insignificant have a dark and empty void within them

Your destiny is somethin' you can never figure out
Your fate is something that you will never be able to fully comprehend or predict

Niggas is never happy 'til there's blood up in your mouth
Some individuals are never satisfied until they have caused harm or inflicted pain upon you

There's a lot of killers, but who the hell are you to blame?
There are many murderers, so who are you to point fingers and assign blame?

There's a lot of dead, how the hell you take the pain?
There are many deceased individuals, how can you possibly handle the emotional burden?

Live with it, got money you better get with it
Accept it and adapt, if you have money, you should utilize it

My man had the thug in him did his bid with it
My friend had the toughness within him and endured his prison sentence

Get married to the game but never have a kid with it
Dedicate yourself to the rap industry but do not become too deeply entangled with it

Advice from the wise, slice the pies
Listen to the wise individuals, divide and share the profits

Too many schemes divides, when dreams collide
Too many plans and ambitions cause conflicts and divisions among people

Teams provide, war for the street to absorb
Groups of individuals engage in conflicts to dominate the streets

Stashed in the ceiling and you slept on the floor
Drugs or money hidden in the ceiling while you, the ignorant one, sleep on the floor

Only a blind dove'll fall in love with a whore
Only someone naive and foolish would develop romantic feelings for a promiscuous individual

Uhh, uhh, uhh
Expression of reflection or contemplation

Who the fuck wanna squeeze?
Who is eager or willing to use a gun?

My Desert Ease make MC's freeze
My Desert Eagle handgun instills fear and immobilizes other rappers

You wakin up in cold sweats, they just dreams
You are waking up in fear and anxiety, but it's all just nightmares

You still apoligizin', analyzin', my size and your size and
You are still apologizing and comparing our physical stature

Realizin', a fist fight would be asinine
Recognizing that engaging in a physical fight would be pointless and foolish

You just pop wines, I must pop nines
While you only open expensive bottles of wine, I have to use my guns

Genuine steel piece, nozzle in your grill piece
An actual firearm, with the barrel pointed at your face

You're shook up, two bricks, every cook up
You are scared and intimidated, while I am able to create drugs in large quantities

We can hook up, all I see is the future
We can collaborate, as all I envision is a successful and prosperous future

Disrespect, I shoot ya
If you show disrespect, I will shoot you

By the way, them bricks, get flipped weekly
By the way, those drugs, get sold and turned over on a weekly basis

Sold by soldiers that mix weed with the leak leak
Sold by individuals who combine marijuana with other drugs

Die for a dollar nigga, life ain't sweet
People are willing to kill for money, life is not easy or pleasant

Play for keeps wet shirts with experts on the creep
We play for high stakes, ready to eliminate our opponents quietly and skillfully

I be the mob fiance, about to marry it
I am closely associated with organized crime and about to fully commit to it

Illegal transactions in Farragut with Arabics
Engaging in unlawful business in Farragut with individuals from Arab backgrounds

Why not, they fit twelve up in the bedroom
Of course, they are able to fit twelve people in a small bedroom

Imagine what they stash is like, make you a classic like
Consider the quantity and quality of drugs they possess, it can elevate your reputation

My first LP, beef with me is unhealthy
My debut album sparked conflicts that are detrimental to those who oppose me

Fuck around and get an ul-cer, loose your pulse or
If you mess around, you might develop an ulcer, or worse, lose your life

Collapsed lung, look how many gats I brung
A severe injury to your lung, observe the numerous guns I possess

For them homos, still doin' promos
For those who are acting cowardly, I will continue to promote myself

Break both your legs you're movin' slow-mo, got shined to glow mo'
I will cripple you, causing you to move in slow motion, demonstrating my superiority

Nine hundred and ninety six grams, you need for mo'
You would require 996 grams of drugs to keep up with me