Ghetto
Obie Trice Lyrics

I'm from the motherfucking slums where the cops don't come
I come from an impoverished neighborhood where law enforcement is absent.

Turn the lights on and the bugs don't run
The poverty is so extreme that bugs are used to the darkness.

You ain't shit without no gun
To achieve any modicum of prominence in my community, owning a firearm is mandatory.

I'm from where diapers full of feces
I come from a place where basic functions of human existence are often neglected.

We's endangered species
The people who grow up in neighborhoods like ours are victims of institutional neglect.

Bodies lay in traffic, that's right, where the streets be
Violence is so prolific here that dead bodies often create traffic blockages.

You ain't seen nothing this obscene from no TV
What I've seen in my life is so terrible, it would never be broadcasted on television.

You would have to be me to feel what Obie's speaking
No description can do justice to the feelings of hopelessness and desperation that permeate these ghetto communities.

Bodies leak like steel pipes, it's real creepy
Death is so commonplace that the sight of a dead body is almost mundane.

You're boring me with your story, I'm a Detroitee
My experiences in Detroit are so unique and harrowing, that the struggles of others seem insignificant to me.

Craft took my mind so the craft exploits me
The negative circumstances of my upbringing have had a permanent effect on my psychological well-being, and the only opportunities available to me are those that continue to exploit me.

I got no pot to piss in, en route to prison
With no resources or opportunities to improve my situation, it often seems inevitable that I will end up incarcerated.

You don't want it with us nigga, we strapped with nitro glycerin
We live in circumstances that are so extreme, we have resorted to carrying nitroglycerin to weapons to protect ourselves.

Our ambitions is some riders, thriving off poor decisions
Our aspirations are driven by recklessness, because we are products of environments that offer no other means of advancement.

A blessing nigga still living, still pimping, still visions of
It's considered a blessing just to still be alive, and even those who are alive still rely on pimping to get by.

Sitting in that foreign whip, whipping up cola take a lick
Despite everything, we still have aspirations of success and wealth, and attempt to achieve it by selling drugs.

My nuts hung since I was a young one
Since adolescence, I have had a sense of bravado and rebelliousness to fight against my circumstances.

And that's just the slum fuck of it
And that's just the bare minimum of what life is like in these slums.

I'm pumped daddy gone but, gun in my palm
With a lack of positive role models and adults around to help, the only sense of security we have is in our guns.

My momma can't save me her gender is wrong
Growing up in a single-parent household often means we lack the guidance and protection of fathers.

On my own in this jungle that niggaz call home
We are effectively on our own and must rely only on ourselves to survive.

What? His momma died from a lump in her D cup
Even death is caused by systemic issues: the lack of access that many black women face when trying to navigate the healthcare system.

Police freeze 'em up for serving these glucks
Even when we are just trying to make a living or support our families, police often make it their business to obstruct our work.

It's like a habitual situation, we stuck
The cycle of poverty, violence, and criminality is so pervasive that it feels impossible to break free from it.

The ritual is for niggaz to grab they nuts
As a way of asserting dominance and showing strength, many men in these communities grab their genitals.

And just soak all this bullshit up, where I'm from?
We are so used to the terrible circumstances we live in, we've become numb to the realities of our situation.

I'm from real bridge cause, for niggaz living hard
I come from a community where struggles are commonplace.

Welfare scarers just most chicks'll buy them broad
Most people in my community rely on government assistance.

Pimping the government cause government pimping us
The government takes advantage of our dire situation to create dependent relationships where they offer us minimal support in exchange for their own benefits.

Rather see 'em suffering then niggaz live it up
There is a prevalent sense that the government (and society as a whole) would rather see us suffer than rise out of poverty.

Cause you ain't heard? Bird got birds
Drug dealers and criminals are seen as successful role models because they have resources and power.

But the nigga got murd' cause niggaz felt he ain't deserve
Unfortunately, these modes of success often end in early death, as those who achieve power often become targets for those around them.

What he was worth, he ain't a real nigga from the turf
People who betray their own communities (often by using their success to leave) are not respected.

He was birth with money, that's why they left him bloody
Those who are born with resources and privilege are often the most dangerous, because they can use their wealth to exploit and betray those around them.

I'm from the streets where most these niggaz nutty
Some people in the ghetto neighborhoods around me are unpredictable and dangerous.

I adapt to em, I'm exactly in tuned with 'em
Growing up in difficult circumstances makes it necessary to adapt quickly and learn to survive.

Strapped with the Mac that extract flesh from humans
People in my neighborhood carry weapons that are incredibly lethal, capable of killing easily.

Home sweet home, better known as The Ruins
Despite everything, the ghetto is still home and it's still loved by many who live there.