Elevators
OutKast (ft. Sleepy Brown) Lyrics

One for the money, yes sir, two for the show
We're on a mission to make money, and we've got a great show to put on.

A couple of years ago on Headland and Delowe
We started this journey a few years ago on Headland and Delowe.

Was the start of something good
Our journey began with promising beginnings.

Where me and my nigga rode the Marta, through the hood
We took the Marta through the neighborhood looking for opportunities.

Just tryna find that hook up, now everyday we looked up at the ceiling
We were searching for a way to make it big every day, constantly looking for inspiration.

Watching ceiling fans go 'round, tryna catch that feeling
We were observing our surroundings for inspiration, searching for that feeling of success.

Off instrumentals, had my pencil and plus my paper
We had our instruments (music) and were ready to write our lyrics on paper.

We caught the 86 Lithonia headed to Decatur
We caught the 86 Lithonia bus to Decatur.

Writing rhymes, tryna find our spot off in that light
We were writing our lyrics, hoping to find success in the music industry.

Light off in that spot, knowing that we could rock
We knew we had the necessary talent to succeed in the industry.

Doing the hole in the wall clubs, this shit here must stop, like 'Freeze!'
We performed in small clubs, we aimed to put an end to this and move to bigger venues.

We making the crowd move, but we not making no G's, and that's a no-no
Although we were making the crowd dance, we weren't making any money, which is unacceptable.

Check it, a one-two, a one-two dope niggas in the Cadillac
We were two skilled and talented artists in a luxurious car (Cadillac).

They call us, went from Player's Ball to ballers
We went from being called 'players' to being successful artists in the industry.

Putting the South up on the map was like Little Rock to banging
Our success put the South on the map and made it a prominent source of talented artists.

Niggas say mothafuck that playing, they paying, we staying laying vocals
We decided to focus on making music that people would pay for, and we continued to produce great tracks.

Locales done made it with them big boys up in this industry
We made it to the big leagues and were recognized by other successful industry players.

'OutKast, yeah, them niggas, they making big noise'
Our name was circulating in the industry, and people were recognizing our talent.

Over a million sold to this day, niggas they take it lightly
We'd sold over a million copies of our music to date, and people still didn't take us seriously.

'96 gon' be that year that all y'all playa haters can bite me, I'm out this bitch'
In 1996, we were planning to make a statement to all the haters, and we were determined to leave.

Back in the day, when I was younger, hunger
We were younger, hungry and determined to succeed in the music industry.

Looking to fill me belly with that Rally's bullshit
We were struggling financially and couldn't afford a decent meal at a fast food restaurant like Rally's.

Pull shit off, like it was supposed to be pulled
We dealt with our struggles like it was usual and something we were meant to overcome.

Full as a tick, I was stoned like them white boys
We were so full and satisfied with our small successes that we felt like we were under the influence of drugs.

Smoking them white girls, before them blunts, got crunk, chunky asses
We were smoking cigarettes before we switched to blunts and we preferred women with big derrieres.

Passes getting thrown like Hail Mary's, and they looking like Halle Berry's
Women were often throwing themselves at us, much like a Hail Mary pass in football, and they were as attractive as Halle Berry.

So so fine, intertwined, but we ain't sipping wine
We were hanging out with gorgeous women but we weren't drinking alcohol.

We's just chilling, I'm the rabid villain, and I'm so high
We were just relaxing and enjoying the moment, while I remained the daring one and felt under the influence of drugs.

Smoking freely, me, Lil B, Reek, Mone and Shug
We were smoking cigarettes and enjoying ourselves with our friends Lil B, Reek, Mone, and Shug.

And my little brother James, thangs changed in the hood
Even my younger brother James was growing up and changing with the challenges of living in a difficult neighborhood.

Where I live at, them rats know, 'Momma I want to sing
In my neighborhood, even the rodents are aware of the dream to become a successful musician.

But momma I want to trick, and momma I'm sucking dick now'
Some people were willing to do anything, including sex work, to achieve their dreams.

We moving on up in the world like elevators
We are getting increasingly successful each day, like an elevator moving upwards.

Me and the crew, we pimps like '82, me and you like Tony Toni Tone
We were confident and successful like pimps in the 80s, while our fans were loyal like the fans of Tony Toni Tone.

('Like this, East Point and we gone')
We were saying goodbye and moving on to our next destination in East Point.

Got stopped at the mall the other day, heard a call from the other way
We were stopped at the mall and someone was calling us from the opposite direction.

That I just came from, some nigga was saying something, talking 'bout
Someone from the place we just left was talking to us.

Smoke something 'Hey man, you remember me from school?'
The person was attempting to make conversation and offered us some marijuana.

'No not really' But he kept smiling like a clown, facial expression looking silly
We didn't recognize the person, but they continued to smile in a strange way.

And he kept asking me, 'What kinda car you drive? I know you paid
The person continued to ask us questions about our lifestyle and wealth.

I know y'all got beaucoup of hoes from all them songs that y'all done made'
The person assumed we had many women due to our success in the music industry.

And I replied that I had been going through the same things that he had
I responded that even though we were successful, we still faced financial struggles just like everyone else.

True, I've got more fans than the average man, but not enough loot to last me
While we were popular and had many fans, we still didn't have enough money to sustain ourselves long term.

To the end of the week, I live by the beat, like you live check-to-check
We lived our life day by day, working hard to produce music, just like someone living paycheck to paycheck.

If you don't move your feet then I don't eat, so we like neck-to-neck
If we didn't perform and continue to create music, we wouldn't be able to make a living and support ourselves.

Yes, we done come a long way like them slim-ass cigarettes
We had come a long way in our journey, similar to the passage of time for slim cigarettes.

From Virginia, this ain't gon' stop, so we just gon' continue
Our success began in Virginia, and we planned to continue to create music and achieve even greater success.