Sharades
Papoose Lyrics

East Coast pop a bottle wit y'all
Let's celebrate together, regardless of where we're from

West Coast pop a bottle wit y'all
Let's celebrate together, regardless of where we're from

To all the dead beat dads you should find you a job
If you're not supporting your child, you need to step up and start providing

Your child is the only person that could promise tomorrow
Your child is your legacy and the only guarantee of your future

I could do what I wanna do, why can't I?
I'm capable of making my own decisions, why can't I be free to do so?

Let a thug get rich, how can I?
Why should I be punished for my choices while others are rewarded for theirs?

I'm watching all of you rappers, don't you realize?
I'm keeping a close eye on all the other rappers, don't you know?

Let's play a game of sharades, who am I?
Let's see if you can guess who I am based on my actions and intentions

There have been times in my life
I've gone through tough times in my past

I've been wondering why
I've questioned why things happen the way they do

Still somehow I believe we all will survive
Despite the struggles, I have faith that we'll all get through it

Gimme the keys to Shyne Po handcuffs
Give me control over the consequences for Shyne Po's actions

Gimme the keys to Lil' Kim handcuffs
Give me control over the consequences for Lil' Kim's actions

Gimme the keys to C-Murder handcuffs
Give me control over the consequences for C-Murder's actions

So I could tighten 'em and let the cell slam shut
So I could ensure justice is served and they're locked away

Gangsta rapper, it's time to man up
It's time for gangsta rappers to take responsibility for their actions

'Fore I tighten your handcuffs
Before I make sure you're punished for what you've done

Cause they all make songs about killing eachother
Because many rappers promote violence and aggression in their music

When I bring 'em in for questioning they all squeal on eachother
When I confront them, they all turn on each other and reveal the truth

You stick a needle deep in your skin and carve it wit ink
Tattoos are created by many by puncturing the skin and adding ink

You call it tattoo, I call it the mark of the beast
I see tattoos as a sign of the devil and a negative influence

We identify criminals who rob on the streets
Tattoos can serve as an identification of criminals

By scars or tattoos don't you bother to think?
Isn't it logical to use these marks to identify criminals?

They blame me for Biggie murder, but the case died out
I've been accused of being involved in Biggie's murder, but the case has not been proven

So now that's for me to know and for you to find out
The truth may be hidden and not easy to uncover

I got the industry on lock and key
I control the music industry and have power over many rappers

Who am I?
Who is the person behind all of this control and power?

Gimme the keys to Beanie Sigel handcuffs
Give me control over the consequences for Beanie Sigel's actions

Gimme the keys to Irv Gotti handcuffs
Give me control over the consequences for Irv Gotti's actions

Gimme the keys to Snoop Dogg handcuffs
Give me control over the consequences for Snoop Dogg's actions

He got acquitted, he lucked up
Snoop Dogg was not found guilty of his crime, he was lucky

They makin' more money than me, damn rap stars
These rappers are making more money than me, it's frustrating

Pull Jigga over maybe there's a gun in his car
Maybe Jay-Z is up to no good and we need to investigate

Took a sexy young lady wit a push-up bra
A woman with a revealing outfit helped frame Mystikal for rape

Got her to frame Mystikal, he ain't rape that broad
Mystikal was falsely accused of rape by this woman and I orchestrated it

Made an example out of Kim, Chi Ali and Shyne
I ensured that Lil' Kim, Chi Ali, and Shyne were punished for their crimes to set an example

Tony Yayo on parole, he owe me some time
Tony Yayo is in debt to me and owes me some favors

Take the gangsta out of rap, that's said to deceive you
Removing the gangsta element from rap would be dishonest and misleading

What I'm trying to do is make hip-hop illegal
I'm trying to control and limit the expression of hip-hop as an art form

They blame me for Pac murder, but the case died out
I've been accused of being involved in Tupac's murder, but the case has not been proven

Can you recognize a cop when his clothes is plain?
Can you pick out an undercover police officer when they're not in uniform?

You gotta identify him it's like a game of sharades
It's like a guessing game when figuring out who is an undercover cop

Take a loan from a bank, I'm borrowing money
If I take a loan from a bank, it's seen as legitimate borrowing

I take a loan from my homey's, I'm laundering money
If I borrow money from friends, it's seen as hiding illegal money by disguising it as a legitimate transaction

Called the narcotic cops when I sold my dimes
Reported my own illegal activity to the police to gain their trust and avoid being caught

Called the gun boys on me when I toted my nine
Police were called to apprehend me when I was carrying a weapon

Now I hold a microphone is you out of your mind?
Now that I'm a rapper, do you think I'd be foolish enough to continue my criminal behavior?

Hip-hop police is hip-hop a crime?
Am I being targeted for being a rapper, or is the genre itself a crime?

Freedom of speech y'all think so evil
Speaking my mind and expressing my ideas is seen as a negative thing

Rather give freedom to my speech than give freedom to my people
I value my ability to express myself more than the freedom of society as a whole

Instead of watching us you should of watched Ground Zero
Instead of targeting rappers, authorities should focus on national security issues

Schwarzenegger killing in movies but he a hero
Arnold Schwarzenegger is praised for his violent movie roles, but rappers are punished for promoting similar content in their music

To all of the rappers we gotta stay in cognito
Rappers need to keep a low profile and avoid drawing attention to themselves

To do it our way like Carlito
We need to find a way to live our lives and continue making music on our own terms, like the character Carlito Brigante from the movie 'Carlito's Way'

Cause they want us thinking their way
Authorities and those in power want us to conform to their way of thinking and behaving

If everybody lived their life the same way
If everyone conformed and lived the same way, we would lose our individuality and creativity

We'd all meet our makers the same day
We'd all die without having truly lived if we all lived the same way