Lessons
R.A. the Rugged Man Lyrics

Yo aiiyo people wonderin' where the fuck I been
People are questioning my whereabouts

At the VIP section they ain't lettin' me in
The VIP section is not allowing me entry

They say; maybe if you had Dr. Dre or Timbaland
They suggest that having Dr. Dre or Timbaland would help my situation

They say; a white boy need a black boy to win
People believe that a white person needs a black person to succeed

Uhh Bubba Sparxx did it and so did Slim
However, Bubba Sparxx and Slim were successful without a famous black collaborator

Just Blaze is hot now why don't you get with him
Just Blaze is currently popular, so maybe I should collaborate with him

I watch mad rappers bite my shit and blow up
I have seen many rappers steal my style and become successful

And make millions of what I created, that's tough luck
Even though they became successful, it's unfortunate that they profited off of something I created

I first started gettin' coverage around the same time
I started becoming well-known around a similar time period

Steve Stout used to carry kid and placed luggage
Steve Stout used to carry Kid and placed his luggage

I seen rappers turned from sex symbols in hard throbs
I have seen rappers go from being sex symbols to being forgotten

To bein forgotten now they out lookin' for jobs
Now they are forgotten and struggling to find work

I seen EPMD break up
I witnessed EPMD breaking up

I seen my little brother Max fall asleep and he ain't never wake up
I saw my brother Max pass away in his sleep

So when I rhyme listen, seriously
When I rap, I want people to take my words seriously

When I spit I'm givin' you the truth clearly who I really be
My lyrics are honest and reflect who I truly am

It's an audio version of reality TV
My music is like reality TV in an audio format

I had deals from Russell Simmonds to Master P
I have had offers from Russell Simmons to Master P

Even five year old white girls be rappin' today
Even young white girls are rapping now

On the playground like 'go shorty it's ya birthday' (Go, go, go..)
They're rapping 'go shorty it's your birthday' on the playground

I seen good days sun rays church sundays
I have experienced good days with sunny weather and going to church on Sundays

Made love made war been rich been poor
I have had moments of love and moments of conflict. I have also been wealthy and financially struggling

Lost friends lost hoods lost my dough
I have lost friends, lost connections to neighborhoods, and lost money

Seen beef between Bad Boy and Death Row
I have witnessed conflict between Bad Boy Records and Death Row Records

I seen deceased take the life for my sisters kid
I have witnessed someone take the life of my sister's child

Six months on the Earth is what he had to live
He only had six months on this Earth before he passed away

I seen Biggie Big L Big Pun pass away
I have seen Biggie, Big L, and Big Pun pass away

Buffy from the Fat Boys, Jam Master Jay
I have also seen Buffy from the Fat Boys and Jam Master Jay pass away

I seen flatliners I seen cannabisses
I have seen flatliners and cannabis use

I seen Lil Zane see I seen mad misses
I have seen Lil Zane and many other misses or failures

You ran through that ten percent disses
You quickly went through those ten percent disses

I seen A & R's get fired for takin' pisses
I have seen A&R representatives get fired for being unprofessional

Stop whinin' and bitchin' nobody listens
Stop complaining because nobody is listening to your complaints

Who else riskin' they career they stick to be indifferent
Who else is willing to risk their career by being different and not following trends?

Switchin' the tradition stickin' to this shit they really livin'
Breaking tradition and sticking with what they believe in

I don't care what's hittin
I don't care what's currently popular

Listen this is my fuckin' life that I'm spittin'
My lyrics are about my own experiences and my own life

I made peace with myself now how bout that
I have come to terms and found peace within myself

I hated life I wanted to die a few years back
I used to struggle with depression and suicidal thoughts

I was mentally ill it's hard to come back from that
It is difficult to recover from mental illness

But I got through it now I got my sanity back
However, I was able to overcome it and regain my sanity

Y'all are like H-B-O fighters get the money and fame
Many people in the music industry are like HBO boxers who only care about money and fame

Get beat up like Klitschko and Sugar Shane
They end up getting beaten and knocked down like boxers Klitschko and Sugar Shane

Or get beat like Vernon Forrest or Prince Naseem
Or they get beat like other boxers Vernon Forrest and Prince Naseem

And you all turn pussy when you get that green
Once you get money and success, you become weak and afraid

I got love for Havoc from Mobb Deep
I have respect and affection for Havoc from Mobb Deep

When I was broke sleepin' in the street
When I was struggling and homeless

He hooked me up with a free beat
Havoc gave me a free beat to help me out

Alchemist you still my little buddy
I still have a close relationship with Alchemist

Althought you stole that Royce the 5"9 +The King+ beat from me
However, Alchemist did take a beat I made for Royce the 5'9 and used it with someone else without permission

I ain't down to sign autographs and shake ya hands
I am not interested in doing the typical celebrity duties of signing autographs and shaking hands

I don't want trendy ass followers as fans
I'm not interested in having superficial, trendy fans

I don't wanna sell records, I don't wanna be big
I don't care about selling records or becoming incredibly popular

I don't want MTV runnin' up in my crib
I don't want MTV showing up at my house

I don't wanna be light in the music biz
I'm not interested in being in the mainstream music industry

I don't want fans that don't know who G Rap is
I want fans who know about and appreciate the history of rap music

what's the lesson for today Rugged Man
What is the lesson that Rugged Man wants to teach us today?