Ghetto Rich Remix ft. John Legend Lil Wayne & Nas
Rich Boy Lyrics

Let me take you through my hood where I was born and raised
I want to show you the area where I grew up, with violence and drugs prevalent.

Where niggas tote semi-automatics, busting them K's
The men here carry guns and often use them, even the automatic ones.

Heavy guns and dope funds and raids by the police
There are heavy weapons, drug money, and police raids in this place.

Still getting pulled over and asked by the police
Police still racially profile and harass people in this community.

'Bama wasn't made for a nigga to win
Alabama isn't a place that makes it easy for black people to succeed.

See the color of your skin get you put in the pen
Simply due to the way someone appears, they may end up incarcerated for life.

It's real life, over dice, Dwayne dead and gone
The reality here is tough, gambling can quickly turn deadly.

Sending niggas to the pen or the funeral home
Living in this place means ending up in prison or dead.

I be feeling like the Lord will never answer me back
It seems like prayers for deliverance from this hardship go unanswered.

So I'm holding on my gat just in case they attack
To protect themselves, residents here always have a firearm at the ready.

Bullet holes in your house will make it hard to sleep
The damage from gun violence can make nighttime difficult and distressing.

You see the fiends on the street want the hard for cheap
People here addicted to hard drugs will do anything for a quick fix, including theft and robbery.

A lot of niggas doing life from undercovers and fake friends
Many people here get sentenced to life in prison by being lied to by police or supposed friends.

It's real how them penitentiary bars'll break men
The fact that the prison system breaks people down is a harsh reality here.

I could never win an Oscar cause I don't know how to act
Despite his wealth, this artist doesn't feel like he fully belongs among elites due to his background.

Saw my first million dollars and I ain't know how to act
When he first became wealthy, it was a surreal and unexpected experience for him.

Then the second million came, then more came after that
Despite his initial surprise, he has amassed significant wealth.

Then more came after that, hurricane after that
His fortune has continued to grow, but natural disasters like hurricanes can still devastate him.

Damn! And y'all saw the aftermath
The aftermath of natural disasters is difficult for everyone, including the wealthy.

And in my hood we don't front, so I do give back
Despite his success, he still feels connected to his neighborhood and gives back to it.

When you see a hood nigga you gotta tilt your hat
Out of respect, others show deference to him as someone who made it out of this place.

And since I'm a hood nigga, I do just that
He identifies strongly with the culture of his difficult birthplace.

Ogs used to tell me: "You just rap
Older influential figures in his community encouraged him to focus on his art.

Lil' nigga all you need to do is rap"
They saw his talent as a means to escape this environment, and encouraged him accordingly.

And just when I thought I was gon' do just that
When he thought he was on his way to success, life became more complicated.

Poppa was a Rolling Stone and them stones was crack
His father had addiction issues which negatively impacted their family.

Fuck being like Mike I wanna be like pop
Instead of aspiring to be like Michael Jordan, he wants to follow his father's example.

Then I picked up a mic I wanna be like 'Pac
He's found a new role model in the artist Tupac.

Please put down the pipe you don't need that rock
He discourages drug use, even when life is difficult.

Please put up a fight for the kids that watch
Young people looking up to him should resist the negative influences around them.

Us in the spotlight and then they mock
Although the artist is famous, he still faces scrutiny and ridicule.

But caskets get closed and then they drop
Death can come quickly to people in this place.

And cases get closed and they are dropped
Sometimes, when people die or go missing here, their cases go unsolved.

'Cause no one knows and nobody got
When people disappear or die here, no one knows what happened to them.

Any out no N-O, that they better not
No one had better leak any information they have, or they'll face serious consequences.

Three words to a witness: they get shot
Anyone who provides information to police or outsiders is putting their life in danger.

Let me tell you what this is, this is the block
This is a rough neighborhood that will never change.

Always talk to God, never listen to cops
God is more likely to help you here than the police.

It's cool to love to win but it's better to hate to lose
It feels good to win, but hating failure motivates you more.

There's only one Nas 'bout a hundred thousand yous
There's only one truly great artist, but many who aspire to greatness.

You lose money chasing women, never lose women chasing money
It's easy to waste money trying to impress people, but it's better to chase financial success than fleeting romance.

Niggas is broke plus the wolves is hungry
Many people here lack resources and opportunistic predators are constantly lurking.

Morgues full of dead niggas who was taking money
When people try to claim more than they're owed, they often end up dead here.

Morgues full of niggas with the last shit they ate in stomach
When people die here, it's often in violent and disturbing ways.

Spinach and steak. Gore-tex boot prints still on his face
Even when one is enjoying a nice meal, traces of violence are all around.

It's still on his face when we visit his wake
Even when visiting someone who died, the impact of violence is still visible.

Whatever's undone I'd do it, fight against a whole army
No matter how daunting the challenge, this artist is committed to finishing what he starts.

One gun I'll use it, some Sun Tzu shit
In tough situations like this one, it can be necessary to resort to last-resort tactics like using firearms.

Creeping on ya like walking pneumonia
Attackers might come from anywhere, like a silent sickness.

You're far from opponents; we could spar for the moments
For someone as skilled and tough as he is, most fights here are fairly easy.

I stay in deceitful conversations with creeps with foul natures
To avoid violence, he must sometimes pretend to be friendly with people he knows are bad news.

Attempted murders trials, the basics
Trying to kill someone here is a common occurrence that often goes unreported.

Threatening the witnesses and relatives of dead victims
People here will do anything to maintain their power and get what they want, including threatening innocent people.

It's the shit we live, uh
Life is tough here, no matter how wealthy you may be.

Queensbridge thug matrimony, clap a phony
This is a place where tough guys thrive, and people who pretend will be quickly exposed.

Bullets even hit a cracker in his Abercrombie
Even outsiders walking through are at risk of becoming victims.

Psychoanalyst was asking me what happened to me?
Even trained professionals are shocked by the kinds of events that take place in this place.

See the yak got to me, then the gat got to me
Drugs and weapons play a notable role in people's lives here.

Then the homies on the block with the stacks of money
People who make it big become targets for people who still struggle to succeed.

Then these beautiful bitches was bending backwards for me
When you're wealthy, it seems like everyone wants to be with you, for better or for worse.

Then lames put the rap game in a casket slowly
People who are jealous of his success are trying to sabotage his career.

Man I don't give a fuck, this is rap to me
Despite all the negativity and violence, he still enjoys making music and expressing himself through it.