Keep Me Down
Scarface Lyrics

We made something from nothing
We started with very little, but we built something of value.

And vowed to never tear it apart
We promised to always work together and never let anything come between us.

We turned the street hustle into an art
We were able to turn our illegal activities into a successful business.

That would quickly change life forever for us
Our success brought significant change to our lives.

No more riding bikes or catching the bus
We were no longer struggling to get by; we could afford better transportation.

We on the roll up, money to fold up
We were making a lot of money and had plenty to save.

With Cognac and cooked yola
We were living luxuriously and enjoying the fruits of our labor.

Got the neighborhood about to blow up, but hold up
Our success was attracting attention, but we needed to be careful and watch out for outsiders.

I see this van sittin', this old cat in a fitted
I spotted a suspicious vehicle with a suspicious-looking man inside.

Trying to get your little homey tore up
He seemed to be looking for an opportunity to harm someone in our group.

Yo bruh, we ain't working on this corner take your ass on, dog
We don't allow outsiders to interfere with our business; I told him to leave.

Before you make me feed your ass to my hogs you fucking faggot
I threatened him with violence if he didn't leave us alone.

I know you want to catch me with this bag so you can hide me
I suspected he was trying to set me up and get me arrested.

Or with my .44 so you can 45 me
I suspected he was also planning to kill me.

You put this shit off in our neighborhoods and sweat us
The police were unfairly targeting our community and making our lives difficult.

And when you finally catch us up you give us letters
The police would send threatening letters and try to intimidate us, even if they didn't have enough evidence to make an arrest.

A cold thing
It was a harsh reality for us to face.

Just when a nigga reach his gold man
Just when we started to achieve success and reach our goals.

You hand him a case for easing out the dope game
The justice system would target us and try to take away our freedom and our livelihood.

So what I rap about these streets
I rap about the reality of urban life.

That don't make me be no less of a man
Rapping about my experiences doesn't diminish my masculinity or my worth as a person.

Than a person that do work with his hands
My skills and talents are just as valuable as those of someone who works with their hands.

It's bad enough I gots to deal with all these pressures that stand
I face a lot of challenges and obstacles in my life.

You tryin' to make me stray away from my plan
People are trying to distract me from my goals and my vision for my life.

I'm from the gutter, where all we had was one another
I grew up in a tough neighborhood where people had to rely on each other for support.

No wheat bread to butter, from one bed to the other
We didn't have much growing up; we lived in poverty and struggled to get by.

My mother's at work
My mother had to work hard to provide for our family.

My grandfather was my dad
My grandfather took on a fatherly role in my life.

And when he died it hurt
His death was a painful loss for me.

And as I hold back the tears my eye-wells swell
I'm trying to stay strong, but it's difficult.

I been praying for heaven, I been living in hell
Life has been a struggle for me, and I'm hoping for a better future.

And these niggas in my age group is dead or either locked up
Many of my peers are no longer alive or are in prison.

The bitches no better, they smoked out or knocked up
The women in my community face their own struggles and challenges.

But I still love my hood, that's where it started
I'm still proud of where I come from, despite the difficulties.

Ain't no hard feelings, we partners nigga, regardless
Despite any conflicts or differences we may have, we are still in this together.

That's why you always see me coming around
I will always be loyal to my community.

Money never changed me
Despite my success, I haven't let money change me as a person.

Money changed the people around
However, the people around me have been affected by my success and have become envious or greedy.

Now they plot to try to keep me down
Some people are actively working against me and trying to undermine my success.

But still I rise like yeast
Despite the challenges, I keep pushing forward and growing stronger.

Your whole conversation bout B
People are always talking about me and my success.

Fuck a nigga talking bout me, I'm a G
I don't care about what people say or think about me; I know who I am and what I stand for.

The realest motherfucker ever done it
I am genuine and authentic in everything I do.

You can't continue to pimp me and y'all eat from it
I won't let others take advantage of me for their own gain.

So fuck every soul who ever felt like I owed
I don't owe anyone anything for my success.

Them a god damn dime, or a god damn rhyme or a god damn chance
I earned my success through hard work and talent, not through owing anyone anything.

Motherfucker you sad
It's pathetic for people to expect things from me that I don't owe them.

You a grown ass man, holding a nigga hand
It's not my responsibility to take care of able-bodied adults who should be taking care of themselves.

Now get out on your own, stop depending on your homes
It's time for people to become self-sufficient and stop relying on others to support them.

To chuck you a bone, and stop throwing stones
Stop expecting handouts and being critical of those who have achieved success.

And that goes for everybody thinking it's them
This message applies to anyone who expects something from me that I don't owe them.

All of y'all stand accused
I'm calling out anyone who expects something from me that I don't owe them.

Saying fuck to me
Being disrespectful or critical of me despite my success.

And I done bought your children's shoes, I'm
Despite the disrespect, I have still helped support their families.