A Gangster And A Gentleman
Styles Lyrics

My pops came from Bed Stuy, my mom came from Africa
My father grew up in Bed-Stuy and my mother is from Africa.

I'm more a nigga if you know what I mean
I am black and that is an important part of my identity.

They hooked up in the '70's when liquor and weed was heavy
My parents met and fell in love in the 1970s during a time when heavy drinking and drug use were common.

And have me and crone their dreams
They had me and my siblings as their dreams for their future.

By the time I was seven my mom left my pop
When I was seven, my mom left my dad.

Then we moved to the south side of Yonkers, New York
We moved to the southern part of Yonkers, New York.

Then my mom remarried, had my little brother Gary
My mom remarried and had my younger brother, Gary.

My sister a year later, let me gather my thoughts
My sister was born a year later and I needed some time to process everything.

By the time I was nine, I was outta my mind
By the age of nine, my life was chaotic and overwhelming.

My step pops didn't like me beat me outta my mind
My stepfather didn't like me and physically abused me.

Ten and eleven the same I never would change
When I was ten and eleven, my stepfather's abuse continued and I couldn't change it.

He still had to hit me, aggravate a little nigga
He continued to physically harm me and it made me angry.

Still wearin' skippys
I still wore cheap sneakers even though other kids had nicer ones.

Bob had Adidas and Pumas, I could a had a pair
My friend Bob had expensive sneakers, but I couldn't afford them.

My mommy said, wait 'til Christmas but I needed 'em sooner
My mom advised me to wait until Christmas to get new sneakers, but I needed them sooner.

If you heard I was broke dawg it wasn't a rumor
If people said I was poor, it was true.

It was 1986 and I was twelve years old
In 1986, I was twelve years old.

That's right around the time when crack came out
This was around the same time that crack cocaine became a major issue in our community.

It was the best thing that happened to me
Crack cocaine was the best thing that happened to me at that time because I was able to get everything I wanted.

I swear to God 'cause I was gettin' everything that I was askin' about
I place my trust in God because I was finally able to get everything I wanted with the help of crack cocaine.

First we started off bangin' up, me and golf
At first, my friend Golf and I started consuming crack cocaine together.

Then shit start addin' up, we gettin' smart
We started to become more strategic and smarter about how we sold the drugs and made money.

Now we on Broadway, coppin' our own bench
We were able to buy drugs on Broadway and sell them to make a profit.

Bring it home and put it in bottles, send us a rottle
We would package the drugs and send them in bottles to sell.

Drink a old ease grem like it wasn't tomorrow
We consumed alcohol and drugs without thinking about the consequences.

I'm gettin' kicked out of Junior High, thinkin' I'm grown
I was expelled from junior high school because I thought I was mature enough to handle the consequences of my actions.

God bust with the yellow rabbit
I was caught by the police and arrested.

And I had every color dealt we was gettin' it on
I had drugs of every type and we were selling them all to make money.

I was out robbin' Mexicans six in the morn'
I was committing crimes, such as robbing Mexican individuals, even as early as 6 am.

Mom said, I'd had to ep again, rip it I'm gone
My mom said that if I was caught again by the police, I would go to jail.

Nigga get a little loony and grown, soup in the dome
I became increasingly unstable and crazy in the mind.

Bump me up worst when I went to the group home
Things got even worse for me when I went to a group home.

I'm leavin' out a lotta shit, nigga it's too real
I am leaving out a lot of details because my story is too real and too painful to share everything.

My alcoholic back round, the welfare motels
My family background includes alcoholism and we often lived in government-funded motels.

Abuse that I had to take struggle at my mom's recruit
I had to endure abuse and struggle through it while my mom was trying her best.

How the fuck I'm gon bomb wit you
I'm not sure how I'm going to connect with people because of my rough background.

And the cases I got up to date told you that I bust a eight
The legal cases that I have faced prove that I have sold eight balls of drugs.

My niggas I can't name, outta state, my niggas fuck with weight
I have friends who I won't name who live out of state and are heavily involved in drug dealing.

Little brother gone but I got a baby angel
My little brother passed away but I have a young child who is precious to me.

You fuckin' with a dirty name, don't let these niggas change you
People associate me with a bad reputation, but I advise others to not let people change who they truly are.

The present's what you get
The future is always uncertain - all that we truly have is the present moment.

And the past is what make the man future
Our past experiences shape who we are and ultimately have an impact on our future selves.

I can't tell you I ain't God or lil' Superman
I can't tell you that I am not someone who thinks they are all-powerful or invincible like Superman.

No there ain't a S on my chest, but it's a D on my block (D block)
While I am not a superhero, I do have power on my block or in my community (which is referred to as D block).

And said life the deepest lesson is death
The most important lesson in life is that we all will eventually experience death.

I'm determined and I'm disciplined and destined to rest
I am focused on succeeding and I have a strong work ethic, but I also know that rest and taking care of oneself is important.

I'm a gangsta and a gentleman, Panero the best
I embody both the toughness of a gangsta and the class of a gentleman. I am also confident in my abilities (Panero is a reference to my rap name).

When I pass I'm like gas, motherfuckers
When I die, I will leave an indelible mark on the world like the smell of gas (a reference to my legacy).

'Cause I'm a leave a stain that you'll never forget
My impact on the world will be unforgettable and significant.

It's only a matter of time, the clock tickin'
We are all limited by the amount of time we have on this earth, and we never know when our time is up.

I said, gangstas ride, ride with me
I am encouraging people who identify as gangstas to ride with me, or follow my lead.

Gentlemen live your life, live it up
I am encouraging those who identify as gentlemen to enjoy and live their lives to the fullest.

'Cause gangstas die, we all gon die
We are all going to die eventually, even those who identify as gangstas.

It's only a matter of time, the clock tickin'
Death is always looming, and we never know when our time will be up.