Family Connect
T.I. Lyrics

If I had the magical powers
If I could change the past with magic

To redo all the things, most people have written
To correct mistakes that most people have made

And if I had those powers, to bring you back here again
And if I could bring you back to life

I'm runnin' in circles, lookin' and searchin'
I'm constantly searching for something

Look high and low for the purpose
Searching everywhere for my purpose

Convincin' myself this earth is just full curses and cursive
Telling myself that the world is full of negativity

I pull the curtains, interpretin' how I exposed the surface
I'm looking for the truth behind things

Of niggas that no one's ever seen
Of people who hide behind a facade

They hide behind these magazines
They use the media to hide who they truly are

If I was you, I wouldn't say that, no
If I were in your position, I wouldn't say that

Anything they ever did to make sure I wouldn't ever win
Anything they did to prevent me from succeeding

It just made me a better man, I put that on my soul
Their actions made me a stronger person

If it's platinum in my watch, should I still care 'bout goin' gold?
If I already have a lot of success, should I still care about more?

If I gave that shit away, you think I'm ever goin' broke?
If I gave everything away, do you think I would still be wealthy?

I'm not chasin' money, money chasin' me
Money comes to me, I don't have to chase it

You found what you lookin' for when you stop lookin' for it
You will find what you are searching for when you stop searching

See, more nigga want the glory and think success is euphoric
People want fame and think success will make them happy

Expect to get rich tourin' and never do shit for it, man
Expecting to get rich without putting in the work

I been historic so long, it's gettin' borin'
I've been successful for so long that it's become routine

Multiple mansions to reside and switch foreigns, pourin'
I have multiple overseas homes and exotic cars

Plenty game in Domani cup
My son has learned a lot from me

All our moves are calculatin', you could wish the dummy's luck
We make all our decisions carefully, and leave the rest up to chance

Yeah I guess everyone exaggerates when they comin' up
I think everyone exaggerates when they are gaining success

But that just their imagination, really, these niggas ain't got no money, bruh
But that's just in their imagination, those people don't really have any money

They wanna know who you are, not who you wanna be
People want to know the real you, not who you pretend to be

Want smoke online and ain't handle the around-the-corner beef
People are willing to start drama online but wouldn't handle it in person

Coward, good luck avoidin' gettin' extorted
You are a coward, good luck avoiding getting taken advantage of

With absentee morals and horrible priorities
They have poor morals and priorities

Catch you somewhere in your mid-forties
You'll be caught in your mid-forties

Down in Florida, by the water, scrapin' up enough to buy a forty
Struggling in Florida, trying to gather enough money to buy a cheap beer

Type of billboard ain't shit when you did poorly
You can have a big billboard but it doesn't matter if you are not successful

Buy your kids so they can't remember what you did for 'em
Spoiling your kids so they don't appreciate what you've done for them

Ayy, you remember when you showed me that half a mill' in that shoe box?
Remember when you showed me that $500k in that shoe box?

Then I said, "I want to rap," so you put me on Big and 2Pac
Then I told you I wanted to rap, so you introduced me to Big and 2Pac

'Fore we came a long way, L.A. With B and Jay
Before we came a long way, went to L.A. with B and Jay

Or flyin' to Coachella playing Spades on PJ's
Or flying to Coachella and playing Spades on private jets

Gimme three days, my gallery finna triple my salary
Give me three days, and my art gallery will triple my income

Doubled up on my K Dot, the sad shit, watch my calories
Backing up my Kendrick Lamar, sad thing, and watching what I eat

Crazy, I couldn't fathom the thought of me goin' platinum
It's crazy to think that I could ever achieve platinum success

I shattered my ceiling and captured my feelings in this verse
I surpassed my own expectations and expressed my emotions in this verse

I'll gradually kill 'em, I'll turn down a million, it's not worth my integrity
I'll slowly defeat my competition, and I won't compromise my integrity for a million dollars

I'm most definitely my daddy's son, it's no denyin'
I'm definitely my father's son, there's no denying it

I used to run from my last name
I used to try to distance myself from my family name

I was mortified of being that nigga that live off a nigga at twenty-five
I was scared of being the guy that still depended on his family at 25

So I moved out at eighteen and now I'm on my own
So I left home at 18 and now I'm independent

Pops, I know you got it, but I'd just rather get it on my own
Dad, I know you could support me, but I'd rather earn it on my own

Tell 'em stop askin' all them questions, the answers in my song
Tell them to stop asking me so many questions, the answers are in my music

Place the pen in my left hand and watch me write my wrongs
Give me a pen, and watch me make my past mistakes right

Ha, it funny ain't it, how I could be entertainin'?
Isn't it funny how I can be an entertainer?

Millions stashed in the bank and more millions on real estate
I have millions of dollars in the bank and even more in real estate investments

Ridin' round in a Vanquish, tryna stop for complainants
Driving around in an Aston Martin Vanquish, trying to avoid complaints/accusations

'Cause my kids won't let me help 'em and I just can't ascertain it
Because my kids won't take my help and I can't understand why

Then again, kinda remind me of me 'fore I met Jason
Reminds me of myself before I met Jason

Sellin' crack daily but knew I was goin' places, listen
Selling drugs every day, but knowing I was destined for success

Sometimes you confident, can over-wear your conscious
Sometimes when you're confident, you can ignore your conscience

To the point, seem like it make the smartest one do the dumbest shit
To the point where even the smartest people make dumb decisions

Learn to be the thermostat, not the thermometer
Learn to control the temperature, not just react to it

Never put your trust in niggas, even when they promise something
Don't trust people, even if they promise something

Okay, pride keep you hungry when you on the come up
Okay, pride can keep you motivated when you are on the way up

Don't matter who you son of, nigga, you a one-of-one
It doesn't matter who your parents are, you are unique

Sometimes the weight feel like a hundred tons
Sometimes the pressure feels overwhelming

I know, but learned to carry load
I know, but I've learned to handle it

'Cause that the Harris way
Because that's how the Harris family does it

Go win a hundred or nothin', don't never half-way
Go all in and give it your all, never hold back

Fuck with anything and keep navigating your pathway
Deal with anything that comes your way and keep moving forward

I already know it's greatness in you 'cause I put it there
I already know you have greatness within you, because I helped put it there

They say that pressure make diamonds, find it
They say that pressure helps diamonds form, so find your pressure

Be you at all times and see who not to align with
Be yourself and you'll see who you shouldn't be around

Nigga, shinin' was the point of the assignment
The whole point was to become successful and shine

Duh
Obvious statement