This Way
The Game Lyrics

And I think I been countin' my hardest days
I've been going through a lot lately and struggling to make it through

Lord, won't you save me? Oh-oh
Asking for help from a higher power

You know what I been prayin' for
I've been asking for a specific outcome or result

And I never thought I'd see this day, yeah
I never imagined that things would turn out the way they have

I gotta make it change
I need to take action and make some changes to my life

Uh, writin' plans to make a new report (yeah)
I'm strategizing and making plans to improve my situation

Grind hard to turn my basement into a jewelry store
I'm putting in hard work to turn my current space into something more valuable

If you don't do it for your kids then who you do it for?
I'm motivated to succeed for the sake of my family and loved ones

I'm tryin' read and learn some shit I never knew before
I'm trying to gain knowledge and educate myself to improve my situation

Focus on investments (yeah)
I'm putting my attention and resources into investments that can pay off in the long term

Build me up some new resorts
I'm focusing on creating new opportunities and ventures for myself

We can manifest it (word)
We can make our dreams a reality if we work hard and believe in ourselves

You'd rather hit the Louis store / Wastin' all you blessin's
Some people are more concerned with spending money on material possessions instead of investing in their future

Carin' 'bout the ones who doubt you / Just to impress some hoes / Who never gave a fuck about you
Some people care more about impressing strangers and potential romantic partners than they do about the people who actually care about them

Just what I discovered / Never believed in family / That word is really a cover / Just a title to have the advantage / To keep you under (right)
The singer has learned that family can often be more about control and hierarchy than actual love and support

I got niggas I consider brothers / More than my brothers / Watchin' you show your colours
The artist has close friends whom he considers family, and he can see their true colors and intentions

We livin' in a world where prison walls is deprivation (yeah) / Livin' in a world where snitchin' calls for celebration (yeah) / Livin' in a world were niggas crawl in segregation / Rainy nights and desperation / Pray we fight the legislation
The world we live in is full of injustice, where going to prison is more like deprivation than rehabilitation, where snitching is rewarded, Black people are segregated, and desperation is often a constant companion. The artist prays for change and better laws.

Protest until we flatline, paralyze (uh-huh) / They throwin' stones at my black lives matter signs (uh-huh) / Made a change but we still not satisfied / I can't smile half the time, I'm still (still)
The singer has made progress in fighting for change, but there is still a long way to go. There is still a lot of pain and anger, but the singer remains steadfast in his commitment to the cause.

I'm still waitin', sittin', plottin' on the couch (word) / 'Cause I know that I ain't safe when all these cops is on the prowl (yeah) / Tryna a think about other ways but we ain't got no other route / I'm startin' to understand that shit that Pac was talkin' 'bout, word
The singer is still waiting and trying to think of other paths forward, but with police constantly targeting Black people, there are few options. The singer is coming to understand what Tupac Shakur meant in his music about the reality of living as a Black person in America.

Look, time is money and the clock tickin'
Time is valuable in life and it is running out

I teach my son love and respect, that's a God-given (word)
The artist is teaching his son important values, which he sees as divinely inspired

My sperm donor never been shit, just a flop
The artist's biological father was a failure and disappointment

Listen, if it wasn't for my step pops / I probably turned out different
The singer's stepfather had a significant positive influence on his life, which helped him avoid a negative outcome

Probably be in a cell doin' a life sentence / Probably have twenty baby mommas and nine bitches / Probably grow up misguided, twisted inside the system / Dropped out and failed 'cause listen to my admission (yeah)
Without the influence of his stepfather, the artist might have turned out much worse - in prison, with many children and women in his life, and without a clear path forward

Sick of getting in fights with niggas less educated / Sick of getting invites from niggas who never made it (oh-oh) / Sick of being polite to people with lesser patience
The singer is tired of dealing with people he sees as inferior, whether they be less educated, less successful, or simply less patient

Oftentimes, I wonder where I would be if I never made it
The singer reflects on what his life might be like if he had not achieved success

The hatin' always comes from niggas / That wished they had your blessin's or the clout (true) / And bad vibes forever but I'm destined on this route (yeah)
People who hate and envy you usually do so because they wish they had the things you have. However, the singer is confident in his path and his destiny despite these negative vibes

I'm startin' to understand / That shit that X was talkin' bout (word)
The artist is beginning to better understand what rapper XXXTentacion meant in his music

If it ain't black on / I'm probably gon' use it to chop crack on / Hard white for all them hard nights / I had my back on roach-infested carpet
If it's not black culture or related to Black people in some way, the artist has little use for it. The artist recalls tough times in his life, including living in a roach-infested space and cooking drugs

Tiptoe in my mother's room see a dresser / And felt no pressure when takin' a twenty off it
The singer used to steal from his mother without feeling guilty about it

Compton like a closed coffin / We walk in the school coughin' / Often high off the gunsmoke / Boston hat at the front door
Growing up in Compton was not unlike being trapped in a coffin, and the singer and his peers often went to school high and carrying guns

Cookin' class, I'm J-Hov / Rock it up on they stove / Me and my teacher goin' back and forth like Noname and J Cole
The artist remembers cooking drugs in school and how his teacher would engage with him about music

You said I would never be what? / I wouldn't amount to what? / Now you in this Trader Joes, same line, sayin', 'What's Up?' / Talkin' about how you like my songs / Not knowin' it was me / Security had me in a headlock / And I told you I couldn't breathe
The artist remembers a person who once doubted his abilities and mocked his music, only to later become a fan without realizing he was speaking to the same artist they had once demeaned. The artist also recalls being wrongfully detained by security at some point.

Now it's Black Lives Matter and white letters on your shirt / Now, how many black lives did you help or did you hurt?
The artist questions the motives and actions of certain people who wear Black Lives Matter t-shirts, asking if they have actually done anything to help or hurt Black people.

Did you handicap, block, push to excel or did you hinder? / Since hindsight is twenty-twenty I guess you don't remember
The singer is questioning whether certain people have helped or held back Black people without even realizing it

Now you with your mixed child, havin' all these mixed feelin's / But do your black husband know you tried to burn down our village?
The artist calls out a specific person who is now in an interracial relationship but also targeted his community in the past

Just know that boy who wasn't shit, bailed all his niggas out / And this my black queen, I kiss her on her black lips / And she rock off white 'cause she supports black shit / And I'm blacker than a Steeler helmet or a Spike Lee flick / Black like the pick stuck in the afro of Kaepernick
The singer affirms his Black identity and the loyalty he has for his community and loved ones. Despite his past, he has managed to help others and remain proud of his Blackness.