Against All Odds
Trae Lyrics

One love... one love... one thug
There is only one love and one thug in this society.

One nation... twenty-one gun salute
Our nation will stand together, and we will commemorate our fallen soldiers with a twenty-one gun salute.

I'm hopin my true mothafuckaz know
I am expecting that my true and loyal friends know what I have to say.

This be the realest shit I ever wrote
This is the most genuine and heartfelt message I have ever written.

Against all odds, up in the studio, gettin blowed
Despite all the challenges and obstacles I have faced, I am here in the studio, working hard and getting high.

To the truest shit I ever spoke
I am speaking from the bottom of my heart, and this is the truest message I have ever conveyed.

21 gun salute, dressed in fatigue, black jeans and boots
We are honoring the memory of our fallen soldiers, dressed in military fatigue with black jeans and boots.

disappeared in the crap, all you seen was troops
The soldiers vanished into the conflict, and all that was visible were the troops.

This little nigga named Nas thinks he live like me
Nas believes he is living the same kind of life as me, but he is mistaken.

Talkin bout how he left the hospital took five like me
Nas claimed that he survived getting shot five times, just like me.

You living fanatasies, nigga I reject your deposit
You are living in a fantasy world, and I am denying your payment or acceptance of my message.

We shook Dre punk ass, now we out of the closet
We are no longer hiding or being secretive, and we confronted Dr. Dre, who was acting cowardly.

Mobb Deep wonder why nigga blowed them out
Mobb Deep is questioning why they were defeated so badly.

Next time grown folks talk, nigga close your mouths
You should keep quiet when adults are speaking as you have no business interrupting them.

Peep me, I take this war shit deeply
I am a serious warrior, and I handle my business in a severe way.

I see too many real playas fall to let these bitch niggaz to beat me
I have witnessed many strong people fall, so I will not allow any weak individuals to overpower me.

Puffy, lets be honest you a punk
Puffy, I must be honest with you, you act like a coward.

or you gonna see me with gloves
If you keep up with your behavior, you will see me ready to fight with gloves on.

Remember that shit you said in vibe about me being a Thug
Do you recall the derogatory things you said about me in Vibe magazine, calling me a thug?

You can tell the people you roll with whatever you want
You can try to manipulate your followers however you would like.

But, you and I know what's going on
But ultimately, you and I both know how things really are.

Pay back I knew you bitch niggaz from way back
I am paying you back for what you did because I have known you since we were young.

Witness me strapped with macs knew I wouldn't play that
You saw that I have weapons and that I meant business.

All you old rappers trying to advance
You older rappers are trying to move forward in the industry.

It's all over now, take it like a man
Your time is up, and you should accept it calmly and maturely.

Niggas looking like, Larry Holmes flabby and shit
You old rappers look out of shape and weak, like boxer Larry Holmes.

Trying to playa hate on my shit, you eat a fat dick
You are trying to hate on my music, but I do not care because I am successful and you can all go fuck yourselves.

Let it be known this is how you made me
I want everyone to understand that your actions and behavior towards me have shaped who I am today.

Love it how I got you niggaz goin crazy, against all odds
I love that my success and strength in the face of adversity is causing you all to go mad.

I heard he was light skined, stocky with a haitian accent
I learned about a person who had light skin, a stout build, and a Haitian accent.

Jewelry, fast cars and he's known for flashing (what's his name)
This person is flashy, known for their expensive jewelry and fast cars, but I do not know their name.

Listen while I take you back and lace this rap
Listen to me as I give you a detailed story and message in this rap.

A real live tale, about a snitch named Haitian Jack
This is a true story about a man named Haitian Jack who was a snitch or informant.

Knew he was working for the feds, same crime different trail
I knew that he was working as an informant for the government, even though he was committing the same crimes as me through a different means.

Niggas picture what he said, and did I mention
Everyone took his words as truth, but did I mention...

Promised a payback, Jimmy Henchmen, in due time
He promised to get revenge on Jimmy Henchmen, and he will do so when the time is right.

I knew you bitch niggaz was listening, The World is Mine
I knew that he and his followers were listening to me, and I am confident that I will be the one to have the ultimate power and success.

Set me up, wet me up, niggaz stuck me up
They set me up and ambushed me, but they were not successful in their attack.

Heard the guns bust, but you tricks never shut me up
I heard the sound of gunfire, but I refuse to be silenced or intimidated by their attempts to hurt me.

Touch one of mine on everything I own
If anyone harms one of my loved ones or possessions, I will retaliate with all my power and resources.

I'll destroy everything you touch, play the game nigga
I will ruin every aspect of your life and make sure you regret ever crossing me, so you should be careful before trying to play with fire.

All out warfare, Eye For An Eye
This will be a fight to the bitter end, with both sides exacting revenge on each other.

Last words to a bitch nigga, why you lie?
My final message to you, a coward, is simply, why did you lie?

Now you gotta watch your back nigga, watch your front
You will never be safe, and you must constantly be aware of your surroundings.

Here we come gunshots to deck, now you stuck
We are coming with guns blazing, and you will be stuck in a dangerous situation.

Fuck the rap game nigga, nigga This M.O.B
I do not care about the rap game or anyone in it, this is all about my own gang and personal power.

So believe me, we enemies, I go, against all odds
I am telling you the truth, we are enemies, and I will continue to fight against all odds.

[Chorus x2]
This is the repeated chorus of the song.

Puffy gettin robbed like a bitch, to hide that fact
Puffy was robbed and acted weak, and is now trying to hide the evidence of his weakness.

He did some shit he shouldn't have did
Puffy engaged in behavior that he knew was wrong.

So we ride em for that
We will take revenge on him for his wrongdoing.

And that nigga that was down for me
The person who was once my ally...

Restin dead, switch sides
...is now dead and has betrayed me by joining the other side.

Guess his new friends want him dead
It seems that his new associates desire his death now.

Probably be murdered for the shit that I said
It is likely that he will be killed due to the things I have said in this song.

I bring the real, be a legend or even the dead
I am always truthful, and my message will live on forever, even if I am no longer alive.

Lord listen to me
I am petitioning to God, asking Him to hear my message.

God don't like ugly It Was Written
God does not approve of those who act badly, and this was previously stated in Nas's album "It Was Written."

Hey Nas your whole damn style is weak
Nas, your entire way of presenting yourself is lame and poor quality.

You heard my melody, read about my life in the papers
You listened to my music and read about my life story in the news.

All my run-in with authorities, felonious capers
You also read about my various encounters with the law and illegal activities.

Now you want to live my life, so what's the deal
Now you are trying to imitate my lifestyle, what is going on with that?

Niggaz that don't ride right
People who do not act correctly or are not loyal...

You've seen too many movies
...are simply trying to be something they saw in a film.

Load 'em up against the wall, close his eyes
Put them up against the wall and execute them, so their eyes will be closed and they will not see it coming.

Since you lie, you die, goodbye
If you are caught in a lie, you will pay with your life. Goodbye.

Let the real life niggaz hear the truth from me
I want real people to hear the truth from me.

What would you do if you was me (nigga), against all odds
What would you do if you were in my shoes, facing all these challenges and obstacles?