Unto the Dust

And the meaning of Cain, is possession
Ya know I was thinkin' the other day like
I wonder why none of my people just dyin' of natural causes
Just passing away, you know what I'm sayin'?
You know what I'm sayin', none of my people ever passed away
Had to man up, another man down
At the least we stand fast, never stand down
My tool's fire move quiet, but the plan sound
Born headfirst in that damned land, I want that damn crown
The boys in blue clothes got new holds, new submissions
I give the grey youth straight truth, no euphemisms
Y'all played the dozens, my favorite cousins spent they youth in prisons
They names known, came home, now the house got two religions
Peace be with you, wa alaikum salaam
Make sure that piece be with you, laced to your palm
No one here's linear, danger 'round every bend
On a path for power, when half a dollar was hated by many men
Street live, we die, we don't pass away
Take any task if you got cash to pay
On this earth, brave known to earn
Birth to gravestone to urn
Descended from battered slaves, barricades only aggravate us
Friends and foe dyin', no lyin', grew up fightin' gladiators
Whoever left son soakin', it's unspoken; you gotta see 'em
We don't do a rest 'til the death, rules of the coliseum
For those concerned, I learned from jailbirds
Not from no frail curbs, over here the crack sales surged
Our engine bingin' for years, black males purged
Want progress, now digest bullets, inhale words
On this earth, brave known to earn
(Gravestone to urn)
Before semis air, shot plenty fairs 'fore I shot a gun
My heroes taught take zero shorts, of course I'm not the one
Mommy preached peace, but in grief I’ma poppa's son
Marshal the land that's never ran, man, even when the coppers come (Even when the coppers come)
Problem's we at the bottom, that's where all the tops is slung
Hate the pull, but in beef, take no bull, only ox is brung
They blessed me with twenty FD, pray I don't have a toxic lung
I'm from the seventies, men in Lees had us boxin' young
I don't leverage hate, I educate, you better ask around
I'm taskin' babes passin' grades, what you passin' down?
Street live, we die, we don't pass away
Take any task if you got cash to pay
On this earth, brave known to earn
From birth to gravestone to urn, word
On this earth, brave known to earn (Yeah)
On this earth brave known to earn
Gravestone to urn