[Hook: J Cole] n***a why you actin' like a ho? Know that I'ma ride for ya, either way it go Tell me, girl why you be stressin' me for time? When you tell me you love me, can't you see I'm tryna climb? Damn my n***a why you actin' like a b**h? If you scared to take a chance, how the f** we gon' get rich? Come here baby why you always insecure? Hold on tight to a n***a and be sure [Verse 1: Ezzy] Ain't no way around it no mo' It never was that A lot of rappers claim they're the greatest I never does that I just sit back and let the gums flap I never fuss back I've known I was the chosen one Since I was in the nut sack A s**m cell with the heart of a s**m whale Ready to tackle the world Never heard of the term "fail" I've learned well I knew they'd try to stop the explosion But God had a better plan I busted right through the trojan Blaow! Out came the Messiah Darker than you'd think he'd be Threw him in the hood Where the youngin's think they're in GBE He grew up hungry try'na go from EBT to BET Momma just want my GED I'm try'na sign to TDE I'm try'na see me on the TV Screen They said it's far fetched Unless you like Ginobili's height Then that'll be a long stretch Like, how you try'na ball And you ain't even gotten tall yet? Boy, I'm like Metta on Viagra I'm the hardest Artest It ain't no world peace Cause don't nobody wanna do right Them shells flying Got the projects lookin' like a food fight Or koopa troopa Playing super stupid They'll shoot ya noodle Leave you stinking They gone have to move ya With a pooper scooper You and all ya dawgs' scary Y'all some Scooby Dooby's I'm like Scrappy Doo My flow is deep I'm like a super scuba diver We are not the same There's a big difference in you and I Bruh, you are not a rider You more like a Uber Driver I ain't never had a prior job Nobody can hire God I dropped "Ya Thought" They thought I couldn't rap I find it kinda odd I got the drive And plus my breaks is broken Ain't no try'na stop it Boy my fire squad is twice as hard As your entire mob And I apologize It's kinda hard to compete I'm too elite Mixed with a scholar And a God of the streets My momma proud of me I'm running towards my college degree Rather than running from police Who love the sound of the heat Blaow! With the speed of a bullet Soon as you blast it I was moving onto campus Working towards my bachelors And I'm in school for fashion But that ain't even my pa**ion So when I be skipping cla**es It's cause I be writing cla**ics man
I never thought I'd miss the hood so much I've grown up I had to go even tho I ain't wanna Ya know what? I wanna blow up So when I walk the stage I pray that it's for a Grammy before a diploma! [Bridge: J Cole] (Who's the king?) Came from the bottom n***a, with stains on my shirt What you expected from me, I came from the dirt Money my motivator, the songs that I sing Picture a peasant pa**in' from pawns to a king Tell me ya still love me, if so then let me go Will I return or will I burn, never know Look in my eyes and see the future But don't sugar coat it Listen [Verse 2: Ezzy] History repeats itself and nothing's ever changed Same way that the system had my people locked in chains Same freedom that Martin Luther King tried to regain Me, myself, and I be writing rhymes to do the same While silly n***as argue over who's pockets the fattest Look around my n***a, our culture is moving backwards This year I'll prolly question why I even started rappin' Dropout of all my cla**es Cop a pack and get to trappin' I'm just playing I could never give up on my own people Fighting my own ego to save something so evil Kids go missing like Nemo And everybody is Debo And they be holdin' them hammers My hood is like Home Depot I'm thankful for the way my parents raised me n***a Looking at the ghetto like how can I save these n***as? And is it worth it? They crucified Jesus and he was perfect They shootin' but bet you they won't graze me n***a! AHH! [Outro] We all kings (We all kings n***a) Kings of ourselves first and foremost (True) While the people debate who's the king of this rap game Here comes lil' ol' Jermaine With every ounce of strength in his veins To snatch the crown from whoever y'all think has it But rather than place it on his head as soon as he grabs it Poof, boom, paow, it's like magic With a flash and a BANG the crown disintegrates And falls to the Earth from which it came It's done Ain't gonna be no more kings Be wary of any man that claims Because deep down he clings onto the need for power But in reality he's a coward Ultimately he's scared to die And sometimes so am I But when I'm in tune with the most high I realize The fear lies in my lack of awareness of the other side Today I know that we are the same Are the same, you and I Different kind of skin, different set of eyes Two different minds, but only one God (It's only one God n***a) It's for all the kings Cause I know deep down every poet just wanna be loved