1996 Video (MV)

Started writin' back in '96
No one thought I could rap, they were surprised I did
He's the quiet kid, he's too shy to spit
And I had the whitest skin, didn't even kinda fit
The stereotype in which they supplied me with
Didn't try to fit in and I was fine with it
Tryin' to find a glimpse of hope in my environment
Nine years old, exposed to some grimy shit
Mom and her drunk boyfriend just had a fight again
So I'm hidin' in my bedroom, turn up the tunes
In an attempt to silence it
MTV just to block the noise, then he got annoyed

I heard him yellin' 'till he lost his voice
"Tell him turn that shit down 'fore I pop the boy!"
So I run outside and dry my wet face
Practice my jump shot, tryin' to be MJ
Bone Thugs, Pac, and Nas in my headspace
Big Poppa, The Lox, and then Mase
I was a Bad Boy, '97 and '98
'99's when I really started to Shyne great
Early 2000's, I put my soul in it
I was 'Bout It, 'Bout It, there was No Limit
By '05 I was in my prime
Only thing I cared about was gettin' signed

But 2010 was a different time
Put down the pen, led a different life
Who are you to criticize if you never lived it? I...
Swam against the tide and still survived
I epitomize resiliency, brilliantly
And still unleash wrath and death on every track I wreck
I was Ready to Die, this Life After Death
A second chance to advance and demand respect
I'm back and yes, I'm at my best
Quick maths, you skipped class; couldn't pass the test
I talk a lot of trash, but can cash the checks
As you gasp for breath, any last requests?

Yo

Started fightin' back in '96
No one knew the pain of the life I lived
He's a frightened kid, inside his mind is sick
We were designed to live and die on a violent whim
Dedicated my life to this
And what do I have to show for it?
Success is so foreign, how do I go forward
When I have been denied at every turn every time?
Rappin' longer than most of you've even been alive
My tracks are somber, emotional, deep and energized
I'm a menace, I have been described as a threat
With a serious neglect for life, mysterious when pennin' lines

I'm not a friendly guy; period, end of sentence, bye
So respect the line and make sure you don't cross it
My verbal genocide stops flows like a broke faucet
You don't want it, no emcee is safe
But it didn't have to be this way
Wanted to be the hero, you didn't see the cape
I can't believe how casually you threw me away
I wanna eat this cake, but people say
You can't have have it and eat it too, that's the defeatist view
I have a plan to make sure these elitists lose
And I'll see it through, the establishment
Leading you to believe that you can make your dreams come true

Feedin' you lean till you cant even move
That's the secret to keepin' you weak, subdued,
And on a leash confused, so you don't see the truth
This ain't a speech where I reveal my evil scheme to you
It's plain and simple, they maintain a system
Where basic clichés retain the place of wisdom
If anything that you say is out of place or different
They'll replace you with someone who obeys and listens
When you're jaded 'cause you're sick of the same conditions
And you're pissed and don't embrace the fate you're given
You don't relate to livin', and it's your face they spit in
That's how you create a villain

Started dyin' back in '96
When Pac died, I cried; I was a tiny kid
This is what violence did to your idols
And this is how you're tryin' to live? It's suicidal
We loved Pac and Big both though the two were rivals
You might have to pick coasts in the feud, but I don't
We used to jam tunes about true survival
Now all these wack dudes are just spewin' bile
We used to have storytellers that painted pictures
Now every song that's ever on's 'bout cocaine and liquor
They did the same but the way they behaved was different
They used to slang 'caine, now these lames just sniff it

There's only so much that a man can take
Before he snaps and breaks, when he can't escape
The shadow of his past mistakes, he has to manage
And maintain the massive weight on his shoulders
They told him to adapt or change, he understands the stakes
That came attached to the decision that he has to make
And how his actions shape his mission and tragic fate
The vision he had has changed, he has to recalibrate
They keep castin' shade on the plans he makes
Which only exacerbates his damaged state
He's a savage, he's manic, he's a basket case
He went a tad insane debatin' which path to take

He had the chance to save the damsel in distress
Or wreak havoc on the rest, those that challenge and reject
Even casually detest him, he's obsessed with
Vengeance, the regression's endless, we all played a part
To create a villain, you just break his heart
If you degrade his art, that's a great place to start
Cast him aside, if your actions deny
Him any chances to shine, you'll be glad that you died
He's consumed by the darkness in the absence of light
Now you're doomed as a target of his actual spite
This ain't the type of madness you can banish or fight
I can only imagine how you react to the rise

The rise of a Villain