You Gotta Be...

I used to be a stick-up kid

Everybody in the Ghetto tell me
Is it a lie that I must be a roughneck
And wear a frown just to be down?
I kinda don't agree with bein' but you gotta be
(Tough, rough)

It's either you claimin' your hood or you're not a gee
Forget about respect, I refuse to be the next guy
Fitted for a casket, either with it or get blasted
I choose to gang bang, they give me a chrome-plated trigger
Say, if you got any heart, go rob that Mini-Mart, nigga

Now look what I done did, damn I had to be the big man
They're lookin' at me shifty, better shut up 'fore I get slammed
Man, I'm not a thief, good grief and I don't wanna act hard
But then they said if I didn't do it, they was gonna gat, far as I could see
(I was gonna be)

The next new member of the crew, 'cause it's 8 of them and 1 of me
I don't wanna do it, but I will
'Cause I still want folks to think that I'm hard and tough

'Cause you gotta be
(Rough)
'Cause you gotta be
(Tough)
'Cause you gotta be
(Rough)
(I used to be a stick-up kid)

Well, it's the Niggeroe again, right back in where I left off
Still tryin' to make a decision, I might go to prison if I don't step off
But if I don't rob this store, then I'm not sure
If I'm gonna be considered as a gee and you gotta be
(Rough)

Cuffs are temporary, homies are for life
So, I grab the deuce-deuce and go inside
I decide to prove in the Mini-Mart, don't nobody move
Start fillin' up the paper sack with loot, or I might shoot
But things didn't go as planned, 'cause this man had his own gun

We're standin' toe to toe, eye to eye, so I figured why not
Pull the trigger? Put this nigga on the ground
It'll show that I had poise, then my boy'll know I'm down
But I didn't do it quick enough or he thought of it first
'Cause he blasted to the chest and now I'm restin' yellin', "Nurse"
And holdin' on to life or at least tryin' to hold on in a jailward wearin' cuffs

'Cause I had to be
(Rough)
'Cause you gotta be
(Tough)
'Cause you gotta be
(Rough)
(I used to be a stick-up kid)

And everybody, everybody gotta be rough, y'all
(I used to be a stick-up kid)
And everybody, everybody gotta be tough, y'all
(I used to be a stick-up kid)

Well, that's the end of my tale, but before we know
Fools'll just forget what I said and the story go
On and on, until you're up to no good and back throwin' up your hood
And still doin' what you shouldn't
Niggeroe, come together, 'cause divided we fall

So, stall that gang shit, stand up quit standin' in handcuffs
Really hard's when you got loot and you ain't gotta shoot
Damn man, enough is enough

So, why you gotta be
(Rough)
'Cause you gotta be
(Tough)
'Cause you gotta be
(Rough)
(I used to be a stick-up kid)