2Pac

Released: December 12, 2004

Featuring: Ronald Isley

Songwriter: 2Pac Yaki Kadafi E.D.I. Mean DJ Daryl Scott Storch Ronald Isley

Producer: Scott Storch

* Ron Isley harmonizes throughout but sings no real lyrics

(Scott, Storch) Hey!

[Hook: 2Pac]
Why'd you slang crack? I had to
Why'd you slang crack? Cause I had to
Why'd you slang crack? Cause I had to
A nigga gotta pay the fuckin rent

[Verse 1]
Crazy, I gotta work with what'chu gave me
You claimin I'm a criminal and you the one that made me
They got me trapped in this slavery
Now I'm lost in this holocaust headin for my grave G
I told Sam he could fuck the war
And got a busted jaw for sayin fuck the law
And if you wonder why I'm mad check the record
What's a nigga gotta do to get respected?
Sometimes I think I'm gettin tested
And if I don't say yes a nigga's quick to get arrested
That's the reason I stay testin
I keep a vest on my chest in case the cops are gettin restless
Walkin around, ready to light shit up
But since my life is fucked, some say I'm slightly nuts
Buck buck is the sound as I move up
Other niggas pay attention when a fool bust, huh
They make a nigga be a killer; I used to be a dealer
But they wanted to see who's realer
Now them same motherfuckers wanna murder me
And I wonder if the Lord ever heard of me, huh
I need loot, so I'm doin what I do
And don't say shit until you walked in my shoes
There was no other destiny to choose
I had nuttin left to lose, so I'm singin nigga blues

[Hook]
Why'd you slang crack? I had to
Why'd you slang crack? Cause I had to
Why'd you slang crack? Cause I had to
A nigga gotta pay the fuckin rent

[Verse 2]
Poppa need brand new shoes, but what the fuck can a nigga do?
My little boy gotta eat too
So why must I sock a fella
Just to live large like Rockefeller?
And did you ever stop to think
I'm old enough to go to war, but I ain't old enough to drink
Cops wanna hit me with the book, huh
And you're hooked on my "I Don't Give a Fuck" look
Make your rules, I'mma break 'em
No matter how much you make 'em, you show me bacon I'm take 'em
So don't you ever tempt me
I'm a fool for mine nigga and my pockets stay empty
To my brothers in the barrio
You're livin worse than the niggas in the ghetto so
I give a fuck about your language or complexion
You got love from the niggas in my section
You got problems with the punk police?
Don't run from the chumps, get the pump from me
We ain't free, I'll be damned if I play the trick
For a blonde-haired, blue-eyed, caucausian bitch
Down with my homeboy Rich, huh
Fuck a snitch and a groupie-ass bitch
And the nigga with a cellular phone, leave his baby at home
So he can go out and bone, huh
And you wonder why we blazin niggas
Cause you punks havin babies can't raise the niggas
And they bound to be fuck-ups too
Drinkin forties of brew, huh, singin nigga blues

[Hook 2]
Why'd you slang crack? Cause I had to
Why'd you slang crack? Cause I had to
Why'd you slang crack? Cause I had to
Now I'm headin for the motherfuckin pen
Why'd you slang crack? Cause I had to
Why'd you slang crack? Cause I had to
Why'd you slang crack? Cause I had to
Now I'm headin for the motherfuckin pen
Why'd you slang crack? Cause I had to
Why'd you slang crack? Cause I had to
Why'd you slang crack? Cause I had to
Now I'm headin for the motherfuckin pen

[Ron Isley ad libs to fade]

Tupac Amaru Shakur (June 16, 1971 – September 13, 1996), known by his stage names 2Pac and Makaveli, was an actor and a highly influential rapper who is considered by many to be the greatest of all-time due to the revolutionary spirit and thug passion he mixed into his music. During his music career, he made appearances in movies such as his acclaimed debut in Juice (1992), Poetic Justice (1993), and Above the Rim (1994).

Born in Harlem, New York City to Black Panther Party members Billy Garland and Afeni Shakur, Tupac would later move to Baltimore before settling in the Bay Area cities of Oakland and Marin City in the late 1980s. There, he joined his first rap group Strictly Dope with Ray Luv before connecting with Shock G and Digital Underground. He was a roadie and backup dancer for the group before his breakthrough performance on their 1991 song “Same Song.”

2Pac released his debut album 2Pacalypse Now in 1991, which featured intense storytelling on singles such as “Trapped” and “Brenda’s Got a Baby.” His sophomore album Strictly 4 My N.I.G.G.A.Z featured one of his signature songs, the Digital Underground-assisted “I Get Around.” After working on the Thug Life group album in 1994, 2Pac released Me Against the World the following year, which is considered by many to be his best album, peaking at #1 on the Billboard 200 and receiving a Grammy nomination—all while he sat in prison.

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