2Pac

Released: September 21, 1997

Songwriter: 2Pac Laylaw Roger Troutman Larry Troutman

Producer: Soulshock & Karlin

[Chorus]
I wonder if Heaven got a ghetto
I wonder if Heaven got a ghetto
I wonder if Heaven got a ghetto
I wonder if Heaven got a ghetto

[Verse 1]
I was raised, a little young nigga doin' bad shit
Talk much shit, ‘cause I never had shit
I could remember being whupped in class
And if I didn't pass, Mama whupped my ass
Was it my fault Papa didn't plan it out?
Broke out, left me to be the man of the house
I couldn't take it, had to make a profit
Found a block, got a Glock, and I clock grips
Makin' G's was my mission
Movin' enough of this shit to get my mama out the kitchen
And why must I sock a fella
Just to live large like Rockefeller?
First you didn't give a fuck, but you're learnin' now
If you don't respect the town then we'll burn you down
Goddamn, it's a motherfuckin' riot
Black people on a rage, police, so don't try it
If you're not from the town then don't pass through
‘Cause some O.G. fools might blast you
It ain't right, but it's long overdue
We can't have peace 'til the niggas get a piece too
I want G's so you label me a criminal
And if I die, I wonder if Heaven got a ghetto

[Chorus]
I wonder if Heaven got a ghetto
I wonder if Heaven got a ghetto
I wonder if Heaven got a ghetto
I wonder if Heaven got a ghetto

[Verse 2]
Here on Earth, tell me what's a black life worth?
A bottle of juice is no excuse, the truth hurts
And even when you take the shit
Move counties, get a lawyer, you can shake the shit
Ask Rodney, Latasha, and many more
It's been going on for years, there's plenty more
When they ask me, "When will the violence cease?"
When your troops stop shootin' niggas down in the street
Niggas had enough, time to make a difference
Bear witness, own our own business
Fuck the guard, ‘cause it's hard tryin' to make ends meet
First we couldn't afford shit, now everything's free
So we loot, please don't shoot when you see
I'm takin' from them ‘cause for years they would take from me
Now the tables have turned around
You didn't listen, until the niggas burned it down, huh
And now Bush can't stop the hit
I predicted the shit in 2Pacalypse
And for once I was down with niggas
Felt good in the hood being around the niggas
Yeah, and for the first time everybody let go
And the streets is death row, I wonder if Heaven got a ghetto

[Hook]
I wonder if Heaven got a ghetto
I wonder if Heaven got a ghetto
I wonder if Heaven got a ghetto
Yeah, I wonder if Heaven got a ghetto

[Verse 3]
I see no changes, all I see is racist faces
Misplaced hate makes disgrace to races
We under, I wonder what it take to make this
One better place, let's erase the wasted
Take the evil out the people, they'll be actin' right
‘Cause both black and white are smokin' crack tonight
And the only time we deal is when we kill each other
It takes skill to be real, time to heal each other
And though it seems heaven-sent
We ain't ready to have a black President
Huh, it ain't a secret, don't conceal the fact
The penitentiary's packed, and it's filled with blacks
I wake up in the mornin' and I ask myself:
Is life worth livin'? Should I blast myself?
I'm tired of being poor and, even worse, I'm black
My stomach hurts, so I'm lookin' for a purse to snatch
Cops give a damn about a negro
Pull the trigger, kill a nigga, he's a hero
Mo' nigga, mo' nigga, mo' niggas
Rather be a dead than a po' nigga
Let the Lord judge the criminals
If I die, I wonder if Heaven got a ghetto

[Chorus]
I wonder if Heaven got a ghetto
I wonder if Heaven got a ghetto
And I wonder if Heaven got a ghetto
I wonder if Heaven got a ghetto
I wonder if Heaven got a ghetto
I wonder if Heaven got a ghetto
I wonder if Heaven got a ghetto
Just think if niggas decide to retaliate
(Soulja in the house)
I wonder if Heaven got a ghetto
I wonder if Heaven got a ghetto
I wonder if Heaven got a ghetto
Yeah, I wonder if Heaven got a ghetto
I wonder if Heaven got a ghetto
Just think if niggas decide to retaliate

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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