Released: December 20, 2005
Featuring: Eminem Obie Trice Diddy
Songwriter: Screamin’ Jay Hawkins Busta Rhymes Stevie J Leroy Watson Jadakiss DJ Premier Bill Conti Obie Trice Diddy Eminem
Producer: Eminem
[Verse 1: Eminem]
It has been said that there has been known to be bloodshed
Over bread, men who have bled to death, dead
Strapped to beds, pipe bombs, dynamite, lead
Money, power, respect, street cred, yeah
It's scary, ain't it? Picture yourself going out as a hero
Picture mural pictures of us painted all over street corners
Fans meet to mourn us, while we meet the coroners
Notorious tried to warn us
We watched, so many piggybacked off of
Biggie's back and 'Pac's, landmarks, history in rap
Statistically in fact; it's so sad to see us re-enact
These tragic events, which lead us back
To where we left off on March 9th
To come from such hard knock lives
And make it up out of 'em, hit the spotlights
And, once they're on us this is our lives
Thrust out for all eyes to cast upon us
To see who can last the longest
And he who lasts the longest must be the strongest
In this concrete jungle where this dog eat dog mentality comes from
It's origin, which is usually originated from cats who starving
Or it could just be somebody's aura, that just horri-fies
And applies to his persona or the sizes
In his entou-rage that intimidates the people
To the point that you know that he's gangster
He ain't just say shit, you just believe it
[Verse 2: Obie Trice]
Since B.I.G. taught us niggas to think big
I'm been about my business since then, so anxious
It ain't how we live, it's what he said, he did it for Brooklyn
This I took in, sent chills through my skin
Vicious, I'm experiencing the same sights as him
It's what excited Obie to write these poems
Rolling, going through the same shit he spoken
Open up my eyes so there's no limit in them skies
When Ready to Die was a sick part of my life
Palming that forty-five, plotting to pop my mind
Then that crooked eye Jamaican I'd so many times rewind
Got me to walk a straight line and get up on my grind
Get up out the system, who could give him better signs
No pop of mine could top Big Poppa rhymes
So possibly I'd be popular, huh?
That's the inspiration I got from my nigga B.I
[Verse 3: Diddy]
I took him from coal to diamond, I molded his mind
Into the most phenomenal artist of any and all time
I made a Frankenstein, my design impressed
Backpackers and press who said my house was a mess
Critics lashed, said I made a fortune off of his passing
All I did was build a dynasty off of his passion
And I'm addressing the adolescents absent to who he is
The original king of New York, Christopher Wallace
This is a promise on Diddy's honor, I'm a father T'Yanna
And teach her that with all the drama don't even bother
On repeat, all of your albums play back to back
And I visit your grave 'cause our friendship's intact
An immaculate concept, extravagant progress
Bullet wounds left in my heart, I'm yelling "God bless"
Regardless to critics yelling that East/West
I seen the game losing, I'm just pressing the reset
And when the resurrection of you shines through an individual
Lyrical enough to wear the same crown of thorns literally
I'ma pay homage, Brooklyn's finest
Whether it's Queens or Harlem it'll be instant stardom, nigga (nigga)
It has been said that there has been known to be bloodshed
Over bread, men who have bled to death, dead
Strapped to beds, pipe bombs, dynamite, lead
Money, power, respect, street cred, yeah
It's scary, ain't it? Picture yourself going out as a hero
Picture mural pictures of us painted all over street corners
Fans meet to mourn us, while we meet the coroners
Notorious tried to warn us
We watched, so many piggybacked off of
Biggie's back and 'Pac's, landmarks, history in rap
Statistically in fact; it's so sad to see us re-enact
These tragic events, which lead us back
To where we left off on March 9th
To come from such hard knock lives
And make it up out of 'em, hit the spotlights
And, once they're on us this is our lives
Thrust out for all eyes to cast upon us
To see who can last the longest
And he who lasts the longest must be the strongest
In this concrete jungle where this dog eat dog mentality comes from
It's origin, which is usually originated from cats who starving
Or it could just be somebody's aura, that just horri-fies
And applies to his persona or the sizes
In his entou-rage that intimidates the people
To the point that you know that he's gangster
He ain't just say shit, you just believe it
[Verse 2: Obie Trice]
Since B.I.G. taught us niggas to think big
I'm been about my business since then, so anxious
It ain't how we live, it's what he said, he did it for Brooklyn
This I took in, sent chills through my skin
Vicious, I'm experiencing the same sights as him
It's what excited Obie to write these poems
Rolling, going through the same shit he spoken
Open up my eyes so there's no limit in them skies
When Ready to Die was a sick part of my life
Palming that forty-five, plotting to pop my mind
Then that crooked eye Jamaican I'd so many times rewind
Got me to walk a straight line and get up on my grind
Get up out the system, who could give him better signs
No pop of mine could top Big Poppa rhymes
So possibly I'd be popular, huh?
That's the inspiration I got from my nigga B.I
[Verse 3: Diddy]
I took him from coal to diamond, I molded his mind
Into the most phenomenal artist of any and all time
I made a Frankenstein, my design impressed
Backpackers and press who said my house was a mess
Critics lashed, said I made a fortune off of his passing
All I did was build a dynasty off of his passion
And I'm addressing the adolescents absent to who he is
The original king of New York, Christopher Wallace
This is a promise on Diddy's honor, I'm a father T'Yanna
And teach her that with all the drama don't even bother
On repeat, all of your albums play back to back
And I visit your grave 'cause our friendship's intact
An immaculate concept, extravagant progress
Bullet wounds left in my heart, I'm yelling "God bless"
Regardless to critics yelling that East/West
I seen the game losing, I'm just pressing the reset
And when the resurrection of you shines through an individual
Lyrical enough to wear the same crown of thorns literally
I'ma pay homage, Brooklyn's finest
Whether it's Queens or Harlem it'll be instant stardom, nigga (nigga)
more tracks from the album
Duets: The Final Chapter
- It Has Been Said
- Hustler’s Story
- Nasty Girl
- I’m With Whateva
- Beef
- Hold Ya Head
- Little Homie (Interlude)
- The Greatest Rapper (Interlude)
- Love Is Everlasting (Outro)
- “B.I.G. Live in Jamaica (Intro)”
- Ultimate Rush
- Wake Up
- Living in Pain
- Get Your Grind On
- Breakin’ Old Habits
- Just a Memory
- 1970 Somethin’
- Spit Your Game
- Living the Life
- Mi Casa
- Whatchu Want
- My Dad (Interlude)
From the album
- Duets: The Final Chapter (2005)
The Notorious B.I.G. popular songs
- Juicy
- Big Poppa
- Suicidal Thoughts
- Hypnotize
- Ten Crack Commandments
- Notorious Thugs
- Who Shot Ya?
- Mo’ Money Mo’ Problems
- Gimme the Loot
- Dead Wrong
- Kick in the Door
- Everyday Struggle
- One More Chance
- Warning
- Sky’s The Limit
- One More Chance / Stay With Me (Remix)
- Me & My Bitch
- The What
- Party and Bullshit
- What’s Beef?
- I Got a Story to Tell
- Machine Gun Funk
- Ready to Die
- Going Back to Cali