Released: March 31, 1998
Featuring: Scarface
Songwriter: DJ Premier Guru Scarface
Producer: DJ Premier Guru
[Intro (phone conversation)]
Yo what up son?
-Yo what up kid?
Yo, you holdin your head up?
-I'm tryin to man, but the system is shady
Word man they always man, they always tryin
To keep a good brother down, but I'm sayin
We still, you know we got love for you son
And we prayin for you and we, you know
We tryin to hold it down wh
You know while you in there man
-No question
Hopefully they won't keep you in there for too long
-Yeah, for real, I sure love be out in a minute, you know?
-But you know what I want you to kid? You know what would
-be the bomb man?
What's that?
-You need to do some shit with Face man
-'bout how niggas be shady, man
Scarface?
-Yeah man
Yo that's my nigga, yaknowwhaImean
-Scarface is tight son
Yo that's a good idea word is bond
I'm gonna talk the play in tomorrow(yeah) and
See about if we could hook up wit him
-That's proper
[Chorus: Guru]
Scandalous, money greed and lust
In this trife life, there ain't nobody you can trust
Plus there's no justice, it's just us
In fact, watchin' yo back it be must
And each and everyday around the way gats bust
And jealous so-called friends'll try to set you up
It's called betrayal
[Verse 1: Guru]
Check the horror scene
The kid was like twelve or thirteen
Never had the chance like other kids to follow dreams
Watched his father catch two in the dome and to the spleen
Nothin' but blood everywhere, these streets are mean
They spared his life, but killed his moms and his sister Jean
Of course over some drug shit
His pops was on some ill-out, spill your guts, on some thug shit
Didn't know his boys was on some shady ass no love shit
His pops got played out though, with silencers they laid him out yo
Took his stash and all the cash and left 'em, tied up on the couch yo
With tape over his mouth, so he couldn't cry out
Cause his dad was the nigga with clout
Survival of the fittest so they split his wig no doubt
Despite the stocking caps he noticed the same cat, who used to give him dough
And taught him, to use the same gat
Supposed to be an Uncle, fam and all that
He could tell that it was him cause he had on the same slacks, he wore when
He took him to Meadowlands racetrack
Why did he flip and go out like that?
It's called betrayal
[Chorus: Guru]
Scandalous, money greed and lust
In this trife life, there ain't nobody you can trust
Plus there's no justice, it's just us
In fact, watchin' yo back it be must
And each and everyday around the way gats bust
And jealous so-called friends'll try to set you up
It's called betrayal
[Verse 2: Scarface]
A betrayal
Punk ass niggas
It's called betrayal
He on a mission to become a ball player
Flip big Benz's, flossin' all gators
Had it all mapped out, a 6-8 12th grader
Fresh outta school and finna go make paper
He had a brother who was hustlin', collectin' his change
Never let his baby brother stick his neck in the game
Told him all he had to do is just enjoy the ride
And he ain't have to worry about money cause that's in time
So now he's pacin' as the time moves slowly
Can't wait to face Shaquille in the paint and school Kobe
Kept his grades and stayed up under neighborhood functions
And then a group of knuckleheads came through dumping
So now he's sittin' on the sidewalk bleeding
Fell into a puddle of his own blood and stopped breathin'
And everybody in the neighborhood still grievin'
But destiny caught up with his ass and he got even
And all the cryin' in the world ain't goin' to bring him back
His brother, sittin' at the wake wipin' tears from his mother's eyes
Why'd the game have to go and take the young boys life
Only the wicked live shife, payin' the price
While he's starin' at the shell his brother's soul once held
The trigger man made bail
And you, wouldn't pay the boy his mail, and sacrificed your fuckin' family
That's betrayal
Betrayal (echoes)
[Chorus: Guru]
Scandalous, money greed and lust
In this trife life, there ain't nobody you can trust
Plus there's no justice, it's just us
In fact, watchin' yo back it be must
And each and everyday around the way gats bust
And jealous so-called friends'll try to set you up
It's called betrayal
Yo what up son?
-Yo what up kid?
Yo, you holdin your head up?
-I'm tryin to man, but the system is shady
Word man they always man, they always tryin
To keep a good brother down, but I'm sayin
We still, you know we got love for you son
And we prayin for you and we, you know
We tryin to hold it down wh
You know while you in there man
-No question
Hopefully they won't keep you in there for too long
-Yeah, for real, I sure love be out in a minute, you know?
-But you know what I want you to kid? You know what would
-be the bomb man?
What's that?
-You need to do some shit with Face man
-'bout how niggas be shady, man
Scarface?
-Yeah man
Yo that's my nigga, yaknowwhaImean
-Scarface is tight son
Yo that's a good idea word is bond
I'm gonna talk the play in tomorrow(yeah) and
See about if we could hook up wit him
-That's proper
[Chorus: Guru]
Scandalous, money greed and lust
In this trife life, there ain't nobody you can trust
Plus there's no justice, it's just us
In fact, watchin' yo back it be must
And each and everyday around the way gats bust
And jealous so-called friends'll try to set you up
It's called betrayal
[Verse 1: Guru]
Check the horror scene
The kid was like twelve or thirteen
Never had the chance like other kids to follow dreams
Watched his father catch two in the dome and to the spleen
Nothin' but blood everywhere, these streets are mean
They spared his life, but killed his moms and his sister Jean
Of course over some drug shit
His pops was on some ill-out, spill your guts, on some thug shit
Didn't know his boys was on some shady ass no love shit
His pops got played out though, with silencers they laid him out yo
Took his stash and all the cash and left 'em, tied up on the couch yo
With tape over his mouth, so he couldn't cry out
Cause his dad was the nigga with clout
Survival of the fittest so they split his wig no doubt
Despite the stocking caps he noticed the same cat, who used to give him dough
And taught him, to use the same gat
Supposed to be an Uncle, fam and all that
He could tell that it was him cause he had on the same slacks, he wore when
He took him to Meadowlands racetrack
Why did he flip and go out like that?
It's called betrayal
[Chorus: Guru]
Scandalous, money greed and lust
In this trife life, there ain't nobody you can trust
Plus there's no justice, it's just us
In fact, watchin' yo back it be must
And each and everyday around the way gats bust
And jealous so-called friends'll try to set you up
It's called betrayal
[Verse 2: Scarface]
A betrayal
Punk ass niggas
It's called betrayal
He on a mission to become a ball player
Flip big Benz's, flossin' all gators
Had it all mapped out, a 6-8 12th grader
Fresh outta school and finna go make paper
He had a brother who was hustlin', collectin' his change
Never let his baby brother stick his neck in the game
Told him all he had to do is just enjoy the ride
And he ain't have to worry about money cause that's in time
So now he's pacin' as the time moves slowly
Can't wait to face Shaquille in the paint and school Kobe
Kept his grades and stayed up under neighborhood functions
And then a group of knuckleheads came through dumping
So now he's sittin' on the sidewalk bleeding
Fell into a puddle of his own blood and stopped breathin'
And everybody in the neighborhood still grievin'
But destiny caught up with his ass and he got even
And all the cryin' in the world ain't goin' to bring him back
His brother, sittin' at the wake wipin' tears from his mother's eyes
Why'd the game have to go and take the young boys life
Only the wicked live shife, payin' the price
While he's starin' at the shell his brother's soul once held
The trigger man made bail
And you, wouldn't pay the boy his mail, and sacrificed your fuckin' family
That's betrayal
Betrayal (echoes)
[Chorus: Guru]
Scandalous, money greed and lust
In this trife life, there ain't nobody you can trust
Plus there's no justice, it's just us
In fact, watchin' yo back it be must
And each and everyday around the way gats bust
And jealous so-called friends'll try to set you up
It's called betrayal
more tracks from the album
Moment of Truth
- Work
- New York Strait Talk
- Next Time
- It’z a Set Up
- She Knowz What She Wants
- The Mall
- The Rep Growz Bigga
- What I’m Here 4
- Robbin Hood Theory
- My Advice 2 You
- In Memory Of...
- The Militia
- Moment of Truth
- You Know My Steez
- Royalty
- Above the Clouds
- Make Em Pay
- Betrayal
- JFK 2 LAX
- B.I. vs. Friendship
- Moment of Truth [Tracklist]
From the albums
- Moment of Truth (1998)
- Full Clip: A Decade of Gang Starr (1999)
Gang Starr popular songs
- Moment of Truth
- Above the Clouds
- Family and Loyalty
- Full Clip
- Work
- DWYCK
- Mass Appeal
- You Know My Steez
- Betrayal
- JFK 2 LAX
- Royalty
- The Militia
- Robbin Hood Theory
- Rite Where U Stand
- Code of the Streets
- Skills
- Discipline
- Battle
- Ex Girl to Next Girl
- In Memory Of...
- My Advice 2 You
- What I’m Here 4
- Just to Get a Rep
- Bad Name