Released: September 26, 2008

Songwriter: Nipsey Hussle

Producer: Cold 187um

[Intro: Smoke]
The Empire
Ha-ha, yeah man, it's that G.E.D shit, you feel me?
And I am the one and only el natural nino
Hittin' every dollar I holla, ha, let's go

[Verse 1: Smoke & Nipsey Hussle ]
Yo, it's that H-borough, too thorough
A block away from Melrose, the nigga's gettin' stuck like velcro
The prostitutes ain't the only ones that sell blow
Hell no, cellphone pictures with the jail pose (Haha)
I can tell yo, why these ladies love me now
Run me down, give her to my dogs like puppy chow
You couldn't touch my style, not on your best day
Comprende? Your men lay when the M10 spray
Fuck what them say, I'm tight quarterbackin' it
When I'm throwin' bullets I be accurate
Weekends on the bully, they be jackin' shit
That's why I be packin' shit
The only time you shoot is at a hoop when you practicin'
Runnin' drills, I dream to see a hundred mils
Stuntin' ill 'til my pockets heavier than Uncle Phil
Tell your son to chill, he ain't want to deal
Try it fam, I'm Iron Man 'cause I come wit' steel
I wish a sucka will, my dudes thugs for real
He probably think I'm George Foreman how I punch his grill
What's the deal yo? Talkin' what I'm livin' now
Wanna fuck these bitches I be diggin' out? (Huh?)

[Interlude 1: Nipsey Hussle]
Ay, niggas already know
Labels wanna fuck with these motherfuckers
G.E.D nigga, Gettin' Every Dollar, nigga, you understand?
Niggas got a bad tendency to hate on a young nigga out here gettin' it, you feel me?
I just tell 'em, look man, don't be mad at me homie
This shit ain't my fault I went hard at a young age, nigga
I stood on this block while you niggas was evading cops
Get Money or Stay Bummy nigga, Slauson boy, It’s Your Choice, Hussle

[Bridge]
Yo, this Hutch, I ain't in right now but please– uh you know, I'm out, flossin', tossin', dippin', and trippin', you know what I'm sayin'?
Ay, Hutch man, they cleaned your momma house man
I don't know what they got–I'm broke man, and they lookin' for us man, call me over at [?] house

[Verse 2: Nipsey Hussle]
Man check this out homie
Look, it's 10 stacks on my neck and 20 more on my brodie's shit
I'm self-made, ain't no nigga ever throw me shit
Outside my enemies, I'm watchin' who I'm rollin' with
That .40 on me like a fucking Motorola clip
Shit, I feel like a million when I'm fo' wheelin'
That 745 parked in front of your buildin'
Designer jeans, Gucci loaf, wear my gold, kill it
I got a kilo on my neck, I'ma go get it
See what you lookin' at now that's my old vision (Look)
Chess moves, my next move's to get more business (Look)
I promise I be on my tip 'til my toes give in
I'ma always shine, I'll never let my glow blemish
I hear you talkin' but fuck what you niggas say
'Cause real niggas know a real nigga demonstrate
And real niggas know it's real 'cause I illustrate
That feelin' of a young hood nigga when he gettin' cake
Glocks and gauges puttin' faces on the newspaper
I can't get caught for old crimes and catch new cases
Blocks invaders spite rage just if you've made it
Homies in the holdin' tanks wit' no shoe laces
Back on the streets I'm rollin' weed and see through paper
Dippin' down the shore, S-types with the blue paint
Poppin' tops off bottles with the gold label
It's pretty good to say I dropped out the tenth grade
I'm better than ever, this rap shit is nathin'
This for my niggas in the county on the Mainline

[Interlude 2: ?]
Ay this dedicated to my nigga, J-Stone, you know what I'm sayin'?
Do your time nigga, don't let your time do you, you already know
Keep it all the way though, you know what I'm sayin'?
My niggas Shade and Blue, what's up cuh?
I'm out here in New York, turned up nigga, smokin' on this kush
Fuckin' wit' my Harlem niggas, my Brooklyn niggas, my Uptown niggas, ay Smoke, a lot of these niggas, man

[Verse 3: Smoke DZA]
We break bread like it's Hanukkah, G.E.D's my moniker
Every day I be scoured up, shit, my dollars up
I'm good, in the hood, nigga I'm okay
Steal my shit I'm comin' at you like O.J
And broad day them niggas comin' with them fists
Dressed in all black hittin' it for the genesis
Bringin' extra clips, finna catch a lick
Hit the connect spot, left me like half a brick
Niggas act as if my guys ain't hard
Homie we ain't petty, we don't steal, we rob
Niggas hit the ER when we pull that heat God
First, they hear the click-clack then they get the shit bad
Takin' jewels and be flossin' wit' it
9/11 kid, we run our own abortion clinic, huh
Got a .40 on my 40 waistline
Any nigga try and take mine gon' take nine, nigga

[Outro: Nipsey Hussle]
Ay, I'ma come through with the whole clique though
You might catch more than just nine nigga
Nah, niggas bustin' choppers at you nigga
You do the math homie, that's damn near a thousand shells cuh
You know what I'm sayin'?
And you know, I'm from the [?] murder capital nigga
South Central Los Angeles nigga, ain't no black Superman
We don't wear capes nigga, we chop eights
Yeah, I mean, we hop gates and run from them Johnny's nigga
Neighborhood shit nigga, we set Crips
Nigga this hood ain't no Crip or Blood shit
Nigga this Crip on Crip, Blood on Blood, real on fake

Nipsey Hussle

Ermias Joseph Asghedom (August 15, 1985 – March 31, 2019), better known as Nipsey Hussle, was a Grammy-award winning hip-hop artist and mogul from the Crenshaw district of South Central Los Angeles, California.

With a name inspired by actor Nipsey Russell, Nipsey Hussle released his first project, Slauson Boy Volume 1, in 2005, and he was featured in XXL’s 2010 Freshman Class alongside J. Cole, Big Sean, Freddie Gibbs, Wiz Khalifa, and Jay Rock among others. Nipsey gained national headlines in 2013 as he sold copies of his Crenshaw mixtape for $100 each. One customer was JAY-Z, who purchased 100 copies in support of Nipsey’s hustle. He then charged $1,000 per copy of his Mailbox Money mixtape in 2014 to continue his #Proud2Pay campaign.

After a decade of releasing several mixtapes and singles, Nipsey released his long-awaited debut album Victory Lap in 2018. The album was nominated in the Best Rap Album category at the 2019 Grammy Awards.