Released: November 21, 2000

Featuring: Nas

Songwriter: Prodigy of Mobb Deep Nas

Producer: Infinite Arkatechz

[Prelude: Prodigy]
Yo..
Is it ill, do it need to be fixed?
(That shit is real, dunn; and stop talkin' like your skills don't kill)
Nah, it's just that sometimes I feel like that
I can write more fouler than the last

[Verse 1: Prodigy's Conscience]
Yo, that shit is cash, trust me, dunn; I'll never lead you astray
Take my word, niggas wanna hear how you think
It be that shit that you wouldn't expect to win
That stay playin' in they decks over and again
Speak your thoughts, put your all in it
Whatever's in your mind, spit it
Place your anger on the page, release tension on the tape
A stress verse, seem to be what they most thirst
Makes fake niggas disperse, they never challenge what works

[Verse 2: Prodigy]
Balancin' the weakness, is what I specialize in
Dunn, you my nigga 'cause you keep me hype while I'm writin'
Kept me on point in the night when it might go down
Keep me eyes wide in the daytime as well
Kept me focused on what's real and nuthin' else
I find it healthy, to conversate with myself
I kick it with my delf (I kept you alive all these years)
It's that inner voice you shoulda took heed to and shit
Coulda been home instead of bleedin'
Maybe next time you'll listen when it speaks

[Verse 3: Prodigy's Conscience]
Yo, dunn, I got a story to tell
Remember last week's mission?
I told you bring the gun (Yeah, I remember) Nah, listen
Without me, you'd be a memory
I'm the one you could come to for guidance
Bring you home alive when you wildin'
Kept you out of harm's way, told you when to spray
Told you when it's time to put it away
And when the cops came, you was safe

[Verse 4: Prodigy]
Without question, I stay aware, dunn, I'm listenin'
Everytime we speak it's real, I know your intentions
Is to make sure we both safe and livin', and breathin'
You gets all respect from me, dunn, believe it

[Verse 5: Prodigy's Conscience]
Yo, we got kids to raise and bills to pay
Enemies to lay down when they stand in our way
It's only us (What about the clique?)
Now, if you die, is they comin'?
When you shot, do they feel the bullet?
And when you broke, can they fix it?
Aight then, you keep writin'
And let me do the thinkin', I brought us this far without mistaken

[Verse 6: Nas]
Voices in my head from choices that I dreaded choosin'
Cautions I shoulda took heed, lost in my weed, steady losin'
Thug stripes, badges of honor, forced to succeed
Whores on they knees fuckin' with millionaires, killers and thieves
I fuck until there's no feelin' where I bust and I pee
I lusted cars but I suffered and my scars run deep
I stay to myself, one deep, pray to my God 'cause he
Say when it's hard get on one knee, and ask Thy for forgiveness
Fuck the cash, the ice
Ferraris with two-twenty on the dash when your life ain't right
See, niggas smile up in your face and stick a knife in your back
Snakes shake your hand and got his dick up in your wife back
Why's it like that? It's life, black, and this is the game
The way I see it: Both bitches and niggas, is the same
I trust myself, I can't fuck myself
When hoes leave and no weed, I still know me, just myself
Fear is weakness, learn from what experience teaches
Beware of leeches, the vampires, my secrets
Never follow, 'cause most niggas is straight up cowards
Take care of my body's the temple, my mind is the power

Prodigy of Mobb Deep

Albert Johnson (November 2, 1974 – June 20, 2017), better known by his stage name Prodigy, was a rapper, producer, actor and author who was one half of the hip-hop duo Mobb Deep with Havoc.

Prodigy and Havoc released their debut album, Juvenile Hell, in 1993, but became household names with the success of their classic 1995 sophomore album, The Infamous, which features two of their most popular singles, “Shook Ones Pt. II” and “Survival of the Fittest.” Their next two albums, Hell on Earth (1996) and Murda Muzik (1999), were also critically acclaimed, with high praise placed on Prodigy’s lyricism.

He released his first solo album, H.N.I.C., in 2000, which features his most popular solo single, “Keep It Thoro,” produced by The Alchemist. Prodigy and The Alchemist also released a couple of collaboration albums Return of the Mac (2007) and Albert Einstein (2013).