My City - Common

This the city of Chicago

The state of confusion

The style I’m using is free

Or at least it would be if my mind was

Peep I’m behind cause

I didn’t handle my function while in high school

Although I was cool

The hood I live in ain’t that proper

Cause a cop a stop ya And have you at a hundred and eleventh before you can say not guilty

I’m not filthy

Nor am I rich

Ain’t that a bitch

Like life is Not your wife is See that your better halve

Do your math

And peep that two halves make a whole

And all I have to hold

Is my self pride

So these streets I strive

Like a Black Panther

Asking can the

situation get much worst

All I do is try to appeal to the masses

As the phrase keep it real passes

The teeth of too many phoney individuals

Snakes, that smooth like criminals

They create chemicals

That the Earth hate

Doing their damndest to decrease my birth rate

I’d settle for lesser knowing I’m worth wait

Or at least my weight in precious gems

So I’m steadily steadly steadly

Trying to lose my religion, like R E M Created in His own image so are we him?

And through all this crises

Shid (Shit) I wonder where Christ is Well he damn sure not in K town or the wild hundreds

Where they broadcast G.D. till the world blow-up

And Stone run it Hunted by police for display in state vile cages

Come out to make minimum wages

And with a desiese that are contagious

It is fucking outrages

The amounts of Black and Brown they lock up But the Most High encourages me to put the glock up And Stock up on do for self knowledge

A brother couldn’t afford to go to collage

So I had to learn form the school of hard knock

On the hard blocks of the Chi

Even I, think about moving out to River Oaks

As my liver soaks

In mad Hennesy

Cause I got a bad tendency

To do a lot of drinking

Now I do a lot of thinking

Blinking, was your third eye

When you heard I was one of the chosen one

Industry doors keep closing

(sing) Watch the closing doors

Niggas want a record deal

But can they deal with a record?

Cause once they get rich

They tend to switch

Like a sissy

Please miss me With all that bullshit you popping

This knowledge I’m gonna keep dropping

Even if you had one of them red octagon

Motherfuckers say Mylik how you make your living?

I say by breathing oxygen