I once knew a nigga whose real name was William
His primary concern was makin' a million
Bein' the illest hustler that the world ever seen
He used to fuck movie stars and sniff coke in his dreams
A corrupted young mind at the age of 13
Nigga never had a father and his mom was a fiend
She put the pipe down, but for every year she was sober
Her son's heart simultaneously grew colder

He started hangin' out, sellin' bags in the projects
Checkin' the young chicks, lookin' for hit-and-run prospects
He was fascinated by material objects
But he understood, money never bought respect
He built a reputation 'cause he could hustle and steal
But got locked once and didn't hesitate to squeal
So criminals he chilled with didn't think he was real
You see, me and niggas like this have never been equal

I don't project my insecurities on other people
He fiended for props like addicts with pipes and needles
And so he felt he had to prove to everyone he was evil
A feeble-minded young man with infinite potential
The product of a ghetto-bred capitalistic mental
Coincidentally, dropped out of school to sell weed
Dancing with the devil, smoked until his eyes would bleed
But he was sick of selling trees and gave in to his greed

Everyone tryin' to be trife, never face the consequences
You probably only did a month for minor offenses
Ask a nigga doing life if he had another chance
But then again, there's always the wicked that knew in advance
Dance forever with the devil on a cold cell block
But that's what happens when you rape, murder, and sell rock
Devils used to be God's angels that fell from the top
There's no diversity because we're burning in the melting pot

So, Billy started robbin' niggas, anything he could do
To get his respect back in the eyes of his crew
Starting fights over little shit up on the block
Stepped up to selling mothers and brothers the crack rock
Workin' overtime for makin' money for the crack spot
Hit the jackpot and wanted to move up to cocaine
Fulfillin' the Scarface fantasy stuck in his brain
Tired of the block niggas treatin' him the same

He wanted to be major, like the cutthroats and the thugs
But when he tried to step to 'em, niggas showed him no love
They told him any motherfuckin' coward can sell drugs
Any bitch nigga with a gun can bust slugs
Any nigga with a red shirt can front like a Blood
Even Puffy smoked a motherfucker up in the club
But only a real thug can stab someone 'til they die
Standing in front of them, staring straight into their eyes

Billy realized that these men were well guarded
And they wanted to test him before business started
Suggested raping a bitch to prove he was cold-hearted
So now he had a choice between going back to his life
Or makin' money with made men, up in the cyph'
His dreams about cars and ice made him agree
A hardcore nigga is all he ever wanted to be
And so he met them Friday night at a quarter to three

Everyone tryin' to be trife, never face the consequences
You probably only did a month for minor offenses
Ask a nigga doing life if he had another chance
But then again, there's always the wicked that knew in advance
Dance forever with the devil on a cold cell block
But that's what happens when you rape, murder, and sell rock
Devils used to be God's angels that fell from the top
There's no diversity because we're burning in the melting pot

They drove around the projects slow while it was raining
Smokin' blunts, drinkin' and jokin' for entertainment
Until they saw a woman on the street, walkin' alone
Three in the morning, coming back from work, on her way home
And so they quietly got out the car and followed her
Walkin' through the projects, the darkness swallowed her
They wrapped her shirt around her head and knocked her onto the floor
"This is it, kid, now you got your chance to be raw"