One Life

[Chorus: The Game]
One life, nigga, one love
Reach them heights and keep goin' up
Hundred miles and runnin', we ain't slowin' up
15 Bentleys back to back, yeah, they know it's us
They know it's us
Hit them lights and come glow with us
Yeah, throw them dice and keep rollin' up
Had to earn them stripes when we was growin' up
Niggas see you make it out, they hate to show you love.

[Post-Chorus: Masego]
I'm honestly a better man
An odyssey, a river ends
I gotta speak it from within
A lot of tree, a lot of gems.

[Verse 1: The Game]
Bottle all that hate and bring it over here
Don't be scared, accept your fate, mind over fear
How many funerals I done been to after all these years?
Got it tatted on my face so I don't shed a tear
Just so we clear, niggas been hatin' on me my whole career
Catchin' fades while the little homies hold my beer
Had to move out of Compton, too much tension here
Glock on my lap, I'm in this Lamborghini switchin' gears
I been rappin' at this level for like 15 years
My nigga Pup had been in solitary my whole career
I know my purpose, kill any nigga that wanna interfere
Shoot that nigga, pick up the shell, keep it for a souvenir, yeah
It's hard to smile when you losin' peers
Paint on that Grand National lookin' like some new veneers
All black tint, they lookin' at it like, "Who in there?"
This L.A., think twice before movin' here
You only got.

[Chorus: The Game]
One life, nigga, one love
Reach them heights and keep goin' up
Hundred miles and runnin', we ain't slowin' up
15 Bentleys back to back, yeah, they know it's us
They know it's us
Hit them lights and come glow with us
Yeah, throw them dice and keep rollin' up
Had to earn them stripes when we was growin' up
Niggas see you make it out, they hate to show you love.

[Post-Chorus: Masego]
I'm honestly a better man
An odyssey, a river ends
I gotta speak it from within
A lot of tree, a lot of gems.

[Verse 2: J Stone]
Yeah, sellin' my own taste to put food on the dinner plate
I used to curb syrup but it was better on that interstate
You could tell what's on my belt to know I'm heavyweight
My .45 compliment the Louis, I'm forever straight
I was grindin' on the steps just to make a profit
I was tryna get a check, I'm just bein' honest
We was taught to stay solid and remain loyal
My reputation good and my game royal
We was cookin' crack, makin' cocaine boil
Invade your block with my troopers like we came for oil
We gave up our childhood just to go on Slauson
When you see that yellow tape, nigga, you know it's caution
Nigga, you ain't been against all odds
Nigga, you ain't been to Crenshaw High, no, no
Nigga, you ain't never did drive-bys
Nigga, you ain't never seen shots fired, nope, quiet.

[Verse 3: The Game]
The Cincinnati fitted made me a marked man
By the Parma blocks and 12 sittin' inside that parked van
Pacin' to the store, pocket full of hard tin
Let me get a Old English, yeah, the tall can
It really ain't no options when you born in Compton
Shoot at your opps and keep them cops out 'til they bring the SWAT in
They told Dre not to sign that nigga, "He a hot head"
The Documentary went diamond, that's what brought Dot in
I'm a gangbanger, fuck your top 10
Tell your engineer make space and get your ass boxed in
I never fold
Under pressure, I ain't gon' never break
I never told
I never snitch, I never hesitate to pull my .9
Empty the clip, if I get caught, then I'ma do my time
I took the risk, count up my losses, I'ma die for mine
My kids first, my mama second
On my daddy grave, you don't wanna test it, nigga.

[Chorus: The Game]
One life, nigga, one love
Reach them heights and keep goin' up
Hundred miles and runnin', we ain't slowin' up
15 Bentleys back to back, yeah, they know it's us
They know it's us
Hit them lights and come glow with us
Yeah, throw them dice and keep rollin' up
Had to earn them stripes when we was growin' up
Niggas see you make it out, they hate to show you love.

[Outro: Nina Simone]
My job is to, somehow, make them curious enough
Or persuade them, by hook or crook, to get more aware of themselves and where they came from
And what they are into and what is already there
Just to bring it out
This is what compels me to compel them
And I will do it by whatever means necessary.