Ayo, check the time on my wrist, yeah, it's platinum and blue But I remember the days when I ain't know what to do. On the block, posted up, eyes peeled for the blues, Learned the rules of the game 'fore I learned 'bout the news. This ain't no movie script, man, this is real life trauma, A young kid with a dream and a heart full of drama. See the store on the corner? Yeah, the one with the gate? That used to be our lookout, where we'd sit and just wait. Wait for the opportunity, wait for a mistake, Wait for the chance to run out and get what we take. Little homie, D-Wick, he was fast, he was clean, Always kept his head low, the most silent you've seen. But the streets, they are hungry, they don't care 'bout your age, They just flip through your life and they turn the next page. One night, just a slip-up, a message that was crossed, Now that corner store's quiet, a life that got lost. I walk past it slow now, my hand on the steel, 'Cause the story ain't over, man, the pain you gotta feel. It ain't about money, it's about the respect, It's about the day you step up and you gotta protect. (End with a lowered, more reflective tone) Yeah. You gotta protect... that's just how the cycle goes.