Peace To My Enemies

[Produced by Paris]

[Verse 1]
Now I was raised on the phrase, "It was funk for life"
Because the hood never understood wrong from right
All we knew was‚ "Be strong and fight"
And if somebody wanted static with the gang‚ it was on tonight
These days‚ that they don't even know what I'm on at night
I just wanna come home at night
I just wanna be there to get the door for my daughter and her momma
When she bring her for the week, so I sleep 'til the mornin' light
Yup, that's what I'm on tonight
I don't long to fight‚ so I just hone my pride
Homeboys hit the cell, "Tomie Kash, what's happenin'?"
I pass on the episode of clubbin' and jackin'
And then I think about my adolescent hood beefs
Squanderin' what I could be as a grown man
Realizin' I'm lucky to be alive
And there's much more to life than drama
I moved on‚ man

[Chorus]
I know the violence won't cease 'til I end the beef
And bring peace to my enemies
Pullin' the pistol 'cause I can't have the remedy
I gotta bring peace to my enemies
If I lay back for a minute, I begin to see
The answer is peace to my enemies
Time for me to leave street life in the streets
And bring peace to my enemies

[Verse 2]
Walkin' through the swap meet, he spotted me
Used to have beef with him, but he muggin' like we got beef
He got seeds and I got mine, and my Glock Nine
Should I cop mine and pop mine's?
And I paused for a second, and noticed that he's still there
Looked under a table, and he muggin' from a wheelchair
Is it still fair?
In fact, is the tension we developed in our childhood really still there?
'Cause we both like thirty-plus, observin' the purpose of
Life through our kids, hopin' nobody don't murder us
I back down
The thug in me then overpowered by the essence of a pro-Black now
Gave a nod and a peace sign
My brain's recline in exchange for peace of mind
My past intuition pushes fast forward instead of rewind
We decide to leave street times behind to shine

[Chorus]
I know the violence won't cease 'til I end the beef
And bring peace to my enemies
Pullin' the pistol 'cause I can't have the remedy
I gotta bring peace to my enemies
If I lay back for a minute, I begin to see
The answer is peace to my enemies
Time for me to leave street life in the streets
And bring peace to my enemies

[Verse 3]
Of course we go to war to get what we need
But when war is what we need
It proves that it is a disease, a turf war syndrome
Fatally then, if you live long
The casualty counted the men gone
I ride for my dead homeboys like they never did wrong
But I know, deep down inside, deep down is pride
'Cause at every funeral, tears creep down my eyes
And I push 'em back in
As simple as it is, the tales of grand scale dilemma of most young, Black men
Trapped in a life where you cash in
401K's for growin' past ten
All I'm sayin' is, "Homie, be humble, but not like a punk, though"
I know that's some folks that gotta get it
But you ain't gotta give it
I did dirt for a minute, but didn't try to ride with it, I admit it