Rise & Fall

[Intro]
Uh, yeah turn it up, check it out

[Verse 1]
The transition from a young fool
Broke, still on his neck, he hung jewels
Live his life in the ghetto where guns rule
It was cool, wasn't mad, I had to take cabs
Made my first LP, afforded H-Class, my face gassed
'94, sold-out in every record store
Local hood rats who wouldn't speak
Now I'm who they checkin' for
Shown crazy love, ran up on stage with 80 thugs
After the shows, my niggas robbed the bar and wrecked the clubs
Happy, no hatin'
More Henny, more blunts circulatin'
My single in rotation on every radio station
Eyes popped when I drove my first ride on the block
Summertime, block parties, cookouts, I spent my knot
Truly, niggas was fightin' over who was closest to me
Happy with the new representative of QB
To hit the top, first you have to gotta fall before you make it
With for 4 minutes of your time, watch me demonstrate it

[Hook: Slick Rick & Nas]
This was the rise and fall of my fast life style
(From Nasty to Nas to Nas to Escobar)
(Mega popular, center of attraction)
I was the main event on the TV for a while
This was the rise and fall of my fast life style
(From Nasty to Nas to Nas to Escobar)
(Mega popular, center of attraction)
I was the main event on the TV for a while

[Verse 2]
Cayman Islands in the winter
Summer bus rides to Great Adventure
I've brung New York back to real rap inventors
New crib, diamond rings, killers on my team
Infinitis for my girl for givin' birth to my queen
3 G's worth of chronic a week
Promoters was mad
I stopped doin' shows to spend time in the street
Loot declined, eventually so did my shine
Repo lookin' for my Lex, back then I wasn't buyin'
You can guess niggas started sayin'
"With all the success, why is your mom still in the projects?"
I answered them vexed
Fuck out my face, pistol in my car, full clip
I read about Pablo Escobar and got on some shit
So-called mans would plot on my chips, I was frontin'
Niggas thought I was rich and got mad 'cause they was pumpin'
My assumption; niggas want me pumped in the casket
Kept the gun the same three-fifth a nigga got bagged with

[Hook: Slick Rick & Nas]
This was the rise and fall of my fast life style
(From Nasty to Nas to Nas to Escobar)
(Mega popular, center of attraction)
I was the main event on the TV for a while
This was the rise and fall of my fast life style
(From Nasty to Nas to Nas to Escobar)
(Mega popular, center of attraction)
I was the main event on the TV for a while

[Verse 3]
Caught a case, now I'm home, starin' off into space
Flashbacks of all the jewelry, cars crossin' my face
Rappers I met, hoes on video cassette
No management, no more good life and no respect
Hearin' crowds roar, Cristal pourin' mixed drinks
Haunted by the thoughts of second album sophomore jinx
Where did I fail? Death threats, woke up in cold sweats
Thinkin' about all these murders that know where I rest
From hangin' with crazy cliques that's known to take shit
Bracelets, and all that beef now I'm involved, was paperless
My cars were auctioned off, now I catch rides with kidnap-niggas
Who snatch babies up to get back figures
Lessons from heaven, every night I slept with my weapon
To guard my family, for a minute I forgot my profession
Not from Columbia or Nicaragua
Don't distribute coke from Antigua, that shipped out to Panama
Pablo Escobar's bloody reign came to an end
Far from my life; a kid who made his fame from a pen
Hit the studio and change the game again
Wrote down all the pain within, top of the charts, triple platinum
Got the fake love back, money stacks, more plaques
Had to see who I was just to know where I was at
Saw both sides of the game, all the ups and downs
This goes out to the future rap kings comin' up now

[Hook: Slick Rick & Nas]
This was the rise and fall of my fast life style
(From Nasty to Nas to Nas to Escobar)
(Mega popular, center of attraction)
I was the main event on the TV for a while
This was the rise and fall of my fast life style
(From Nasty to Nas to Nas to Escobar)
(Mega popular, center of attraction)
I was the main event on the TV for a while