The Rough Side of Town

[Verse 1: Pharoahe Monch]
Southside's a town with a lot of hustle and bustle
A kid got stuck for a buck under the trestle
Died with pride, he thought he had a big heart muscle
He fought back, but the attack was brutal
Futile to his survival and the event that his crew will
Seek revenge on the assailants who rushed him
They crushed him, snuffed the life all out of his body
Had friends, a Benz with rims by Gotti
Guys wanted to beat him, girls wanted to greet him
Kids wanted to be him when they saw him in the coliseum
Lots of cash hoppin' fast on the avenue
Pump up your system loud and he'll laugh at you
'Cause under the TEC is a gooseneck
And a Glock nine when he stops at the light
Pumpin', risin' into the top in

[Chorus]
Southside, Southside (Rough)
Southside, Southside (Rough)
Southside, Southside (Rough)
Southside, Southside
Southside, Southside

[Verse 2: Prince Poetry]
I grew up on the rough side of town, kids play stick-up
Playing the game of survival, going uptown to pick up
Supportin' the taste with leathers and bamboos and black Timbs
Benz parked at the curb while puffin' herb (Word)
Cruisin' 160 with the lean
Sportin' BVs on the Bimmer with the Italian wintergreen
Interior while the Alpine pumps, you get open
Hoppin', hopin' to catch them all open, girls scopin'
As you unlock, now you gotta go, gotta go
Hoppin' down Merit to get back to the 40
Back in the days, Queens never got props
But Southside had citywide respect plus knockouts
40, Baisley, Sutphin, Merrick
Queens wack, step back, I don't wanna hear it, I'm from

[Chorus]
Southside, Southside (Rough side, rough)
Southside, Southside
Southside, Southside (Rough)
Southside, Southside (Rough side, rough)
Southside, Southside
Southside, Southside

[Verse 3: Pharoahe Monch & Prince Poetry]
Projectiles are fittin' inside of a clip and
Personally there's no particular name that's written
On the side of a slug, damn, it's bugged
When pretty women begin to bend over a drug
She used to be the type of girl that was flashy
Now the scars from the concrete make her knees look ashy
Cops constantly stay on high speed chases
Trying to remember faces from previous arrest cases
Bulletproof vests is the hottest items to invest in
Shots fired, one was hit with the hollow tip and it caved his chest in
Kids are gathered around a coffin, crying, sobbing
I'm saddened because there's baby left as an orphan
'Cause the life of an illegal entrepreneur
Is more than a ragamajag of a Scorpio, buy my cure

[Chorus]
Southside, Southside
Southside, Southside

[Verse 4: Pharoahe Monch & Prince Poetry]
Your man wants to get rid of ya
'Cause now you're the number one neighborhood pharmaceutical distributor
How could you ever expect this
From your man that he would plant product inside of your Lexus?
Today you're having lunch with a cutie
You got a hunch, you're the type of brother that's moody
So instead, you drive a Sterling, lime green
To match the colors inside of your Eightball shearling
So today he escapes fate to live another day
To pick up scale weight inside of a ghetto
Inside of the ghetto cars gather together
Gettin' ready to hop under the summer weather
Armor All glistenin' in the sun, it's four cars
And they're each two deep, but you still find it necessary to carry a gun
Hoppin' to the beach with a Jeep
Full of Chinese cut broads passin' by perpetrators
Perpetratin' frauds, you're on the beach, playin' cards
Thinkin' about pickin' up a convertible Saab
As the sun sets, you all jet inside of the ride
But your mentality flips, 'cause you gotta get back to the

[Chorus]
Southside, Southside
Southside, Southside
Southside, Southside
Southside, Southside
Southside, Southside (Yeah)
Southside (Come on), Southside (Yeah)
Southside (Come on), Southside (Yeah)
Southside (Come on), Southside (Yeah)