and if you looking for dat you'll never see a cent from me

[Chorus]

[Fat Joe]
Yo, unh, I stay grinding, everybody counted me out
Now I'm rewinding in my summer beach house
If I'm not in the studio I'm out on tour
Busting my ass to make my fans future secure
Nowadays everybody want somethin for nothin
All of a sudden niggas talkin like "Joey be frontin"
The hood screaming Crack done changed, he don't holla
I know now Big, Mo Money Mo Problems
Jealousy's a muthafucka
Who'd a thought the same niggas you be feeding be the muthafuckaz coming for ya
I'm not stressin, I was born a warrior
Plus I'm too big, too strong, too wise for ya
When it's all said and done I follow my dreams
Could have ended up dead or in jail given the scheme of things
To let chu know I'm the reason you still walkin
If I said something it was me, not the liquor talkin

[Chorus]

"Intro"

[sample of "If and When" by The Three Degrees + Fat Joe]
I can see loneliness, heading my way
The light, of love has blown out (it's a new day y'all)
Now your shadow's gone away, you took awayyyyy

[Fat Joe speaking over sample - can't be heard]
Crack, uhh
Yes, things of that nature, uhh

Yeah, uh, yo

No I'm not lettin y'all take me out the game
And no I ain't lettin y'all niggaz ruin my name - it's CRACK! [echoes]
... That's right, the welcome mat on the ground ain't the same
Damn right ya homey Joe done changed
Let's be honest y'all niggaz left me to die on that cold December day
BUT, I survived; so much if you thought I
would pull up in the corner and die, not I
... No people, not me
As long as Streetrunner keep makin them hot beats
I +SHIT+ on you haters on that 'Beat Novacane'
Make hits for the ladies with my niggaz Cool and Dre, CRACK! [echoes]
... Know if you mention the name
You mentionin, Big Pun, Terror Squad and the pain
And the pain has been the only status cat in the game
Relevant, {?} so much niggaz love to take aim

Cause I'm...

Yeah I'm lonely
It's hard bein the only real nigga in this shit man
Cook Coke Crack, Terror era's the Squad cocksuckers
Things of that nature
It's a new regime it's a new day cocksuckers
[sample: "I need your love"]

I spit blaze all, napalm, the mic technician
Coulda blazed y'all but gave y'all a slight condition
Never to defy my wishes
I'm the king of NY, all these other niggaz liars and bitches
Who you know spit dope, with a name like Cook
Niggaz say, that he ain't, but ain't I good?
Got the whole fuckin industry shook; matter fact the streets
Cause all the killers come home clappin for me
Ain't no peace on the streets with these Spanish kids
Just another cop beating in Los Angeles
Yup! You guessed it the President didn't say shit
'Nother vacation, chillin in Camp David
And they wonder why the hood's so hot
My pops locked up, my moms cooked rock
And just the other day Lil' Troy got shot

over a 2 dollar dice game, way to lose your life mayne

Yeah, this is things of that nature
You gon' get a variety of shit, a-ha-ha
It's a new day, new regime, new change
You don't like it fuck you
But thanks to e'rybody who bought this album
Big Pun forever, Ton' Montana forever
Uhh, Kato, yeah - CRACK! [echoes]
SHIT on y'all niggaz

[R&B sample to fade]

"Does Anybody Know"

[Fat Joe imitating KRS-One]
Wa-ta-ta-tang, wa-ta-ta-tang, tang
Listen to my nine millimeter go BANG!

[sample - "Joe" by Jackie Moore]
Does anybody know... Joe...

[Fat Joe]
This is death to Fat Joe, birth of Cook

Sing to 'em niggaz

["Joe" sample - repeat 4X]
Does anybody know, how I can get in touch with Joe

[Fat Joe over "Joe" sample]
Definition of a Don, "Jealous Ones Still Envy" - CRACK!
Yeah, we sold 5 and we ridin, we still ridin
Touched the down, and he's down

See the God in the hood, Dade County, BX, wherever

[Fat Joe]
Can you hear that? Niggaz that's the winds of change
Blowin through your city, here comes the pain
They say, the more things change, the more stay the same
So I, grip on that same 9 I held in '88
My momma askin - {"where did he go"}
She up the block frantic - {"where did he go"}
Cops combin the streets harassin - {"where did he go"}
But little did they know - {"where did he go"}
that I was on that Greyhound watchin white turn green
Renegades, we don't wait 'til the light turn green
We just, break the rules and live a life obscene
I been Crack, way before the shit hits the scene
You couldn't even imagine what my eyes done seen
But now it's - I'm a thug, I'm a killer
I'm a drug dealin nigga from the hood, God damnit I'm good

See the God in the hood, Dade County, BX, wherever

[Fat Joe]
Can you hear that? Niggaz that's the winds of change
Blowin through your city, here comes the pain
They say, the more things change, the more stay the same
So I, grip on that same 9 I held in '88
My momma askin - {"where did he go"}
She up the block frantic - {"where did he go"}
Cops combin the streets harassin - {"where did he go"}
But little did they know - {"where did he go"}
that I was on that Greyhound watchin white turn green
Renegades, we don't wait 'til the light turn green
We just, break the rules and live a life obscene
I been Crack, way before the shit hits the scene
You couldn't even imagine what my eyes done seen
But now it's - I'm a thug, I'm a killer
I'm a drug dealin nigga from the hood, God damnit I'm good

See the God in the hood, Dade County, BX, wherever

[Fat Joe]
Can you hear that? Niggaz that's the winds of change
Blowin through your city, here comes the pain
They say, the more things change, the more stay the same
So I, grip on that same 9 I held in '88
My momma askin - {"where did he go"}
She up the block frantic - {"where did he go"}
Cops combin the streets harassin - {"where did he go"}
But little did they know - {"where did he go"}
that I was on that Greyhound watchin white turn green
Renegades, we don't wait 'til the light turn green
We just, break the rules and live a life obscene
I been Crack, way before the shit hits the scene
You couldn't even imagine what my eyes done seen
But now it's - I'm a thug, I'm a killer
I'm a drug dealin nigga from the hood, God damnit I'm good