"I wish the government would quit tappin' phones in the ghetto I wish my student loans were all settledI wish they'd quit riggin' elections, the shit is depressin'Bet your bottom dollar Bush wins again, no questionI wish AIDS didn't existI wish I didn't have flashbacks of my cousin slittin' his wristsI wish there weren't so many single mothers and deadbeat dadsYeah"

“Two roads diverged in a wood, I took the one less travelledI'm patient so that's one less hassleIf I dream it, I can live itI've seen the light with vivid imageryI need to write with fits of energyBut it's hard tryin' to get where I'm goin'Without a hint or an omenIt's too late to turn aroundPerseverance, gotta learn it nowBut I'm stubborn howAm I supposed to survive this rollercoaster hurtlin' to the ground?”

“I guess it's true what they say, the third time's a charmI grabbed the game and let it die in my armsThen resurrected itChanged clothes, same flow, perfected itThey know Swain though they still won't respect the kidBut I ain't slowin' upThis time, blowin' upSponsors, concerts, everybody showin' upKnow enough tricks of the trade to get a record deal:Fresh kicks, press kits, sex appealHad to mail my demo out 'cause I ain't had enough bus passTo take the bus first classSo frustrated, had to puff-puff-passSent my CD out to Puff, Puff passedMust've had enough trash on his desk this yearSent one to So So Def, but it fell on so so deaf earsI never once shed tears, this must be a test here”

“So one time for my disillusioned artists, I hear yaTwo times for the kid that air-guitars in the mirrorThree times for the 9-to-5-in' bus ridin' dudesAnd four times for my dreamers, yo I'm just like youThat's why I sing for my queens with their own pair of wingsMy brothers flyin' beside me, drama behind meMama tried to find me, she inquired emphaticallyI was in the sky with all these other ghetto kids, defying gravity, uh”

“I, once was retired but he's sort of backHaven't been the same since Uncle L sneezed on a track I'm 'bout to throw some D's on the 'LacSike...my guest appearances is cheese for the ratsPease porridge hot? Nah nigga, pease porridge blackPlease pour a batch of Singaporan tea, more than thatY'all gon' need some bigger cups if you fuckin' with me and NaledgeEven college was a hustle to him, like me at ClaflinWe is laughin' at the competition deviouslySo much accomplished, Wikipedia's peeved”

“Tribe purist to the fullestIf'n you ain't feelin' this track, then you're full of itPull that li'l shit if you wanna, ya digBut you ain't gonna do me like you did those Kidz, and clown meHomage, comma, propsCall it what you want, but I'm not gonna stopRecord hit the store and I'm not gonna flopAnd if I do, well then it's fodder for the message boards tomorrow”

“never seem to work out, I mean it gets to the point where I have to be extremely cautious. You have to understand, this stardom thing is still new to me, I don't even consider myself "famous". It's 2008: if you have a blog, a mixtape and two pairs of skinny jeans you, too, can be 'famous'.”