[Hook: Jay-Z] Love is life and life is love Real live niggas and bona fide thugs Career criminals with ice-grilled mugs Not afraid to shed blood, to bleed. I believe because Love is life and life is love Real live niggas and bona fide thugs Career criminals with ice-grilled mugs Not afraid to shed blood, to bleed. I believe
[Verse 2: O.C.] Yo, I try to live My life right. Earth is like the tree of life. Tempted by The forbidden fruit in my face, I wanna take a bite of it It looks sweet, making my mouth water, then I thought of A foul thought of filming somebody daughter on camcorder She of age, but her mind’s in the cage, fucked My man and my man and my man for no wage, savage Cause, Devil’s got me locked by the balls Inside my soul, good and evil fighting a war Mixed feelings like Remi and cranberry, a man How will he fall if I shoot him dead where he stand? I’m thinking Like Charles Manson, dreaming of Marilyn Manson Praying over my grave, deep with the plants and Roots of evil coming in shapes and forms I cannot identify what’s right or what’s wrong All I know is, sometimes, I fiend for dough, fiend for clothes And fiend for hoes backstage at my shows. Uh!
[Hook: Jay-Z] Love is life and life is love Real live niggas and bona fide thugs Career criminals with ice-grilled mugs Not afraid to shed blood, to bleed. I believe because Love is life and life is love Real live niggas and bona fide thugs Career criminals with ice-grilled mugs Not afraid to shed blood, to bleed. I believe
[Verse 3: O.C.] Yo, yo Life is full of lessons that we all must learn Take heed and pay attention ‘cause a drastic turn can be Just around the corner, waiting, coming dead-on. It depends On how you’re living and the path you’re on, it’s in The cards being dealt, I want the best for me. It’s Love Hell or Right, O.C. has a destiny to be The best that I can be—that means giving my all. I’m too Intelligent and bright to be taking a fall. I’m 20 Some-odd years old, young, black, and a force, I’m living To see some grandkids and die of natural cause, retire Somewhere, living in the Keys of Flor’, sipping on Coors Old and happy, spit tobacco from my jaws The price of hard living, hard work—granted you’re given A chance, y’all, succeed and advance far, take Advantage, opportunities is right in your face Avoid it unless driven to it, murder was the case. Uh!
[Hook: Jay-Z] Love is life and life is love Real live niggas and bona fide thugs Career criminals with ice-grilled mugs Not afraid to shed blood, to bleed. I believe because Love is life and life is love Real live niggas and bona fide thugs Career criminals with ice-grilled mugs Not afraid to shed blood, to bleed. I believe
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Genius Annotation1 contributor
Initially released on vinyl in 1999, here, O.C gets Grammy-winning artist Jay-Z on the hook, fresh off the success on Jay-Z’s ‘Hard Knock Life’ album.
This is actually their second time collaborating. O.C and Jay-Z connected on Tone Hooker’s “Crew Love ‘97” record. Again, Jay was featured on the hook on that song as well.
O.C had revealed in a interview that he is just one of few that received a free verse from Jay-Z.
Check out the interview with Drop A Gem TV that O.C spoke on:
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