[Verse 1] Now some claim gangsta rap's the CNN of the streets But it's used as an excuse to pretend over beats So I'ma lend my speech to all within my reach To tell what really goes on from cells to the streets Now in LA as you know there's a war going on And it's been going on since before I was born Though the undisputed origin has yet to be formed It all used to boil down to the red and the blue But that got fucked up as the many led the few Now there's bloods killin' bloods and crips killin' crips That's niggas killin' niggas they play kickball with It ain't as simple as it was way back in '86 Let me give an example of some ol' MURS shit My sect of mid-city is livin' on the edge Cuz there's four gangs at war and none of them wear red Any new car or face could mean bloodshed Which led to the other night, I'm in my girl's Bug, right I'm bout to hit the block to see who's chillin' on the spot outsideWhen I put it in park, the homey got a SK aimed at my ride So I step out slowly, 'body no one fear He yells, that's Murs I see his beard from here But I told this whole story just to make things clear So it don't seem weird when I tell ya this here [Chorus - 2x] Last night I almost got shot on my block Not the block where I live at, the block where I chill at Where I keep it real at, and used to pack steel At times I feel it's the spot I'll get killed at [Verse 2] Now in the entertainment industry they have sweeps weeks But it's Thursday in my hood when they sweep them streets A whole fleet of the task that they simply call CRASH That's Community Resources Against Street Hoodlums If anyone should ask what the acronym reflects Put into effect to try to keep the gangs in check Now they're just another gang out bangin' they set Known for stirring up some shit when your hood is at peace The only pig I know dying to create beef But let me get on with my story so that all of y'all can peep Once again I'm on my block right, known as Cloverdale Playin' 2K2 while I'm talkin' on my cell well While I'm inside eyes glued to the screen CRASH rolls on my homies with the Thursday routine What's your name, where you goin', where you been, where you from We say the same thing while they just play dumb We don't gang-bang we got J-O-B's Still they make 'em turn around and get down on they knees Me, I'm screamin' in the house I just won by three So when I run out on the porch to tell the homies come and see I see 'em on the ground and I'm like, god damn Plus I got this black Nextel phone in my hand They both yell freeze, guns aimed at me And even though I drop my phone it's plain to see [Chorus] [Verse 3] It was a 2 month tour that ended in Japan So the first day back I had to spend it with my fam That night I was goin' down to holler at my folks Have a few beers, smoke, and share a few jokes so To the block I bail but when I got to the dale Everybody's on the porch lookin' distraught as hell They start to tell me on how some fools from the other side just tried to kill T, he don't fuck with nobody Just be mindin' his biz So you have to understand what an explosive situation this Terry thing is My nigga never gang-banged a day in his life so Fuckin' with him is not a way to earn stripes But a way to get wiped off the motherfuckin' planet I don't claim to be a killer with a heart made of granit But try to kill my best friend and it's on goddammit I had the big homey roll me over to my place So I could pick up this nine I kept just in case of some shit like this, a box of hollow-tips I slipped back to the block with the heat in my hand We sat up in the house loadin' guns, makin' plans They asked me was it stolen, and why I never told 'em Nobody in the hood ever knew that I was holdin' I told 'em I forgot but I did it on purpose So they wouldn't ask to borrow it to go and do dirt with Now we locked and loaded and about to hit the street When we look to the corner there's a Jeep tryin' to creep With its headlights off, we all leap for cover They start to let off - now how does this sound? When I hit the deck, my pistol hits the ground So the homey picked it up and let off a couple rounds After that went down I knew I might get clowned So I shook to the crib to take a shower and lay down The next morning woke up, rolled out of bed I called my girl up and this is what I said [Chorus]