[Hook : Akon
Ghetto, Ghetto, Ghetto, Ghetto we livin
[Verse 1 : B.I.G.
I know how it feel to wake up fucked up
Pockets broke as hell, another rock to sell
People look at you like youse the user
Selling drugs to all the losers, mad buddha abuser
But they don't know about your stress-filled day
Baby on the way mad bills to pay
That's why you drink Tanqueray; so you can reminisce
And wish, you wasn't livin so devilish, ssshit
I remember I was just like you
Smokin blunts with my crew, flippin over 62's
Cause G-E-D, wasn't B-I-G
I had to get P-A-I-D, that's why my moms hate me
She was forced to kick me out, no doubt
Then I figured out licks went for twenty down South
Packed up my tools for my raw power move
Glock nineteen for casket and flower moves
For chumps tryin to stop my flow
And what they don't know will show on the autopsy
Went to see Papi, to cop me a brick
Asked for some consignment and he wasn't tryin to hear it
Smoking mad Newport's cause I'm due in court
For an assault, that I caught, in Bridgeport, New York
Catch me if you can like the Gingerbread Man
You better have your gat in hand, cause man(you betta have your gat in hand cause man)
[Hook : Akon
Ghetto, Ghetto, Ghetto, Ghetto we livin
[Verse 2 : 2Pac
Our lifestyles be close captioned
Addicted to fatal attractions
Pictures of actions be played back
In the midst of mashin'
No fairy tales for this young black male
Some see me stranded in this land of hell, jail, and crack sales
Hustlin' and heart be a nigga culture or the
Repercutions while bustin' on backstabbin' vultures
Sellin' my soul for material wishes, fast cars and bitches
Wishin' I live my life a legend, immortalized in pictures
Why shed tears? Save your sympathy
My childhood years were spent buryin' my peers in the cemetary
Here's a message to the newborns, waitin' to breathe
If you believe then you can achieve
Just look at me
Against all odds, though life is hard we carry on
Livin' in the projects, broke with no lights on
To all the seeds that follow me
Protect your essence
Born with less, but you still precious
[Hook : Akon
Ghetto, Ghetto, Ghetto, Ghetto we livin
[Verse 3 : Akon
Gun shots every night in the (ghetto)
Crooked cops on sight in the (ghetto)
Every day is a fight in the (ghetto)
(oh oh oh oh oh) (ghetto)
Got kids to feed in the (ghetto)
Selling coke and weed in the (ghetto)
Every day somebody bleed in the (ghetto)
(oh oh oh oh oh) (ghetto)
[Verse 4 : BIG
I had the master plan
I'm in the caravan on my way to Maryland
With my man Two-Tecs to take over this projects
They call him Two-Tecs, he tote two tecs
And when he start to bust he like to ask, Who's next?
At last, I'm literally loungin black
Sittin back, countin double digit thousand stacks
See who got smoked, what rumors was spread
Last I heard I was dead

[Hook 2 : Akon
Ghetto, Ghetto, Ghetto, Ghetto we livin
Cause thats the life when your
Living in the (ghetto) oh
Living by the (ghetto) oh
Eating in the (ghetto) or
Cause thats the life when your
Living in the (ghetto) oh
Sleeping in the (ghetto, ghetto)
Living in the (ghetto)oh
[Outro : BIG (talking)
It's a funny thing, I kinda realized how powerful 2pac and I was.
You know what I'm saying cuz Pac is a strong dude yo.
I know dude. You know what I'm saying.
We two individual people, we waged a coastal beef.
But even tho we were going through our drama
I would never wish death on nobody cuz there ain't no comin back