What we have to do is deal with it when these individuals are young enough. If you will, to be saved, not in a religious sense; but not to constitute what this country at times calls if or which over. We seem to be approaching an age of the gross.(burp) We all have this idea that we should move up a little bit from our parents station and each generation should do a little bit better. Alright, come on, let's cut the bullshit enough Let's get it started, let's start addressing this issue and open it up Let's take this shit back to basement And we can discuss statements that’s made on this tape And its whole origin of the music that we all know and love The music we all enjoy the music you all accuse me of tryin destroy Let's rewind it to '89 when I was a boy on the east side of Detroit Crossin 8 Mile into Warren into hick territory I'd like to share a story, this is my story and cant nobody tell it for me You have well informed me, and I am well aware that I don't belong here You've made that perfectly clear, I get my ass kicked damn near everywhere From Bel-Air shopping center just for stopping in there From the black side all the way to the white side Ok there's a bright side, a day that I might slide You may call it a past I call it haulin' my ass Through that patch of grass over them railroad tracks Oh them railroad tracks, them old railroad tracks Them good old notorious oh well known tracks Chorus: So, let's go back Follow the yellow brick road as we go on another episode Journey with me as I take you through this nifty little place That I once used to call home sweet home Come on, let's go back Follow the yellow brick road as we go on another episode Journey with me as I take you through this nifty little place That I once used to call home sweet home I'd roam the streets so much they call me a drifter Sometimes I stick up a thumb just to hitch hike Just to get picked up to get me a lift to 8 mile and Van Dyke And steal a god damn bike from somebody's backyard And drop it off at the park that was the halfway mark To meet Kim had to walk back to her mamma's on Chalmers after dark To sneak me in the house when I'm kicked out my mom's That’s about the time I first met Proof wit' poof and gary on the steps at Osborne handin' out some flyers He was doin some talent shows at Centerline High, I told him to stop by and check us out sometime He looked at me like I'm out my mind, Shook his head like white boys don’t know how to rhyme I spit out a line and rhymed birthday with first place And we both had the same rhymes that sound alike We was on the same shit that Big Daddy Kane shit with compound syllables sound combined From that day we was down to ride somehow we knew we'd meet again somewhere down the line Chorus My first year in 9th grade, can't forget that day at school It was cool till your man MC Sham came through And said that Pumas the brand cuz the clan makes troops It was rumors but man god damned they flew Must been true because man we done banned they shoes I had the new ones the Cool J, Ice land, swayed too And we just through them in the trash like they yesterday's news Guess who came through next, X clan debut Professor X and glorious exists in a state of red, black, and green With a key sissies now with this bein a new trend We don't fit in cracks is out with Cactus albums Blackness is in, African symbols and medallions Represents black power and we ain't know what it meant Me and my man Howard and butter would go to the mall with 'em All over our necks like we're showin 'em off not knowin at all We was bein laughed at you ain't even half black You ain't posed to have that homie let me grab that And that Flavor Flave clock we gon' have to snatch that All I remember is meetin back at Manx’s basement Sayin how we hate this, our races wit dope the x clan take this Which reminds me back in 89 me and Kim broke up for the first time She was tryna two time me and there was this black girl At our school who thought I was cool cuz I rapped so she was kind eyeing me And oh the irony guess what her name was ain't even gon' say it plus The same color hair as hers was and blue contacts and a pair of jugs The bombast god damn girl in our whole school if I could pull it Not only would I become more popular but I would be able to piss Kim off at the same time But it backfired I was supposed to dump her but she dumped me for this black guy And that’s the last I ever seen or heard or spoke to the oh foolish pride girl But I've heard people say they heard the tape and it ain't that bad But it was I singled out a whole race and for that apologize I was wrong cuz no matter what color a girl is she still a Hoe Chorus