The Set Up - Intellectual

[Intro: Uncle Howie]

That's It, that's it

Yo, this is Uncle Howie

And this song is very dear to my heart

[Verse 1]

My world was a broken scene and a broken home

Broken dreams, and an open throne

My world my mother doing her best at avoiding doom

Me and my brother sleep on a cot in the boiler room

My world was a line of welfare from food stamps

And Moms working a shit job to feed her two champs

My world was my cousin leaving the Earth in a hearse

And my Pops reappearing only to make matters worse

My world was watching Dad beating up on Mama

Bringing his girlfriend to the house increased the drama

My world was divided once Mom broke out

Took Jay with her, left me a mind full of doubt

My world was discovering the bullshit sittin' broke

With dad smoking and sniffing coke with different folks

My world was stealing from Grandma for Dad's bad habits

And my cousin John died a heroin addict

My world was a beat down for bad answers

And I plotted Dad's murder, God knows I had chances

My world was a stepmother three years older then me

God was at the door and the Devil was holding the key

[Chorus]

We all got a story to tell, well here's mine

Told Ma the rhyme, she was on the phone in tears, crying

Can't imagine why I'm against incredible odds

Wrote a letter of complaint and sent it to God

I never asked to be born, but I've asked to die

Never asked for this shit, so I'm asking why?

What's the purpose of life if you can never prevail?

Tell me what should I expect when I was set up to fail?

[Verse 2]

My world became a planet in the dark sky

Blood opening the senses of a shark's dark eye

Bad spirits is following the Sandero sun

With voices in my head saying, "Son, you better run"

Nine different schools and nine different apartments

Made my mind dark but I'ma shine regardless

And that's when the thought of dealing crack came

And I rhymed just to rhyme as a fan in the rap game

My gun in the innocent face that approached us

Now the cops surround the cafeteria like roaches

They found the .45 and the banana clip

But the bundle of crack was hidden under Anna's tit

Written letters to the judge, Mother's talk would work

A slap on the wrist and now I'm free to walk the Earth

But she soon got tired and thought that I was hopeless

So I had to sleep on D's couch, I was homeless

Upon a rock in a hard place, gotta drill through

When a stepdad said, "Spick, I'm gonna kill you"

I don't understand why God puts us through pain

Cast me in a storm and left me standing in the rain

[Break]

(Left me standing in the rain)