Slippin’ Away(Explicit) - Brother Ali

Slippin' Away (Explicit) - Brother Ali
I arrived in Minnesota with handcuff bruises
Summer ninety deuce prepared to cut loose sh*t
Mom wasn't having that f**k being cool
With no discussion stuck me in a suburb school
Now day and night I'm on a bus full of fools
Who parents didn't want us ended up in the news
You must be crazy you think any of us appreciate it
How our parents wanna upgrade us
All day long we're in a fantasy land
Moms and dads college plans and minivans
But when the sun set you fled the success
To the slum where you rest nothing more nothing less
School they fantasize about gangsta rap records
But these are our lives our families are connected
The Ice Cube summer vacation is taking place
Right around the way from where I stay
The mold from the gold and the 'rips from L A
Brought snow to the cold for a new place to play
There's a war going on outside you ain't safe from
See if this education might save 'em
I've known you your whole life
You drawn to that street life
Slipping away slipping away
Slipping away slipping away
I've known you your whole life
You drawn to that street life
Slipping away slipping away
Slipping away slipping away
And so our little city bus crew used to run together
Eat lunch together girls Double Dutch together
Fellas humbugging next day be friends
The only thing we never did was date from withing
Fellas dated white girls sisters stayed lonely
Used to kiss me on my cheek and say we were homies
Alphonso basement we ran the party
One day on the bus Pumpking stabs Akey
Sh*t my main man was Ethan
Used to sell sneakers at a store called Friedman's
He had two older cousins that were hustlers
Filas wasn't all he pumping to the customers
He got a check but he got connects
So he got some chicks and he got respect
His boy Ali got hooked up with clothes
One day slap boxing he broke my nose
He almost cried man he had a good heart
The brother's only problem was he wasn't book smart
He dropped out of school but he kept slanging shoes
To keep the kids fed he had to sell base too
I've known you your whole life
You drawn to that street life
Slipping away slipping away
Slipping away slipping away
I've known you your whole life
You drawn to that street life
Slipping away slipping away
Slipping away slipping away
Time to time I used to stop in and check on my dude
Even when we lost touch with the rest of our crew
We both had babies drama with our old ladies
But as time went on our connection only grew
He said "I just can't seem to leave these streets alone man
Feels like I fell asleep one evening
And woke up the next day suddenly a grown man
In a rut with no idea how to leave it
My parents got too many kids to help me through
I really don't know what the hell else to do
I know you gonna really get it cracking with that rap thing
And when you blow up I'm a come and work for you"
Ha that's my man I see you when I see you brother
Keep your head up 'til the next time we see each other
Rolled out on my first national tour
Back on the block went back to the store
Put my hand on the door Ethan wasn't in though
They said somebody shot 'em through his front window
Hit 'em in the head and that he hadn't survived
Matter fact he died 'fore the ambulance arrived
A man in that life it wasn't no mistake
The cops called it a stray bullet closed the case
So there's no justice and there's no closure
You can't touch this not you no sir
They buried my brother I was on the road
By the time I got home the ground was cold
Got nothing left but a hole in my soul
Sh*t dude was 23 years old
I've known you your whole life
You drawn to that street life
Slipping away slipping away
Slipping away slipping away
I've known you your whole life
You drawn to that street life
Slipping away slipping away
Slipping away slipping away
Slipping away slipping away
Slipping away slipping away
Slipping away slipping away