Track 4: "Trading War Stories" - Tupac

This is my 'family' song.

Don't ask my why my parents found it appropriate to play Tupac (stylized as 2pac ) in the car with pre-teen children, but then get upset when they asked what n*gga means. Needless to say, logic and reason are not common themes of my childhood.

For sensitive folks, I will not be editing the rest of the lyrics. I've highlighted the specific lyrics that most directly relate below, so you can skip the rest if you like. However, I encourage you to be bold as the context of the full song is important. If you choose to continue below, the lyrics are written accurately and are fully representative of how I experienced them in a many car ride, to-and-fro in my youth.

'My whole family been raised, on shit that ain't okay

Ain't nothin' on this earth will make a n*gga like me stay'

-Napoleon (Outlawz)

Lyrics

[Intro: 2Pac]

A military mind, nigga (yeah)

A military mind mean money

A criminal grind, nigga

A criminal grind mean hustle

You know

[Chorus: 2Pac]

We tradin' war stories, we Outlawz on the rise

Jealous niggas I despise, look in my eyes

We tradin' war stories, we Outlawz on the rise

Jealous niggas I despise, look in my eyes

[Verse 1: 2Pac]

Now can your mind picture, a thug nigga drinkin' hard liquor

This ghetto life has got me catchin' up to God quicker

Who would figure that all I need was a hand trigger

Semi-automatic MAC-11 just to scare niggas?

Pardon my thug poetry, but suckers is born everyday

And fear of man grow on trees

Criminal ties for centuries, a legend in my own rhymes

So niggas whisper when they mention

Machiavelli was my tutor Donald Goines, my father figure

Mama sent me to go play with the drug dealers

Hits fall, we thug niggas and we came in packs

Every one of niggas strapped sippin' on 'gnac

In the back, my AR-15

Thuggin' 'til I die, these streets got me cravin' Thorazine

My lyrics are blueprints to money makin'

Fat as that ass that honey shakin'

[Chorus: 2Pac & Kastro]

My niggas tradin' war stories, we Outlawz on the rise

Jealous niggas I despise, look in my eyes

We tradin' war stories, we Outlawz on the rise

Jealous niggas I despise, look in my eyes

[Verse 2: Kastro]

I bust a trey-trey, buggin and shit

They call it overthuggin and shit

But I was just a younger nigga

Gettin' older and lovin' this shit

But what was I doin' in this place?

To the fakes without a pistol in the first

Facin' termination in the worst

But I figured to play the wall, to watch all these

Playa hatin niggas position for I could see 'em all

Made it up out of there, lucky to be here to tell you

But it'll never be a repeat people I'm tryin' to tell you

[Verse 3: E.D.I. Mean]

Now picture the scenery, I'm thugged out, smokin' greenery

Considered a B.G, but I'm off in this game somethin D-P

My eyes only see D's, that's why I'm young and burnt out

Learned the know how, well how to do now, by eighteen turned out

And why I do it the ridin and smokin'

Collidin' with foes in the worst place

Y'all shouldn'ta fucked with us, in the first place

Y'all real O.G's, droppin' game to the youngsters

Y'all don't want no funk 'cause

Y'all be the next in the long line of war stories

[Chorus: 2Pac & C-Bo]

We tradin' war stories, we Outlawz on the rise

Jealous niggas I despise, look in my eyes

We tradin' war stories, we Outlawz on the rise

Jealous niggas I despise, look in my eyes

[Verse 4: C-Bo]

I breaks them off with this gangsta war story tale (uh)

Stackin' loot up in the coupe that I protect with a MAC-12 (with a MAC-12)

Slap my clip in the chamber, fool, your life's in danger

No one will remain when I come through dumpin' insane

Call me Bowl of Major Pain, gun-slang and movin' 'caine

I be the nigga that's pullin' the trigger and dumpin' the hollow points in your brain

More bigger balls than RuPaul, Thug Life ain't a ball

We bust that ass up against the wall (up against the wall)

Never been no sign for men call

How we bucks them down on the way to the ground

Ain't nothin' but the hog in me

Bust off his dildo, killin' up hoes and keep mobbin' G

It ain't no callin' the funk off (callin' the funk off)

Don't be funkin' with my sawed off (sawed off)

Blast they dirty-ass drawers off (draws off)

And had them bitch niggas hauled off

[Chorus: 2Pac & Napoleon]

We tradin' war stories, we Outlawz on the rise

Jealous niggas I despise, look in my eyes

We tradin' war stories, we Outlawz on the rise

Jealous niggas I despise, look in my eyes (we tradin' war stories)

[Verse 5: Napoleon]

My whole family been raised, on shit that ain't okay

Ain't nothin' on this earth will make a nigga like me stay

I'm reminiscin', and catchin' flashbacks

When niggas ran up in my house

And I was too young, to try to blast back

What happened then? No one would tell me since I was three

Heard that God took my peoples, now they livin' somewhere free

But fuck that, you got what's mines and I want that

Never drop my guard, been on the squad, since ways back

And now I'm sittin', holdin' in anger because my parents missin'

Thuggin' Immortal and got some war stories for you

[Verse 6: Storm]

Now look at me straight Outlaw Immortal

Never gave a fuck 'cause I was nobody's daughter

Outlawin' from my tits to my clits, don't try to figure

'Cause the murderous tendencies in my mind can't be controlled, nigga

So who's the bigger, who's the quickest killer?

Would you try to trip with my finger on the 9 milla'

When I got you on K-9 force

Prayin' to God as your life goes back and forth

[Chorus: 2Pac]

We tradin' war stories, Outlawz on the rise

Jealous niggas I despise, look in my eyes

We tradin' war stories, Outlawz on the rise

Jealous niggas I despise, look in my eyes

We tradin' war stories, Outlawz on the rise

Jealous niggas I despise, look in my eyes

We tradin' war stories, Outlawz on the rise

Jealous niggas I despise, look in my eyes

We tradin' war stories, Outlawz on the rise

Jealous niggas I despise, look in my eyes

We tradin' war stories, Outlawz on the rise

Jealous niggas I despise, look in my eyes

We tradin' war stories, Outlawz on the rise

Jealous niggas I despise, look in my eyes

We tradin' war stories, Outlawz on the rise

Jealous niggas I despise, look in my eyes

We tradin' war stories, Outlawz on the rise

Jealous niggas I despise, look in my eyes

We tradin' war stories, Outlawz on the rise

Jealous niggas I despise, look in my eyes

We tradin' war stories, Outlawz on the rise

Jealous niggas I despise, look in my eyes

[Collision: 2Pac]

War stories, nigga [hahaha]

What players do?

Thug Life, Outlaw Immortalz

Motherfuckin' 2Pac a.k.a. Makaveli

Can you feel me?

Just so you know

It's on Death Row

My niggas love that shit

Dramacydal in this motherfucka [hahaha]

Yeah, nigga, shout out to my niggas Fatal and Felony

C-Bo, the bald head nut, what?

(You know what time it is)

Writers

Mutah W. Beale, Katari T. Cox, Malcolm Greenidge, Tupac Amaru Shakur, James Brown, Betty Newsome, Shawn A. Thompson, Michael Mosley, Ricardo Thomas

Publishers

Universal Music Publishing Group, CONCORD MUSIC PUBLISHING LLC, Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC, Songtrust Ave, Warner Chappell Music, Inc.

Source - Lyricsfind & Genius