Ice-T | Lyrics | That's How I'm Livin'

I was born in New Jersey, I said it before
But I guess nobody heard me, my mother died young
No sistas or brothas, I was the only son
When I was twelve my pops died too

What a brotha was supposed to do?
They sent me out West to live with my aunt
I guess they thought it was the best
But there was no love there growin' with no moms

I guess I was prepared to live in a vacuum
The bedroom the kitchen, the hall and the bathroom
I didn't leave home much, didn't like L.A.
Didn't have no friends to trust

Got busted to a school
Blacks and whites, I guess the s*** was cool
But in high school I changed
Didn't wanna bust, didn't wanna play the game

I walked to Crenshaw high, s*** was fly
I hooked up with a new crew
Some brothas that knew what the f*** to do
You might call it a gang but we called it a set

And it was our own thang, the whole school was down
And one way or another everybody f***** around
Whether hardcore or not you wore the right color or your ass got shot
That's how I'm livin'

I did three years in and made close friends
Havin' no love my homies came my only
I was glad, a family I never had
But I grew up fast got a girl on 10th grade pregnant

Needin' cash, I had to change my style
Switched from bangin' to hustlin'
No more goin' buck wild had to get a cash flow
But my hustle was weak, it was a no go

I join the army, four years in that s***
Be all f***** you can be, came back to the hood
My homies had done good, had elevated their game
About 100 gees a lick, no mothafuckin' shame

Passed for the jewels
Baby sledgehammers were the tools
I speak on this with a hesitation
Even though it passed the statue of limitation

I checked the bank
Bought a Porsche and gear, earned high street rank
But as I grew my whole crew fell through
Cops had us on the books as interstate crooks

Murder robbery rape escape, the whole damn nine
You robbed a nigga blind
I had too much juice, I cut my boosters loose
I was intreagued with the pimp game

Took on the ice-name but the pimp game moved too slow
Especially for a nigga who was hooked on quick dough
In one night late I was in a car wreck
And I was lucky to escape

Hospital for ten weeks, in bed almost dead
And when I got well, I got caught in a cross
And got locked in a jail cell
That's how I'm livin'

They cut me loose and I had to change troops
This time they didn't catch me
Next time they'll stretch me
'Cause my time was gettin' short

All my homies was in court
Or locked in a hole, this s*** was gettin' old
So I changed my life
Put down the gun and picked up the mic

It took ten years to get from there to here
But I still keep a gun, cops got me on the run
And they hate me more now than they ever did before
My homies came back from pen and we all worked together

True friends but every once and while
Some punk mistakes me as a junk
And he gets in my face, wrong mothafuckin' place
And I ain't lyin', that's how you dyin'