J. Cole Port Antonio

Ride to it, ride to it Ride to it, ride to it Ride to it, ride to it Ride to it, ride to it, uh Ride to it, ride to it Ride to it, ride to it Ride to it, ride to it Ride to it (Uh) Young Jermaine walked the straight and narrow Minimum-wage jobs for dinero, but still, my mind was on the zeros I fiend for the perks that was seen flippin' birds, so We was skippin' church, but my eyes was on the sparrows Niggas flippin' pies, spendin' thousands on apparel Shit, I wanna shine too, I want dimes too Jealous niggas wanna know just how my rhymes blew Mano y mano, I'm Bono, I'm you times two Now I'm bougie, I done outgrew the fountain blue But never forgot the spot where I developed my plot To dwell at the top, the Ville, where all my skeletons locked If I could do it all over, then I never would swap I've seen good, I've seen bad, had my melanin mocked I've seen lifelong friends turn to devilish opps I was Mike in red leather, tryna tell him to stop You better beat it 'fore you see the heavy-metal get popped He was a mean-ass wing with a hell of a shot But if no team draft King, he gon' bet on the block He wanna ball 'til he fall or 'til the federals knock And sit his ass on a bench for movin' careless with rock You can't relate, 'less your father was not around And your mother went out and found someone else and then brought them 'round And they salaries then combine, when they married, it brought you out Of that poverty, then you moved to a soft little part of town So that when you back in the hood, you feel awkward about it now (Damn) And your confidence start to drown But the rappin' gave you some positive thoughts, and you jot 'em down You jot 'em down Ride to it, ride to it Ride to it, ride to it Ride to it, ride to it Ride to it, ride to it, uh Y'all niggas ain't stoppin' me Y'all niggas ain't stoppin' me Y'all niggas ain't stoppin' me Y'all niggas ain't stoppin' me Y'all niggas ain't stoppin' me Y'all niggas ain't stoppin' me Y'all niggas ain't stoppin' me Yeah, uh Benjamin Button, Cole flows reverse time To find deliveries good as mine, you gotta search primes I'm scaling heights higher than birds can perch Tryin' to be something, hopin' that peace comes to my cursed mind One thing's for sure, that I've matured from my first rhyme I learned long ago, you can't please 'em all, and it hurts tryin' In this game, where all you've got is your name Like Durk, I'm smirkin' at niggas tryna besmirch mine Absurd times, where the fake get toted as wise I can see hate in both of your eyes but the third's blind So you search lines But you struggle, which explains the puzzled look on the dull face as the word finds I hate what raps become but like do-not-disturb signs Can't knock it if I see it's 'bout the dough They instigate the fuckery because it's profitable But singin' "stop the violence" tunes when dudes in hospitals I pulled the plug because I've seen where that was 'bout to go They wanted blood, they wanted clicks to make they pockets grow They see this fire in my pen and think I'm dodgin' smoke I wouldn't have lost a battle, dawg, I woulda lost a bro I woulda gained a foe, and all for what? Just to attain some mo' Props from strangers that don't got a clue what I been aimin' for? Since the age of fourteen, Jermaine is no king If that means I gotta dig up dirt and pay the whole team Of algorithm-bot niggas just to sway the whole thing On social media, competin' for your favorable memes To be considered best or live and rest? The weight of both things I understand the thirst of being first that made 'em both swing Protecting legacies, so lines got crossed, perhaps regrettably My friends went to war, I walked away with all they blood on me Now some will discredit me, try wipe away my pedigree But please, find a nigga out that's rappin' this incredibly, uh My dawg texted me, I'll share the words he said to me "If you refuse to shoot the gun, don't mean the gun ain't deadly, " uh I guess in that metaphor, hypothetically, the gun is me I text him back like, "Guess a gun ain't what I'm tryna be, my nigga" They strip me of my spot, and now I'm finally free, my nigga They say I'm pickin' sides, ayy, don't you lie on me, my nigga Then start another war, ayy, Drake, you'll always be my nigga I ain't ashamed to say you did a lot for me, my nigga Fuck all the narratives Tappin' back into your magic pen is what's imperative Remindin' these folks why we do it, it's not for beefin' It's for speakin' our thoughts, pushin' ourselves, reachin' the charts Reaching your minds, deep in your heart, screamin' to find Emotions to touch, somethin' inside to open you up Help you cope with the rough times and shit I'm sendin' love 'cause we ain't promised shit My nigga Y'all niggas ain't stoppin' me (Damn) Y'all niggas ain't stoppin' me (Y'all niggas) Y'all niggas ain't stoppin' me Y'all niggas ain't stoppin' me Y'all niggas ain't stoppin' me Y'all niggas ain't stoppin' me Y'all niggas ain't