Practice
[Allen Iverson sample]
We just talkin' about practice...
We sittin' here, I'se supposed to be the franchise player
And we in here talkin' about practice...
I mean, listen, we talkin' about practice...
Not a game, not a game, not a game; we talkin' about practice!
Not a game, not a, not, not the game that I go out there and die for...
[Verse 1: J-Live]
Yo
I heard those who can't, teach, well fuck it
I guess class dismissed, I can't teach you shit
I've been doin this for years, man, my rep is legit
It's like a mic is a cancer-stick, I can't quit
But I can kick that measuring stick to
Let you know real quick whether you can or can't spit
And from the sound of it, you on a stage
Is like a square in a triangle hole: it don't fit
I mean, the whole way you tryin to hold the mic
I ain't tryin to be a smart aleck, but you sound like a dick
It shouldn't be so phallic, you wanna be hard
But you can't come correct, I would've show you how it's done
If you showed some respect, instead what you doin is
Showin you're new in this; why you pursuin this
Skill trade and tryin to get paid and laid?
Before the groupies and the guap, man, the fact is
It takes practice
[Iverson sample variations]
[Verse 2: J-Live]
I heard it's better to be lucky than good
Well, in my case I guess I'm lucky I'm good
I heard if not for bad luck, J would have no luck at all
To which my reply is, ""Fuck all of y'all""
I've been passed up, gassed up, bounced around, man
Thrown off the glass just to see what sticks
I have yet to score big like Allen Iverson
Maybe someday J could endorse a pair of kicks
But for now long as I can afford a pair of kicks
And a closet to put em in, Ima put em on
And walk these dogs, get my hustle on
Break bread for my younguns so they grow up strong
That's why the flow grow after each and every show
And year after year bring song after song
I heard amateurs keep doin it til they get it right
But pros do it so much, we can't get a bone
[Iverson sample variations]
[Verse 3: J-Live]
I heard some old colloquialism
Statin that if you love what you do for a livin
You never work a day in your life—yeah right
But I know what they mean, some jobs'll trap you like prison
But if you hatin me, cuz all you do is process and foul
Jealous cuz I get to make beats, spin and freestyle
As if I haven't had to work in a while
Like I ain't sheddin blood, sweat, tears, stomach acid and bile
Like my workload isn't unbelievable:
CEO, COO, accounts payable
And receivable; chief marketeer and manager
Sales rep, tour van driver, baggage handler
Shiiit, like I ain't tryin to outsource and delegate
How else you think I'll ever upgrade and elevate?
But at this point in time, I got two options:
Get it done right myself or get relegated
Back to a spot where I do it for fun
In my spare time—on but wait, I won't have none
So don't come at me bout that get a real jobby job
We gonna have a problem, see, this ain't a hobby
This is practice