The Roots
Understand the Game
[Intro: A+ & Sample of Erykah Badu's Otherwise of the Game]
I understand the game, sometimes
[?], my n***a [?], Erykah Badu, Group Home, Parkside
Full Pound, my man Godfather, hold your head
What'd I tell you?
Cats never understand the game
[Verse 1]
Droptop down, huh? It's under the grill
Try to escape, but the flight running the grill
Got in the game, it's point blank, I wanted a bill
Like Aaliyah, as you could say I'm "one in a mil"
Congrats cuz A+ status: never be the baddest
Forget this, ain't nothing wrong with trying to be the richest
And with this I maintain
Ten hours from now, I'll still rock the same name
With different friends, probably Cartier
I see em riding with them cars, they're probably hardly there
[?] but yo, nobody cares
You do your thing, I do mine
Cuz see I'm just tryna rhyme till you hate it
Now the plaques nickel-plated
Understand the game
[Hook: A+ & Erykah Badu Sample]
I understand the game, sometimes
Understand it
Understand the game, you've got to understand the game
Understand it
Understand the game, you've got to understand the game
Word up
Understand it
Understand the game, you've got to understand the game, uh
Understand it
Understand the game, you've got to understand the game
Come on
[Verse 2]
A lot of cats got a hard time, accept the change
It's like getting shot and still trying to step the same
You wanna blow even though you don't respect the game
But when you get stripped, the only thing that's left is your name
I seen em come and go, cop hot Ranges and flooded Rolls
Platinum plaques accomplishing goals and closing shows
But when the lights go out, you ain't far behind
The bank say "the car's mine" and you need the bottom line
At first you was the man, now they catch you out of line
Now you fresh out of rhymes and you fresh out of shine
And you steady trying to put your life in reverse
At the breaking point, about to snatch a purse
Understand the game
[Hook]
[Verse 3]
I'm a player and a coach, baby, not the ref
Everything A spit be hot to death
You need to fix your face, tough guy, what, are you mad?
Cuz all of a sudden somebody must have colored you bad
You need to start relaxing and stop acting
Because when the scenes gets real, you'll see how I feel
It ain't no game, the shells hit your frame and it burn
Now you're going six feet deep, surrounded by logs
Stiff like a statue, your friends are throwing roaches at you
You're praying that God catch you
When your foes are laughing at you
But it's too late, the only thing you got was an A
Because you didn't understand the game
But I did
[Hook]