Be a Man - Ab-Soul

Boom

Yeah

Lifestyles of the Broke and Almost Famous

«Herbert Anthony you need to get you life together»

That’s my momma bothered by, how I’m living life like whatever

They say im pressed for time, but I don’t press the issue

I just stay on my grind, chain smoking marijuan help me free my mind

What a coincidence, like feeling guilt stricken by your innocence

In a sense im livin in my second childhood

Dont pay a lick of rent, where I eat, sleep, and shit

And when you twenty-two that don’t sound good

Maybe if I went to school it’ll be cool

I’ve have something to fall back on if this rap don’t crack

Perhaps i’d have a better story had I sold crack

Lets go back, to Carson high fluctuating my goals

Writing rhymes through the lecture knew I should’ve took notes, yo

Sometimes I think im running in place, chasing hopes

So is my name as Ab-Soul or is it average joe

All this commotion goes in one ear, out the other

I’m still gone make it, one way or the other

(quit acting like a kid herb, gone be a man

It’s a man’s world, how you suppose to feed your fam

You need to act more like an adult, pull up your pants

I know you do music but what’s your plan B man)

If I knew when I was younger would I grew to know

I coulda tackle things more different, coulda been more defensive

Coulda been more responsible, coulda been more persistent

But I didn’t and I ain’t repenting

My parents wake up in the morning to a cup of coffee

Then go off to work.

It kills’em when im still in bed snoring

Only if they knew, their young boy was in the stu

'til like 5 AM cookin up classics to make them

Proud as house niggas that could stay in

That was rather brash, but you can replace these scraps with straight cash

I told jay I’mma buy her a house one day

I’ll probably send Katie and Kira off to college too

But right now I’m broke as a joke, I should do comedy

Dude, I need a job, somebody hire me fast

So I could win my girl over, she probably cheatin on my ass

You motherfuckers better try and snatch her while she up for grabs

(Ab-Soul talking)

Its like real difficult to articulate it

It’s like you got your goals.

You got your aspirations

Your dreams, and you chasing that, you pursuing that

But in-turn it cost for you to sacrifice alot of your availability to go out

their and get this paper, nah mean?

Its hard to say you a man still and livin at your momma house.

Yo, I had a conversation with my step-pops

Basically inquiring the time frame when I’mma pop

I told’em I ain’t know but I’m determined to blow

Not like a fluffer, more like plaques that’s platinum and gold

Thats on my great-grandmother

He shook his head and said:

«I don’t know much about the music industry but whats been said

The people ain’t making no bread, lets be more realistic

How you gone take care of a wife?

how you gone feed your children

Im on my knees everyday tryna provide for yall

I bought that car that you dippin, but you don’t chip in

You shouldve went to UCLA, like your cousin Jay

He got a big signing bonus, every year like 80k»

I looked him in the face and said «It ain’t about the money

And honestly, buying an education sounds funny

But have a little faith in your son, I’ll come through for ya,»

He said be a man Herb, thats all I really want from ya