Skulls and crossbones and death bandanas
A liquor store in every corner in Atlanta
Cops riding round tossing ^!$$%s in the slammer

Tell me what's wrong i could really use some answers
Nowadays everybody wants to be a rapper
About 2 years ago everybody was a trapper

Obviously money is what everybody's after
Cos slavery aint changed it's a modern day disaster
Now these are my words from me to you

Everything you do from your shades to your shoes
From your chains to your coupe came from the tube
Trust me i would know i was raised on it too

Ok, now let me just get your attention
Imma turn the tables so you don't get defensive
Imma put my bull%#@! aside for a second

Cos i cant be fake, cos God wont let me
I used to wear a grill because it was the trend
Not because i liked it, i just wanted to fit in

Then i got Eastside tatted on my skin
And i tried to get dreads but my hair was too big
But i was lost, i ain't know who i was

What else was there to do besides look like a thug
So in my senior year at Columbia High
I dropped out of High School when i got signed

B.o.B was the name, i ain't like Bobby Ray cos i was ashamed
But you can call me Bobby Ray from this day forth and
I could give a damn about the fame and fortune

Honestly i don't even listen to rap
Cos when i turn the radio on, out comes crap
And if you make good music thats ok, but

On the radio that they don't play
Its easy to see we created a beast
Cos everybody wants to hear what they don't need

And now all the rappers got a stoller to give you
That bull%#@! music so they can continue to live
The position that i'm in is quite an interesting predicament i will admit

But you can count on me cos i'm refusing to give in
Cos imma give you music cos we need it to exist, (*##$
So imma play my guitar, rap about aliens and sing about stars

Til you understand that's what we are
So we aint got to struggle no more so we don't starve
I swear to God i love you with every bar

We all got problems that need to be solved
So while i got the mic imma speak my thoughts
And imma keep it real til the day i fall