And I say welcome to the hood, welcome to the hood
Welcome to the place where nothing ever ends up good
And they say that you're a disgrace if you can't find yourself a job
Around here there's either been a drought or then there's been a flood
No one ever built an ark for anybody from the block
Man are tryna ring the heavens but God never gets in touch
For certain people it's a must to come across as tough
'Cause you don't wanna be a victim when Berettas start to bust
And I say welcome to the hood, welcome to the hood
Where no one teaches you to love because we're all products of lust
We learn to tell a lie before we even learn to trust
And then we see our people die as if the sorrow ain't enough
So-and-so killed so-and-so, I struggle to keep up
A victim of knife crime, they hit him in the lung
The press are making articles, expressing their disgust
But where there's no opportunities, survival is a must
And I say welcome to the hood, welcome to the hood
Where boredom leads to depression, depression leads to drugs
And drugs numb the pain of all the fucked up stuff
That you have to see when you're forced into growing up
Nobody's responsible, everybody's corrupt
School's a waste of time cah we're learning out of books
And when you're academic you get taken for a mug
'Cause mathematics won't help when you're in a puddle of blood
And I say welcome to the hood, welcome to the hood
Feels like the only thing that ever settles is the dust
We try and keep it clean but the stress builds up
And it was all a dream until Biggie got shot
Welcome to the place that I call home
♪
Be careful it don't turn your heart to stone
Welcome to the war I'm battling
You live or you die, you lose or you win
And I say welcome to the hood, welcome to the hood
The person they call mental health is the person that we call mum
We either don't have a dad or we have more than one
And we're told to fly the nest before we even learn to run
You don't have to be a soldier here to hold a gun
And watching other people suffer is what we consider fun
'Cause suffering is standard, you'll have to toughen up
At least that's what your mother tells you when she's fully drunk
People steal for a living and end up in the can
It's miles easier in jail, but you wouldn't understand
Being a criminal is not part of the plan
But how are you supposed to work when nobody will take you on?
So I say welcome to the hood, welcome to the hood
Depression and anxiety get swept under the rug
These gangsters in your family, welcome to the club
Because there's plenty of gangsters in a city full of thugs
Being born into the politics of poverty is rough
You can look down your nose at us, but only God can judge
Most of us are afraid to pray to the above
'Cause Pac said there ain't no heaven for a thug
Welcome to the hood, welcome to the hood
Welcome to the place where nothing ever ends up good
And they say that you're a disgrace if you can't find yourself a job
Around here there's either been a drought or then there's been a flood
Welcome to the place that I call home
Be careful it don't turn your heart to stone
Welcome to the war I'm battling (this is my world)
You live or you die, you lose or you win
They say there ain't no heaven for a thug
Seems like my good ain't ever good enough
Feels like I'm running, running out of love
You live or you die, you lose or you win
They say there ain't no heaven for a thug
Seems like my good ain't ever good enough
Feels like I'm running, running out of love
You live or you die, you lose or you win
Welcome to the place that I call home
Be careful it don't turn your heart to stone
Welcome to the war I'm battling
You live or you die, you lose or you win
You lose or you win