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The Streets (It Ain't Easy)

by San Quinn, Young Shanty & Ras Ceylon

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about

That classic Bay Area sound with Black empowerment vibes. San Francisco street legend San Quinn teams up with Billboard charting Young Shanty and Sri Lanka's own Ras Ceylon to deliver a timeless piece of music history.

lyrics

It ain't easy in the streets
Yet we still carry on
Never easy for a Black man
We must remain strong
It ain't easy in the streets
Yet we still carry on
Never easy for a Black man
We must remain strong

Dont let them squeeze you out
some mark ass bustas
dont want to see the sauce drip
no mustard
So I smoke like a bucket with a ff up muffler
And tell all my youth that they got to be tougher
Young girl on the corner and the police cuff her
still cant trust them mother ___
Got we locked in a cluster while the old folks suffer
You think its bad for you and its worse for others
We in California use to tripping over colors
still we dont want the white mans hands on our brothers
know that we rebelloius dont belive in what they tell us
prophecy revealing and you wonder why them jealous
first we gonna have to stop kill each other fellas
like the other dudes in Jesus cross they want to nail us
full speed never stop thru the yellow
but when you race against time you dont get a medal

It ain't easy in the streets
Yet we still carry on
Never easy for a Black man
We must remain strong
It ain't easy in the streets
Yet we still carry on
Never easy for a Black man
We must remain strong

Yo make room
These streets is hella greasy dont get fried like some catfish
trying to stack fat chips, lifestyle savage
Anything for the cabbage, with dreams of livin lavish
shattered by one snitch you let in your midst
walking the tight rope hit the wrong note and you slip
Now they singing to the pigs, loose lips sinking ships
But trip, everything in this system is set
To profit off the crimes lies violence and yet
We carry on the struggle, my mind the strongest muscle
Flexing on these suckas stay free from bustas bubbles
Multiple hustles I got the ball wont fumble
Spitting clear facts in my raps, no mumble
Making slaps to counteract all the ignorance
lifestyle indigenous, roots n culture infinite
Truth is im living it building it up like a pyramid
Ras Ceylon, Shanty and the Quinn, man we winning this

It ain't easy in the streets
Yet we still carry on
Never easy for a Black man
We must remain strong
It ain't easy in the streets
Yet we still carry on
Never easy for a Black man
We must remain strong

Willie Lynch theory is killin us clearly
fight to survive my grandbaby must hear me
grandbaby must see me in the flesh
Allah bless, it aint easy in the streets
cleaning up the mess
rob the government, not your brotherment
living fast dying young so many have succumb to this
Black on Black crime and killing is taboo
praying the rook off our souls right now to undo
You heard Quindo full of hate, thats propaganda
You Heard I spread love and show plenty understanding
meditating talking to my ancestors
reminiscing over conversations that i had with them
Other mama made me read about Emmit Till
seen his pictures heard the bogus reason the bogus reason Emmit Till was killed
Gotta get our own together before we help others
lets show each other how to live and love, sisters and brothers


It ain't easy in the streets
Yet we still carry on
Never easy for a Black man
We must remain strong
It ain't easy in the streets
Yet we still carry on
Never easy for a Black man
We must remain strong

credits

released January 26, 2024
Produced by: bigboytraks
Mixed by: Foreshadow
Executive Producer: Tom Sierra

license

all rights reserved

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Chalice Row Records image

Chalice Row Records Miami, Florida

The Bay Area / Miami / Oregon record label Chalice Row debuted at #1 on Billboard Reggae Albums April 2017 with the EP "Chalice Row Or Dig A Hole" by Young Shanty.

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