Lyrics
[Intro: Joell Ortiz]
One, two
Hesami
[Verse 1: Joell Ortiz]
This is a tale of two cities, the grail of rap music
Kane, Jay-Z, and Biggie, hail to Papooses
Fab, Maino, and Kwelis
Murda, Mos, and M.O.P.s
Boot Camp, AZ, and Joell Ortiz
Now, I'm on Kingsland Ave and Frost Street and GPT
That's abbreviation for Greenpoint, that BQE
Remember that Meeker Morgan exit where I grabbed that fish and cheese
Out of that Mickey D's on Nissan, Honda, Chevy? This is me (Ayy)
Blue Hawaiins and Styrofoam cups, and who's next for a cut?
My nigga V, what up? (What up?)
Dee Dee was next up, McCarren Pool was closed
Williamsburg was a nope (Nope), dope bars just dope (Facts)
I would sit on the pier with instrumentals in my ear
Not knowing that pain would end up instrumental in my career
I just wanted to be nicer than my peers on mountain bikеs
Ridin' and switchin' gears to a hood near you, like "Yo, who rhymе out here?"
Rap Cyphers, they're carrying crates for Cypher and Max Glaze
A clubbing underage, but not a minor
So signing majors and selling out them same clubs consecutively
No VIP where the executives be (Nah)
Just me and Dennis at the bar with the people, no entourage
Full of evil, I got bars, but we equal (Word)
Shit, some thought I was crazy, some thought I was feral
But they all knew I was reppin' my borough
Brooklyn
[Chorus: Joell Ortiz, KXNG Crooked]
A Tale of Two Cities
Home sweet home, many places I roam, but I'm Brooklyn's own
A Tale of Two Cities
Home sweet home, many places I roam, but I'm Long Beach's own, come on
A Tale of Two Cities
Home sweet home, many places I roam, but I'm Brooklyn's own
A Tale of two cities
Home sweet home, many places I roam, but I'm Long Beach's own
[Verse 2: KXNG Crooked]
I ain't grow up on easy street
My city activist Kelly Park on Easy Street
If you ain't with the shit, please, retreat
We don't post our crimes, we post rhymes all the Gs retweet
Our national treasure's G-Funk, our roots like a tree trunk
Gangsta rap fed us all, let a nigga eat some
Lil niggas with dreams to be somethin', mean muggin'
At the VIP with the heater tucked if I see somethin'
Warren on his motorcycle, Nate was in his limo
My life was hard as this instrumental, still was makin' demos
Freestylin' on the radio station, my favorite MO
Started rappin' with Dogg Pound, I made it to the kennel (Woof)
Kurupt and Daz blew up fuckin' fast
The Chronic album had the upper class undergrads puffin' grass
RBX was on a classic
Mr. Clark Kent, since you don't understand this West shit, I'ma give you a pass
Summertime in the LBC was The Dove Shack
Foesum and the Hostyle clique, shoutout to Quicc 2 Mac
Dynamic Certified, Tech, Jerz, my nigga Pac
Big Krunch, and all them boys who brought the city back
Big Style, Chucky Miller, 8 Ball, and L.C
Keith Clark, Drummer, Fudge Loc and B-TIP
Free Lil' Style and Nucc, this is L.B
R.I.P. Bad Azz, shouts to the double L Gs
TFA was Long Beach's Wu-Tang
The Black Knights of the North Star
My nigga Wolf Wanggg and 2-Sane
The Twinz out of Poly Apartments, it was a crew thang
Tha Mexakinz with I-Man and Sin, spittin' that butane
You see Tray Deee and Goldie Loc
Just turn yourself around like the Hokey Poke
'Cause you don't want the smokey smoke
Domino and ½ Dead never fell for the Okie Doke
R. I. P. McGruff, shouts to J-Money and Kola Loc, Long Beach
Silva Satin too, this is a roll call (Yeah)
We all deserve murals, fill up the whole wall (Facts)
Last but not least, the mogul of Long Beach
Snoop Doggy Dogg, he did it for all of y'all and me
On God
[Outro: KXNG Crooked]
Yeah, can't nobody tell me about this history of Long Beach, I was in the trenches
What up my nigga Snake Eyes?
Discreet Merchants, Hobo, Black Pooh, my nigga Butch Cassidy
Ayy, I remember them cyphers with Moses, Sabotage, Underdog, my nigga Gangsta, Pat T5, Kyrie the true God
Khalif the Punisher at E's bookstore on Atlantic and Hill
Long Beach history, nigga
Big Flossy, he was there, Lil Flossy, he was there
Shit, Baby Flossy, he was there, too
At Ann House, over on Obispo, nigga
Shondog, all the Eastwoods, nigga
Shout out Sloan Bone and JC, the photographer Duke, man
I'm sorry, y'all, I'm sorry
I just gotta immortalize this shit so it lives forever
Let the record reflect
I never imagined I'd connect with the almighty borough of Brooklyn to tell my story
Let the record reflect
Alright, I'ma shut the fuck up now
The Tale of Two Cities
One, two
Hesami
[Verse 1: Joell Ortiz]
This is a tale of two cities, the grail of rap music
Kane, Jay-Z, and Biggie, hail to Papooses
Fab, Maino, and Kwelis
Murda, Mos, and M.O.P.s
Boot Camp, AZ, and Joell Ortiz
Now, I'm on Kingsland Ave and Frost Street and GPT
That's abbreviation for Greenpoint, that BQE
Remember that Meeker Morgan exit where I grabbed that fish and cheese
Out of that Mickey D's on Nissan, Honda, Chevy? This is me (Ayy)
Blue Hawaiins and Styrofoam cups, and who's next for a cut?
My nigga V, what up? (What up?)
Dee Dee was next up, McCarren Pool was closed
Williamsburg was a nope (Nope), dope bars just dope (Facts)
I would sit on the pier with instrumentals in my ear
Not knowing that pain would end up instrumental in my career
I just wanted to be nicer than my peers on mountain bikеs
Ridin' and switchin' gears to a hood near you, like "Yo, who rhymе out here?"
Rap Cyphers, they're carrying crates for Cypher and Max Glaze
A clubbing underage, but not a minor
So signing majors and selling out them same clubs consecutively
No VIP where the executives be (Nah)
Just me and Dennis at the bar with the people, no entourage
Full of evil, I got bars, but we equal (Word)
Shit, some thought I was crazy, some thought I was feral
But they all knew I was reppin' my borough
Brooklyn
[Chorus: Joell Ortiz, KXNG Crooked]
A Tale of Two Cities
Home sweet home, many places I roam, but I'm Brooklyn's own
A Tale of Two Cities
Home sweet home, many places I roam, but I'm Long Beach's own, come on
A Tale of Two Cities
Home sweet home, many places I roam, but I'm Brooklyn's own
A Tale of two cities
Home sweet home, many places I roam, but I'm Long Beach's own
[Verse 2: KXNG Crooked]
I ain't grow up on easy street
My city activist Kelly Park on Easy Street
If you ain't with the shit, please, retreat
We don't post our crimes, we post rhymes all the Gs retweet
Our national treasure's G-Funk, our roots like a tree trunk
Gangsta rap fed us all, let a nigga eat some
Lil niggas with dreams to be somethin', mean muggin'
At the VIP with the heater tucked if I see somethin'
Warren on his motorcycle, Nate was in his limo
My life was hard as this instrumental, still was makin' demos
Freestylin' on the radio station, my favorite MO
Started rappin' with Dogg Pound, I made it to the kennel (Woof)
Kurupt and Daz blew up fuckin' fast
The Chronic album had the upper class undergrads puffin' grass
RBX was on a classic
Mr. Clark Kent, since you don't understand this West shit, I'ma give you a pass
Summertime in the LBC was The Dove Shack
Foesum and the Hostyle clique, shoutout to Quicc 2 Mac
Dynamic Certified, Tech, Jerz, my nigga Pac
Big Krunch, and all them boys who brought the city back
Big Style, Chucky Miller, 8 Ball, and L.C
Keith Clark, Drummer, Fudge Loc and B-TIP
Free Lil' Style and Nucc, this is L.B
R.I.P. Bad Azz, shouts to the double L Gs
TFA was Long Beach's Wu-Tang
The Black Knights of the North Star
My nigga Wolf Wanggg and 2-Sane
The Twinz out of Poly Apartments, it was a crew thang
Tha Mexakinz with I-Man and Sin, spittin' that butane
You see Tray Deee and Goldie Loc
Just turn yourself around like the Hokey Poke
'Cause you don't want the smokey smoke
Domino and ½ Dead never fell for the Okie Doke
R. I. P. McGruff, shouts to J-Money and Kola Loc, Long Beach
Silva Satin too, this is a roll call (Yeah)
We all deserve murals, fill up the whole wall (Facts)
Last but not least, the mogul of Long Beach
Snoop Doggy Dogg, he did it for all of y'all and me
On God
[Outro: KXNG Crooked]
Yeah, can't nobody tell me about this history of Long Beach, I was in the trenches
What up my nigga Snake Eyes?
Discreet Merchants, Hobo, Black Pooh, my nigga Butch Cassidy
Ayy, I remember them cyphers with Moses, Sabotage, Underdog, my nigga Gangsta, Pat T5, Kyrie the true God
Khalif the Punisher at E's bookstore on Atlantic and Hill
Long Beach history, nigga
Big Flossy, he was there, Lil Flossy, he was there
Shit, Baby Flossy, he was there, too
At Ann House, over on Obispo, nigga
Shondog, all the Eastwoods, nigga
Shout out Sloan Bone and JC, the photographer Duke, man
I'm sorry, y'all, I'm sorry
I just gotta immortalize this shit so it lives forever
Let the record reflect
I never imagined I'd connect with the almighty borough of Brooklyn to tell my story
Let the record reflect
Alright, I'ma shut the fuck up now
The Tale of Two Cities