Knife crimes is near a record high
With more than forty blade offenses every day in London
At a youth club in South London not far from where someone was stabbed less that twenty-four hours ago

The outline to direct link between violent crimes, social exclusion and austerity
A study by City Hall found that London has seen an increase in 71% in victims of serious youth violence since 2012
The Mayor says this is linked to an increase in poverty
And the highest rates of violence take place in some of the poorest boroughs

Look, I bet them boys think I´m panickin´
Check what my young Gs are carrying
His blade same length as a javelin
I don´t know about B-ball or what´s happenin´
But know that it´s fucked if he travellin´ and we see him
I can´t lie, I was depressed at phases
I was nineteen when the team nearly left him faceless

Hopin´ that we never left no traces
You know when you´re so damn tired in your house
But you can´t sleep ´cause you got pendin´ cases
I used to love temptin´ fate, but now it´s temptin´ faces
For half my career I was part of that
My best friend got a burner, and it´s lookin´ like an artifact
Put it in your puffer or your Prada hat
Like fuck panic, that´s a heart attack
Yeah, it´s like, life so fucked in the time that we´re in
We´re fightin´ the world, and we´re fightin´ within
Somali dad ran away from a war
Now his son´s in a war, that´s the cycle we´re in
I know niggas that didn´t do time in a bin
That have never had freedom of mind, are you sick?

´Round here main way to provide for your kin
Is in a flick blade, little push bike and a sim
In London a place where it´s nicer to live
Is only five minutes out from the guys on the strip
Where man make yay´ work, heard he´s a soldier
I know that nigga hasn´t got balls like Grey Worm
As I grow older, change of perspective
I gotta stay loyal to my girl, that´s the trait she was blessed with
Restaurants, raves with my bredrins
Life´s too short, so we gotta turn up
Man talk on my ting for the ´Gram, it´s intrusive
I never really thought ´bout taking a life
´Til I found out my ex-girl´s dad is abusive
I felt "How could I be man and not do shit?"
I´m on the way there now, and I don´t wanna lose it

But fightin´ her battle´s only hurtin´ the girl
How can I protect her from the world
When I couldn´t even protect her from myself?
On my grandmother´s grave, shit happens again
I put a knife through a family friend
Most the women that I know had shit happen to them
So innocent ´til guilty, ain´t somethin´ I have to respect
I think back to my youth and I was so ungrateful
How many of our parents had dreams they abandoned so they could put food on the table?
Intelligent, worthy and able, that´s somebody´s parent
You know?
And that affected the way that I see shit
Night club toilet, you peed on the seat
´Cause you don´t know how it feels when your mom´s gotta clean shit

And her boss treats her like she don´t even mean shit
And she gotta wait for the bus in the rain and it´s freezin´
And Mrs. said that you would never be shit
And you don´t wanna cry about dad, but you need him
I grew up so fucked, but I didn´t even deep it
I´m numb to the feelin´ of grievin´
And man gettin´ birded
African moms on the floor, just screamin´
It´s mad cah I try so hard
Death´s got to be easy, ´cah life´s so hard
I was twelve wishin´ that I was a white man, hard
Cah if I was then they probably wouldn´t life mans darg
I was dead broke, fam,  I couldn´t swipe mans card

And time might pass, but I still gotta stay with it
It wasn´t his beef, but I see him try claimin´ it
That´s why he caught a bullet with another man´s name on it
Now he can´t do leg day or put strain on it
Every time you hear me freestyle, I put pain in it
I used to wonder "Does God have favorites?"
Touch me, it´s dangerous, I wouldn´t play with it
´Cause you can go sleep, and have a different type of wake for it
I miss my dawgs, unstable
You violate Chris? Then rah, turn Chris Benoit
Have him hit from far, nah
Fill ´em up with bricks and glass, nah
My young Gs will grip, then blast
Have you tried in the street? Fuck findin´ my feet

I could ride, but it´s better when I´m ridin a beat
My emotions are peak, it ain´t a sign of defeat or the weak
I would´ve **** you, then cried in my sleep
Dropped just two racks and told them "Buy the machine"
I´m LeBron in Miami, I provide for the heat
God strike me if I´m lyin´, I ain´t cryin´ in this beef
Unless the tears comin´ tatted on the side of my cheek
I provide for my peeps, the Lamb´ white in the seats
So I´m literally a wolf disguised in a sheep
You have five figure dreams, I have five figure sleep
Five hours more than enough time that I need

Man want a fair fight, but I ain´t on it when I see him
Fuck honour, this revolver is onomatopoeic
Let it "Stut-tut-tut-tut-tut-tut-ter" when you see him
Free Scalez, Free C and free my niggas ´til I see ´em
I wouldn´t wanna be him
My old Gs roamin´, I don´t need a coliseum
You see it?
So I´m playin´ it good, let hood politics stay in the hood
Fuck the internet, you see this new generation
The Insta beef and I ain´t into speakin´
When I duck down
I had him runnin´ in a lift like he missed a meetin´
There´s no good reason to risk your freedom

The yutes dem snitch and bitches sneakin´
She don´t wanna talk ´bout friendships
She just wanna deal with the pipe like I´m fixin´ leakin´
And sleep with a legend like Chrissy Teigen
Where I´m from the word "Life" has a different meanin´
Man smile in your face, but them niggas schemin´
Try involve me in a flakey dealin´
Sistine Chapel, I´ma paint the ceilin´
I been violated and I hate the feelin´
That´s why nowadays man hates the preachin´
We smile in the visit, ´cause we ain´t defeated
The Supreme Court´s where my mates appealin´
I can´t breed that girl, that´s torture
South London, it´s just slags on the corner
And influencers tryna bag them a baller
She a gold-digger, I can tell from her aura
Her socials say princess, she a pauper
When it´s time for it, need more for my daughter
Call me a talker, but man are gettin´ lined like lambs in the slaughter
It´s life-threatening and I can tell from the borer
Cut through a nigga like a knife though flora
Feds got the guys on a case and they stalk us
It´s conspiracy like tinfoil hats and a new world order
Touch me, better have a life insurer
Blood thirsty, I got sharks in the water
And trust me, I know a killer whale, no orca
Have you ever seen a nightmare brought to life?
Where I´m from, you get cheffed on a normal night
Men talk on my name, but it´s porkie pies
I really put it in a prick like a porcupine
Little bro wanna save for a .45
Go board a flight, there´s more to life
Yutes on the M6 all the time
We don´t need TFL for a northern line
All the best politicians been taught to lie
Where do they buy cocaine when they´re snorting white?
Are their dealers safe or on the borderline?
It´s ironic, ´cause we don´t where to draw the line
Man see Blue Story, they´re mortified
Man see Scarface and it´s glorified
´Cause when you´re black, everything gets scrutinized
That´s why they call it "Urban", it gets euphemized
South London, man are gettin´ euthanized
I see a yutes demise, I wasn´t too surprise
He got soaked but his right hand scuba dived
Don´t die by a sword that you used to shine
You can drown for your king, you don´t know about Ophelia
Cah we got iron, I don´t know about anaemia
I took the hard road, we don´t know ´bout the easier
One bag of whores and drug paraphernalia
When ends got sticky, had a flicky with Emelia, I mean Olivia
This ain´t Libya, this ain´t Syria
You act sillier, we let it seep in your skin like Nivea
Who wants to be a millionaire? I won it
Never done a gameshow or trivia
I done Wandsworth, Erlestoke visitor
I done Springhill, Grendon, Swinfen, Whitemoor, Swaleside, Brixton visitor
I done M-way trips, done shit that I wished I never did
Becah I could have been a prisoner
Is this the shit that appeals to the listeners?
Road ain´t no amazing life
The ends full of snakes and jails, just a waste of time
I tell my young Gs "Take your time"
Fuck Jazz, you can really see a major nine
Yo, I´m so ashamed of how I used to get figures
Man sell you a dream like the road tings lit
And then they leave out the parts where you´re burying your niggas
Or in jail, wonderin´ who´s puttin´ dick in your Mrs
I´m so fuckin´ determined
I was in intensive care when I was born, mommy fell down the stairs
Whether I was gonna live or not was somethin´ uncertain
I used the word "Fell", with the commas inverted
You see, growin´ up I had it far from perfect
But nobody did, so I´m a normal person
I gotta be grateful, we all have demons and all see angels
Or maybe it´s me
A black yutes more than a face on a screen
A number on a laptop or name on a sheet
We got stories to tell and got places to be
From my heart, that´s the makin´ of me

I was really about to lose
I sat on my hands
I struggled ´cause I didn´t want to suffer again
I just wanted, didn´t wanna make my son upset
I went to ???
I tried so much, we have no strength
I was in detention counsel for months, I didn´t give up
I was not even twenty when I left Africa
I was determined to survive
I was determined to survive
I didn´t have anybody, nobody was ready to help me
You was six weeks old, this is when we left from Africa
I was on the streets for three years
Nobody let me eat, nobody in this nation
I couldn´t pay my rent, gettin´ deported
I didn´t give up, I carried on everywhere

Les crimes à l´arme blanche atteignent un niveau record
Avec plus de quarante agressions au couteau par jour à Londres
Dans un club pour jeunes du sud de Londres, non loin de là où quelqu´un a été poignardé il y a moins de vingt-quatre heures

Se profile le lien direct entre crimes violents, exclusion sociale et austérité
Une étude menée par la mairie a révélé que Londres a connu une augmentation de 71% du nombre de victimes de violences graves parmi les jeunes depuis 2012
Selon le maire, ce serait lié à une hausse de la pauvreté
Et les taux de violences les plus élevés auraient lieu dans certains des quartiers les plus pauvres

Écoute, je parie que ces mecs croient que je panique
Regarde ce que mes jeunes gangsters transportent
Sa lame est aussi longue qu´un javelot
Je ne sais pas ce qu´il en est pour le ballon de basket ou ce qui se passe

Mais sache que c´est foutu s´il se déplace et qu´on le voit
Je ne sais pas mentir, j´étais déprimé, c´était par phases
J´avais dix-neuf ans quand l´équipe a failli le laisser défiguré
Espérant qu´on n´avait jamais laissé de traces
Tu sais, quand tu es si fatigué dans ta maison
Mais que tu ne peux pas dormir parce que tu as des affaires en cours
J´adorais tenter le destin, mais maintenant, j´aime tenter les visages
Pendant la moitié de ma carrière, j´ai fait partie de ça
Mon meilleur ami a un portable prépayé, et il ressemble à un artefact
Mets-le dans ton inhalateur ou ton chapeau Prada
Comme une putain de panique, c´est une crise cardiaque

Oui, c´est comme si la vie était totalement foutue à la période que l´on vit
On combat le monde et combat à l´intérieur
Le papa somalien a fui une guerre
Maintenant, son fils est en guerre, voilà le cycle dans lequel on est inscrit
Je connais des mecs qui n´ont jamais fait de prison
Qui n´ont jamais connu la liberté d´esprit, t´es malade ?
Par ici, le principal moyen de subvenir aux besoins de ta famille
Tient dans un rapide coup de lame, un petit vélo et une carte sim
À Londres, un endroit où il fait meilleur vivre
On n´est qu´à cinq minutes des types sur le périph
Où les mecs font circuler la cocaïne,  j´ai entendu dire que le fameux fils est un soldat

Je sais que ce type n´a pas les couilles de Grey Worm
À mesure que je vieillis, je change de perspective
Je dois rester fidèle à ma chérie, c´est la caractéristique dont elle a été dotée
Restaurants, les rave parties avec mes frères
La vie est trop courte, alors il faut refaire surface
Le mec parle de ma vie sur Instagram, c´est intrusif
Je n´ai jamais vraiment envisagé de prendre une vie
Jusqu´à ce que je découvre que le père de mon ex copine était abusif
Je me disais : "Comment je pourrais être un homme et ne pas faire de la merde ?"
Je suis en route sur ma voie, et je ne veux pas perdre la tête

Mais mener le combat de ma copine ne fait que la blesser
Comment puis-je la protéger du monde
Alors que je n´ai même pas pu la protéger de moi ?
Sur la tombe de ma grand-mère, la merde recommence
J´ai poignardé un ami de la famille
La plupart des femmes que je connais ont eu des problèmes
De l´innocence à la culpabilité, il n´y avait rien que je devais respecter
En repensant à ma jeunesse, j´étais si ingrat
Combien de nos parents avaient des rêves qu´ils ont dû abandonner pour pouvoir mettre de la nourriture sur la table ?
Intelligent, digne et capable, c´est le parent de quelqu´un

Tu sais ?
Et ça a affecté ma façon de voir les choses
Dans les toilettes des boîtes de nuit, tu pissais sur le siège
Parce que tu ne sais pas ce que ça fait quand c´est ta mère qui doit nettoyer ta merde
Que son patron la traite comme si elle ne valait rien
Qu´elle doit attendre le but sous la pluie ou dans le froid
Et que madame Machin disait que tu ne serais jamais rien
Et tu ne veux pas pleurer à propos de ton père, mais tu as besoin de lui
J´ai grandi en étant tellement détruit, mais je n´ai même pas plongé
Je suis insensible au sentiment de deuil
Et le mec se fait observer

Les mères africaines sont par terre, elles ne font que crier
C´est fou, j´ai beau faire des efforts
La mort doit être si facile parce que la vie est si dure
À l´âge de douze ans, je souhaitais être un homme blanc, de toutes mes forces
[...]
J´étais grave fauché, chère famille, je ne savais même pas voler sa carte de crédit (la carte de l´homme blanc)
Et le temps a beau passer, je dois toujours vivre avec ça
Ce n´était pas son problème, mais je le vois essayer de réclamer son argent
C´est pour ça qu´il a pris une balle avec le nom d´un autre homme dessus
Maintenant, il ne peut plus tenir une journée sur ses jambes ou faire des efforts avec

Je me demandais : "Dieu a-t-il des favoris ?"
Touche-moi, c´est dangereux, je ne jouerais pas avec ça
Parce que tu peux t´endormir et te réveiller différemment
Mes copains me manquent, instable
Tu violes Chris ? Alors rah, deviens Chris Benoît
Fais-le buter de loin, non
Remplis-le de briques et de verre, non
Mes jeunes gangsters vont s´accrocher, puis exploser
Tu as essayé dans la rue ? Va te faire voir, à essayer de me trouver
Je pourrais rouler, mais je suis meilleur quand je compos un beat
Mes émotions sont intenses, ce n´est pas un signe de défaite ou de faiblesse
Je t´aurais..., puis j´aurais pleuré dans mon sommeil
J´ai laissé tomber deux mille dollars et je leur ai dit : "Achetez l´appareil"
Je suis LeBron à Miami, je fournis les armes
Que Dieu me foudroie si je mens, je ne pleurerai pas dans cette bagarre
À moins que les larmes ne viennent s´imprimer sur le coin de la joue
Je subviens aux besoins de mes amis : une Lamborghini avec des sièges blancs
Donc, je suis littéralement un loup déguisé en agneau
Tu as des rêves à cinq chiffres, j´ai un sommeil à cinq chiffres
Cinq heures, c´est plus qu´assez de temps qu´il me faut
Le mec veut un combat équitable, mais je ne suis pas là-dedans quand je le vois
Putain d´honneur, ce revolver est onomatopéique
Laisse-le "bégayer" quand tu le verras
Qu´on libère Scalez, qu´on libère C et qu´on libère mes amis jusqu´à ce que je les voie
Je ne voudrais pas être lui
Mon vieux gangster rôde dans les parages, je n´ai pas besoin d´un colisée
Tu vois ça ?
Alors, je la joue fair play, je laisse la politique de quartier rester dans le quartier
J´emmerde internet, tu vois cette nouvelle génération
Des clashs sur Insta et je ne suis pas d´humeur à parler
Quand je m´esquive
I had him runnin´ in a lift like he missed a meetin´
There´s no good reason to risk your freedom
The yutes dem snitch and bitches sneakin´
She don´t wanna talk ´bout friendships
She just wanna deal with the pipe like I´m fixin´ leakin´
And sleep with a legend like Chrissy Teigen
Where I´m from the word "Life" has a different meanin´
Man smile in your face, but them niggas schemin´
Try involve me in a flakey dealin´
Sistine Chapel, I´ma paint the ceilin´
I been violated and I hate the feelin´
That´s why nowadays man hates the preachin´
We smile in the visit, ´cause we ain´t defeated
The Supreme Court´s where my mates appealin´
I can´t breed that girl, that´s torture
South London, it´s just slags on the corner
And influencers tryna bag them a baller
She a gold-digger, I can tell from her aura
Her socials say princess, she a pauper
When it´s time for it, need more for my daughter
Call me a talker, but man are gettin´ lined like lambs in the slaughter
It´s life-threatening and I can tell from the borer
Cut through a nigga like a knife though flora
Feds got the guys on a case and they stalk us
It´s conspiracy like tinfoil hats and a new world order
Touch me, better have a life insurer
Blood thirsty, I got sharks in the water
And trust me, I know a killer whale, no orca
Have you ever seen a nightmare brought to life?
Where I´m from, you get cheffed on a normal night
Men talk on my name, but it´s porkie pies
I really put it in a prick like a porcupine
Little bro wanna save for a .45
Go board a flight, there´s more to life
Yutes on the M6 all the time
We don´t need TFL for a northern line
All the best politicians been taught to lie
Where do they buy cocaine when they´re snorting white?
Are their dealers safe or on the borderline?
It´s ironic, ´cause we don´t where to draw the line
Man see Blue Story, they´re mortified
Man see Scarface and it´s glorified
´Cause when you´re black, everything gets scrutinized
That´s why they call it "Urban", it gets euphemized
South London, man are gettin´ euthanized
I see a yutes demise, I wasn´t too surprise
He got soaked but his right hand scuba dived
Don´t die by a sword that you used to shine
You can drown for your king, you don´t know about Ophelia
Cah we got iron, I don´t know about anaemia
I took the hard road, we don´t know ´bout the easier
One bag of whores and drug paraphernalia
When ends got sticky, had a flicky with Emelia, I mean Olivia
This ain´t Libya, this ain´t Syria
You act sillier, we let it seep in your skin like Nivea
Who wants to be a millionaire? I won it
Never done a gameshow or trivia
I done Wandsworth, Erlestoke visitor
I done Springhill, Grendon, Swinfen, Whitemoor, Swaleside, Brixton visitor
I done M-way trips, done shit that I wished I never did
Becah I could have been a prisoner
Is this the shit that appeals to the listeners?
Road ain´t no amazing life
The ends full of snakes and jails, just a waste of time
I tell my young Gs "Take your time"
Fuck Jazz, you can really see a major nine
Yo, I´m so ashamed of how I used to get figures
Man sell you a dream like the road tings lit
And then they leave out the parts where you´re burying your niggas
Or in jail, wonderin´ who´s puttin´ dick in your Mrs
I´m so fuckin´ determined
I was in intensive care when I was born, mommy fell down the stairs
Whether I was gonna live or not was somethin´ uncertain
I used the word "Fell", with the commas inverted
You see, growin´ up I had it far from perfect
But nobody did, so I´m a normal person
I gotta be grateful, we all have demons and all see angels
Or maybe it´s me
A black yutes more than a face on a screen
A number on a laptop or name on a sheet
We got stories to tell and got places to be
From my heart, that´s the makin´ of me

I was really about to lose
I sat on my hands
I struggled ´cause I didn´t want to suffer again
I just wanted, didn´t wanna make my son upset
I went to ???
I tried so much, we have no strength
I was in detention counsel for months, I didn´t give up
I was not even twenty when I left Africa
I was determined to survive
I was determined to survive
I didn´t have anybody, nobody was ready to help me
You was six weeks old, this is when we left from Africa
I was on the streets for three years
Nobody let me eat, nobody in this nation
I couldn´t pay my rent, gettin´ deported
I didn´t give up, I carried on everywhere