After Grandmaster Flash & The Furious Five's The Message, another hip-hop classic, varying the topic around the edges of violence, but this track tells the tale of a young man who falls off it. Taken from the 1992 film Juice, directed by Ernest R. Dickerson, and written by Dickerson and Gerard Brown. It stars Omar Epps, Jermaine Hopkins, Khalil Kain and Tupac Shakur who play four youths getting sucked into the traps of police harassment and gangster activity in Harlem. But it's as much the soundtrack that captures this best, and those Long Island kings of sampling, best known for Paid In Full (1987) produce a polished and powerful storyline from the point of view of a young hoodlum who is looking for the juice of gangster lifestyle, but ultimately plays too close the ledge. Also appearing on their fourth and final album in 1992, Don't Sweat The Technique, to accompany the rapid-fire rapping, the stunning double-bass-heavy instrumental includes sampling from Rise, Sally Rise by Nat Adderley, from his 1968 release The Scavenger.
[Verse 1]
Sip the juice, 'cause I got enough to go around
And the thought takes place uptown
I grew up on the sidewalk where I learned street talk
And then taught to hawk New York
I go to Queens for queens, to get the crew from Brooklyn
Make money in Manhattan and never been "took"-en
Go Uptown to the Bronx to boogie down
Get strong on the Island, recoup, and lay around
Time to build my juice back up
Props stack up, suckers get smacked up
Don't doubt the clout, you know what I'm about
Knocking niggas off, knocking niggas out
Shaking em up, waking em up
Raking em up, breaking em up
Standing on shaky ground too close to the edge
Let's see if I know the ledge
[Verse 2]
Corner is trifling cause shorty is here
I get cock-D lifting forties of beer
Here's a sip for the crew that's deceased
If I get revenge, then they rest in peace
Somebody's got to suffer, I just might spare one
And give a brother a fair one
Stay alert and on Ps
And I do work with these, like Hercules
Switch to southpaw, split your right jaw
Cause I don't like y'all, I'm hype when night fall
Smooth but I move like an army
Bulletproof down in case brothers try to bomb me
Putting brothers to rest like Elliot Ness
'Cause I don't like stress
Streets ain't a place for innocent bystanders to stand
Nothing's gonna stop the plan
I'll chill like Pacino, kill like DeNiro
Black Gambino, die like a hero
Living on shaky ground too close to the edge
Let's see if I know the ledge
[Verse 3]
Shells lay around on the battleground
Dead bodies are found throughout the town
Tried to put shame in my game to make a name
I'ma put it on a bullet, put it in your brain
Rip the block like a buckshot
Who cares where it goes, just keep the casket closed
No remorse when a life is lost
I paid my dues, paid the cost
And my pockets are still fat
Wherever I'm at, I get the welcome mat
Even if my crew asleep and I'm one deep
I attract attention, people like to peep
So come say hi to the bad guy
Don't say goodbye, I don't plan to die
Cause I get loose and I got troops
And crazy juice
In control of many like Ayatollah Khomeini
Hang out with Smith and Weston, don't try to play me
I'm at war a lot, like Anwar Sadat
But no warning shot, my gun is warm a lot
When I cook beef, the smoke will never clear
Areas in fear but this here's severe
Living life too close to the edge
Hoping that I know the ledge
[Verse 4]
A brand new morn, no time to yawn
Shower's on, power's on
Late for school, I catch the train
Girls sip the style and whisper my name
I push up like an exercise
Check the intellect and inspect the thighs
Select the best one, pull her to the side
Keep her occupied for the rest of the ride
Read her my resumé, she's knows already, cool
Just meet me after school
We can moan and groan until your mom's come home
And you'll be calling me Al "Dope" Capone
Sweatin' me, she didn't want to let me loose
Come get me, that's if you want to sip the juice
Cause the streets await me, so I take my gun off safety
Cause a lot of niggas hate me
Coming out of the building, they set me up
Sprayed with automatics, they wet me up
In a puddle of blood, I lay close to the edge
I guess I didn't know the ledge.
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