Getty Images 9. “Million While You Young” feat. One being: “I swore that I’ll never borrow from another ni**a.” On Tru’s “What They Call Us,” from their album Tru 2 Da Game, the colonel spewed pieces of this method. Saying no to credit is also one of the many lessons that Nipsey’s forefather Master P taught. It’s nothing wrong with getting help from people, but Nipsey encourages listeners to work with what they have until they’re able to get more. The federal government can even seize your funds when in debt. Owing people or companies not only lower ones net worth, but it can affect how productively one chases dreams. The Break Down: Being in debt can be a heavy burden to carry. Lyrics: Ain’t really trip on the credit, I just paid all of my dues/I disrespected the game, now my name’s all in the news/Tripping on all of my credit, quote me on this/got a lot more to prove/’Member I came in this bi**h, fresh out the county with nothing to lose. Freeman returns home to Chicago, where he uses his CIA training to organize street gangs into revolutionary groups. Nipsey also recognizes Sam Greenlee’s The Spook Who Sat by the Door, a fictional story of Dan Freeman, a black CIA officer who eventually quits his government job as a spy. With Nipsey opening a business in the very neighborhood that he once committed crimes in, and rapping about saving money, he’s disrupting generations of destructive behavior passed down by OGs and family members. The Break Down: Similar to how wealthy families hand down finances to their sons and daughters, whether directly or indirectly, gang bangers pass their flags on to their sons and daughters. Lyrics: Third generation South Central gang bangers/That lived long enough to see it changing/Think it’s time we make arrangements/Finally wiggle out they mazes, find me out in different places/ “I’m the Spook By the Door,” this the infiltration, double back, dressed in blue laces.
As Nipsey often says metaphorically, chasing dreams is a marathon, not a sprint. But before one’s disposition fills out, we have to get past the stage of intimidation, the frustration of being in unfamiliar situations as well as unlearn learned behavior. Experiencing new places, people, cultures, and attempting new adventures and journeys can expand one’s mental capacity. The Break Down: We don’t fully understand our weaknesses until we step outside of our comfort zone. Lyrics: Say it’s all uncomfortable when you transition (let’s go)/But it’s all beautiful when you get rich in it (don’t stop)/When you start killin’ s**t (elevatin’) and they all witness it (keep rockin’)/Money grow faster (keep rollin’) than ni**as could spend the s**t (get down)/Open more businesses with you and your ni**as… Thanks to his label and clothing store, The Marathon, based in the neighborhood that bred him, Nipsey provides jobs to his family and friends.
Even in this space, the All Money In CEO leads by example. This verse also encourages black ownership. Influenced by racial discrimination, black home ownership, and black-owned businesses remain at the low end of the spectrum. Grinding isn’t always a pretty situation.
What’s even more captivating is that Gangsta Nip paints an ugly picture of long nights working toward a dream while in uncomfortable places. The Break Down: Taking it a step further than just speaking dreams into existence, Nipsey lays down laws about the tireless hustle needed to transform visions into reality. Lyrics: It was visionary, either I’m genius or you ni**as scary/Maybe it’s both and this balance I deliver daily/For every ni**a in the streets tryna feed the babies/The single mama’s workin’ hard not to miss a payment/And dirty money get washed on royalty statements/Black owners in this game of powerful racists/Young ni**as in the set that’s doin’ it makeshift/Out the garage is how you end up in charge/It’s how you end up in penthouses, end up in cars/It’s how you start off a curb server, end up a boss/it’s how you win the whole thing and lift up a cigar/With sweat drippin’ down your face ’cause the mission was hard… In 2013, the music entity sold nearly 80 million albums and P’s personal bank account housed $350 million.
He opened a record store, a label dubbed No Limit Records and the rest is history. When he was 28 years old, P was awarded a $10,000 malpractice settlement. and Tupac, Nipsey builds off the example independent hustler and entrepreneur Master P set. The Break Down: With many rappers of this generation uninformed about legends like The Notorious B.I.G.