The Gift

I put the pen the paper just to prove to myself,
that I still have the skill of stacking words on a shelf.
Still have the hunger, the thirst for filling a page,
call me a poet, a griot, a modern era sage.
If I never spit these words I'll still take pride in my gift,
to know that with God's blessing I did my best to uplift.
And I wished that the stronger brothers could always stay on,
cause 2 steppin' and throwing D's are not powerful songs.
and little girls are singing promiscuous,
and the artists only care if they sell a million plus.
Now don't take me for a preacher, I've committed sins,
but I'll never have a CD sold out of a dollar bin.
I strive to write the verses that will stand the test of time,
and to be the emcee that outlasts popular rhymes.

"the father gave me the gift, never tarnish the shine,
the fame will come my way in due time.

Every word I say, I'm shooting to make you think,
like where are the sexy girls after the eighth or ninth drink?
I've been rhyming since '89 so where are my riches?
I've been on so many stages, left many crowds in stitches.
A veteran at my age, old folks still call it noise,
but I can't leave it to these hood-rapping boys.
Everybody gone gangsta, they're the king of the block,
but are you watching what you release, are you truly taking stock?
I never picked up a gun cause Jeff was Too Damn Hype,
those fun party songs are what we need to recite.
This era of no respect and being thugs needs to cease,
to be replaced by an era of safe streets and peace.
It's not sappy for me to say it, not a word of it is fake,
and it will still sound the same if it's recorded to tape.
Not a curse or a call out did you read in this piece,
can Russell say the same for any Def Jam release?