(lyrics are written by Classified)

yo class how u doing? dude, im back in the fax
im taking time off acting i gotta relax
i need a new beat

yo freshtro i got a few treats
u been up in the city long?

nah only two weeks

cool well, sorry 'bout the weather
its been raining all week i hope it gets a little better

either way class listen, i got a ill vision
bout a song im working on you think you got the right rythm?

Man cmon, you know i got some shit that'll break your neck
i used up what i want but you can take what's left

dont give me bullshit dog, you know (i blazed a set?)
you know you got something saved for west

i got a ill concept hip hop
how to pay a real line ?????????
1987 i be reppin all this hype ??? session
and i still be gettin stressin
you know its hard to be hip hop

and aint nobody stayin real
dont pay bills when you showcase skill
aint nobody living off of doing windmills,
im painting train rails, thats real
its hard to be hip hop

you know its hard to be hip hop [repeat]

i got no glassy? grills, so my raps aint real
cuz i dont pack steal then my tracks appeal

and to the mass appeal watch how fast they fail
yeah im hip hop son until my casket's sealed
its hard in a culture when the fans are fickled
understand my issue, your old man will diss you

one minute your whack and then your jams official

and then they switch again,

two bottles of cancer hit you

first they loved L L,

then they hated him

and then they loved him again,

then they degraded him

so lately, basically, i dont know if i can play though
when survival of the fittest, let me see what kind of shape i'm in

yo stro when i was younger like 19
i could spend all day writing rhyme schemes
spittin, freestylin, cypherin the streets
but now i got responsibilities

yo its hard to be hip hop [repeat]

no this is not an illusion [repeat]

cats are killing me luke
thinking lifes like a video shoot
they aint spittin the truth

tru, i got a similar view
but i guess thats the damage the industry do
i'm 28 unemployed, a grown ass man
still trying to rap with no fall back plan

go all out fan you got nothing to lose
cuz only to yourself you got something to prove

yeah we gotta be hip hop its all that we know
blaze up the shelto stro

yo on with the show
get the drum track going

ok enough small talk
but whatever you drop, keep it hard

its gotta be hip hop
you know its hard to be hip hop [repeat]

gotta be hip hop

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Thanks to (Unknown) for correcting these lyrics. Feb 10, 2008

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Thanks to (anonymous) for correcting these lyrics. Nov 9, 2008