The Empire State of Mind

"Oh you from New York?, Why are ya'll so mean?" Really, I don't know how many times I've heard that since I've left my beautiful Empire City, adorned with concrete, tuff living, and life leasons. But it seems everywhere I go, people don't seem to grasp the Empire State of Mind and the technicalities we deal with.

It's all a mask what the tourist see. Like a post card with a beach in the background, the City is not what you think you see. The bright lights of 42nd Street blind the reality and the actuality of where we live. You see those bright lights are the lights for stars and the stars we want to be. But when the lights go out, reality shines and what you see is darkness, struggle, and every man for himself. Ain't no hands held for you in the City of Dreams. In fact, the city is full of dreamers, and only the ones who finally break free from the darkness make it to shine as bright as those 42nd Street lights. But what about the rest of us?

What about the young men and women who grew up a hard knock life, where streets didn't have lights, and when the sun went down the faint glow was of gun shots seen from blocks down. What about the young men who live in NY housing projects who live the lives of stars by tuning in to a 106 & Park music video. These are our kings, the kings of the street who earn their royal status by hustling like those videos tell them too. And their beautiful queens, the queens who only care about dick, weed, money, and status who earn their royalty by being the most skilled with their tongues. Welcome to New York. No, not Broadway or Fashion Ave. No not Amsterdam or Wall Street. The nitty gritty.

Why are New York women so hostle? Because we deal with hostle ass niggas and what we supposed to do, allow it? No, we the women of New York, probably the most hostle, money minded, ambitious group of women you will ever meet. And yes, with all of that used in the right way, we become a huge success. So yes, hate us, hate our anger, we hate it too, but it fuels our fire and feeds our ambition. You'd be surprised what's underneath all that hostility. It's just a young girl looking to be loved and to love back. But our environment doesn't teach us that. It's a dog eat dog world, and bitches is hungry, starving.

Why are our men so damn hostle that we need to be hostle back? Iouno. But it must have to do something with going blind in the City of Lights. When you take away your senses, you lose yourself. You can't see what you're doing and you can't understand what someone else is trying to explain to you, cuz you blind nigga, and you can't see what they see. Ha, Welcome to New York.

Welcome to New York, my home, my happiness, my safe place.. Yes my City of Darkness. I love it, because it taught me so much. It taught me how to survive. It taught me how to not feel pain, because pain is everywhere and if you let it get to you, you won't make it. And I made it, and we make it everyday. "If I can make it here, I can make it anywhere" I am. We are. Yes we have that fuck you mentallity, because niggas really don't care. Ask yourself, if you seen me homeless laying on the sidewalk, what would you do for me? Nothing, maybe give me a dollar and keep it moving. That's the world as we see it. A world full of heartlesss niggas who claim to be filled with love. Nah, New York don't sugar coat shit, so see it from our eyes, our light less, life less eyes. It ain't the lights I care for when I come home. It's the struggle, because I know it made me the tuff ass I am now. My scars healed and my battle wounds shows the world I'm a soldier. I can take a hit and roll with it. So for those who hate us, keep shooting and and we'll keep dodging.

Welcome to New York. Welcome to the truth. Next time you wanna ask why me so mean. Ask us our life story, shut the fuck up, turn around, and walk the fuck away. You know why?

Cuz we from New York.

If you thik I'm easily influenced, you are easily mistaken - Toni