[Encore, 2004]

I'm supposed to be the soldier who never blows [bad word] Even though I hold the weight of the whole world on my shoulders
I am never supposed to show it,my crew ain't supposed to know it
Even if it means goin' toe to toe with a Benzino it don't matter
I'd never drag them in battles that I can handle unless I absolutely have to I'm supposed to set an example 
I need to be the leader,my crew looks for me to guide 'em
If some [bad word] ever just pop off,I'm supposed to be beside 'em
Now the Ja [bad word] I tried to squash it,it was too late to stop it
There's a certain line you just don't cross and he crossed it
I heard him say Hailie's name on a song and I just lost it
It was crazy, this [bad word] be way beyond some Jay-z and Nas [bad word] And even though the battle was won,I feel like we lost it
I spent too much energy on it,honestly I'm exhausted
And I'm so caught in it I almost feel I'm the one who caused it
This ain't what I'm in hip-hop for,it's not why I got in it
That was never my object for someone to get killed
Why would I wanna destroy something I help build
It wasn't my intentions, my intentions was good
I went through my whole career without ever mentionin'
Now it's just out of respect for [bad word]  my mouth
And talkin' about something that I knew nothing about
Plus Dre told me stay out, this just wasn't my beef
So I did, I just fell back,watched and gritted my teeth
While he's all over t.v. down talkin' a man who literally saved my life
Like [bad word] it I understand this is business
And this [bad word] just isn't none of my business
But still knowin' this [bad word] could pop off at any minute cuz...
There used to be a time when you could just say a rhyme 
And wouldn't have to worry about one of your people dyin' 
But now it's elevated cuz once you put someone's kids in it 
The [bad word] gets escalated,it ain't just words no more is it? 
It's a different ball game,callin' names and you ain't just rappin' 
We actually tried to stop the 50 and Ja beef from happenin' 
Me and Dre had sat with him,kicked it and had a chat with him 
And asked him not to start it he wasn't gonna go after him 
Until Ja started yappin' in magazines how we stabbed him  [bad word] it 50 smash 'em, mash 'em and let him have it 
Meanwhile my attention is pullin' in other directions 
Some receptionist at The Source who answers phones at his desk 
Has an obsession for me and thinks that I'll be his resurrection 
Tries to blow the dust off his mic and make a new record 
But now he's [bad word] the game up cuz one of the ways I came up 
Was through that publication the same one that made me famous 
Now the owner of it has got a [bad word] against me for nothin' 
Well [bad word] it, that [bad word] can get it too, [bad word] him then 
But I'm so busy being [bad word] off I don't stop to think 
That we just inherited 50's beef with Murder Inc. 
And he's inherited mine which is fine ain't like either of us mind 
We still have soldiers that's on the front line 
That's willing to die for us as soon as we give the orders 
Never to extort us, strictly to show they support us 
We'll maybe shout 'em out in a rap or up in a [bad word] 
To show them we love 'em back and let 'em know how important it is 
To [bad word] Avenue Soldiers up in our corners
Their loyalty to us is worth more than any award is 
But I ain't tryna have none of my people hurt and murdered 
It ain't worth it I can't think of a perfecter way to word it
Than to just say that I love ya'll too much to see the verdict 
I'll walk away from it all before I let it go any further
But don't get it twisted, it's not a plea that I'm coppin' 
I'm just willin' to be the bigger man If ya'll can