[Intro: Alicia Keys (Baby Cham)]
Here's my, ghetto story (Story)
Been in [bad word] through the fire, now, gonna take it higher (This a survival story, [bad word] ghetto story) 
Here's my, ghetto story (Story)
So many reasons to sing now, plus now we got the keys to the kingdom (This is my story, real ghetto story, hey) 

[Verse 1: Akon] 
See I was born poor like many men and didn't have nothin 
Came to America try to make somethin out of somethin 
You see we Africans we love huntin 
Found my way up to the top like it wasn't nothin 
And hooked up with some Puerto Ricans up in Jersey 
We used to be called the Baldwin posse 
Had it locked we zoned it up to Union City 
And a couple of projects in New York City 

[Verse 2: Baby Cham] 
I remember those days when [bad word] was my home 
When Me and Mama bed was a big piece a foam 
An mi never like bathe and my hair [bad word] 
When Mama gone a work me go street go roam 
I remember when Danny dem tek me snow cone 
An mek him likkle bredda dem kick up Jerome 
I remember when we visit dem wid pure big stone 
An the boy Danny pop out something weh full chrome 

[Verse 3: Akon] 
But cats know better than to play around me 
And knew I kept the AK displayed around me 
And I moved down to the to find more cheese 
And I found out cars make more than we 

[Verse 4: Baby Cham] 
I remember when [bad word]  Fatta get him knee blown 
An mi best friend Richie get, two inna him dome 
I remember so the avenue tun inna warzone 
An ,Mickey madda fly him out, cau she get a loan 
But, Mickey go to foreign and go tun Al Capone 
Mek whole heap a money and sen in our own 
Now a we a lock the city and, that is well known 
Yesterday Mickey call me pan mi phone 
Mi say Mickey...
 [bad word]  Baby Cham {Akon}]
Wi get di ting dem 
Dem outta luck now 
Mi squeeze seven and the whole a dem a duck now 
Wi have whole heap a extra clip cau we nuh [bad word] now 
(This a survival story, [bad word] ghetto story) 
Rah...Rah..Rah...Rah 
Wi get di ting dem, So dem haffi rate wi 
{And this is my story, Akon story}
Cau we a tek it to them wicked of lately 
And now the [bad word] a live greatly 
(This a survival story, [bad word] ghetto story) 
Rah...Rah..Rah...Rah