J. Cole - Port Antonio lyrics

[Refrain]
Ride to it, ride to it
Ride to it, ride to it
Ride to it, ride to it
Ride to it, ride to it
Ride to it, ride to it
Ride to it, ride to it
Ride to it, ride to it
Ride to it (Uh)

[Verse 1]
Young Jermaine walked the straight and narrow
Minimum-wage jobs for dinero
But still, my mind was on the zeros
I fiend for the perks that was seen flippin' birds, so
We was skipping church
But my eyes was on the sparrows
Niggas flippin' pies, spendin' thousands on apparel
Shit, I wanna shine too, I want dimes too
Jealous niggas wanna know just how my rhymes blew
Mano a mano, I'm Bono, I'm you times two


Now I'm bougie, I done outgrew the fountain blue
But never forgot the spot where I developed my plot
The dwellin', the top, the Ville
Where all my skeletons locked
If I could do it all over, then I never would swap
I've seen good, I've seen bad
Had my melanin mocked
I've seen lifelong friends turn to devilish opps
I was Mike in red leather, tryna tell him to stop
You better beat it 'fore you see
The heavy-metal get popped
He was a mean-ass wing with a hell of a shot
But if no team draft King, he gon' bet on the block
He wanna ball 'til he fall or 'til the federals knock
And sit his ass on a bench
For movin' careless with rock
You can't relate, 'less your father was not around
And your mother went out and
Found someone else and then brought them 'round
And they salaries then combine
When they married, it brought you out
Of that poverty, then you moved
To a soft little part of town
So that when you back in the hood
You feel awkward about it now (Damn)
And your confidence start to drown
But the rappin' gave you some positive thoughts
And you jot 'em down
You jot 'em down

[Refrain]
Ride to it, ride to it
Ride to it, ride to it
Ride to it, ride to it
Ride to it, ride to it

[Chorus]
Y'all niggas ain't stoppin' me
Y'all niggas ain't stoppin' me
Y'all niggas ain't stoppin' me
Y'all niggas ain't stoppin' me
Y'all niggas ain't stoppin' me
Y'all niggas ain't stoppin' me
Y'all niggas ain't stoppin' me
Yeah, uh

[Verse 2]
Benjamin Button, Cole flows reverse time
To find deliveries good as mine
You gotta search primes
I'm scaling heights higher than birds can perch
Tryin' to be something
Hopin' that peace comes to my cursed mind
One thing's for sure
That I've matured from my first rhyme
I learned long ago, you can't please 'em all
And it hurts trying
In this game, where all you've got is your name
Like Durk, I'm smirkin' at niggas tryna besmirch mine
Absurd times, where the fake get toted as wise
I can see hate in both of your eyes but the third's blind
So you search lines
But you struggle, which explains the puzzled look
On the dull face as the word finds
I hate what raps become but like do-not-disturb signs
Can't knock it if I see it's 'bout the dough
They instigate the fuckery because it's profitable
But singin' "stop the violence" tunes
When dudes in hospitals
I pulled the plug because
I've seen where that was 'bout to go
They wanted blood, they wanted clicks
To make they pockets grow
They see this fire in my pen
And think I'm dodgin' smoke
I wouldn't have lost a battle, dawg
I woulda lost a bro
I woulda gained a foe, and all for what?
Just to attain some mo'
Props from strangers that don't got
A clue what I been aimin' for?
Since the age of fourteen, Jermaine is no king
If that means I gotta dig up dirt
And pay the whole team
Of algorithm-bot niggas just
To sway the whole thing
On social media, competin' for your
Favorable means
To be considered best or live and rest?
The weight of both things
I understand the thirst of being first
That made 'em both swing
Protecting legacies, so lines got crossed
Perhaps regrettably
My friends went to war
I walked away with all they blood on me
Now some will discredit me
Try wipe away my pedigree
But please, find a nigga out
That's rappin' this incredibly, uh
My dawg texted me
I'll share the words he said to me
"If you refuse to shoot the gun
Don't mean the gun ain't deadly," uh
I guess in that metaphor, hypothetically, the gun is me
I text him back like
"Guess a gun ain't what I'm tryna be, my nigga"
They strip me of my spot
And now I'm finally free, my nigga
They say I'm pickin' sides
Ayy, don't you lie on me, my nigga
Then start another war
Ayy, Drake, you'll always be my nigga
I ain't ashamed to say you did a lot for me, my nigga
Fuck all the narratives
Tappin' back into your magic pen is what's imperative
Remindin' these folks why we do it, it's not for beefin'
It's for speakin' our thoughts
Pushin' ourselves, reachin' the charts
Reaching your minds, deep
In your heart, screamin' to find
Emotions to touch, somethin' inside to open you up
Help you cope with the rough times and shit
I'm sendin' love 'cause we ain't promised shit
My nigga

[Chorus]
Y'all niggas ain't stoppin' me
Y'all niggas ain't stoppin' me
Y'all niggas ain't stoppin' me
Y'all niggas ain't stoppin' me
Y'all niggas ain't stoppin' me
Y'all niggas ain't stoppin' me
Y'all niggas ain't stoppin' me