[Verse 1: Joell Ortiz]
Heatmakerz
Crack Music
Little old me, from 6H5F and 4D
In a project complex with thirteen
Seven-story buildings in Brooklyn, not too far from Queens
With a dream, thank God, He let me dream
I'd imagine better things and try to block out everything I've seen
Be on a natural high, walking by fiends
And drug dealers harassing my mother for money
I was the number one jokester when nothing was funny
Headphones tuned out all of the sirens
As I'd lean over for a sip of water from a fire hydrant
I played Skelly over last night's murder scene
With a dream, thank God, He let me dream
Chased behind trucks, tryna haggle for ice cream
A million ways to beg and not a dollar in my jeans
Can't tell you how but I just knew I knew
The first time I mic check, one two, one two

[Chorus: Joell Ortiz]
It was all a dream
Imagine me smilin' all in these magazines
I was out there serving fiends, loading up magazines
Could have been behind the wall
So everyday I pray and thank God that He helped me through it all a dream
Imagine me smilin' all in these magazines
I was out there serving fiends, loading up magazines
Rollin' dice on the curb, now I'm in Vegas suites
Your boy made it out the streets, it was all a dream
[Verse 2: Joell Ortiz]
I looked up to dudes who used to look up to the sky
After pourin' out forties or old ear, sane eyed's
Drugs in our pockets, guns on our sides
Prepared for both the fiends and the problems to arrive
See, we was used to all that drama, ridin' by
Wavin' death out the window, so everybody traumatized
As tough as we looked, man, nobody want to die, man
We had dreams, everybody's got a dream
Pardon me if I look at some things differently
Feels like I'm on borrowed time, this is the
Epitome of lucky than a muhfucker mixed in with consistency
Too long of a road to have a short-term memory
I chased this dream so we could escape the misery
My mom and me, some part of me knew poverty ain't meant for me
We're starvin', be the honesty, and my bars garnished energy retardedly
They follow me, the fans that is, they've been with me before the three
And y'all came in the picture, I was artistry, in all the three
Magazines that mattered, that's the saucony
X excellin' vibe, my tripe XLT was a vibe
That n***a Joell Ortiz is that guy
Still can't deny what the Slaughterhouse did for me, four of us made history
Tour buses or windows seats across bodies of water, all because of what we did to beats
Livin' the dream, thank God, He let us dream
This Rise & Fall shit is closure for the fans
Know you mad we put the truth out in the open, y'all
But damn, y'all gon spin a narrative like every moment that you can?
Like the group coulda been saved, it's been over for us, fam
Too long a journey to have a short-term memory
I could see the younger me vividly
A rappin' asthmatic, rockin' my pants backwards
Sharin' fries 'cause we ain't have it
I'll never be defined by a tax bracket
Designer track jacket with the hat to match it, fantastic
Yeah, that's that shit, I'm more Bo Jackson's
Married man, three home owner, one kid in college
The other one just made me grandpa, let's be honest
I'm blessed beyond measure, more moments to treasure
A chapter ends, one begins, keep going, get better
Live your life 'cause nothing and no one's forever
And chase your dreams, thank God, He let me dream
[Chorus: Joell Ortiz]
It was all a dream
Imagine me smilin' all in these magazines
I was out there serving fiends, loading up magazines
Could have been behind the wall
So everyday I pray and thank God that He helped me through it all
A dream
Imagine me smilin' all in these magazines
I was out there serving fiends, loading up magazines
Rollin' dice on the curb, now I'm in Vegas suites
Your boy made it out the streets, it was all a dream