[Part 1]
It all started in ninety-eight (ninety-eight)
Writin' songs, recordin' tapes, anticipatin' the big break
My dream of a rap career just startin' to take shape
On a campus of my college down in morehead state

I was on a scholarship, studyin' in two minds
One's on the NFL, the other is spittin' rhymes
With a deal, gettin' signed was the goal of it all
'Cause to me my family deserved at least one star

On the cover of The Source or the Sports Illustrated
Either way they be able to look and say "One of us made it!"
I'd be bringin' home the bacon, with grits and eggs
So I stayed in the lab and trainin' my legs

Got associated with a couple cliques and crews
From Jersey to Kentucky, scribin' up different tunes
On a Amtrak, Delta flights and Greyhound buses
22-hour trips to see mom, but losin' luggage

[Hook]
They say, nothing ventured, nothing gained
And sometimes you risk it all to earn your name
And sometimes you win, you lose, but faith remains
If you wanna know glory, you gotta know pain