[Intro]
Word up…
Cash rules everything.. aye God.. yo God
It’s funny how they try to make crime into a so-called “Black thing” right
But gangster see gangster do..
We just copying what we saw y'all do
That’s all the fuck it is
[Verse 1]
Detroit birth the Nation of Islam near Fenkell and Wyoming
So I don’t eat pork when I go to the Coney
The old English "D" so big, but so small
Trap all night then hit Sommerset Mall
Detroit, Michigan 48219
From 7 mile to Schoolcraft AK's & 9's
Bentler Ave “Tweezy”
My spot off the heezy
So you can make mine extra cheesy
But enough about me, let’s talk about my environment
And the gangster before me inspired the street climate
I'll start near the beginning in the 1920's
In the prohibition era the genesis of street money
There was this Jewish gangster named Abe, his friends called him Purple
Nothing but hijackers and savages in his circle
Purple gang was an army, better yet a navy
Shoot outs with the polish lizard gang and the little Jewish Navy
Extorted dry cleaners and imported Canadian whiskey
Cunning a violent, became a millionaire quickly
Attended the Atlantic City Conference with Lansky and Lucky
An underworld summit on the Boardwalk hosted by Nucky
The dots were connecting.. They was a 100% certain
The underworld knew... Detroit was working
Rum running Tommy Gunning.. who said crime don’t pay
They helped Capone set up Bugs Moran for St. Valentine’s Day
[Hook]
Cash rules everything around me
C.R.E.A.M., get the money
Dollar dollar bill, y'all
Cash rules everything around me
C.R.E.A.M., get the money
Dollar dollar bill, y'all
[Verse 2]
The Adamo brothers were originally, from Alcamo Sicily
They were chiefs of the black hand in Detroit’s little Italy/
Extorted merchants, grocers, bakers, and butchers
And they were beer barons and feared blood thirsty butchers
“Mustache Petes”.. old school Mafiosos
Chokehold on the game that the youngsters wouldn't go foe
The Gianola Family got tired of being fruit vendors
Started playing the rackets to get some of that illegal tender
Started a war with the Adomos to get that big bread
Both sides shot it out and left plenty dead
The war was bloody, the feud really was on
Til' the Adamos got shot up in front of their home
The Gianolas took over.. but it was short lived
They only had Detroit on lock for about 4 or 5 years
Got into it with Johnny Vitale shit got real
Tony and Salvatore Gianolla.. both got killed
With the Gianolas out the way
It was safe say
Vitale was the don of Detroit for that day
The Gianolla organization splintered off
As the Eastside mob and Westside mob
But Johnny V. didn't last long either
Ordered a drive-by on 3 young up and coming high achievers
Heavy is the head, it cost to be the don
Retaliation killed his nephew and 17 year old son
[Hook]
Cash rules everything around me
C.R.E.A.M., get the money
Dollar dollar bill, y'all
Cash rules everything around me
C.R.E.A.M., get the money
Dollar dollar bill, y'all
[Verse 3]
The bullets that hit John Vitale Jr
Was really meant for John Vitale Sr
But they caught up with him eventually, 2 months later
Hit em' up, bye-bye Johnny see you later
A new Don was selected, they called him "Singing Sam"
He brought the east and west back together, yeah he was the man
"Unione Scicilliana" Detroit boss of all bosses
Reigned peacefully for 9 years and died from natural causes
The purple gang was falling apart, in-fighting within in their factions
Allowed the mafia to get a bigger piece of prohibition actions
Gasper Millazo took over after Singing Sam died
And briefly kept Detroit Mafiosi allied
But it fell apart soon, more blood and gore
New York exploded with the Castellammarese War
All “Godfathers” 'cross country had to choose sides
Moranzano or Maseria, you had to choose sides
Millazo picked Moranzano, Maseria didn't like this
Decided to kill Milazzo fast and swift
Had him gunned down at the Vernor fish market
And another war between east and west Detroit started
With Maseria's support, Caesar LaMare was king of the land
But after killing Milazzo, he was a marked man
Went underground for a year, he was afraid of getting whacked
But 2 of his own guys him in the back
[Hook]
Cash rules everything around me
C.R.E.A.M., get the money
Dollar dollar bill, y'all
Cash rules everything around me
C.R.E.A.M., get the money
Dollar dollar bill, y'all
[Verse 4]
The new ruling council in Detroit, was Angelo Meli
William Tocco and brother-in-law Joe Zerilli
After the killing of Maseria.. and Maranzano
A nationwide commission was organized by Lucky Luciano
It was a new day.. in a new world
The partnership was the heart of the Michigan underworld
But William Tocco got indicted and stepped down as boss
So his cousin Joe Zerilli became the new boss
Godfather for 40 years everything was peaceful
No full scale war everything was peaceful
There was a boss, underboss and consigliare
But no one talked to the top 3 directly
A street boss was the go-between
For the top3 and capo regimes
Soldiers on the street scored and kicked up the cream
The Zerilli family.. they weren’t just a crime family
Related through money and blood.. they really were family
Intertwined by blood relation, they trusted few
Arranged marriages between they sons, daughters, nieces and nephews
Of bosses capo regimes, and soldiers
Couldn’t be infiltrated by the federal or local rollers
On everything that circulated, they wet their beak
Taxed any and all money that was made on the street on the street
James Hoffa got too big.. so he had to disappeared
Vanished into thin air and no one knows where
[Hook]
Cash rules everything around me
C.R.E.A.M., get the money
Dollar dollar bill, y'all
Cash rules everything around me
C.R.E.A.M., get the money
Dollar dollar bill, y'all
[Verse 5]
Didn't have to be Italian to be an associate
Many black business men and gangsters was affiliates
You ain't know?.. that's how Berry Gordy got down
Used Mafia backed loans to start up MoTown
Before integration Blacks gangsters reached a new tax bracket
In the Black Bottom Paradise Valley numbers rackets
There was this guy named St Luis Geech
Numbers king who never paid a mafia leach
Got rich retired and left his interest to "Monk" Watson
Black owned and operated.. the streets was watching
In addition to numbers he owned the Twenty Grand Club
And Motown hangout and black social hub
At the same time Joe Louis was Heavy Weight Champ of the world
His manager John Roxborough was a boss in the numbers worlds
Both him and Watson was part of the Big 12 Syndicate
Big war-chest just in case them and the Mafia got into it
But they both caught cases for bribing the mayor, city hall cops
That's when the era of Black policy kings stopped
Italians swooped in like blood thirsty vultures
To colonize the Black underworld policy culture
Papa John Prizoli used the Carrado's connection in the policy game
To recruit new associates for the heroin game
Frankie established of secret drug cash flow
The inspiration for Godfather's Virgil Solozzo
Brought the dope to Detroit from the borders of Canada
Supplied the whole country and the math for the money was doing algebra
Lucked up in the hood and found a violent motherfucker
Named Francis, but the called him “Frank Nitti Usher”
[Hook]
Cash rules everything around me
C.R.E.A.M., get the money
Dollar dollar bill, y'all
Cash rules everything around me
C.R.E.A.M., get the money
Dollar dollar bill, y'all
[Verse 6]
The 1970's and 80's brought the explosion of the black street gang
And with it, came a new way of doing things
It was the Black Killers, Chambers, Curry Boys, and the Earl Flynn
YBI, Pony Down, Davis Fam, and Best Friends
And fuck the mafia, n***as going direct now
Columbian and Mexican connects now
The Flynns robbed concert goers at Cobo Hall
Wallets, purses, pocketbook yeah they took it all
YBI started on Dexter and stretched all over west
Big boy Butch Jones not the one to test
They were the biggest and baddest YBI was bad news
Had beef with Leroy and the pony down crew
Stealing YBI custos, dropped the price on the work
Planted their flag in the middle of YBI turf
They knew it was gon' be war from the start
Beef with YBI you crazy or had mad heart
Can't forget the Chambers B.J., Larry, Willie and Otis
They went fed you can't look them up on O.T.I.S
Brothers turn Detroit into a terror town
Maserati Rick hooked up with Rockin' Reg and Boog Brown
Beef with the other put Rick in a hospital bed
Someone walked in his room, and put a bullet in his head
Demetris saw the writing on the wall, and he went into hiding
Hide out for about a year and half before deciding
To come back around.. he was spending thousands on clothe at the Broadway
Gunners came through the front door killed him in broad day
These are just a few stories, from my city's underworld past
Detroit Rock City... it's all about the cash
As you see mankind is a serious threat
To another of its kind when there's something to get
[Outro Hook]
Yeah, yeah
Cash rules everything around me
C.R.E.A.M., get the money
Dollar dollar bill, y'all
Cash rules everything around me
C.R.E.A.M., get the money
Dollar dollar bill, y'all
Cash rules everything around me
C.R.E.A.M., get the money
Dollar dollar bill, y'all
Cash rules everything around me
C.R.E.A.M., get the money
Dollar dollar bill, y'all-all-all, yeah
