Introduction:

"The man I worked for, he had one of the biggest companies in New York City. He ran it for more than fifty years. Fifteen years, eight months, nine days, I was with him every day. I looked after him, took care of him, protected him. I learned from him. Bumpy was rich, but he wasn't white man rich. You see he wasn't wealthy. He didn't own his own company. He thought he did, but he didn't. He just managed it. White man owned it so they owned him. Nobody owns me, though." - Denzel Washington (American Gangster 2007)

[Verse One}

Filthy money wishes
We lottery scheming
That mission impossible
We plottin spots to rock
When the block gets hot
I want the mansion and the yacht
Just to say that we did it
See the criminal system
Is something that my team is never mission
Minorities listen when we're poverty stricken
Them words will save you
We only representing twelve percent
Of the continent that we living in
So as a Black man in America
Never in God have I trusted in
That's common sense
Egyptian pyramids on Christian dollars, kid
I want the cream
I'm trying to live it up like I'm Ray Liota
With a couple females
Bullet holes and some sea shells
The good life
I'll cop a couple thou'
And get my mouth fixed
Or thug it out for my people
With a chipped tooth and a white chick
That's how I'm living
I'll speak it simple
So you can paint the picture
From rags to riches
The baddest bitches
Ain't the Queens my n***a
I'm in the Lincoln
Trying to ride it out like Cadillac
My Grandpa had the Eighty-Nine
And when he died, he gave me that
My n***a where's your heart at?
Ayo I tucked it by my nut sack
So if a n***a try to test me
Best believe he getting all that
Before I fall back
And lay with the earth
My mom's retirement
Is something Ima provide
Even if I gotta ride for it

[Chorus]

Filthy money wishes
We went from rags to riches
I'm just trying to live it up
For homies serving time in prison
We'll be living large until the lights go out
We'll be living large until the lights go out (2x)

[Verse Two]

And what about that
See reality living ain't what I'm dreaming
We manifesting the future
It's coming so just get used to it
The rebirth of the African on American soil
That's revenge of the slave
Or the resurrection of higher elevation
I got the .45 and the shotty
But we tired of all that gun talk
Cause the cops is still corrupted
Meaning most of yall ain't bustin
So fuck it
I'd rather live it up and hit the town tonight
And spark the revolution
With a Molotov and candle light
We thuggin
To the villainous
Good Fellas, Untouchables
We sparking up the Cuban
And word to Formula we cruising
To the good life
I'll cop a couple mil'
And get my city fixed
Free meals for the children
A better house to live with cheap expenses
Cause word is bond
My n***as are out here trying to get it
I'm trying to make it out
Without becoming another statistic
So stick to the mission
We about the rock the nation
Like the Reagan Era
And Black Panther Party Genocide
In all it's terror

[Chorus]

Filthy money wishes
We went from rags to riches
I'm just trying to live it up
For homies serving time in prison
We'll be living large until the lights go out
We'll be living large until the lights go out (2x)

"The most important thing in business is honesty, integrity, hardwork. Family, never forgetting where we came from. See you are what you are in this world, and that's either one of two things. Either you're somebody, or you're nobody. I'll be right back." - Denzel Washington (American Gangster 2007)