Essence - Az Izz, Nas

[Intro: AZ & Nas]
–	Ayo! Whassup, what's up, let's keep it real, son! Count this money, you know what I'm sayin'?
–	Yeah yeah!
–	Ayo, put the Grants over there in the safe, you know what I'm sayin'? ‘Cause we spendin' these Jacksons,  the Washingtons go to wifey, you know how that go?
–	I'm sayin' that's what this is all about, right? Clothes, bankrolls and hoes, you know what I'm sayin'? Yo, then what, man, what?

[Verse 1: AZ]
Visualizin' the realism of life, in actuality
Fuck who's the baddest, a person's status depends on salary,
And my mentality is money-orientated,
I'm destined to live the dream for all my peeps who never made it,
‘Cause, yeah, we were beginners in the hood as five-percenters
But something musta got in us ‘cause all of us turned to sinners,
Now some rest in peace and some are sittin' in San Quentin,
Others such as myself are tryna carry on tradition,
Keepin' this Schweppervescent street ghetto essence inside us,
‘Cause it provides us with the proper insight to guide us,
Even though, we know somehow we all gotta go
But as long as we leaving thievin',
We'll be leavin' with some kinda dough, so
Until that day we expire and turn to vapors
Me and my capers will be somewhere stackin' plenty papers,
Keepin' it real, packin' steel, gettin' high
‘Cause life's a bitch and then you die.

[Chorus: AZ]
Life's a bitch and then you die,
That's why we get high
‘Cause you never know when you gonna go.
Life's a bitch and then you die,
That's why we puff lye
‘Cause you never know when you gonna go.
Life's a bitch and then you die,
That's why we get high
‘Cause you never know when you gonna go.
Life's a bitch and then you die,
That's why we puff lye.

[Verse 2: Nas]
I woke up early on my born day, I'm twenty, it's a blessing,
The essence of adolescence leaves my body, now I'm fresh, and
My physical frame is celebrated ‘cause I made it,
One quarter through life some Godly-like thing created.
Got rhymes three-sixty-five days annual plus some,
Load up the mic and bust one, cuss while I pus from
My skull, ‘cause it's pain in my brain, vein, money maintain,
Don't go against the grain, simple and plain.
When I was young at this, I used to do my thing hard,
Robbin' foreigners, take their wallets, their jewels, and rip their green cards,
Dipped to the projects, flashin' my quick cash and
Got my first piece of ass, smokin' blunts with hash.
Now it's all about cash in abundance,
Niggas I used to run with, is rich or doin' years in the hundreds,
I switched my motto, instead of sayin' “fuck tomorrow”
That buck that bought a bottle could've struck the lotto.
Once I stood on the block, loose cracks, produce stacks,
I cooked up and cut small pieces to get my loot back,
Time is illmatic, keep static like wool fabric,
Pack a fourmatic to crack your whole cabbage.

[Chorus]