Once upon a time, you was just a kid dreamin’, schemin’ trying to make a dollar and hide ya three cents from the man. A penny saved is a penny earned, but the leader in line never learned to wait his turn. By the fourth grade for yourself you made a name celebratin’ all the dope you slang wit fifths of Ciroc and trap boys six times your age. Thursday from Monday you can't tell the difference; all seven look the same. Eight hours is the house min; no benefits, vacation, or overtime. From nine to nine is only the start of the grind. Ten pairs of J's, all 11s, is your take home pay for movin’ them 12 OZs of rocked up weight. Thirteen years ago, you never thought you'd see the day that a week of feet to the streets would net more than your mom's monthly take-home pay. Fourteenth and Roosevelt was crackin’ that night. The fiends was high, the hoes was out, and this one in particular caught ya eye. You was so mesmerized; all you could picture was slidin’ between her thighs. Got so caught up thinkin’ wit ya dick, you forgot the cardinal rule of the game: as grimy as these niggas were, the bitches was twice as slick. So yeah, she let you hit. Fifteen minutes later you was all up in her shit. Little did you know, you shoulda asked for ID. ‘Cause the pretty caramel vixen that laid between ya sheets was only sixteen. A high school drop out who did nothin’ but run the streets and read Cosmo and Seventeen. Eight teens on the block been peepin’ ya game. From day in to day out, ya routine stayed the same. You was movin’ too much weight, infringin’ on they paper. So to the Feds they went, and your name they snitched. Bright and early the 19th precinct knocked at ya door before they kicked it down. You only in ya boxers, ya bitch in her nightgown. Twenty officers millin’ around, and three days before ya 21st your fate was sealed and sound. Twenty-two bands and kilos got you solitary for twenty-three hours out the day. Three hots and a cot, collect calls, and a jumpsuit was all the pigs had to say to get ya girl to break. Her testimony alone is what got you sent upstate. 24 hours in a cage, lookin’ at 25 to life, and it's starin’ right back at you wit a smile on its face. Got ya whole squad on 26th and California fightin’ cases, while ya not-so ride or die wastes no time hittin’ the pavement, seein’ who can finance her wit a fresh 27-piece and her own place; fuckin’, suckin’, and buckin’ on any Tom and Harry's Dick so she ain't gotta go back to her mama's basement. 28 days drag their feet to your arraignment, goin’ insane in the membrane tryna figure out where the time went. 29 past the hour, tryin’ it's best to hit thirty. Karma replayin’ the lines of your life, rewinding all the cats you undermined and did dirty. Finally it's the 31st of the month and your docket's next up on the judge’s list. In your cuffs and shackles, around the courtroom you see all the state's witnesses. All got a grudge, a gripe, and a story to tell. 32 faces stare back at you, not one wishin’ you well. They plotted and planned for this day, rehearsed at the dinner table the lies they were paid to say. If for nothin’ more than to put you away, sharin’ a bullpen wit 33 other wrongfully accused inmates. In the middle of the testimony, it slips. The brains behind the raid is none other than ya bitch. She wanted ya riches with you out the picture so off her friends she tipped then out the door she slipped and your money she split. With rage your eyes are burnin’. Inside your stomach's turnin’. You gave her half your Gs ‘cause she told you she was harvestin’ ya seed. Now you can't believe you fell for her smile and those damn 34Ds. With you the judge has had his fill. He bangs his gavel, declaring you captive til ya 35th. 3 6s is all you see ‘cause you sold ya soul to the devil for a get-rich-quick scheme. But he's one that never keeps his promise. His bag of not-so-goodies got you booked and took to 37th St. at Riker's Island. A .38 special is your only way free. And there it hangs, by the waist of the bailiff. You grab it and shove it between your teeth. This ain't the way it's supposed to be. Got caught up in the life, crime just came wit the territory. 39 weeks later, the seed you'll never see came into this world. And for all your drama, stress, and strife, God blessed you with a little girl. 40 days go by, and from the heavens you find yourself wishing for the happily ever to that once upon a time.