Regulate

[Intro — Spoken] Yeah… Late night, city lights, everybody outside You already know what time it is They call me Bobby Let’s ride… [Hook — Melodic] We regulate, regulate When the whole city gets dark Keep your head on a swivel You can feel it from the start We regulate, regulate Ain’t nobody taking mine When the pressure gets heavy That’s when day ones come alive [Verse 1 — Rap] Blacktop shining underneath the moonlight Rolling through the city, everything feeling too right Phone on silent, music playing through the speakers Looking for my people, trying to find the real ones deeper Made a left downtown, saw a few familiar faces Couple guys posted up, laughing in different places Pulled over, stepped out, thought it was all love Then I saw the way they looked and knew something was up One second we were talking, next second hands were reaching Trying to take everything, now the whole scene's switching Chain gone, watch gone, money from my pocket Funny how they call you family till there's something they can profit I said, “Hold up, this ain't how the story goes” Then I heard somebody yelling, “Bobby, get low!” Whole block froze, pressure climbing by the second That's when I realized this wasn't about a necklace [Hook — Melodic] We regulate, regulate When the whole city gets dark Keep your head on a swivel You can feel it from the start We regulate, regulate Ain’t nobody taking mine When the pressure gets heavy That's when day ones come alive [Verse 2 — Rap] They had me surrounded, trying to corner the kid Thinking I would fold because they caught me off guard But I looked down the block and saw my brother pull up Same old ride, same face, that's when the whole mood changed up He jumped out yelling, “Bobby!” I said, “I'm right here!” Suddenly the same dudes who were tough disappeared Funny how courage gets smaller when the real ones appear And loyalty speaks louder than a hundred fake cheers No need for a speech, no need for a warning We made it through the night and watched the sunrise coming Got my people in the car, everybody accounted Sometimes you don't know who's solid till the pressure gets crowded Back on the freeway with the city in the mirror Thinking about the people that I thought would always be nearer Money can disappear, jewelry can get replaced But when somebody shows you who they are, don't forget the face [Bridge — R&B Vocal] Late night, city glowing Bass line, windows open We been through the fire Still we keep on going If you know, then you know Real ones never fold When the world gets cold That's when loyalty shows [Verse 3 — Rap] Now the night's young and we're riding again Same city, different mindset, I ain't hiding again I got scars from the people I once called brothers But I learned real loyalty ain't something you discover It's built over years, through the losses and wins Through the broke-down days when nobody checked in Through the champagne nights when everybody wants pictures Through the hard conversations that can expose the pretenders So I ride with my circle, keep the energy tight No drama in the whip, just the city at night Bass knocking hard while the streetlights pass Looking in the rearview like, “We really made it past that” From Connecticut nights to Florida skies Still carrying that hunger that you see in my eyes Bobby Rico, remember the name I don't need to chase respect, I let the work explain [Final Hook — Melodic / Big Harmonies] We regulate, regulate When the whole city gets dark Keep your head on a swivel You can feel it from the start We regulate, regulate Ain't nobody taking mine When the pressure gets heavy That's when day ones come alive [Outro — G-Funk Vocal / Spoken] Chords… strings… Bassline underneath the melody City lights, late nights Real ones know what time it is We don't chase the era… We create our own. They call me Bobby. Yeah… Regulate.