Lyrics:

Rakim - talking]
In the words of the late, great
Martin
Luther
King 'How long?
Not long' ...
Won't be long, uh huh
Uh, uh
Sing along [Chorus -
Rakim] (Tracey
Horton) - w/ ad libs (It won't be long, till the trouble and the struggle is gone
The hustle make the struggle get gone)
It's hard to make a move, we strugglin
Everybody hate to lose but they love to win (It won't be long, till the world sings the words to our song
That way we forever live on)
Back on my grind, I'm hustlin
It's just a matter of time and I'll come up again [Verse 1 -
Rakim]
They told me hustle never prolong
But I got caught up in the struggle like a slow song (uh huh) 'Cause my love and respect for this is so strong I question the state of hip-hop (uh), major labels, etc. and so on (uh)
The show'll go on, still fiend to get my blow on
But if it's like this, then I might quit
But hold on (uh), this can only go wrong but for so long (uh huh)
Get right quick or I might flip
Try to keep a tight lip, not to complain
Ramblin, mind scramblin 'cause patience ain't blockin the pain (uh uh)
Mic sick, lyrics is still locked in the brain (uh huh)
Like
Mike
Vick sittin' in jail watchin the game (uh) I wait till the day I can play my position (yeah)
Or should I say the die I obey my addiction (uh huh)
Then complete my legacy (uh)
Without compromisin my artistic integrity (come on) [Chorus] - w/ ad libs [Verse 2 -
Rakim]
So when they ask where I go from here (go 'head)
The road and the goal is clear (uh) but it's so severe (uh)
Sometimes I feel like lettin go, I swear I had setbacks my whole career (straight y'all)
Messin with my grind's like messin with my mind
But yo, I'm still breathin, so I guess it's just a sign (uh huh)
But it's meaning to the message in the lines (word up)
Some things happen for a reason like a blessing in disguise
But success was in my eyes, the shine was blindin me
The fame, a little bit of change, it took some time to see
The lesson for the wise, profit more
Time to be a record and the prize was poppin' off
Finally I made a couple of moves, got my own label (got to get it)
Me and a couple of dudes, we at the dope table (let's get that money)
Took a oath to stay true, now it's an empire
Put out the new
Rakim album and it's fire [Chorus] - w/ ad libs [Verse 3 -
Rakim]
Feel like I'm back where I belong when I'm in the booth (uh)
Produce and perform at my pinnacle (uh huh)
Speak the truth in my songs and my interviews (the truth)
For the youth and my dons and my women too (uh huh)
Guap insisted, watch your business with a drama dunn (get that money)
Hustlers is where we get persona from
Gotta get it, not just wish a dollar come
We optimistic since
Obama won
But these days of recession
We ain't safe yet (uh huh), pray, a paycheck away from the
Great
Depression (uh)
Major stressin but we wait for blessings
Long as the
Federal
Reserve still paper pressing I wrote the plot for gettin' this cabbage in the hood
Where the average cat can triple his status in the hood
Don't stop, till we livin' lavish in the hood I'm like
Barack with
The
Stimulus
Package in the hood [Chorus] - w/ ad libs [Outro -
Tracey
Horton] - w
Rakim ad libs until fade
It won't be long, till the trouble and the struggle is gone
The hustle make the struggle get gone
It won't be long, till the world sings the words to our song
That way we forever live on