[Intro]
You are who you associate with
Look around at your five closest friends
And that's who you are
If you don't want to be that person
You know what you gotta do

[Chorus: Nas]
Association breeds similarity
That's why I'ma stay with real rich niggas
'til six niggas carry me
Poverty's a mind state
Time waits for no man, but no man
Wants to die a poor man with no plan
Association breeds similarity
That's why I'ma stay with real rich niggas
'til six niggas carry me
Poverty's a mind state
Time waits for no man, but no man
Wants to die a poor man with no plan

[Verse 1: Nas]
You can try to kill me, but I come back
Hate me, that's a small thing
Demons let the sword swing and sever off my offspring
Bitches try to see me down, hugging the floor
Bullets pulling me, playing tug of war
With my body, gravity got me
Police want me arrested, just to see me naked
Snakes want my necklace, fake niggas make me set-trip
Thugs shooting reckless (every night, niggas)
Wonder, how will I exit (from this life, niggas?)
Think you a killer, get cement shoes in the river
You should watch them people with you
Let them street rules hit you
If you hang around snitches, you get judged for that
'Cause you condone it, you know there ain't no love for that
There's slugs for that
Oh, you didn't know your man was talking?
That's why you stand with him, 'til you both land in the coffin
When you first heard he was snitching, then you should have thought
Every time this nigga got caught selling, they let him walk
Early on a nigga was taught, stay away from them niggas
So a nigga like Nas got nothing to say to them niggas
I fuck with, only the trusted thug clique
Who really done shit, run up in your bitch, bust the gun quick

[Chorus: Nas & Stic. man]
Association breeds similarity
That's why I'ma stay with real rich niggas
'til six niggas carry me
Poverty's a mind state
Time waits for no man, but no man
Wants to die a poor man with no plan
Association breeds similarity
That's why I'ma stay with real rich niggas
'til six niggas carry me
Poverty's a mind state
Time waits for no man, but no man
Wants to die a poor man with no plan

[Verse 2: Nas]
Some bitches lie a lot, they could be fly or not
Actresses cry a lot, their girlfriends spy a lot
They can shake your hand, girl, then they take your man, girl
The whole hood knowing, we got something good going
None of these hoes is after me
'Til they saw us happy and that you bagged me
Now they wishing that they had me
So watch who you hang with, and who you cling with
You know these bitches ain't shit, they hoping to bank chips
(With a baller) after she done gave him some head
(He never called her) he gang it and he left her for dead
Birds of a feather fly together
But chickens don't fly, they eat their own shit and die
And you affiliated, now you look weak
'Cause your peeps is freaks
Credit card stealing hoes, well known in the streets
And they brought your down in the dirt
You was a pretty, young, smart thing
Going to work, I bet it hurt, 'cause you had a clean rep
But the girls you seen with make these niggas say
"I bet that bitch suck a mean dick", word

[Chorus: Nas & Stic. man]
Association breeds similarity
That's why I'ma stay with real rich niggas
'til six niggas carry me
Poverty's a mind state
Time waits for no woman, but no woman
Wants to die a poor woman with no man
Association breeds similarity
That's why I'ma stay with real rich niggas
'til six niggas carry me
Poverty's a mind state
Time waits for no woman, but no woman
Wants to die a poor woman with no man

[Verse 3: Stic. man]
A warrior walk alone, there's one spot on this throne
Fake friends be off and on, but a man stand up on his own
I'm raised by a different code, cut from a different cloth
Never been a follower, my momma told me be a boss
Watch who you hang around, don't let nobody bring you down
Friends come and go like seasons, leaves turn to brown
And some only come around when everything is green
Be careful not to let a snake infiltrate your team
For every Jesus there's a Judas, every Caesar there's a Brutus
If somebody tell you jump off a bridge -- are you gon' do it?
There's two types of influence: either healthy or deadly
Keep your circle small, away from all the hate and the envy
Don't come nowhere near me with it, I'm bullshit intolerant
My politics boss up, for you black empowerment
I stay in my element, Braveheart intelligent
Only associate with those for my betterment
I'm out for dead presidents to represent mines
Only click with my kind, my best friend is my grind
Everybody got big dreams, but few follow through
And it's deep: the company you keep become apart of you
Don't just be sitting around smoking weed, letting time fly
If your homies don't inspire you to rise, tell 'em bye
You're better off dolo than rolling with a weak ass crew
I'm like Scarface: Who I trust? Me, that's who

[Chorus: Nas & Stic. man]
Association breeds similarity
That's why I'ma stay with real rich niggas
'til six niggas carry me
Poverty's a mind state
Time waits for no woman, but no woman
Wants to die a poor woman with no man
Association breeds similarity
That's why I'ma stay with real rich niggas
'til six niggas carry me
Poverty's a mind state
Time waits for no woman, but no woman
Wants to die a poor woman with no man