(Shoulda Been) Mo Better Blues

"I grew up on the ghetto streets of California
Where turf wars result in brew poured on corners
For fallen soldiers who died on the front line
N*ggas sellin' flake tryna shake the one time
State convictions, dank addictions
N*ggas gettin' drunk just to shake the tension
The Golden State, pretty girls at the beach
They think we all livin' like Robyn Leech
But sunny California ain't all that handsome
Ballers get kidnapped and held for ransom
New born babies gettin' found in alleys
And the biggest gangs originate in Cali'
Lil' girls havin' kids at age 14
Baseheads havin' kids come out dope fiends
And crooked cops might tap datazz
So if you get pulled over you might have to blast
'Cause n*ggas never win when they go to trial
This Killafornia life got us homicidal
Or suicidal, take your pick
Whatever you pick, you gon' take a trip
To jail or Hell and which one's worse?
That Grey Goose or that black hearse
I tell you homeboy, Ima true blue playa
But sometimes I wish I would have grew up a square
'Cause ain't no tellin' when you might get smoked
Or stuck like Chuck in jail sayin' it shoulda been mo'..."

Mac Dre - Shoulda Been Mo (O.G version)
(From The Musical Life Of Mac Dre Vol. 3 - Young Black Brotha Years: 1996-1998 album; 2013)

Mac Dre · Shoulda Been Mo

Why didn't the O.G version of Shoulda Been Mo see the light of Dre Day until 2013? It's way better than the version on Khayree's Constant Drama compilation or the version on the Do You Remember? remix album innit. As far as West Coast gangsta-rap with Real Instruments™ went, Khayree & Steve "Silver" Scales were definitely going toe-to-toe with DJ Quik & Robert Bacon in the 90s. That 3rd verse quoted up top tells a colonial cracka like me more about AmeriKKKa than a billion Talib Kweli songs.

If only Dre & Khayree had collated the best songs they recorded together in 1996 to 1998 for a fifth EP. Shoulda Been Mo, My Folks, Back 2 My Mission, Livin' The Life, Pawns In The Game, How I Got Tis Name, and Feelin' Like That N*gga would all be included, natch. I've never liked It's Rainin' Game so I'll just ignore that song like it's pork. Obviously the EP would need a front cover and this pic of Dre with his '96 Chevy Impala woulda been perfect.