Understand Me
Track Information
| Artist | Live Squad |
| Track | Understand Me (commonly known as Cash Flow) |
| Performers | Stretch and Majesty |
| Producer(s) | Live Squad |
| Writer(s) | Randy Walker (Stretch) and Christopher Walker (Majesty) |
| Recorded | August 1993 |
| Status | Unreleased |
| Length | 4:01 |
Overview
Understand Me is an unreleased recording by Live Squad, recorded in August 1993 at Sandbox Studios, L.A. during a particularly productive period for the group. The song remained unreleased and later became associated with the collection of recordings commonly referred to by collectors as the Ghetto Blues Sessions.
Recorded shortly after Live Squad's work on 2Pac's Strictly 4 My N.I.G.G.A.Z., the song captures Stretch and Majesty during the transition between the cancelled Game Of Survival project and the darker recordings that would eventually form the basis of the Diary Of A Poor Man sessions.
Although never officially released, Understand Me demonstrates the continued evolution of Live Squad's production style, combining hard-hitting beats with the street-focused lyricism that defined the group's work during the mid-1990s.
Recording History
Understand Me was recorded in August 1993, only months after Live Squad's contributions to 2Pac's Strictly 4 My N.I.G.G.A.Z., including Strugglin', 5 Deadly Venoms and Stretch's production work on Holler If Ya Hear Me.
The recording was never commercially released and did not appear on any official Live Squad or Grand Imperial Records release. Instead, it later surfaced among collectors as part of the recordings commonly known as the Ghetto Blues Sessions.
Unlike several other songs from the same collection, no alternate versions or official remixes of Understand Me have been documented, making the original recording the only known version.
Release History
| Year | Release | Format | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1993 | Studio Recording | Unreleased | Recorded in August 1993. |
| Unknown | Ghetto Blues Sessions | Collector Circulation | Later circulated among collectors. |
Samples
- Detroid Emeralds - You're getting a little too smart. (The hats and kicks)
- Barry White - I'm gonna love you just a little more baby (Main sample) Thanks to Appie for the sample info.
[Intro: Stretch]
Understand meYeah
[Chorus: Stretch]
Gotta keep a cash flow and stay on the go, yoGotta keep a cash flow (Understand me?)
Gotta keep a cash flow and stay on the go, yo
Gotta keep a cash flow (Understand? Uh)
Gotta keep a cash flow and stay on the go, yo
Gotta keep a cash flow (Understand me?)
Gotta keep a cash flow and stay on the go, yo
Gotta keep a cash flow
[Verse 1: Stretch]
Uh, understand me, my man be stressedNevertheless I'm wearing a vest and packing like the rest
Test me? It'd be a mess, G
Drop another head and take the tags with finesse, see
DNMGN with pimp nigga mentality
Rakin' in the vacant just became a reality
'Cause fakin' is forsakеn when it comes to the thug lifе, the drug life
You know you wasn't promised tomorrow, so you hug life
And make the dough you know needs to be made
And gotta hustle with a plan the fucking cops can't fade, listen
I'm dishing imminent direction, show no affection
Wreck, son, you're gonna have to wet one
Gun smoke so don't provoke a murder case
A nigga got no time to waste, understand? Uh
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[Chorus: Stretch]
Gotta keep a cash flow and stay on the go, yoGotta keep a cash flow (Understand me?)
Gotta keep a cash flow and stay on the go, yo (Woo)
Gotta keep a cash flow, uh
Gotta keep a cash flow and stay on the go, yo
Gotta keep a cash flow (Understand me?)
Gotta keep a cash flow and stay on the go, yo
Gotta keep a cash flow, uh
[Verse 2: Stretch]
Understand me, my plan be loaded with street gangsSo plain clothes cops wanna know my name
Pain filled my brain rapidly
Took over my heart and now I got some niggas after me
But taking out frustration on the nation with my Glock
Niggas catch shots and punk bitches catch knots, huh
Cops are scared and feared by the precinct
'Cause we sent some people who can talk to them decently
And they agree to raise up for us
Give a piece of that action, with some satisfaction
Just a fraction of your money was theirs
And it would stop all the harassing and the drive-by stares
And who cares when you're making money move with power
Strictly moving ki's and making G's by the hour, understand me
[Chorus: Stretch & Majesty]
Gotta keep a cash flow and stay on the go, yoGotta keep a cash flow (Understand me?)
Gotta keep a cash flow and stay on the go, yo
Gotta keep a cash flow, uh
Gotta keep a cash flow and stay on the go, yo
Gotta keep a cash flow (Understand me?)
Gotta keep a cash flow and stay on the go, yo (Yeah)
Gotta keep a cash flow
[Verse 3: Majesty]
Listen, I said we gotta get it, never mind "Jake will sweat it"We paid 'em off, we gettin' money that'll shake 'em off
Presidential, bulletproof, got snipers on the roof
And we play Grand Imperial like the CIA
And any powerful organization you could think of
We millions deep off all these hymns, diamond and minked up
Haters got instinctive (Uh), ballin' so we drink up (Yeah)
Satelliting niggas, anywhere on Earth we link up
Lawyer teams on standby (C'mon)
We force fire through the damn sky
Puffing haze asking the lord why everybody can't be living like this (Roman)
Paradise, going and doing what you wanna do, that's living life
$300,000 cars, went in the city, hit the club, spend $5,000 at the bar
Trunk power for days, dodging lead shower sprays
Still poppin' in the hood riding by that yellow tape
'Cause them gorillas aped out
Your best bet, stay low get the dough
And hit the quickest escape route
[Chorus: Stretch]
Gotta keep a cash flow and stay on the go, yoGotta keep a cash flow (Understand me?)
Gotta keep a cash flow and stay on the go, yo
Gotta keep a cash flow (Understand, uh)
Gotta keep a cash flow and stay on the go, yo
Gotta keep a cash flow (Understand me?)
Gotta keep a cash flow and stay on the go, yo
Gotta keep a cash flow, uh