Ronvé: Yeah. He speaks so well. He's so well spoken. Yeah. I go by the name of Ronvé. I'd like to introduce you to the first love of my life: that reality. Something you feel. What I'm giving ya'll is my life, my heart, my soul and everything in it. Everything in it. Yeah. I speak about all these things... Amber Iman: cuz it's all who I am... Ronve: They say "he speaks so well!" - so very different from the typical that sells a million copies of ringtones, composing them songs that's easy to sing-along but in a year - they'll be gone. They say "he's so well spoken!" I stare em down as if to say "is you jokin'???" Apparently, I'm just a different type of person they expected a "black man" (BET's version) Them ain't no shots fired, but it is what it is, so at this point I'm simply trying to take it higher, no doubt! Push it to the limit like Atlanta be pushin lower-income residents out. Everyday battle, so I just gather my strength cuz when it's time to pick sides, you cannot straddle the fence. I represent those concerned with matters to fix somewhere between the hood and the talented tenth - that's who we are! Ain't no saving on DVR, no confessional room like a reality TV star. These are the bleeding bars - speakin' the scars of people who's seeking relief, being tested in their belief in God. We see on the TV screens feeding us facades, seeing a mirage, and keeping us involved in any and everything except the leading cause. We're searching for change like the shit that you keep in jars. I got visions like I'm reading palms. In the cut like a peeping tom - I got them 16s! Pedophile flow: let em all know R. Kelly ain't got shit on me, I'm fuckin awesome, yo! Ear rings shining - sorta symbolic of the talent: I got it! Hearing shit beyond logic then I make it hit like a comet, unknown like a flying object. You better believe I'm coming with it on the solo project! Amber Iman: Cuz I wasn't meant to be no 9 to 5 type cuz I can see mo' I am who I am, don't confuse it. And all I got is me and my beautiful music, music cuz it's all who I am. How do I know where I'm going if I'm not knowing where I came from? Cuz I was told that the top would be the same spot where I hang from (2X) Ronvé: I speak about all these things... Amber Iman: Cuz it's all who I am... Ronvé: Abyss, talk to em! Abyss: Ya'll can play in the house, I'll be workin the field. It's independent - deal or no deal If the price is right, give you something you can feel. He speaks so well, cuz I'm speaking so real! I free with my art cuz ya'll slaving for a deal nothing in ya heart cuz ya'll caving for a mil. Drowning in ya ego, nothing for ya people - a dose of truth to balance out ya lethal a Lord in the ring - but ya'll just spiegels. Tortoise and the heir - peep me in the sequel. Resurrected like number 7 for the Eagles If I can't speak my mind - how can I be peaceful??? He speaks so well cuz ya'll speakin so evil!

Chorus: Workin, and workin - but I still got so terribly far to go (far to go) Workin, been workin - but I still got so terribly far to go Verse 1: Coming live from 15 minutes outside where they ride by expecting them blue lights behind. In the grind breakfast to dinnertime, summer to wintertime. Some of us intertwine spittin riddles and rhymes with a bit of crime. Goin' HAM - even if we ain't into swine. If it ain't makin no money, we ain't committing our time. Most niggas be into dimes: talkin' 'bout a chick that's fine and that shit they be rollin' in that swisher when they be gettin' high, gettin' by, livin life like they finna die! Spoken like a true 80's baby. Born in that era where Ronald Reagan went crazy, and Len Bias was maybe the greatest who never made it. And fathers hesitated so them and their offspring is separated. But we're... Chorus Verse 2: Up in Marietta where folk be on that "E" like honor roll students in elementary See faces be lightin' up whenever they mention me cuz "he speaks so well", gettin it in, indeed! I could've played the victim cuz situations was bad. Complaining 'bout my life and them things I didn't have. Worrying about Mama's bills while sittin' in class - couldn't pay attention, learning addition and math but nah, I learned from Outkast early on: Nigga you got to get up, get out and get something son! Word up, I tell the truth - I ain't tryna jive I'm tryna survive, but too "artsy" for a 9 to 5 and so they got me Chorus Verse 3: Coming live from outside of the metro where everybody's a rapper, swearing they finna blow like petro. We address those folks who dress so retro - stuck in the early 90's, they finally need to let go. And see, I learned something from these so called "G's stuntin'": the ones who talk the most - them the ones who be frontin! That's why everything they speak, shit don't mean nothin. I'm gettin' rid of all of the trash like I'm pre-bussing. 86 these old, molded, damn-near eroded, folded like bad Poker, done and over with, I'm so over this bogus shit! What I see in them? Almost like the see the end. I read rappers and then check em like BBM. You see me.. Chorus Verse 4: See, the vision's clear. Time is gettin' near. I'm predicting I'ma be outta this hemisphere within a year. Sippin on Guinness beer. Vé's cool, you better pull out ya winter gear. Folk be lookin at me sideways like they got swimmer's ear. I dive in the deep end so the shallow ones can't creep in. Cannonball em all if they're sleeping! Folks be takin a break like it's the weekend? That's cool cuz that's usually the moment I begin. Ain't no need to pretend I live in the moment, the now, the current, the present. I'm just a component, my style, you learn to accept it. You need to be on it, that's how you earn the respected. So I keep the flowin' locked down (in) the perfect direction. Chorus

Such a beautiful day out. It really is. I mean, the birds are chirping. You got the old women jogging. I really feel it right now, ya know? Verse: Yeah, nothing but that authentic, far from fraudulent lyrics. Real folk love it, fake niggas fear it - run the opposite direction the minute they hear cuz they don't get it. My folk said he wanted something "honest he could live with" I spit it like Abraham, I promise you gon' feel it! Take it beyond the limit, infinite and I did it quite naturally. Make the crowd jump like cables on a car battery. Fresh, fly, cool as I wanna be! When you talk about these rappers, put no one in front of me - homie, you gotta believe me! This ain't nothing to a "G" homie cuz I make this look e-zay!!! And I gotta do this right: Fly woman on my arm, stewardess type. Said she ain't want that artificial, all visual, non-mental. She want them bars that's official, something that she can sink her teeth into that plays with the head... THAT'S WHAT SHE SAID. So I been on a mission to stay spittin that non-fiction. Give em the vision they hear me but will they listen??? Because I'm fresh, fly, as I wanna be but whether I'm droppin knowledge remains to be seen! Homie, you gotta believe me - this ain't nothing to a "G", homie cuz I make this look e-zay! I do this for my folk gettin' impatient by the rotation on they FM Station. Lyrically limiting, very little ability so I gotta keep it in motion like kinetic energy. Connect with intensity, painting that picture mentally so they can view the vision vividly - that HD! Folk mentally in prison, this is your escape key. Underground railroad, who's ready to break free?! I think a lotta folk be livin' in that make believe, fantasy in their head, I said they as fake as weave. That's why you gotta believe me this ain't nothin to a "G" homie, cuz I make this look e-zay! Yeah - and I been raw from the start. What's difficult for most is just a walk in the park. Got my shoes tied, and I'm on my mark, ready, set, then I go in or I go off. Hold it down like I'm supposed to do! Well dressed, hella fresh from the fedora to the sole of my shoe. Get deep like a poet do when I'm in the vocal booth. I'm exposing the truth, but then connect like telephones do. Still a youngin' by values from the old school. Niggas relate to experiences that I go through. That's why you gotta believe me. This ain't nothin to a "G" homie, cuz I make this look e-zay! I rock a champion fitted: Maverick with this rappin shit, making teams damn near quit it! Look in my eyes, I'm the man who did it I got plans to get it So little time so I rarely miss it: Opportunity that's knockin, I'm perusing every option, always moving, never stoppin at the scrutiny and watchin. All the ice-grillin that's soon to be forgotten when I pick apart a beat like slaves be doing to cotton. Reppin Marietta, soon moving to the rotton apple. Up top New York, we live coming at you! See, I'm a rare breed - this ain't nothing to a "G" homie, cuz I make this look e-zay!

Verse 1: Hey, you ever loved somebody like - you wasn't worried about their body type? Or the size of their bra? What color their hair is? Do they speak Spanish? But you get embarrassed when you chop it up with ya peeps cuz you're scared it's more than how you plan this. You was always told "be young, don't think about marriage." So you keep your distance. She feels the vibe so she's like, "What is this?!" You're "being a man" but she don't get this, not when she was used to your hugs and kisses. You know men: "No love for bitches" - but with some women, we don't know the difference, so you must forgive us cuz we don't know what we got til it's finished... Chorus: And I've been searching high, and I've been searching low Tryna find someone that's right, someone worth waiting for And girl you're number one Matter fact, you're number two, three, four, five It's like you're perfection (4X) Verse 2: You ever somebody like - it didn't matter if they was not right? But they could do no wrong. She could break your heart and still cause no harm. Folks say "you've been warned" - to give so much of yourself, but you're torn. Not knowing if these feelings get lukewarm will you have it in you to stick around, is you strong? Such apprehension - if you ain't never felt, then what you're fearing is difference. So you keep your distance - you wanna push for it, but you feel resistance. So hard to resist this feeling that I get in my lips when we french kiss. So I take my chances 'cuz please believe Cupid did enough damage! Chorus Talk: Yeah man I know, I know fellas don't really like to put their emotions like that on the table but I've been searching everywhere trying to find that right one, but nobody quite compares to you. Man, your imperfections make you perfect, ya know what i'm saying? Perfect for me. Chorus

Verse 1: Broken glass everywhere. Under the city lights, I smell the midnight air. Folks spot the Cobb County tags, stop and stare. (Nobody goes in that direction cuz the cops there) And as far as black folks - they got a whole lot scared cuz they'll pull you over and lock you up like they don't care. So I cross the Fulton County line to escape. Feel the magic of the night life! Police sirens and car horns, broken liquor bottles with liquor in it as if it were poured for someone that's long gone. Girls who rock Sean John like top models - posted on every corner like a Wells Fargo. Traffic lights that stay green half the night. Folks be waiting for Marta like the afterlife. Takeout joints for your appetite, babies fed Gerber. Strollers on the pavement: the nature of the nurture. Can't rearrange street furniture unless you wanna face inertia...no need to converse further. Gentrification stays on the minds of those effected, positive and negative 'cuz we're all connected. Even the folks who live north on 75, it's a mad trek. They call it the "outskirts" but I say it's my "address". But I've been waiting for change since Obama came and said he had next, in the city... JV (Chorus): I can't run away, and I can't fight the feeling Engulfed in the lights and the buildings. I can't resist it - all the anxiety, everything I feel inside of me. I feel so urban. I feel so urban, and I wanna color the night. Such a contrast of my life, in a world that's so alive, I just wanna be there! Verse 2: In the whip wheelin' - 45 on the dash, intersect at Auburn Ave, where the sun don't shine (forever overcast) - as common as a hustler folding his cash. Roll past pedestrians and homeless folks who seek refuge beneath the overpass. Feel the tension of the city life! With no signs of stress, only signs that read: NEED MONEY FOR FOOD, PLEASE HELP ME, GOD BLESS. Near abandoned buildings: you don't know if they're a lost cause, or Ted Williams. Feel the bass from the ride beside you, see the cops sitting right behind you. Bigger fish to fry, so they fly right by you. This ain't Cobb, this more like DeKalb where ya life is liable to be more at risk and have to find survival. Some chose the rifle, others chose the Bible, but it's all in the same environment in which that guides you. But sure can't confine you, all you gotta do is find you! Feeling like a tourist, looking for a fancy restaurant that serves chocolate fondue. These type of folk stay on the Northside, go to the game, sitting court-side. Like Sandra Bullock in the movie "Crash": don't wanna run into no Ludacris and see two worlds collide, separated class. I sit around, marveling these people as they pass. Free at last! Chorus Bridge: A Town, A Town, big city of dreams but everything in the A ain't always what it seems. You might fooled if you come from outta town. (2X) Outro: I remember being a kid driving around with my mother on Cascade Road and Camp Creek. It was just a different world. As a kid it seemed unreal man, I mean litter on the concrete, liquor stores, car horns. I know it doesn't sound like the place to grow up, but compared to where I was...man, that shit was exciting, dawg. It was like an adventure. All I knew was that I just wanted to be a part of the madness, nah mean? I just wanted to be...just wanted to be a part of it. It just seemed unreal.

Chris Rock: You know how I can tell Colin Powell can't be President? Whenever Colin Powell is on the news, white people give him the same compliments. Always the same compliments: 'How do you feel about Colin Powell?', 'He speaks so well! He's so well spoken. He speaks so well! I mean he really speaks so well!' He speaks so well! Like that's a compliment. 'He speaks so well' is not a compliment, okay? 'He speaks so well' is some shit you say about retarded people that can talk. What do you mean he speaks well? What? Did he have a stroke the other day? He's a fucking educated man! How the fuck did you expect him to sound, you dirty motherfucker? What are you talking about?! Verse 1: Vé: graduated with a Bachelors. Not your regular type of rapper. Well versed in subject matter outside of clothes, hoes, swagger, rims, diamonds, hustler's rapture. But I admit it makes me feel much "blacker." To speak with broken English with no need to be distinguished. I mean this, soon as I open my mouth they pay attention. Not cuz I'm "deep", but because they wanna listen to my speech pattern. Not what you expected. Proper grammar, you didn't have to correct it. It was a rule, but they called me "the exception" - sorta like Paramore. You can say I'm reppin the progression. See, we ain't all ignorant and uneducated, we're taking baby steps man! Chorus: Yeah, it ain't hard to tell, brotha Can't judge no book by its cover I'm a different breed like no other, but they say "he speaks so well" One time for the educated reppin Taking steps in the right direction They used to call me "the exception" cuz they say "he speaks so well" Verse 2: I used to write my raps, spittin lines that others would define as "black" for the credibility, havin' these niggas feelin me. I would literally throw the word 'nigga' in intentionally. To somewhat hide the fact that I was well aware of white and black, I tried to be prepared if they might attack with back handed compliments I'd get slap with. Cuz often, we gauge someone's blackness by their level of education. The fact is while it's not meant to be intentional, it speaks volumes cuz it's mostly subliminal. So pivotal, overcritical, but the element of surprise is what makes it more pitiful. Imagine if I described Joe Biden the same way - you would be like, "Duh, Vé" Chorus Verse 3: One time for intelligent black kids Two times if you educated and mastered the english language, no ebonics. Quite the opposite, but you get it in regardless. Trying not to be a type in your stereo. Something opposite than what you see in the videos. See, we all ain't swagged out or got a criminal record even though the prisons are packed out. But on the other hand, just cuz a man don't talk with an accent don't make him less black, man. Whatever it means to be such...by today's standards, it doesn't mean much. Is every nigga with dreads for the 'cause'? Is every nigga with golds for the fall? Naw, so don't get caught in appearance even though I may speak well when you hear this... Chorus

Chorus: Lord knows that I ain't perfect, but I'm tryin to live the best that I can (3X) Take it one day at a time, cuz I'm tryin to live the best that I can (3X) Verse: I go by Ronvé - soul brother - the token one with the flow that's butta. Just tryin to live like a focused brotha - word to my sis and my older brother, and my mother: Job well done. Though I know I haven't been the ideal son, but you taught me how to confront my fears when it comes to my peers, so now I fear none! God's child - I ain't really tryin to bite Nas' style but I feel like life's been hostile, I feel like I've been lost and found and somebody picked me off the ground when I was down. Ain't really tryin to sound all profound, but there is somebody watchin' over me, so I can only see what's all around: nothing but blessings, nothing but gifts! I could've been stressin something intense, releasing aggression and thuggin' with cliques, no sort of profession or coming to grips with reality. So it has to be a higher power that's looking after me, so I look forward and never back of me....NEVER back of me! Chorus Verse 2: I go by Ronvé, true indeed. Many people familiar with the "goofy" me Sarcastic, but still act stupid me And I thank everybody who humors me cuz times ain't always been all good - the broke nigga in the nice neighborhood and I knock on wood shit's gone for good cuz I know in my heart I damn well could resort to a life that influenced me. Introduced to me 'round the same time I hit puberty. My environment was like a noose to me - drugs floating around and so I used to see. I know I don't "look" the part, but this shit ain't new to me. And it's floating in my veins like alcoholic fluids be, but that ain't what I choose to be. Yes, I wanna change the community but I got enough trouble just doing me. Spreading the positive, never the negative. Devils and angels on my shoulders and they're highly competitive. I know the story gets repetitive or cliché - but I could've been a different dude, so I thank God each day! Chorus Verse 3 I go by Ronvé - showstopper, but never did I claim to be a role model. Just give my folk a road to follow cuz I know it's hard to find hope with no dollar. Grew up damn near with no father. Had my stepdad but I did not bother to pay attention or even listen, cuz all I was thinkin was that he was no martyr (someone who would die for me) Cuz there's only so much young eyes can see. Plus all the pride in me could not believe he wouldn't lie to me. Misplaced resentment and was not caring for kids who grew up with both biological parents. I wasn't understanding - a baby conceived with no planning now a grown man, and trying to find my own handling, scrambling like a TV with no programming but sharing a better lifestyle. Catch me at Publix avoiding the beer and wine aisle. Everyday I crack a smile cuz being "Debbie Downer" gets old after a while. It's gets old after a while, ya know?

Ronvé (verse 1): I sit back and imagine: Yo, what if I didn't pursue rapping? What if I went to school for business instead of acting and didn't pursue my passion? Listening to everybody telling me how I "gotta be smart, young man you gotta eat" What if I took a management position? 60K a year, annual percentage. Health care with benefits. Man, it seems so limitless. Even if I despised my 9 to 5...what's worse? Doing that or trying to survive? Looking up with your back to the pavement, see the sky high and you wanna feel the same shit. Analytical thinkers telling you that "this is reality and one day you gotta face it!" Living in your mama's basement while you struggle to pay rent man, that lifestyle ain't shit! See your friends getting married on facebook, tagging you in photos like, "here, take a look!" Seems like that ain't the life that you wanna lead. Cuz on the other side, you're seeing nothing but green: same colors as your eyes, but realize I gotta look to the mirror so... Chorus I'll be damned if I get disrespected, yo I'm a grown ass man trying to get the dough but we done came too far just to let this go Said, we came too far just to let this go! You ain't American dreamin' is ya? (2X) Ro The Nerd (verse 2): Seems like yesterday I picked up the pen put it down to the pad no subsequent plans. But the verses had substances and there were so many ways we could touch them in, and they got their hands up, the fans would stand up with the crowds amped up yellin out our anthem. Yeah, we ran that race but didn't medal. Though I never would ever see it as back peddles. Cuz when the dust settles, we did us well. So, in a nutshell, it's like an up-sell. Flows graduated from the basement to the upscale plus I'm seeing the CD from us sell. But not enough to keep you well clothed. And not enough to keep you from thinking you broke. But it was hope that was keeping me afloat, had it tucked inside my wallet but I lost out on the boat: SS Reality, check set sail dreams of being in XXL, it failed. Well, you either meld them pieces back together or let it fall apart and disrespect ya efforts. But ya boy's quite clever. And my, I never dreamed to defy my Shepherd: talents that are God given, breaking the odds, living got me focused on my mission so I'll damned... Chorus

Verse 1: When in doubt I must write. When the pen meets the paper, it's like love at first sight Gettin busy on the first night, haters use contraception I stay raw, never use protection. On this road of life, I speed through intersections, through the red lights, no stop signs, no break checkin Never was the type to fall for the banana in the tailpipe. Too conscious of my surroundings, never the frail type. Cool and smooth, how I chose to move while foolish dudes seek approval through facebook "likes" and youtube views You too can abuse the privileges of social networks if you chose to. Always winning, never lose, fool! Find the deeper meaning in them lyrics, it could be useful! Gimme an hour, plus a pen and a pad - lyrics hit like Pacquiao when he extends with his jab Chorus: All the time - I've been on the grind and I've been doing fine as of lately Had a few bumps in the road but that's how the story goes Honestly, it's them moments that make me who I am but I need you right now! (4X) Verse 2: My stream of consciousness is deep and bottomless as I fall further into the extreme anonymous That's unknown - opposite of the obvious, I done been to the colleges hollering at lots of the scholars just trying to get a view. Pickin at their brain like toddlers pick at their food and I've begun to conclude: No one is more superior, the difference between me and you is the crime rate in the area. My thought process is complex as carbohydrates and Primates - bigger than my body standing 5'8 + plus 1 All of my life, I've been chasing money just trying to get a lump sum Now I see what I've become: money hungry, but not forever, see there is hope. All I needed was a quick spark and then a got a jolt. Being an artist's more important than being an adult. At least in my eyes, that's why I stay locked in the vault. Chorus: Verse 3: Overflow with the lyrics Got a poet's spirit Open your mind like you opening up the golden ticket. The flow is frigid like December winters over Christmas - so gifted! Make bold statements like protesters holding pickets. Niggas, know your limits like I-75, can't let you drive if you can't go the distance. Wouldn't care if I ever sold them digits, just as long as ya'll folks know the lyrics. And I can stand out like Lil Jon on the show Apprentice. Usually I'm not, but with this rap shit, I'm so religious. Flow til I'm finished So splendid, I don't even promote an image I only expose a sickness Spit ill shit with no plans to ever go to the dentist Me and this microphone stay together like videos hoes and thickness. You can quote this sentence: NOTHING ELSE MATTERS EXCEPT YOU QUOTING MY LYRICS. Chorus

Chorus: If I leave tomorrow and everything disappears Then I wanna make sure my message and everything else is clear: no lies. And all I wanna say, all I wanna say is the truth. Verse 1: So many ups and downs, valleys and peaks. Folks who were best friends, now they casually speak. You can gradually see what you call a miracle could be weird to you, but it's natural for me. I just want my parents happy for me. Perhaps they could that rap to me wasn't a hobby, it was practically my way to escape when I was feeling trapped between what my parents taught and what was said to me by faculty in middle school. I didn't wanna become a casualty of my environment. Folks who were black like me selling and buyin it but not making a salary. I'm thinking damn, what if that was me? What if that was me? Chorus Verse 2: I sit and think about life and what it's meant to be. Breathing another day, but closer to the ending, see. Contradictions, we living these inconsistencies. Even I'm a hypocrite, little bit of tendencies. Heavy drinker like I don't care about my liver - but deep down I envy Ro cuz he don't mess with liquor. I speak the slang with the gang that I hang with, so why do I get mad at my nephew saying the same shit? I stand for peace, but condone carrying guns. And love hoes, but not enough to marry one. And ya'll can say you hate gays if you want, but when it rain, who gon' hate that rainbow when it pop up? Chorus Verse 3: Cuz after the winter comes springtime. We just bundle up in the mean time. Cuz in these times we're trying to redefine what it really means to speak your mind. Read the fine print, read in between the lines even if you need the time, guaranteed you'll sleep with some piece of mind. Stevie Wonder, I don't believe he's blind. With so much that he see's, regular people just seem behind. You are what you eat: you can keep the swine. All I ask is that you please rewind. My little niece is 8, soon enough she gon' be 9, when I see her I'm gonna teach her how to keep on her grind Cuz we come from not ghetto, not bourgeois Mama had to work two jobs so she made sure growing up wasn't too hard, so I don't try to act like I'm too hard...

And ya don't stop! This the anthem right here. According to who? HIP-HOP (3x) Now let's get it all in perspective: Hold it down, reppin the culture that was blessed with. Do it for people, never money as the objective. Anyone reppin for less is requesting a deathwish! Every breath I invest is a step, so I perfect this tongue tetris, lungs getting uncongested with espestice. To those testing - within seconds you'll get decked with a left fist. Well dressed with jeans that best fit. V-Necks over my chest, I "X" this off the checklist: things that keep me fresh (I keep it conservative, although I still might swipe a dookie necklace) Marietta's misfit dominating your district, lyrically like liquid feeding all of ya fishes without needing dishes. Everything they eating is delicious like Cedric the Entertainer. I'm a grown ass man, ya better say my name bruh! Whatchu know about four elements? Pure relevance? Hardcore intelligence? Raw elegance? I'ma break this shit down like raw sediments: B-boy stance - yeah, they dance but no DDR. On a cardboard box in front of a graffiti wall. DJ scratching a 45", fuck a CDR Emcee shoutin em out, THAT'S how you Move a Crowd! And if you feel where I'm coming from, go 'head and put a finger up for that #1 artform we were raised and evolved from. So far we've come, but the job ain't done. Yes, yes ya'll - gotta rep for the folk want that raw, no pop. Hip-hop, 1, 2 and ya don't stop. It's what the games been missing according to who? HIP-HOP!(3x)

Yeah, we gonna keep all the way hip-hop on this one... Chorus: I feel the weight on my shoulders The city on my back The pain in my eyes So much on my chest But money on my mind The world's in my palms - folks feel stressed, but I'm feelin fine! Homeboy, I do this! You can count on me, I'ma keep it 100, believe me when I say I do this! You can count on me, I'ma hold it down, brotha believe me when I say I do this! v1 Dedicated to all the haters who smile in ya face, but talk shit away from you. You are my inspiration, that's why I'm thanking you. I'm destiny's child, and you who I cater to. It's been a long time, brotha been payin dues. Most would've quit, but see, I stayed true. Tryin to break the chain of my family living check to check 'cuz every generation's stayed the same. You are the fuel that keeps the fire burning - run tracks like Omar Epps in Higher Learning. Continue my desire to aspire - yearning to retire at 49 and multiply my earnings while I keep a smile on my face, sorta nostalgic. Thinkin' 'bout the "pals" I was supposed to be down with. Times get tough: lions turn into cowards. You see who stays down when it counts, kid. Chorus v2 I'm everything you can feel, see and hear. Anything you can taste or touch that seems near. I'm the spark in the brain that makes things clear. Thoughts and memories - like tracks you can record. I'm the 90% of your brain that hasn't been explored, ya inspiration to make it when your back's to the wall, the illustration that's painted when you're balancing all the nouns and predicates and adjectives and verbs. Writing these sentences, juggling life's menaces and its antithesis. See the arch in my character - battling arch nemesis, perpetual poetry providing positive privileges plus percentages. Images we see on the daily - they scare me cuz babies who barely can talk hear rap, but they don't hear me. Women oblivious to the million pairs of staring eyes from guys when their jeans rise. Chorus v3 I'd be lying if I wasn't still tryin to find me - like I lost my ID Simply expressing what's inside, begging God to guide me. I see the bigger picture like widescreens. Undergrad, but we're sorta like Siamese in this time of need: can't be separated because we're arguably one of the best no if, and's or buts. Happy to be in the shuffle in the iPod you trust. Now you can think of us sorta like Manhattan: the numbers get bigger the further we move up. But even if you're stuck at Ground Zero, I'll be the hero: 911 cuz I've been all on the grind. But at the same time get support from my fans like it's hot outside 'cuz there's a lot that's riding: most folks gamble with chips but see, I gamble with my life. Chorus