So much more than a rapper
they only write rhymes
while I'm a writer that
use rap to capture the times
My songwriting's so exciting
like riding a bike
but speed, never exceed
what you can catch in a line
On rainy days
you never see me fightin' a vibe
my brainstorm can write
before the lightning strike, blow
Lost for days, moms taught me bout honest ways
I saw that crime don't pay at the youngest age
just a southside kid from around the way
most of my friends did bids and extended stays
you just an animal once you get inside that cage
that's why I fuck with basketball
I'm out there workin' on my J
Got some letters from some schools askin' me to play
it seemed to be the way to escape the inner city maze
a brave scholar, that loved art and praised knowledge
but got shot at, the summer 'fore he went to college
I never told my moms that, she had enough to bear
she sacrificed everything just to get me there
to see her baby boy graduate and shed a tear
computer science major, the math added an extra year
Found a sampler and put it on layaway
spent my Christmas break makin' beats every day
things I saw at high school told me stay away
but my love for the music never gon' fade away
High price to pay for degrees even then
five years of school the debt added an extra ten
but came home makin' more dough that all my friends
so when my fam needed my help, I could finally give
Moved to Cincinnati, couldn't be stationary
fell out of love with the girl I moved there to marry
programmer first, local rapper secondary
battle anybody, wanted to be legendary
Try hard to get promoted but I wasn't able
havin' better luck with the mic and the turntables
all we wanted was attention from a little label
kept pushin' even though my family wasn't stable
Lost my big sis, hardest year of my life
pops got sick and told me not to stop by
makin' papers, still didn't have a decent car
paying two mortgages cause mom got hurt on the job
Had to slow my roll from out there gettin' mine
to understanding how the family is intertwined
they all sacrificed so we could live a better life
so you gotta step up to the plate, when it's your time
Remember this when you're racin' towards the finish line
credit towards your fam should never be minimized
lotta people lean on them when they on the rise
see some success, then they wanna break the ties
Flippin' through the channels, landed on Charlie Rose
interviewin' Sting about all the songs he wrote
Charlie asked how a songwriter keep his hope
when Sting answered, I never dare forget the quote
He said the music get dark whenever things get bad
but artists gotta understand, it's easier to paint with black
if you feel it coming on you gotta reel it back
cause people turn to us to hopefully escape from that
I try to think of that, time to time when I'm writing
responsibility that come along with the rhyming
don't be the guy always talkin' bout the sky falling
don't paint the dark cloud unless you paint the silver lining
That's why I'm rhyming
to be that silver lining
to be the silver lining

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