Verse 1: It's the return Of the greatest rapper out of Africa I finally came back to claim the crown that I've earned I know some others yearned for it, I ain't concerned if y'all want it The only thing I'll be serving is lessons y'all need to learn And I deserve to be here, don't try to question my position I don't listen to my competition when they be dissing The things you rap about is fiction, but when it comes to keeping it real Then De.P.Th is the dictionary definition Haters stay wishin, waiting for the day I slip with it Until they say I'm the illest, then every day I'll keep spitting Cuz Hip-hop is my addiction, and being on top is my mission So Im'ma rip it while I keep living the life I was given As God is my witness, there can be no opposition You must be tripping if you be thinking that your shit be hitting All of your shots be missing like a clip with no ammunition While I be killing with my writtens until everyone listens Verse 2: When it comes to this rap shit, then I'm not going to stunt Last tape did more in 2 weeks than the first did in 2 months These rappers be my students, studying my movements Y'all see the improvement but you acting like a nuisance Your music gives amusement, face your persecution These days the rap game saturated with pollutants It turned me to a mutant, I'm no longer human I been on my shine like my body translucent So who wants to dance? Who has a plan? I'm my greatest inspiration and my own biggest fan Cuz some of these people around me just don't seem to understand That I'm not making these tapes to put money in my hands I write these songs as a chance for me to show off my skills To show I'm real so I can get to signing my record deal So no matter what you feel I won't bend over or budge The only ones can judge me in this life is God or the judge

Verse 1: Drive through my city at night to never forget where I'm from Never stop writing rhymes lest I reset to square one I'm focused on right now, got no regrets at twenty one You wanna fight, then you can bet that I've already won Said my dream was to keep those skyscrapers in my view That's the reason that I chose this rap shit to pursue Believing if I follow my heart then it will come true And if you follow yours, the same thing may happen to you too I'm reading through my old lyrics, the experience got me cringin' But it's interesting to see how far I've come since the beginning From writing my first verse on which I'm Slim Jesus dissin' Sixteen and twenty one is like night and day when you see the difference Till I'm winning awards, and standing tall with my peers Put in the work I'm trynna turn this to a real career Nobody work as hard as me, let me make that clear Who else you know could put out three tapes in the span of a year? Hook 1: Cuz I've been on the sidelines Livin' life just trynna abide by the guidelines Till I got tired and decided that now is my time Im'ma show y'all what I got in my pipeline Cuz once I'm on, watch me blow up all over your timeline One day I'll be a millionaire, no need for a lifeline Flying from a private island, just sipping on white wine As I stare out of the window and I see the skyline Verse 2: People don't see my vision, don't notice I'm elevating I'll show them what they're missing, for this moment I've been waiting Say what they want but I don't got time to hear them hating I make a statement, stake my claim, they stay in the basement They stay debating and complacent, in this race they stay pacing I'm sprinting from the start and won't stop till the day that I make it My dream the reason for my work ethic, don't take no vacations The next African rapper to blow up outside his nation The first African rapper to top Billboard and win Grammys I know there's gonna be people trynna stop me cuz they can't stand me But I don't pay them no mind, just keep on writing till my hands bleed Just keep spitting rhymes till my voice gives out and I can't speak Cuz I've got a goal, it's more important than dough More important than lining a shelf with trophies from award shows Wanna be one of the GOATs, someone the whole world knows With every line and every rhyme I make my applause grow Hook 2: Cuz I've been on the sidelines Livin' life just trynna abide by the guidelines Till I got tired and decided that now is my time Im'ma show y'all what I got in my pipeline Cuz once I'm on, watch me blow up all over your timeline One day I'll be a millionaire, no need for a lifeline Flying from a private island, just sipping on white wine As I stare out of the window and I see the skyline

Verse 1: I used to be the type to question why I'm here on this Earth I been searching for my life's greater purpose since birth Asking myself if the actions I took carried much worth Hoping the hurt I felt inside couldn't get much worse I stopped going to church, felt there was nothing there for me That's when I got the urge to do something a bit more concrete Started doing research, online I found me some raw beats That's when I start to rehearse, writing rhymes on the back of worksheets Wrote down a tracklist on a piece of blank paper That was back when I still had my old rap name, but I changed it soon after, Con-Artist K just ain't fit But De.P.Th was representative of the shit I wanted to spit Stared at the song titles scribbled on that lined page Already thinking this'll be my first album for when I make it Before I'd even written down a single phrase Telling myself if I thought I wouldn't blow up I was mistaken Changed up the plan, and took the list of song names Decided instead to use them for my first mixtape, and I found some free beats online that I could take And wrote a few rhymes but seriously were they never taken At seventeen years old, thinking I would be the GOAT But you wouldn't know it if you ever saw what I wrote I always had the goals but never the progress I could show I never put in the work so my dreams I could follow I'd find the perfect beat, and then I'd just sit on it I never had the motivation or the words to spit on it But then the whole world came to a sudden stand still And we had no idea until when it would last till Thought to myself "I've got all of this spare time that I can fill" Suddenly got motivated to practice on my rap skills My hands filled many pages with my phrases Had lines and lines of rhymes, believing they could help me fly and go places Put out a tape of songs written within all that free time Wanted to show the world just what I could do with these rhymes Put out a second tape only half a year later They were received well but now I aim for something much greater Pulled up the tracklist I'd written way back when I couldn't do it with the verses that I had then But now equipped with new beats and determination to make it I wanna show people why I'll be one of the greatest Because this mixtape has been five years in the making I'm making sure it's only my best verses I'm saying Hoping these songs take me places, for success I've been praying Creating verbal paintings, shaping my future, there's no mistaking This is destiny, and that's just something I know Though I had no idea that I'd be here five years ago From when I first wrote that list this was the path that I chose Guess everything came full circle like a capital O

Hook 1: I'm driving through the night Just staring at the city lights I'm driving through the night Just staring at the city lights I'm driving through the night Just staring at the city lights I'm driving through the night Just staring at the city lights Verse 1: I gaze upon the city where so many feel pain While reciting these rhymes in my mind watching the rain This place is so dark even during the day I stay wishing I could make all its problems just fade away There's beggars at every stop, who are hungry and poor Asking for some spare change but I wish I could give more So many people ignore them, try to keep them out of sight But you will always see them standing under bright city lights Hook 2: I'm driving through the night Just staring at the city lights I'm driving through the night Just staring at the city lights I'm driving through the night Just staring at the city lights I'm driving through the night Just staring at the city lights Verse 2: I can't quite explain the feelings that I have for this place But this city is my home and that can never be replaced It's got a lot of issues, unfortunately you can't erase Centuries of tension and history based upon race Just embrace it, and listen to these words that I write Doesn't matter if I'm on a flight or driving through the night If in my sight from any height I can see those bright lights Shining, then I always feel like everything will be alright Hook 3: I'm driving through the night Just staring at the city lights I'm driving through the night Just staring at the city lights I'm driving through the night Just staring at the city lights I'm driving through the night Just staring at the city lights

Verse 1: To all the girls who ever hated me And all the girls who never rated me I'll bet my last few Rands you're regretting the fact That you never dated me These people stay dissuading me Ain't pay no mind to what they say to me Cuz unabatedly I continue evading all the hate That's awaiting me Creatively you know that I'm as dope as it gets Basically you should place on me your hopes and your bets Pervasively all my notes over the globe do they spread Amazingly once I've got you in my scope then you're dead Persuasively my rhymes tie ropes around your throats and your necks Unfailingly my vignettes are like the Pope with a pet A crazy beast of a poet with verses Holy and blessed Prevailingly they can't cope cuz natively I'm the best, and don't you ever forget Rhymes flame-grilled like Nando's chicken, I'm hot with the bars I'm from South Africa, you know that I'm OG with the sauce But I'm still the type to keep my neck iced up with frost Got this cross pinned to my heart like my name was Rick Ross It keep me on course whenever I get lost in my thoughts If anybody wanna diss me then I'll show no remorse When I talk, use so much force that your body gets tossed If you cross me, your loss, should've considered the cost I got as many O's as my opp's got holes in their bodies That mean I'm broke cuz gangbanging ain't one of my hobbies But what I do got is the skills to impress all the hotties A lot of these rappers be looking at me trying to copy But they can't be me so they stay sweet like boxes of Smarties Your songs as pleasing as the sound of scraping metal with car keys My rhymes are harder than an army of Barbies Marching over Nicki Minaj haters, eating their brains like zombies I'm shutting down parties wherever I play songs at With just a mic in my hand so I can say all that My competition running home, the mic's a baseball bat Knocking 'em out of the park, remind em they are wack From head to toe got the best clothes and they all black My closet dark like I'm looking into space or at The bottom of the ocean, if these people hate on that I stare 'em straight in the face whenever they talk crap Wherever I go, I'm the biggest star in my gang It's No More Mr. Nice Guy whenever I'm in the ring So when you Step In The Arena you should take off your chains Cuz it's a Daily Operation the way I bring the pain Like Method Man, but the rep I got is Hard To Earn A Moment Of Truth is faced by every sucker I burn I'm The Owner of this shit, so sit down and wait your turn I'm One Of The Best Yet, it ain't that hard to discern Lines too Complex, hit you like a fully loaded magazine The Vibes I bring light up parties like they doused in gasoline The Source of pain for many rappers, they applying Vaseline I'm XXL so you know I never pass unseen Yes, it's Benoni's finest behind this You'll never find a mind as well designed as mine is I take my rhyming more seriously than assignments You're looking for refinement, I'm the one who defined it

Verse 1: I got these drawings in my head and they just won't go away Flashbacks to the past of what happened that day Memories like home movies, every time they play Like a projector in my mind, put my mistakes on display I still picture it clearly like I ain't seeing in grey It still haunts me, so heavy on my conscience it weighs Still asking God for forgiveness, so every day I still pray There's still so many things about it I wanna say It's now been over two years since what happened that night Yet there's still so much I think about so on paper I write Leaving the Post Malone show, it was past midnight Giving my brother's friend a ride home, I was being polite Five minutes away, stopped at McDonald's for a bite And then we headed off, driving under blinding street lights We almost home, I thought, I got the robot set in my sight It was so late I thought I'd just take my chances despite The light changing from green, over the white line I took flight I heard screams, looked to my left and just saw bright white lights Then everything went black, when I got back my sight I took a look around, saw everything was far from alright My brother in the passenger, he can't control his breathing His girlfriend passed out in the back, I saw her mouth was bleeding Her friend still got the seatbelt strapped, in so much pain she screaming My mind just racing forth and back so fast, my heart was beating Up in my throat, my nose burning with the smell of smoke Shattered glass all on the seats, the whole inside was broke Little bits of Big Mac scattered all over the car My eyebrow bleeding bad, had to go and stitch up the scar Stepped out the car and called my mom, she woke up to bad news I cried and told her I was scared, I ain't know what to do My parents came along with everybody's elses parents too 1 in the morning, 2019 on the 19th of June My dad's birthday, I really gave him the worst gift Ambulances came to give everybody a lift I got my eye stitched, my brother he got off with minor whiplash His girlfriend's jaw was broken, had to stay so they could fix that Her friend went to a different place, in her hip they put a plate She ain't have medical aid and they ain't have money to pay So from the Road Accident Fund some funds they tried to claim The police asked for a name so on me they placed the blame She had to walk on crutches, then her stomach ruptured The situation got worse and they started holding grudges My parents offered support but her parents didn't want it They'd rather see me standing in front of the judges The other driver tried to sue me for 200 hundred grand With false witnesses, didn't get it, insurance handled that Took me a while to realize it wasn't completely my fault But to this day these drawings in my head still haunting my thoughts

Hook 1: I make the buildings fall down when I come to your town I make the buildings fall down when I shake the ground I make the buildings fall down with my thunderous sound I make the buildings fall down as I reach for my crown I make the buildings fall down whenever I come around I make the buildings fall down with my verbs and my nouns I make the buildings fall down if we go another round I make the buildings fall down, you clowns are out for the count Verse 1: I bring in capital like Washington, ain't talkin' bout DC These rappers won't admit it, secretly they wan' be me So many girls see me and think "He's so dreamy" My words grant wishes like a lyrical genie I'm cooking these rappers up like some creamy linguine My rhymes cut 'em to size like a knife to sashimi They smoke PCP in Bible pages, I call that Exodust I send angels their way, they suicidal like Notorious My reign over the game has never looked quite so glorious No matter what situation I'm facing, I'll be victorious My bars are like my name, filled with so much depth An ocean of words, you drown in 'em till you lose your breath I bring it on, no doubt, just like Jay in '96 I'll punish suckers who fuck with me like the legend Big Chris I'm the enemy they fear, I got a Public reputation If you think you can defy me, then you're sorely mistaken Hook 2: I make the buildings fall down when I come to your town I make the buildings fall down when I shake the ground I make the buildings fall down with my thunderous sound I make the buildings fall down as I reach for my crown I make the buildings fall down whenever I come around I make the buildings fall down with my verbs and my nouns I make the buildings fall down if we go another round I make the buildings fall down, you clowns are out for the count Verse 2: Turn up your system, I hit you with lyricism Rappers turn into my victims when they enter in my kingdom Dropping bombs with my words, kill 'em with verbal terrorism At the same time dropping science, I be spittin' that wisdom Like Craig G, I light the mic up for the symphony Strike competition like lightning, I live in infamy I'm the answer, strike your mind like an epiphany This has been my destiny since infancy Because there used to be a time where you could kick a dope rhyme Hip-hop used to be all about who had the best lines But now it's changed, and the game just ain't the same But I came to lay my claim to the throne, greatness my aim I've been a savage way before I turned twenty one Leave all you people looking green like some vegetarians I jack you boys on the mic, it got me feeling like Travis Hit you with verbal clips, killing all you bitches with no malice Hook 3: I make the buildings fall down when I come to your town I make the buildings fall down when I shake the ground I make the buildings fall down with my thunderous sound I make the buildings fall down as I reach for my crown I make the buildings fall down whenever I come around I make the buildings fall down with my verbs and my nouns I make the buildings fall down if we go another round I make the buildings fall down, you clowns are out for the count

Hook 1: Sometimes I feel caught up in my own thoughts Trying to remember the important things I forgot Reminiscing on people from whom I've grown far apart While reflecting on who I am and who I am not I think about the past and my stomach twists into knots I think about the future and I get a pain in my heart But when these feelings come up is when I turn to my art And write them down to figure out how to connect the dots Verse 1: I tend to think about the words that I say And I get filled with anxiety that just won't go away Cuz words have power, I try to use mine for manifesting The future that I dream of for which I am destined But there's always two sides to every situation What if the words I'm saying happen right before my face and I'm stuck facing something from which there's no escaping Until my hearts breaking and heavy on my conscience it's weighing I'm praying every night but wonder if I ask for too much Thinking back to decisions that I made as I grew up Throughout school you make friends, remember when I knew some People with whom in the future I'd go on to lose touch I knew a girl who moved away, it's been years since we talked I got involved in her business, over the phone we fought I was a stubborn fool, I should've said sorry and just moved on Taught too late that I was wrong, now the chance is gone Hook 2: Sometimes I feel caught up in my own thoughts Trying to remember the important things I forgot Reminiscing on people from whom I've grown far apart While reflecting on who I am and who I am not I think about the past and my stomach twists into knots I think about the future and I get a pain in my heart But when these feelings come up is when I turn to my art And write them down to figure out how to connect the dots Verse 2: I used to have this friend up until two years ago He distanced himself from us, he had his reasons I know But sometimes I just think about what could have been If he'd just talked to us about it, the friendship ain't have to end But now I walk past his house, don't even know if he's still there I'm thinking what I could have said to prevent him from disappearing But it's been two years, and I ain't seen him since then Coming to terms with the fact I'll never hear his words again But there's a thought I have which plagues my mind more than the rest What if before I have a chance to get some things off my chest The other person passes on, it makes me think of my mom Remember when her health was poor and I was scared she'd be gone Before I tell her exactly how much she means to me But there's a lot of things that can't be said so easily What if it's someone I love with whom I get in a fight And then they die before I have a chance to make things right And then I'm stuck with that guilt for the rest of my life

Hook 1: I walk around my block on a quiet night Stare at the starry sky and move my eyes across the nebula Silently hope everything will be alright Look to the heavens for a blessing, I be praying on the regular In the distance see the bright city lights Consider if what I say get the message across like cellular I put my heart into the lyrics I write They're a reflection of self, like a mirror my words are specular Verse 1: On cold nights I take a walk down the block Put on my headphones, take steps in between kicking rocks Put this beat on, and the time just ticks away on the clock My thoughts knock, trynna keep them all locked up in a box I stop to look up at the red lights on distant crane tops And watch the flashing sirens pass by on cars that contain cops A plane pops up overhead and blends right in with the stars It got me thinking about how God dealt me these cards I'm thankful I ain't catch a charge and I ain't sat behind bars Give my regards to my father, because he really worked hard To ensure my life ahead was full of positive odds He gave me all these opportunities to get a good job A lot of people who don't get that chance are forced to rob Some join a mob, become the reason why some mothers sob And yet a working salary ain't really what I want Sorry dad, I'd rather follow my heart and pursue my art Hook 2: I walk around my block on a quiet night Stare at the starry sky and move my eyes across the nebula Silently hope everything will be alright Look to the heavens for a blessing, I be praying on the regular In the distance see the bright city lights Consider if what I say get the message across like cellular I put my heart into the lyrics I write They're a reflection of self, like a mirror my words are specular Verse 2: The first time I saw the flashing crane lights, thought they was aliens Even from such a great distance, they were so radiant Thinking there's life out there other than us sapiens It had me wondering if I'd ever fill up stadiums Scared I wouldn't even pack a school gymnasium Those kind of thoughts just kept spinning around my cranium Just praying one day that I'll fly like an avian Inside a private jet built of the strongest titanium My first dream at age six was to be like Superman By eight years old, directing movies became the plan I wanted to write books and to draw comics Wanted to be a chef, glad I gave that up to be honest Right now got two dreams in life: it's either making games Or rapping so that one day I have a claim to fame Want everyone to recognize my name, either way That thought alone allows me to push through every day Hook 3: I walk around my block on a quiet night Stare at the starry sky and move my eyes across the nebula Silently hope everything will be alright Look to the heavens for a blessing, I be praying on the regular In the distance see the bright city lights Consider if what I say get the message across like cellular I put my heart into the lyrics I write They're a reflection of self, like a mirror my words are specular

Verse 1: Hit the lights when I'm back at the mic I attack all you wack backpackers and subtract from your life Rhymes sharp like a knife, I go insaner on this beat Than Lorena Bobbit goes on a husband who cheats These corny rappers claim that they can take the heat till they get popped But if you want smoke, I can bring the fire non-stop Cuz if you rest then you rust, I can sleep when I'm dead So for now I keep spitting till I return to the dust Hook 1: As I scribble these rhymes down in to my notes Save 'em for a time when I need to come for y'all throats Always looking back at the paragraphs that I wrote And thinking "What can I say to make people wanna quote?" Looking deeper cuz there's always something for me to denote This is the craft to which so much of my time I devote Take time writing cuz I wanna be remembered as a GOAT So I want my words to be the main thing I promote Verse 2: I'm steamrolling these rappers like "It was me, Dio!" I'll leave you battered, bruised and blue like the bird from Rio You shoot subliminals but I dodge 'em like my name was Neo Then I send 'em back your way so I can shrink your ego Go against me, that's a gamble, I ain't talking casino Can't understand these mumblers like they speaking in Creole Discount store rappers like they from your nearest home depot But me, it's culture over money, and you know that's my credo Hook 2: As I scribble these rhymes down in to my notes Save 'em for a time when I need to come for y'all throats Always looking back at the paragraphs that I wrote And thinking "What can I say to make people wanna quote?" Looking deeper cuz there's always something for me to denote This is the craft to which so much of my time I devote Take time writing cuz I wanna be remembered as a GOAT So I want my words to be the main thing I promote Verse 3: I peel caps when I spill raps Send 'em to the doctor, hopefully he can fill gaps Don't you ever go against me dog if your skill lacks Cuz over these ill tracks, you know I drill cracks In your system, kill you lyrically with my quill axe My attacks they impact your will to fight back Instill a sense of fear in you over this tight wax Just relax, if you provoke me then I might act, and that's a fact Hook 3: As I scribble these rhymes down in to my notes Save 'em for a time when I need to come for y'all throats Always looking back at the paragraphs that I wrote And thinking "What can I say to make people wanna quote?" Looking deeper cuz there's always something for me to denote This is the craft to which so much of my time I devote Take time writing cuz I wanna be remembered as a GOAT So I want my words to be the main thing I promote

Hook 1: Where did the Jazz go? Nobody knows Where did the Jazz go? Nobody knows Where did the Jazz go? Nobody knows Where did the Jazz go? Nobody knows Where did the Jazz go? Nobody knows Where did the Jazz go? Nobody knows Where did the Jazz go? Nobody knows Where did the Jazz go? Nobody knows Verse: Yeah, you know I got the jazz like Phife and Tip in '91 My tribe is on a quest so you know we getting shit done Not even rapping, I just be spitting in my Native Tongue Wisdom of a Wizard trapped inside a body so young Like taking loot from a baby, when I be under the sun I make this shit look easy, these lesser rappers, they run I ain't promoting no violence, cuz I just wanna have fun But for each one of my critics got a lyrical gun Wish we could take it back in time to before all the bling To before all the chains, to before all the rings To before these so-called rappers who don't rap but they sing To a time when the music was influenced by swing Influenced by jazz and a little bebop When you could feel the love for the art with every drop And in every line, you could hear all the passion Spreading a message but still spitting like a verbal assassin When the Brothers came and brought the game Straight Out The Jungle De La said Eye Know and had a clear vision, no tunnel When Latifah and Monie were repping for all the queens Busta, Charlie and Dinco had a new school they would lead A time when Black Sheep told people that the choice was theirs to make And the Fu-Schnickens were La Schmooving all over the place When Grand Pub and the rest of Brand Nub were one for all And J Dilla helped The Pharcyde not to Drop the ball As Digable Planets made everyone feel cool like that Guru and Premo challenged people to arena combat When Pete Rock and CL Smooth would reminisce over you And live bands made jazz rap like Stetsa and The Roots The Souls Of Mischief were chilling from 93 till Infinity While the Main Source were barbecuing in your vicinity But in this modern age of rap, there's one thing I wanna know In the last 30 years, where did the Jazz go? Hook 2: Where did the Jazz go? Nobody knows Where did the Jazz go? Nobody knows Where did the Jazz go? Nobody knows Where did the Jazz go? Nobody knows Where did the Jazz go? Nobody knows Where did the Jazz go? Nobody knows Where did the Jazz go? Nobody knows Where did the Jazz go? Nobody knows

Verse 1: I'll never ever forget the day that we first met Introduced to you at camp, I didn't even know your name yet The others told me what it was but I still got it wrong I didn't know just how you would shake my world from then on That was three years ago, but it feels like forever In the short time I've known you you've changed my life for the better Remember back to all the memories we made back in school But I knew I fell in love with you when I first saw you Over time we started talking more and hanging out more This wasn't like any other crush that I'd had before This was real, I wasn't only attracted to how you looked That was a factor but it was you as a person that got me hooked I loved your smile, your laugh, your kindness and your strength That was back when we used to chat for hours on end When you agreed to the dance I was the happiest man alive But then you got a new boyfriend and it tore me up inside Hook 1: So now I'm feeling so heartless I don't know where my heart went Got me feeling so heartless I can't remember when my heart left So now I'm feeling so heartless I don't know where my heart went Got me feeling so heartless I can't remember when my heart left Verse 2: I didn't understand, I thought things were going well Maybe I took too long cuz my feelings I couldn't tell But I told myself that day that I wouldn't give up Hoping I could win you back, I wish I'd just grown up You said he don't like me, I said it's cuz we haven't met yet But honestly it made me glad to know he saw me as a threat Four months later you told me you and him were over I thought it was my second chance for us to grow ever closer But then you got a new man, and I decided that was it I gave up on my feelings and just decided I would quit But when I heard you were leaving, I just had to confess I just had to get my feelings for you off of my chest You turned me down but you said that we could still be friends I agreed but now I'm still running away in the end I'm really sorry TJ, hope you'll forgive me regardless Can't put my feelings aside, how could I be so heartless Hook 2: So now I'm feeling so heartless I don't know where my heart went Got me feeling so heartless I can't remember when my heart left So now I'm feeling so heartless I don't know where my heart went Got me feeling so heartless I can't remember when my heart left

Verse 1: If I told you I wanted to be a rapper, would you laugh at me? If my dream was to kick rhymes, would you throw jabs at me? A class clown is all people see me as anyway But if I tell them all the truth, then what would they say? They'd probably tell me I'm crazy, they'd probably say it was hopeless Teachers might say it won't work, so on my work I should focus A white boy from the suburbs who went to private school Saying he wants to rap, to them he'd probably just look like a fool When I was younger, I used to think these exact same things Never believed in myself, too scared to chase my dreams Even my mom would tell me that my hopes were misplaced Said a kid like me, with skin like mine, in a country like this, couldn't win that race One day in class the teacher asked what we wanted to be The other kids said lawyers, bankers, businessmen and actuaries When it got to me, I said I wanted to make video games When they laughed, I knew I shouldn't tell them all my real aims Cause for me, I've had this rap dream since I was sixteen But couldn't tell nobody, I was scared how weirdly I'd be seen Not the best at sports, good grades but not the greatest Nobody thought anything of me, so why should I even say it? I stopped writing after high school to focus on my degree Said I'd do it for my parents but a job ain't really where I wanna be When I know my place is on that stage with a mic in my hand So I picked up the pen, started writing again, so that one day they'll understand Hook: And things are not always what they seem No longer too scared to chase my dreams Yeah, things are not always what they seem I wanted this since I was only sixteen And things are not always what they seem No longer too scared to chase my dreams Yeah, things are not always what they seem I wanted this since I was only sixteen Verse 2: I have this friend, he used to coach me on my pen Back and forth we'd share writtens through messages that we sent Gave me lessons to improve upon my lyrical content But I don't think he knows just how much his words truly meant Cuz honestly this dude's my hero, and I never told him that He was the main inspiration for me wanting to rap At sixteen, walking around, talking 'bout how I'll be the GOAT Without writing a single sixteen 'cause I said it as a joke Until I saw a video of him rapping show up online Then it went viral at school, watched it blow up my timeline Got shared around by some classmates, everyone knew who he was I looked at him and realized I wanted that same love So when I found his music online, that really opened my eyes The fact someone I knew at school could rap just blew my mind One day I finally decided just to send him a message Told him I listened to his song, from there we blossomed a friendship He was the one who got me started on writing my first verses I would send 'em, he would say what was and what wasn't working But he told me not to give up and to never stop writing Above all that he was someone I could really confide in We'd talk for hours, have conversations 'bout music and life Always took it to heart when he truly gave me advice He's the person who believed in me from day one And all the things that he taught me paved my foundation His words were truly instrumental in my formation 'Cuz I believed him when he'd say one day my greatness may come So to my sensei, SK, all that I wanna say Is thank you, without you I wouldn't be who I am today Hook 2: But things are not always what they seem No longer too scared to chase my dreams Yeah, things are not always what they seem I wanted this since I was only sixteen