rat poison [bonus]
(N. Masten, A. Greenberg, L. Poor, J. Harrison, C. Noronha)

 see a couple days have passed since you thought about me last
used to treat me with some care and love, i admired that
reciprocate the generosity i gave you in the past
but now you’re smiling in my face while you’re stabbing at my back
what’s the point? i provided you with things you’ve never seen
and now there’s smoke all in my face and you’re saying different things
say you’ll change but i can see you’re spilling poison in my tea
so i might just turn the heat up if we’re through with playing clean

rat poison!
the world is melting, no one here to save (us)
please open up your eyes it’s not too late
culprits flying high to outer space
when the cats are gone the mice will pop the safe
guilt abridged, it’s in our dna
non organic to our bones, we infiltrate
fuck a straw, bring the bats and spray the mace
there’s more to this than human lives at stake 

there’s more to this than human lives at stake 
fuck a straw, bring the bats and spray the mace
when the cats are gone the mice will pop the safe
please open up your eyes it’s not too late
please open up your eyes it’s not too late
please open up your eyes it’s not too late
please open up your eyes it’s not too late
please open up your eyes it’s not too late!!

rat poison  [bonus] (w/ Gems & Genies)

Evil Eye
(M. Bonema)
Produced by DJ Blackpower (from the album 'Disco!' - available at mikelikesrap.bandcamp.com)

I was gone for a tad on the way back, dummy
If you talk bad I'm getting payback, dummy
Why you tryna hang? You should save that money
In my same bag, my brothers couldn't take that from me
They crash, I know when to lay back, dummy
On that strange ave where I used to lay raps, hungry
So we ate half
Brother on the train pack something to evade sad, truth is I relate
It ain't nothing just to break acts, I chewed around the plate
It was months of doing way bad 'fore I saw the cake
Then there's years of tryna change past, fears of coming late
Too embarrassed for his lame ass, cherish where he stay
Try comparing but it ain't that, comparison's his game
Tara told me not to praise cash, share it when it came
Thank my parents cause I age fast, steer me through the flames
Know they hear it when my brain splash, cherish what I gave

[Chorus]
But there's a lot of shit to take back, dummy boys fake
Pay your hand, leave that same back bloody
It's for my momma when I make raps, dummy, when I pray
'Cause I know she gon' pray back for me
Lot of shit to take back, dummy boys fake
Pay your hand, leave that same back bloody
It's for my momma when I make raps, dummy, when I pray
'Cause I know she gon' pray back for me

Evil Eye [MIKE cover]

Leaders of Tomorrow (Intro)
(M. Bonema)
Produced by DJ Blackpower (from 'Disco!' - available on mikelikesrap.bandcamp.com)

I had them label checks going out to sis'
I can only stress the thought to see her wrist tight
Sometimes I thought to take the losses as a gift
'Cause only death can show you how to live, right?
Although I only felt the sorrow I should give life
Thorough like Big's, so I'm barring like hitchhikes
I pray tomorrow not writ, it sucks that I gotta stay more than I dip
Life is tough, boys gotta say more than they did
From the slums so you gotta take more than they split, right?
More or less, yo, it's all the same shit
Break a sweat, start morphing at midnight, pour it in the spliff
Take a morning just to shift, for the fortune I'm the quick type
Morals don't exist, they be oral over fist fights
Portal of abyss, abortion of your clique type
Extortion of the disc, it's not an invite
Deployment of this shit, I'm done getting skipped twice
Enjoying what it is, wide soul through the bliss
Sow a lick, might take photos of the kid, 
Made me wonder where he switched, like, or where the grim rise
Toils of the trip, I act my kicks size
Love me 'cause I've been riding
Ugh, my paranoia like a cyst, you shouldn't wait for me to itch by it
Know my taste something blazing with the dim lighting
Favored 'cause the wit, making paper from the slick writing

Leaders Of Tomorrow [MIKE cover]

Elsesser, Sage. "Peach Cobbler." Navy's Reprise, Freedom Sounds, 2021. https://navybluethetruest.com/collections/digital-albums.

jet lagged as fuck, staring thru the glass
espresso in my hand, 3:30 kickin my ass
sprawlin out of dreams like im runnin late for class
then it’s back to memories of the experience we had
amsterdam streets, runnin up the tabs for a month
demons in my heart i’d have masqueraded once
when i was zoned out in my dome, pervasive sums
of cash flow, buying coats, you ain’t better tryna stunt 
get better tryna heal
kat, joe and brandon pulled me up, i’m trying still
ash taught me stick my chest out, say fuck doubt and make enough to crack the seal
max and braedyn brought me out to party, i can still
hear the bass across the milky way, feel the vodka spirit
in my chest, roots fest, sashiv puff exotic, clearest smoke i ever seen
dancing thru the night, mirrors on the dance floor, fuck you staring for? 
we’re the nearest to the top
running up a check and i’m never gon stop
in the face of blood orange suns over ziggurats
concrete surrounds me, i stay close to the heart
of the city, facing fissures
pictures paint a thousand words, my paper’s fifty pages
couple beats, couple spliffs, i stay up in your tape deck
all open access when you play under the table
but i’m diggin thru the archive, never said that i made it
treat this as a statement
table of contents, outsider in the spheres of innovation
sifting thru the shelves like digging thru the crates, my sources never basic
[…]you gon’ have to learn some patience
this just the intro and i’m snappin off motivation
you had to see us there to catch the lines that i’m tracing
up the dutch stock exchange, but i can tell that i’m off track
wind it back to paris, gotta let myself fall back

[x2]
told her i’m goin no contact
never catch me in a contract
i can tell that i’m off track
wind it back to paris, gotta let myself fall back

travelouge

'table of contents' (Elsesser 2021)

Mach-Hommy & Martin, Fihim. "Tracy Morgan." Notorious Dump Legends, self-released, 2018.

true stepper international
slip the clint’s on and i grab the dough
hand crafted suede, this ain’t plastic bro
dhl in the lobby, never touch the wrapping tho
i made a couple dollars and now i’m watching where these raps could go
stacking higher and higher
courtside to versailles, info from my guys, get it straight through the wire
never had a supplier
of belief, now these investors see me in envy green kicks in the streets of desire
city of light, i burn a spirit strollin thru the park
dead of night
apparitions in the air bonnie protect me from the blight
goyard line stretching down the block, wait this isn’t right
it’s like 11:30, right?

walking to the laundromat
next morning but i been sleeping bad
dreams versus nightmares when your vision’s packed
luxury linens, sports cars and goyard, it ain’t a scenic pass
5-0 on the corner, sig sauers, they ain’t even strapped
[wait i gotta run it back]
same faces from my dreams
wraiths on the same corner 
plotting on the seams 
like it gives a type of stature
catch myself judging off the jansport and the atlas
demons slipped it in but i done passed it off as royalty
never wanted this shit, pan au chocolat done spoiled me
consumerism got me fucked, wants massive, treating folks accordingly
ignore the gems of life that mean a lot more to me
data roaming, cdg to schippol airport
it’s a lot more to see

travelogue

'data roaming' (Mach-Hommy & Fihim 2018)

Maman, Alan, Bonema, Michael, & Miriam-Kassa, Haile. "Bless (feat. MIKE & Sideshow)." Flying High, ALC Records, 2023. https://alcrecords.com/collections/digital-albums/products/flying-high-digital-album

stuck inside for some years
took the time to let my eyes clear
now it’s streetcars towards centraal, know the time near
air 4’s on the pavement, introductions met with blind stares
been a couple days but
feel direction changing on the course of my life
currents swirl around, navigate the strife
i got the folks around me
they don’t care about no bags
just out for a limited time
bars of natural wine poured inside the glass
flavors open up, killing time we sit and laugh
at the menu, ‘tastes like springtime waterfalls,’ fuck is that?
tastes like grapes, pass it off, another draft
walk thru the past months, timelapsed 
ain’t like this since before she passed
hard to say but it’s the truth
call on the deis of the 372
bus slowed to a crawl when i heard the news
empty seat next to mine back in june 
he see i mask pain with smiles, i brush it off and play it cool
sometimes it’s hard to see straight
on these cobblestones till my knees ache
only time i feel safe 
to be just okay is solo 
at the surinamese joint
you texted the other day
why you afraid to show me love when that’s the only thing i need?
you could’ve walked beside me while i navigate the grief
astounding, found a new release
and you waltz inside my life like aint no boundaries or peace 
i turn my phone off
now we ain’t speak for some weeks
she ask “are we okay? i hope you know you can talk”
but i been living out my days
my hearts full of purpose and i been sleeping well
why you tryna be in the way?

'purpose' (Maman, Bonema & Miriam-Kassa 2023)

Minder, Omavi & Tairiq. "Terms & Conditions." Let the Sun Talk, self-released, 2019. https://mavi.bandcamp.com/album/let-the-sun-talk

[no lyrics available]

'interlude' (Minder & Tairiq 2019)

Porter, F. & Daval, Jean. "Myth." Terror Management, Backwoodz Studios, 2019. https://backwoodzstudioz.com/collections/digital/products/billy-woods-terror-management-digital

downed tree limbs insightful of slaughter
storm tides rise to the boats at the border
crabs in a bucket while we pray to the alter
never expect to see the demise of the order
but it’s true violence gotta make it for my daughter
gotta eat
scavenge, sleep in that order
dead fish litter the gutters of the flooded streets
venetian cloth he made a noose from the sheets
indo-filipino diplomacy, duterte with the piece
shadows creep in, rolling blackouts in his sleep
i creep in right after, it’s a wicked world
somebody’ll pick up the pieces 
sacrifice should’ve been me
laughter from the rafters
oil baron with a shell on his chest, i dump six in right after
wicked world with the divine at the rapture

wicked world, meet the divine at the rapture
she laughs in solitude, disparate passion
burning warehouse, molotov’s the distraction
monologue in my dreams, she creeps in in reaction
wicked world, meet the fiend at the rapture
i laugh in solitude, she calls me a bastard
burning palace, couldn’t flee from the capture
up with a start, six shells at my bedside, and ash in my rafters

'wicked world [nooduitgang]' (Porter & Daval 2019)

Mach-Hommy, Porter, F. & Perretta, Michael. "383 Myrtle (feat. billy woods)." Dumpmeister, self-released, 2017. Digital download, https://www.mach-hommy.com/new/dumpmeister-1. [NOTE: The instrumental to 383 Myrtle was widely released on Evidence's "Squirrel Tape Instrumentals, Vol. 1" under the name "Mach."]

outside on the street, it’s a quarter to nine
talk for a while, not checking the time 
i don’t got a type ‘less your passport is a different shade than mine
she smiled, motioned inside
getting out the rain the last thing on my mind
i love the downpour
i laugh a lot, but need to genuinely smile more
universal silence, look to myself for guidance
till i realize exactly what these rhymes for
afterwards, she say i’m too kind
only cuz i know what dying’s like
and i came back alive
woods said ‘we were new in our own eyes, we survived’
the wrong words seem to rhyme
it wasn’t a fluke, it was a prelude
ain’t the end of the ride, just a step to what’s new
and what’s after this, i seen it early
dutch royalty bout to do you dirty
streets filled its blood on the derbies
intercity beef, wish they had something worthy to fight over
turf wars over titled jerseys
knifepoint outta town, sundown’s making him nervous
tatted the x’s - for what purpose? i don’t know
mercy me, i watched from the curb, cuz he ain’t have the type of courage
gotta have backbone if you want my services
it ain’t no life preservers if you don’t kick above the waves
minor squabbles while we’re sitting in the last days
harvest moon over landscape, fires bring in some type of haze
buttered toast with sprinkles for her breakfast, she sit with entitled gaze
i ain’t come around just to say hey
least back in the states i could fix some brown rice, prime beef, maybe a couple fried eggs
sesame and kikkoman, but empty stomach’s fine for my rounds of the day
safety on when the shots graze

rain season in amsterdam, i was born in a drought
waiting for the true colors to wash out
natural dye, colonizer on live the way he’s chasing clout
take two shots to the chest, pen to paper, brains spilling out
doorman rolled some joints, public lobby too loud
i’m on the corner, separate from the crowd
white boy advertise folk sounds
named nagasaki dive or sumn’, subtlety ain’t lost on me
likeminded strangers so i ain’t never seated comfortably
feel the need to get wasted in order to get in touch with me
it’s from my father’s side, bass shake the walls, come see what’s up with me
for the real ones, the ones who lost the children
inside em, i know the deal son
hope my kids don’t walk my path, it’s impossible in this system
my taxes pay for axon footage, brutality settlement settled on best intentions
this ain’t the end of the ride, but it ain’t cheap either
we all got a debt of blood to pay before you see the ether
but it’s a choice to make 
you gon’ just survive and stay the same? 
or use life to make this place something worthy of redeeming?

'end of the road' (Mach-Hommy, Porter & Perretta 2017)

Matthews, Livingston, & Ahwlee. "Diamonds (feat. DJ Harrison & V.C.R)." Leather Blvd., Lex Records, 2023. https://bcoolaid.bandcamp.com/album/leather-blvd.

trent hill, michelle newman
bicycle hotel, tom and clay
gabrielle held it down, every day
homies in the corner, all the way
ash king, joseph saultz
kat walters, sorry bout your pops
kat’s pops, brandon hall
max liberman, shit we did it all
apollo battey, john durant
king of bikes hold it down in france
jake sheets, snappin pics
sophia zeng, pullin off them fits
bring the poker face, jackson brenner-smith
saya hit the table once, and that’s it
devon coultas, emma hong
ain’t many more names till the end of the song
sashiv bhatia, braedyn reed
can’t compete when they’re rollin thru the trees
mendy miller, shit they caught me up to speed
miki and alex, they takin up the lead
shit you can’t forget about zahida too
it ain’t long before i see you on the news
melissa runnels, hope svenson
wisdom and guidance, they always giving lessons
eunji, angela, alli left to round it out
on the subway, we hold the city down
can’t forget amber, center stage
look at all of us, shit we got it made
connections framed, across the stars
it’s real special, this thing of ours
hope you liked the tape, my lil songs
it meant a lot, when you see me sing along
from the break of night to the brink of dawn 
all we do is rock on
rock rock on

'shoutro'!' (Matthews & Ahwlee 2023)

i done seen a couple pivots, had some change in my life
reconcile the differences and pain from inside
drive in burger days, racing with the shakes in the ride
back to class, face stained with remains of the fries
on display graced the pages of my rhymes
but them pages ain’t around no more
ain’t no sprints up north
i ain’t the kid from down south no more
ain't buy my kicks and clothes off of clout no more
ain’t flex fake money to get rid of doubt no more
every cent accounted for
every debt gets paid
days on my own, ain’t a path i could trace
on the floor above garages, slept wherever there was space
see how far we came, 
but it’s only a taste
tell me what you want
tell me what you wanna know, i’ll bring in everything
can you say the same?

flight back to the states
no layovers, ten hours, lotta time in my brain
fifty three days to cycle through and regulate
got the idea for this tape
about halfway through, the whole city, associate it with my crew
we take the good with the bad
i’m the typa man to leave my love on the table, if the ride is bumpy i ain’t gon leave it at that
bringin back the funk with ahwlee on the track
but check it
my hair longer, my skin clearer
spent years trying so hard to duck the man in the mirror
now i watch his movements closely so
i can figure him out
if this shit ain’t workin we take a different route
ain’t no time to waste
so tell me what you want, i aint tryna stay the same

[cnt go back]
tell me what you want, we can do it
i’ve been down bad and i can’t go back
shawty said ride, keep moving
we’ve been gone so long, had to bring it back
streets telling lies, you can bring ‘bout that
shawty wanna ride to the music
i made her man jealous, said she can’t go back
shawty i feel you, we can cool it
you been dancing all and she won’t look back
shawty said fuck it keep moving
we all got problems, that’s usual
but imma still pray when i can’t shoot back
leave it everywhere, had to trace my tracks
had to leave [?], still on they ass
my ||||| ain’t a fuck |||||, go chase your bag
fuck around, fuck around, where you at?

john harrison

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