Yeah
Catfish on the keys
Bayou boy in the deep end
We ain’t scared of the tide, nah
Let’s swim

I been grindin’ on the wave, tryna keep my head above it
Everybody smellin’ blood, tryna take a lil’ somethin’
Labels circle like they friendly, but they teeth say different
Gotta move like water, cool, clean, and efficient

I been tip-toein’ through the currents, learnin’ all the codes
Smile pretty for the cameras while I’m carryin’ loads
But I’m slick with it—Bayou boy, current in my chest
I ain’t runnin’ from the ocean, I just swim with the best

Lights flash, bass hit, sharks all smell fame (smell fame)
Tryna bite a lil’ piece, tryna carve out my name (our name)
But I glide through the deep, stay steady in the dark (ready in the dark, ready in the dark)
If you scared of the water, you ain’t built for the sharks (built for the sharks, built for the sharks)

(Yeah…) I’m swimmin’ with sharks, they all around me
Tryna take a lil’ taste but they can’t drown me
Pressure on my neck but the flow too strong
If you movin’ in the deep, better learn to hold on

(Yeah…) I’m swimmin’ with sharks, they circle tight
But I slide through the dark like I own the night
They wanna pull me down but I play my part
In the deep, in the deep, still swimmin’ with sharks

They be watchin’ how I move, tryna study my form
Tryna take my lil’ rhythm, turn it into their song
But I’m seasoned—Bayou raised, carnival-born
Got a melody for every rainy night and early morn

Industry cold, gotta keep my soul warm
Keep my heartbeat loud underneath the storm
I ain’t followin' the tides, man, I build my own chart
If you wanna ride the wave, better swim with heart

Sharks in the water but I move like a barracuda
Cut clean through the rumors, I’m cooler than a brass tuba
Whole squad wadin’ through the deep, that’s a heavy crew
If you ain’t built for the waves, they gon’ bury you

Industry cold but I’m warm when the beat drop
Keep a little heat in the bars, let the street knock
Contracts lookin’ like teeth—gotta read proper
’Cause a handshake smile still hide a jaw locker

I been swimmin’ in the dark with a glow on me
Ain’t nobody takin’ nothin’ that I sow, homie
Bayou-born, so the current always roll on me
Sharks try to bite but they choke when they go for me

Deep breath… don’t sink…
Hold tight… don’t blink…
Everybody want a bite when the lights go dark…
But I keep floatin’, keep coastin’,
Still swimmin’ with sharks…
Still swimmin’ with sharks…
Still swimmin’ with sharks…
Still swimmin’ with sharks…

XPeriment - Swimming With Sharks

Yeah, yeah
Ayo, listen up, it’s time (Time, word)
Yeah, it’s time now (Alright, begin)
Straight from the places that raised us
Where bad lessons travel faster than hope
I don’t know how to open this, so I’ll tell it straight

I learned my cadence from the cracks in the pavement
Old men talk tough, masking fear as patience
House full of echoes, anger in rotation
Every rule I was given came with contamination
I write from the spine, not a pose for attention
Pain handed down like a family pension
No saints in the frame, just survival traditions
Where silence was praised and rage was permission
I watched pride ruin brothers before money did
Watched fists speak louder than apologies ever lived
I’m built from warnings I was told to ignore
From “never show weakness” scratched into the floor
I carried weight I didn’t earn by choice
Inherited tone, inherited voice
Every night felt sharp, every day felt tense
Trust was a rumor, love was expense
So I sharpened my words where I couldn’t defend
Turned damage into discipline, scars into pens
If I sound cold, that’s climate not ego
I came up breathing storms, not windowed condos
This is testimony, not a threat or a flex
Just proof of what survives when it’s raised in neglect

State of the bloodline
State of the mind
What gets passed down
Doesn’t stay behind
State of the bloodline
State of the mind
Break what you’re given
Or repeat the design

I had dreams where I’m calm, no armor, no guard
Then I wake up defensive, gripping the dark
I was taught that respect comes wrapped in control
That love keeps score and forgiveness is sold
So I question my reflex, my temper, my stance
Every impulse trained by somebody else’s past
I seen men win loud and lose everything quiet
Seen pride turn homes into personal riots
I don’t preach clean paths, I walk with the doubt
Unlearning the language that violence taught
Confidence forged in a furnace of blame
Toxic heritage branded deep in the name
But I’m breaking the chain link by link, not fast
With accountability heavier than the past
I choose presence over posture, truth over threat
If I fail, I own it, I don’t deflect
This is strength redefined, no fists, no fear
Just standing with what’s hard and staying right here
I don’t sleep easy, my thoughts still grind
But I’m rewriting fate with a clearer mind
Nothing clean grows where it started in smoke
But roots can be cut, even when they’re old

State of the bloodline
State of the mind
What gets passed down
Doesn’t stay behind
State of the bloodline
State of the mind
Break what you’re given
Or repeat the design

You Ain't Gotta Lie (Ta Kick It) (Feat. Chris Rock)

Ice Cube