this is my favorite song ever man. thank you.

Lupe Fiasco's The Cool

Dumb It Down (feat. GemStones & Graham Burris)

Hip-Hop Saved My Life (feat. Nikki Jean)

Put You on Game

Chill's Spotlight, Vol. 3 - Dak's Playlist

Ohh Oh

Round Trip

Unpredictable (feat. Inspectah Deck & Method Man)

Re-Up Gang The Saga Continues

Ultimate Flow

"Whatever It Takes" is a narrative concept album based on the true story of the 2019 eBay cyberstalking scandal - when a Fortune 500 company's security team launched a coordinated terror campaign against two bloggers who wrote critical coverage.

Ina and David Steiner ran EcommerceBytes, a small newsletter covering e-commerce from their home in Natick, Massachusetts. When Ina wrote about CEO Devin Wenig's compensation, he texted his Chief Communications Officer Steve Wymer: "If we are ever going to take her down..now is the time."

Wymer's responses became evidence:

> We are going to crush this lady
> She is biased troll who needs to get BURNED DOWN
> I want to see ashes. As long as it takes. Whatever it takes.

What followed was a "campaign of terror" - seven eBay security employees (including former police captains) sent bloody pig masks, a preserved fetal pig, live cockroaches and spiders, a funeral wreath, a book about surviving the death of a spouse, and porn magazines to the couple. They posted Craigslist ads inviting strangers to the Steiners' home. They flew from California to Boston to stalk their car and planned to break into their garage to plant a GPS tracker. They carried fake "Person of Interest" documents. One even pretended to rescue them - the "White Knight Strategy."

David photographed a license plate. The FBI got involved. All seven employees were convicted.

But the executives who gave the orders? The CEO walked away with $57 million in severance. Never charged.

This is a story about corporate power, surveillance turned against citizens, and the two-tier justice system.

—————————————————————

TRACKLIST

00. Prologue: Based on True Events
01. EcommerceBytes
02. The Article
03. Crush This Lady
04. Whatever It Takes
05. Pig Mask
06. The Natick Job
07. Person of Interest
08. White Knight
09. License Plate
10. Fifty-Seven
11. Still Haunted
12. Epilogue

—————————————————————

SOURCES (14 Primary Documents)

This album is based entirely on documented facts. All text message quotes are from evidence admitted in federal court.

Court Documents:
• Deferred Prosecution Agreement: https://www.justice.gov/usao-ma/media/1332791/dl
• Criminal Information: https://www.justice.gov/usao-ma/media/1333086/dl

DOJ Case Page (7 press releases):
• https://www.justice.gov/usao-ma/case/us-v-ebay-inc

Investigative Journalism:
• "Take Her Down" - Boston Magazine: https://www.bostonmagazine.com/news/2021/12/02/ebay-ecommercebytes-stalking/
• CBS 60 Minutes: https://www.cbsnews.com/news/ebay-stalking-scandal-haunts-steiner-couple-60-minutes-2023-03-26/
• San Jose Spotlight: https://sanjosespotlight.com/disgraced-ebay-exec-wielded-power-at-san-jose-city-hall/

SEC Filing (Wenig Severance):
• https://www.sec.gov/Archives/edgar/data/1065088/000119312519254832/d806459dex101.htm

Wikipedia Overview:
• https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/EBay_stalking_scandal

—————————————————————

KEY FACTS

57 months - James Baugh's prison sentence
$57 million - Devin Wenig's severance
7 - Employees convicted
0 - Executives charged

Person of Interest

[Verse 1]
Look, it’s my motherfucking birthday, I earned this air
Candle light flicker, still see demons in the glare
I been crawling through the mud, still came out clean
Fought a thousand silent wars, you don’t know what I mean
Every scar got a story, every bottle got a lid
Every promise that I made was for the broken little kid
But tonight I ain’t apologizing for my shine
It’s my time on the clock and you ain’t stopping my grind
You talk shit like it’s fashion, like it’s part of the scene
But your words taste bitter, broken jealousy, mean
I been biting my tongue, now I’m letting it loose
All that fake love energy, I’m cutting that noose

[Pre-Chorus]
You don’t celebrate my wins, you just wait for my fall
Same ones at my table, but they envy it all
So don’t step on my moment, don’t kill my vibe
Tonight I’m feeling alive, yeah I’m finally alive

[Chorus]
Fuck your shit, don’t wreck my zone, it’s my birthday
I survived another year, I earned this cake
Hands in the sky, let the whole world shake
If you don’t ride with me, step out my way
Fuck your shit, I’m celebrating my worth
Every breath I take a reminder I’m here on this earth
Say my name when the beat goes berserk
It’s my birthday, yeah, I know what I’m worth

[Verse 2]
Remember nights I was crying with the lights off
Turned pain into rhythm, now the mic’s on
Everybody wanna show up when the sun hit
But where were you when the rain made me collapse?
I made peace with the pain in my chest
Turned stress into bars, yeah I passed that test
Now I’m blowing out candles made of my tears
Each flame tell a story from my darkest years
I ain’t perfect, I’m feral, I’m fire, I’m smoke
But at least I’m honest with every word I spoke
So don’t bring bad vibes to my holy day
I rebirthed myself in a major way

[Bridge]
If I scream tonight, it’s cause I held it in
If I dance tonight, it’s cause I almost gave in
If I drink tonight, it’s cause my wounds still ache
But the music my medicine, the crowd my escape
This ain’t ego, it’s survival, don’t twist the script
I lost so much just to get to this
So raise a glass or get out my space
It’s my moment, don’t spit in my face

[Final Chorus]
Fuck your shit, don’t wreck my zone, it’s my birthday
I survived another war in my brain
Light it up, let the night go insane
This my victory song, feel the strain
Fuck your shit, I’m claiming my crown
I was lost in the dark, now I’m found
If you doubted me, look at me now
It’s my birthday, and I’m taking it loud

[Outro]
Another year, another fight I won
Still standing, still breathing, still number one
No more tears for the ones who hate
Cut the cake, feel the bass, let’s fucking celebrate

Dumb It Down (feat. GemStones & Graham Burris)

LupeFiasco

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