Lyric Video - https://youtu.be/co4aBf41N3g
Beat by p r ⚇ p p a - https://soundcloud.com/soundslikeproppa
Stream...Pt. 1 (short 4 Stream of Consciousness) is the 1st in a series of writing exercises I use 2 just keep the ink flowing w/o having 2 worry about the confines/constraints of structure, narrative, topics etc. Whatever comes 2 mind.
Enjoy & Thanx 4 Listening!

Stream...Pt. 1 (Randomization) [prod. p r ⚇ p p a] (Lyric Video in Description)

Susan Cain, close it out!
Thanx 4 Listening!

Nightlife 4 (Thinking) Introverts

SPEEK_softlee

4 your interpretation.
"U & me, we'll find a way."

Close(r)

True story.
"If the city could talk, it'd tell the story of villainous & insidious hearts."
Lyric Video - https://youtu.be/IZ60Qdg4DKM

Rewteen (Lyric Video in Description)

Hip Hop & Jazz's chemistry has always been 1 of a kind to me & is largely responsible for getting me into Jazz. There are endless ways to mix the 2 & though more & more Jazz vets are coming around to understanding the idea of Hip Hop culture & rap music in general, I can only hope more will see 1 day how much we appreciate the foundation they've given us to build on.
"Just remember, your love is our love.
Cuz of u, here we are, love. It's all love"

Juuk[box]

Reasons I don't like shit & I don't go outside lol.
"Imma set up a house party just 4 us.
But 4 what? No one would show up."

Wallflwr's Anthm

Animated Lyric Video: https://youtu.be/Q6qMC6ncgmU

I like to be left alone sometimes.
.......most times.
That is all.
"Peace & quiet is a luxury.
I'm 1 with the much needed relief of silence & subtlety"

Solituud (Animated Lyric Video in Description)

4 all the night owls walking around outside after 10pm on a Wednesday cuz it's the only time it's just us out there.
"Aspiring insomniacs come alive when the sun retracts"

Midnyt So[sigh]ety

Beat - Funki Flava https://soundcloud.com/funkiflava

Rhymes - S.I.N.

Mix - Stratic Beats
https://soundcloud.app.goo.gl/B2RUD

Cover Art - fatcop
https://soundcloud.app.goo.gl/M9ojk

fatcop's Photography - https://fatcop.svbtle.com/

Wrote this song in about 2016 or 17 or so during a pretty heavy time personally & socially. Kept tryna squeeze it into a project but couldn't find a place for it so figured I'd finally let it live on its own as a standalone.
Hook inspired by "Drama" by Krayzie Bone.
Many thanx to the homie Funki Flava  for blessing me with the instrumental & the homie Stratic for the being the unsung hero yet again on the mix! Shouts to the bro Fatcop as well for holding me down on the cover art! Beautiful shots, he's got the eye!
Hope u enjoy & Thanx for Listening!!!

Drama (On & On)

Drama (On & On) (prod. Funki Flava)

Raw rap shit with rhymes from S.I.N. & Big Noah Genesis and production from Act Won.
Beat - Act Won https://soundcloud.com/user-361859795
Rhymes - S.I.N. & Big Noah Genesis https://soundcloud.com/noah-carrasquillo-584792132
Artwork - ChefBoyarT https://twitter.com/ChefBoyarT1
Mix - Stratic Beats https://soundcloud.com/straticbeats

Meeting In The Throne Room (with Big Noah Genesis) (prod. Act Won)

Beat - Lotus Key/Lington https://soundcloud.com/lotuskeymusic
https://linktr.ee/Lingtonmusic
Rhymes - S.I.N.
Artwork - FujiFinite https://twitter.com/fujifinite
Mix - Stratic Beats https://www.youtube.com/@StraticBeats


Lo-fi Leviatan. Hi-def diety.
Find i gotta remind them
When I'm droppin them less frequently.
Give me some time to set the scenery.
Flex easily.
Rest at my best dressed
under 6 ft. of greenery.
Bless the child
who caught a lesson from every test
that was destined to stress him out.
Pressed, never. How?
I only know how to see everything as mine.
Never level out
til no one is on my level or above.
Settle down, I got this.
Anonymous lobotomist to rhymers
who ride a wave to the top
but never spotted the piranhas.
We hungry.
Can't afford to spit, swallow the saliva
for nourishment til we sure to get
a spot at the Bahamas.
Nominees for best bottomless survival instinct.
Hive mind think tank
tryna find where the guiding light is.
The mind of Midas
meets Makavelli but minus
the fear philosophy.
False falsies in your findings.
It's all timing.
Our time as 20ft tall tyrants
is tantamount to rejected Kemetic Gods rising.
Lost sightings of UFOs drawn on papyrus
marking the spot of a star chart to Orion.
Pardon your highness.
The Pale Pharaoh.
Crown of gold, throne of sand.
Walking the stolen land over grounded bones.
I found a home in the breakbeats & Technics
spinning instruments took from my schools
like guitars & xylophones.
We took our environment, called it home.
Created a culture
then gave to you to call your own.
The Ownerz of the Mass Appeal.
React with a Full clip
napping half ass rappers under daffodils.
Step In The Arena.
Hard to Earn a Rep.
Reckless demeanors get wrecked.
Rest for the wicked prohibited.
Bless the speakers with the raw ether.
Rebel w/o a pause. God seeker.
Lost cause, dreamer
that crash landed from far reaches.



Hi-def deity. Lo-fi Leviathan.
Arrive on a silent night as a guiding light
through blinding.
Igniting fires to entire empires
too high to miss.
Bright as bliss.
Striking as lightning atop of tower's tips.
Topple over like boulders
slowly rolling on rocky cliffs
then hide in the quiet
with no prior knowledge that i exist.
I, antithesis to the tiresome lies.
Lie amidst campfire recitals
of vampire & lycan myths.
Survivalist.
Survived environments not to be trifled with
& triumphed over the trifling with righteousness.
Try again.
Trial by fire.
Cyphers surrounding fire pits.
Dropping Rocky 6 insight jotted in hieroglyphs.
Rhyme scientist. Black power fist
painted on the side of a giant flying disc.
My monument is an obelisk
firing chains out of it
to claim wack rap dreams til they scream "no mas"
& cry for retirement.

Vice Verses

Vice Verses (prod. Lotus Key)

Short for Stream of Consciousness, part 2 in a series of writing exercises i use to keep in the ink flowing w/o the constraints of structure or topic.

Beat - SӍIR∆ https://soundcloud.com/revisior
Rhymes - S.I.N.
Mix - Stratic Beats https://soundcloud.com/straticbeats
Artwork done with Dall-E AI art generator.

Stream... Pt. 2 (Inkwell)

Stream...Pt. 2 (Inkwell) [prod. SӍIR∆]

Rhymes + Cover Photo - S.I.N.
Beat - fatcop soundcloud.com/iamfatcop
Mix - Stratic Beats www.youtube.com/@StraticBeats

East Baltimore City born, city raised & wouldn't have it any other way...although sometimes it can be a bit much & the older I get the more I consider getting away from it all.
Much love to fatcop for providing the soundscape that brought this thought to words & the words to music.

Verse 1:
East side of Baltimore.
Was raised to walk on concrete.
To some it's in the bop,
they say they can see it on me.
The aura of a latch key lackadaisical loner
roaming with no regard for the traffic
when he cross the street.
I was nursed by the biggest of buildings,
or so i thought.
Downtown was like the vertical version
of Noah's Ark.
Hadn't yet heard of New York & all it's towering glory.
Preoccupied with the surrounding prowess
that lied before me.
Not for the faint of heart,
noisy & annoying to the foreign.
Everyday is lost from joylessly toiling away.
A coiling array of cliches.
I guess I'll spare u all the details.
What is there more to say?
I just know that i was born here,
I'll probably die here.
Every now & then still need a break
to keep my mind clear.
Learned that from moving out to Randalstown
my 9th yr of grade school
where the place was too quiet
for my ears.
City Boy, only favor God's country can do me
is keep the radio the reception far from me.
Which is funny bcuz,
i wasn't even that far
just far enough to take time adjusting.
No horns beeping
or neighbors beefing in the street
to lullaby me to sleep
& as i lay i pray the lord his silence to keep.
Fill the void at least with never ending white noise
or distortion to keep my mind poised.
Can't u see?

Hook:
I'm a City Boy. Raised under city lights all of my many days, many nights. That's right.
I'm a City Boy. Dirty air, dirty water. Healthy dose of both keeps it all in order.
I'm a City Boy. City born, city raised, wouldn't rather have it any other way.
I'm a City Boy. Nothing more, nothing less. Until the day I rest, I guess.


Verse 2:
Traffic & static
drowning out the unheard
so we don't even bother
tryna bleep out the cuss words. Absurd,
let it rock til the planet stop
or the city's paved into 1 big parking lot
to the suburbs.
We be out there too,
getting on everyone's nerves
blasting music no one's heard
on repetition til u call the cops or u concur. Comprendé?
We don't mean u no harm yo.
Come on over. Bring a friend. Ayy,
now it's a party.
All night cuz city folk opposed to sleep.
The city don't so mostly we
just sit awoke or roam the streets.
Inhaling secondhand gunsmoke,
exhale smog & nod when
strolling past the cutthroats.
We do our best to pay the rent & pay attention
otherwise we pay with our lives.
Too many payments pending
from the 1s who didn't take the memo.
Or sometimes it'll just happen in a flash
whether u retained the info or not.
No solution. Our pollution blocks the stars
but still makes the sky look pretty
right before dark.
Thoughts where the air is thick & the patience is thin
range from this is where I'm staying
to escape with the wind.
Me, I plan to 1 day replace terms like
"around the way"
with new phrases like
"I'm going into town today".
Somewhere on a mountaintop
looking down at the serenity surrounding me
but til I've found a way
I'm a city boy.

City Boy

City Boy (prod. fatcop)

More of what's to come in the future.
S.I.N. & Lotus Key - "The Last Surviving Lotus" coming soon.
Rally 4 Reality (S.I.N. & Tru Thoughts) - "The Vault Mixtape Pt. 2" coming soon.
S.I.N. & b_positiv - "Melancholy In Retrograde" coming soon.
T.H.I.S. (The House of Incredible Skills) album coming soon.
Thanx for Listening.

A 4th Sample of What's To Come

A look at the role graffiti plays in telling our stories throughout history.

Beat - Korporal K soundcloud.com/korporal-k
Rhymes - S.I.N.
Mix - Stratic Beats www.youtube.com/@StraticBeats
Artwork - Machado Leao artgrab.co/art/machadoxleao

Lyrics:
The State of the world was always posted up on city walls,
encouraging someone to listen when the city talks.
Penultimate line of defense before the city coughs blood up
from the gutters, runneth over from the friends we lost.
From either riotous violence or street politics.
We sleep dreaming for the plot to twist
& wake up still unseen & anonymous.
Leaving no options but to reach for the eyes at the top
of Gotham's elite to see these environments
they only wanna see as seedy & silent.
Well...amongst the white noise of their TV's & Timexes.
Defining reckless with their time & investments
while we tryna defy being oppressed by the grind
& resorting to crime methods when the mind stresses
over not only how to survive but how to provide in these times
& these times test us.
& We persevere like always,
but not before the hurt is smeared on hallways
& walkways & walls where they can see what we all say.
They can say what we all see,
every day all day.
How we fall prey to our lost ways
in these small lawless spaces
where even the law's lost it's way.
Teachings of God have never really gone astray
but more garner hate & resentment
the more we've gone along our way
seeing unspeakable acts we can't make sense of
& send us thru the spiral of wondering if it's God's way.
Considering we all flossed the same calling card
at 1 point or another in history all in all.
Documenting epic battles or monotonous tasks.
Cave walls to the Great Wall,
cognizance splashed on the world canvas.
Some just want their name up,
aiming for all city fame displaying how they came up
& Some are tryna document modern living
with the new modern hieroglyphics, 
in the saga we all exist in.

Hook:
It's all in the writing on the wall. The day to day lifeline, the rises & the falls. The rebuild, the history that's left behind for all. It's all in the writing on the wall.
It's all in the writing on the wall. The stories of our lifetime, rises & the falls. We reveal the mysteries until the final call. It's all in the writing on the wall.

The World Canvas

The World Canvas (prod. Korporal K)

Short for Stream of Consciousness.
Part 5 of a writing exercise I use to keep the ink flowing without the constraints of topic or structure.

Beat - GiTori gitoribeats.bandcamp.com/music
Rhymes - S.I.N.
Mix - Stratic Beats www.youtube.com/@StraticBeats
Artwork - analogdreams artgrab.co/art/analogdreams

Lyrics:
I heard this 1 & let the mood wash over me.
Openly showing my soul with the thought that hopefully
my son or someone close to me or far from me would notice the
attempt to show them they're not all alone in this unholy scene.
Along with maybe providing some inspiration
on some if I can make then u can make it.
It's amazing what the mind can make
when provided a space to find a way to fly away
guided only by shining rays of the light of day.
Confide in pages night & day to drive away the signs that I'm insane
or just a man outta place in the modern haze.
Everything in moderation. Even moderation.
Live a little, better yet live a lot. It's a lot to take in.
Hurry up & stop ur waiting.
Wait & stop, it's not a race.
Try not to dive in face 1st for 1st placement.
There's always worse places to be.
Worst case scenario isn't always the burial but life with faded dreams.
Obey the gleam in ur eye & heed the signs.
Only 1 you & 1 lifetime u get to even try.
Reincarnation don't guarantee a revise.
Genes can be defied whether wearing Lee or Levi's
the cloth you're cut from don't protect you from what's to come.
You can bow out with grace & accept when your run is done
when your #'s up...
or be a ghost of yourself
floating thru this realm or the other
hoping ur story can prevail
long enough to not be simply glossed over before you cross over.
The goal they say is to pay the cost before it's all over.
Finality's granted to those who sought closure
& exhausted all resources awarded to them to shoulder.
What's the motive in your motor?
What's the reason u move, the purpose that tires you to sleep
& the reason you woke up?
Questions when tryna rediscover my inspiration.
Invest in the primal need to smother my limitations
to create my own narrative.
Avoiding the glare of a derelict pen
waiting on a beat for me to share it with.
It's become imperative to me that I'm sharing this
whether or not there's anyone there to share it with.
I'm just blessed to have an outlet.
Not everybody finds a good 1.
Something therapeutic & constructive to let out stress.
Hoping it takes me out west & beyond
if I don't make it there without it.
Maybe then the stress will be gone.
Maybe then I'll learn to be happy.
Maybe I'll never be as long as I attach it to melody & song.
These days I keep emotion heavily involved.
Something that was hard for me at 1st. I ready my guard
in the presence of vulnerability.
Already scarred by past discrepancies & regrets knowing they limit me.
Knowing the enemy within is the greatest wisdom
cuz killing it can set you free on your way to live.
It is what it is. From the Wiz to the kids,
make sure the knowledge is passed down every little bit.
Every little step is still a step forward to the next morning.
Every blessed dawn is yet another day to get it right.
Your inner light can cast shadows on the sun.
Never block it tryna stand in the shadow of anyone.
Overcome is all we really want til we really won.
Are we really 1 all I really wonder...

Stream...Pt. 5 (Tangents)

A soundtrack to being afraid to fall in love again.

Beat - SӍIR∆ soundcloud.com/revisior
Rhymes - S.I.N.
Artwork - vatnikaj www.instagram.com/vatnikajj/
Mix - Terry Edwards


Verse:
An all too familiar road that I'm weary of walking.
Bared pieces of my soul
when you thought I was merely talking.
Yet it seems I'm clearly lost in
these fantasy driven thoughts of me & you.
To no avail but it's the cost to see the truth.
And instead of feeling free by the sight of it I'd equate it
to more like a blinding.
Not bright like a sunny day but
more like a thousand stars exploding over the night
& leaving a valley charred yet my eyes are open despite.
And once the wounds heal we grow to call them battle scars.
I hid mine,
rather had not seen battle at all.
Yet here I am again, bringing my sword to draw.
On guard for the next encounter.
Recruit in the war of hearts.
And here you are, across from me on the battlefield.
Looking to penetrate the deepest parts of my battered shield.
You approach in hopes of reaching through to my soul
but I'll only let my guard down
if you show me that's it real.

Hook:
If you're leaving me for dead, lead me to the ledge.
Let me look into your eyes while I teeter on the edge
til I fall off.
Fall off
On the edge until I fall off.
I fall off (2x)

Teeter

Teeter (prod. S​Ӎ​IR​∆)

"I left you today to travel to places near & far
but I'll be back, and we can pick up right where we left off."

My desire to travel more as I get older and leave the comfort zone of my city behind, along with the excitement of having music be the catalyst.

The Last Surviving Lotus

Au Revoir

"When I was young I knew I would be a writer.
Picked the pen up
when I was still just a reader of the stories people print up"

A look at the growing pains that went into my musical journey from what subject matter I thought I should cover, to figuring out my identity as an artist.

Perfect Plan

"You're nothing without focus" - KXNG Crooked
(My favorite track on the project)

An extension and expansion of the 1st track's theme of remembering what drew me to my chosen path and using it for inspiration.
Stepping back to regain focus has always been a constant for me and I'd imagine most others as well.
The most important part for me was remembering why I do it, not just music but even the very reason I wake up.
Hook inspired by Xzibit's "Speed of Life"

Focus (Speed of Life)

Focus (Speed Of Life)

"Refocused all my aim to hit the target
from the darkest parts
of the Harbor's foggiest water to the stars"

The journey of losing what was once a clear sense of direction & guidance and finding a way to refocus.
The general sum-up and intro to the idea of this project.
I've been in a number of groups and crews over the yrs and once they started falling apart I felt left on an island as the only 1 still willing to pursue it which came with feelings of inadequacy.

8.) Keep The Music Playin'

An oldie but goodie from around 2008.
We clearly had too much fun recording.
Written from the perspective of a "powers that be" type of figure running the music industry, particularly hip hop. A figure we see exploiting mainstay hip hop topics like who the best rappers are & perpetuating certain negative cycles in hip hop such as trend following in order 2 distract listeners from real issues existing within hip hop politics & politics hip hop has been known 2 speak on.
"Give 'em robbery deals, grip their little throats.
Make it hard 4 them 2 make Def Jams when we got 'em in a scope (Interscope)" Fav line!
Try not 2 lose the lesson in the laughter.
Erykah Badu's "The Healer" instrumental prod. by Madlib.

According 2 Plan (2008)

Part 2 of what I've been working on pre & post quarantine. Features production from F U N K I  F LA V A, Eye$tayLow, LostLaura, & Absxnt. The 3rd is a guest feature 4 my bro Kristjan! Looking 4ward 2 dropping that 1!
Thanx again 4 Listening! Stay safe.
"Live Wise, Die Satisfied" - S.I.N.
Oh, almost 4got, The Blue Key Diaries (EP) coming soon!

Another Sample of What's 2 Come

Classic instrumental by Rjd2. Always wanted 2 rock over this.
Def Jux!

It ain't over til I say it's over & the Diva Plavalaguna falsetto meets the daily quota.
Find me in the basement penning my daily quotes
that take me over
from head 2 toe & remain the only things that make me whole (Hole) enough 2 "Live Through This".
"Oh Make Me Over".
I melt the plastic "Doll Parts" down into Papermates.
Lace the page & hold the loose leaf down like paperweights.
Could take the shape of "Celebrity Skin" at any time
but would rather have my integrity intact when I arrive.
I'm obliged as long as I'm alive 2 provide
a shining example of success & pride in my son's eyes.
1 try, left me no room 2 fuck up.
Can't afford 2 rely on dumb luck.
I need the sum up b4 there's even a chance 2 wreck the come up.
Don't wanna be screaming "Let Me In"
then "Beg(ging) 4 Mercy" like Young Buck.
1 love, "1 Mic".
Bring sunlight to 1 life
well then my job is done & done right.
Hippy idealist.
Optimist, still a realist.
Pacifist, still will knuckle up.
Yin & yang like a gun rack on a VW Bus.
Humble enough
2 know I'm not the best in the land
but still arrogant enough 2 know who I'm better than.
Stepson of Sam.
Set a standard in the underland.
Talk 2 my dogs different.
Possess a plan 2 get the upper hand
over fist.
Notable local explosive vocalist trope.
Throw in the focused approach he wrote with 2 flow with it.
Sewing the seeds of an overthrow.
Go coast 2 coast with it
so they know what's coming like a bird nest with a boulder over it.
Stoking the fire,
coaxing it 2 move thru the pen
with the hopeful desire 2 hold it
& use it 2 the end when it...
burns out & I'm on 2 the next masterpiece.
"We breathe adrenaline, elevate organically!"
Eyes on the prize like cameraphones on catastrophes.
Minus the emphatics on the dramatic scenes.
Saddens me
2 see the game reduced 2 a car crash
u just have 2 see,
but if i have 2 play
I'll do it my way
& live after happily ever.
Sever the tether between the now & never
til the never is now
sounds better 2gether.
Get down better than ever.
Find me on this 1 here
embarking on my assignment thru the "Final Frontier".
I'm here...

Final Frontier Rmx

Summary of what's 2 be heard within the project with the help of the "read out loud" feature on my phone's notepad & a TEDxTalk segment by Julian Treasure.
https://youtu.be/cSohjlYQI2A

Ximena: The Listener's EP

Ximena's Introlude

An observation of the flaws in what we're taught about money.
Inspired by "Paper" by Krayzie Bone.

Lyrics:
I can bet u you'll die tryna get some paper,
& I have yet 2 see an afterlife where we can take it.
Happily we fake it.
Buy everything gracing our pair of eyes.
Who's 2 say we're wrong tho?
Lord knows the Pharoahs tried.
So bury me with 850 credit
so if I go 2 Hell I got the leverage
2 buy my way ino Heaven.
It's the least that my momma can do
4 missing me with all that financial knowledge she knew.
Much 2 her credit tho
she never screwed me up 4 the future.
U know how family can set u up 2 abuse ya.
Use ya name 2 purchase things they can't afford
cuz their names ain't worth the paper it's printed on.
My nigga we gotta do something different.
Break the cycle.
That "turn 18 & get out" mentality ain't insightful.
We got teaching 2 do
& idc if u consider it preaching 2 u
as long as the intention was meaningful.
I mean 2 pull my son up from a pool of future debt
instead of fueling new regrets.
Schooling him on what move's next
cuz I refuse 2 subject him 2 the blender,
& send him 2 the depths
of enforcing that bottom dollar, top spender complex.
The stereotype we all flex.
Xbox a month's rent but still be in the projects.
Mighty dollar makes u work
just 2 earn the slave class.
That's word 2 Killer Mike, that's word 2 Dame Dash.
Hook:
Paper paper make the world go round, go round.
But it'll be the same thing 2 burn this whole world down. (2x)

Paypr

Just felt like rappin.

Lyrics:
I rap 4 listeners.
Lend me your ear 2 exact the mission of
extracting the passion from my practices
with the pen in clutch.
Delivering any sense of substance i can simply upload
2 any instrumental given.
Unfold the witty gift of lyricism.
Uphold a higher caliber.
Standardize the status of masters who plan 2 challenge the
average fan of the fanciful flare that they dare 2 fathom
til they had enuff.
All avenues, reserved 2 ravenous.
Many b4, many more after us
sent 2 explore the annals of the untapped
Bmore 2 Africa.
Emploring your undivided attention on the matter months
after 1 listen. Written with the intention 2 still catch something.
Catching up
2 having a classic in my catalog
& blast off like cannonballs at The Dutchman.
Bubbling up & erupting from the underground.
Sound soldier. My Uzi's a pen that weighs a half a ton.
Strange fusion like playing Galaga with Galick Guns.
Maintain movement like planets around galactic suns.
1!

Orbt

Music Video - https://youtu.be/DzMujWwxJqE
A look at the importance people tend to put on name brand familiarity & celebrity appeal when determining whether or not they'll enjoy something or consider it worthwhile, & how in turn it affects the value we place on our own offerings w/o said familiarity or appeal.

Lyrics:
I've seen street artists play violin better than Paganini.
The Mona Lisa's worth inbedded in tags & graffiti.
Fashion made by nobodies I would actually wear
& friends businesses I would invest in & happily share.
Beauty is in the eye of the beholder
& worth is in the eye of the investor.
Yet & still ppl tend 2 feel
that with the attachment of celebrity appeal
on a product somehow it makes it better.
Well, I can't say that I don't understand.
Trust is sacred & makes it becoming of a brand
when they take it & don't play with it.
Deliver what they say tho
I guess they can't control how much the ppl put stake in it.
Basing our whole social status on whether or not we can pay 4 it
& when they see us with it what they take from it.
Taking it 2 levels unnecessary.
Going as far as faking it
2 keep up the image & save face in it.
What are we chasing? Validation.
Even if temporary from any passing stranger.
Leave em salivating over what we got.
Over what we know
or what was up on 1st 2 put girth on the ego.
In turn somehow giving birth 2 more followers, less leaders.
Set up 2 determine where we go next.
Some ppl, only buy their kids Jordans
& get in their feelings when they wanna be kids & destroy em.
Some ppl only listen 2 music that they're familiar with
or that comes on the radio 4 their enjoyment
ignoring everything outside of the bubble that they're forming
under the impression if it's not on 92.Q it's boring.
Or corny.
All cuz someone told em 2.
Why should a brand have that much influence over u?
Disregarding the fact that there was a time
when the now familiar occupied no space in your mind
& u got along fine.
2 the street performer going 4 quarters & dimes
& the artist selling their portraits online, keep grinding.
2 the future Fashion Nova status entrepreneur
shooting 4 runways & showrooms, just keep climbing.
Just cuz it's a dream who says u have 2 stop?
Nobody respects the climb til they see u at the top.
Just cuz it's a dream who says u have 2 stop?
Nobody respects the climb til they see u at the top.

Naym_Brnd (Video in Description)

Reflection on how varying perspectives play a part in how we listen 2 music, whether it be athletes just needing something 2 hype them up b4 a game, background noise while cleaning the house, or an unwavering life changing experience.

Lyrics:
It's funny how we listen.
I've always been one 2 give it undivided attention but
I know some who only view that time as intermissions
or background noise between the lives that they've been living.
My favorite thing 2 ask is "who u listen 2?"
& 4 the most part,
it tends 2 serve as a glance at what music is 2 u.
Something 2 throw on 2 do the dishes 2,
study 2 or maybe just a vibe 4 u 2 drive or get driven 2?
I've been driven 2 extremes by it.
Tryna make it my life so I would say my connection is spiritual.
However, I can't expect the same if it's some thinks it's lame
2 see a song as anything other than just 2 entertain.
U probably ran into the saying.
"If I want religion I'll go 2 church. I don't go 2 artists 2 get me saved."
I remember when that kid Lonzo Ball
made his comments about Nas
& had the world tryna slay him.
Well, maybe that's an overstatement but
I was definitely one 2 shrug & say how much can u blame him?
What's going on in that kid's brain
just aint comparable 2 ur typical purist when they hear Memory Lane.
See, Migos & Future may be the exact thing
that he needs 2 turn up b4 & after a game
& I can see how Undying Love just might not get it done.
It's simple, every listener is a different 1.
I guess we can't all be Lebron in our story son.
Half athlete, half Hip Hop historian.
Still I see cats stuck in DeLoreans
refusing 2 let the doors up 2 see what the future has in store 4 us
& the same with new school coupe drop riders
who only concerned with being the new top shottas
with no 1 else in their view.
Rear, or otherwise.
Clearing a divide where each peers from the other side.
It's funny how we listen.
I've always been one 2 give it undivided attention
but I learned a long time ago 2 honor 1's opinion.
Even when they're dead ass wrong...

Lstnrz

Father, MC, East Baltimoron.
3rd Story Basement
Current member of Rally 4 Reality (S.I.N. & Tru Thoughts)
4Word Posse (S.I.N., Tru Thoughts, Young INF)
S.O.T.S. [Survival of the Strongest] (S.I.N. & S.Y.N.)

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