Brother Ali - Rapper Thing lyrics

[Verse 1] Everywhere I go I'm trying to do my rapper thing I run into a crew of dudes that want to do the same Well, listen closely, I'mma give you some game How to get your thing together right and get you a name The first rule is you gotta be you to the upmost Bring the listener to your world and pull 'em up close Let us see how it feels to be in your shoes Take the journey that you're on, see what you go through What is it about you that makes you different? And what about your story makes it interesting? Can you really make me feel it when I'm listening? Cause if not then ain't nobody trying to give a sh** There's a lot better ways of making money So if that's why you're here quit now, take it from me The first decade or so is gonna be hard So the work in itself is gotta be the reward If there's something you could be doing, boy, you probably should sh** is not how they make it seem in Hollywood But if you can't sleep at night cause your a** gotta write Just to feel right, then it'll all be good [Hook] Please listen to my demo I gotta kick a little sh** to let my friends know Never let go, live out your dream Just know that nothing in life is what it seems Please, please listen to my demo I gotta kick a little sh** to let my friends know Never let go, live out your dream Just know that it's not [Verse 2] They call it show business, should've called it business show It's a business first, ain't that how that saying go? I say nevermind that sh**, just let it grow Brother, use your common sense and go for what you know The most important relationship you have Is between you and your craft, don't ever forget that Business only matters when your a** is in demand Your success depends on your connection with your fans And if you plan on taking money from their hands You better give them as much in return as you can Give 'em albums they can listen to for years Give 'em great live shows, give 'em blood, sweat and tears I'm not saying these folk won't try to play you But you stay true, you don't need them to embrace you Embrace yourself, but then brace yourself Cause you're gon' be staring in the face of hate itself Can't get distracted with that kind of sh** Cause fans decide who the real headliner is If you can't get something without being a ba*tard You have to ask yourself if that's really worth having, man [Hook] [Verse 3] It took like 15 years for me to get what I want But that time would've pa**ed wether I was trying or not So what's a fella to do? Your life is gonna be what you dedicate it to So everytime we celebrate something new It opens new doors that we get to pressure through I guess I knew with every level I grew I expect more from me than I'd ever expect from you Your work is a reflection of you So put your whole a** in everything that you do This is your life, gotta live it your way And then you gotta let them chips fall where they lay, my man [Hook]