["Nas Is Like" Sample]
(freedom or jail, clips inserted
A baby's being born, same time a man is murdered
The beginning and end, as far as rap go it's only natural
I explain my plateau and also what defines my name)
[Verse: Adam WarRock]
What's up, little man? thanks for coming out
Let me shake your hand, let's chop it up for a second
Here you stand, to the side of the merch
Cause each person here deserves their own experience
Plus, I gotta pay bills first
So you wanna be the illest? Wanna be the realest?
Wanna rock the stages like me and my compatriots?
It's easy. First, go home and write your a** off
Say that sh** aloud, do it in public
No matter how much they laugh at you
No matter how much they pa** on you
Cause these days no one loves rap 'cept other rappers dude
They're all critics, freestyle and battle misfits
Trust me: people wanna hear musicianship and lyrics
And when I say 'lyrics' I don't mean
Lyrically lyrical or false conscious-spiritual
That sh** is played out (yeah)
Speak from the heart if it's a part of you
And say it loud, even if it's geek-nerd sh**, I say it proud
Start from what you love and build a foundation
Full-time creative means you never get a vacation
Every day: wake up and network, write sh**, record
Take a nap, repeat it once more then go to sleep
Cause that sh** on the road is gonna be hard, I know
Crashing on floors, people partying up 'til four
When the next day, you gotta hit the road again
Driving eleven hours from Cali to Oregon, I know it man
But no matter how sick or how tired, you rock the mic
You do it like your life depended on it, because it kinda does
You may have done those songs a million times
But to those people standing in the crowd
This is a newfound kind of love
Trust me: you're gonna hate your album
You're gonna hate some shows
You're gonna hate some of your fans
You're gonna hate the road
You're gonna deal with promoters who don't care
And bad sound systems with sound men who aren't there
You don't get to complain
You get a chance to change one person's life
For a split second and ease the pain
You shake some hands and give a hug to those there
Go home tired, inspired and where you sleep you don't care
That's when the hardest part is
You sit and wait for the spark to hit
And maybe release it upon the free market
Many people try, many people fail
Music ruins lives, I've heard too many tales
Someone's always gonna be better
Someone's always gonna be worse
Try to keep your head up, and be encouraging first
And don't be h*mophobic or misogynistic when you rhyme
Hip-hop's already been doing the time for those before
Just try to add something to the world and
Do it from the heart and understand
It's hard to be a musician, man
Take a second, call your mom and let her know you love her
Cause most people are shady, you're soon to discover
This is a privilege, it takes a village
So find others that you can depend on and start building
If it doesn't work, well keep creating
Do what you love, life is too short, so keep making
And if you get to be a legend, or get to be a peer
Maybe one day I'll see you, standing up there
I hope you do it the right way and make it happen
And never take advice from another rapper and I'm out
It's nice to meet ya, yeah