Yo, like who the hell is he supposed to be? Hopes of him being a rap star of bogus dreams He leaves that to his friends who are focusing Hoping he's remembered as the freshest of the locally batch of emcees that used to rap with when they started The definition of a genuine, talented artist who never got the shine that the others did But still, he was never once was bitter, man he was equally sk**ed Every night he grabbed his pen to portray what he feels He was thrilled when the local cat he knew got a record deal Thinking that he'd help out some local cats, who not long ago, they were all lacing vocal tracks But yo, it wasn't like that He realized that everyone that makes it, never comes back Roots forgotten, the tree abandoned That's why he keeps his real life separate from his fanbase Ay yo, remember When fools used to rap real dope Ay yo, remember When hip-hop would give you hope Ay yo, remember When smart used to be real hip Ay yo, remember A deal doesn't make your music legit Plus, he knows his rap life is make believe Hates to see when dope cats that he knew turn into fake emcees He don't need his raps to make money, he went to school for that That's why he never switched up his style, and kept it true hip-hop A dope emcee a lot of people couldn't learn from A really dope emcee that sadly, no one's ever heard of He's only getting older, and no longer seems to rhyme And it's not because he wants to, he just doesn't have the time But at night, sometimes he grabs his notepad to write, reminisce about his days on stage when he held the mic He lives vicariously through the younger era, hoping that the fire that they have will always last them forever He no longer has the hunger, but still has the pa**ion Another dope emcee disappearing from the rap scene Thinking of his homies that made it, wondering where he would be if he took the route that they did Ay yo, remember When fools used to rap real dope Ay yo, remember When hip-hop would give you hope Ay yo, remember When smart used to be real hip Ay yo, remember A deal doesn't make your music legit Ay yo, remember Ay yo, remember When fools used to rap real dope