Yea, Knight! Yessir, aye Second time go 'round Yea, aye This rap game's designed to eat niggas alive Used to be the hidden gem now you see the shine I see you been having trouble living up to the hype Well we gon' find out who really about it within due time Running this marathon and that's word to Ermias Say you the realest but your verses ain't confirming it Done being courteous dominance I'm asserting it Fly nigga, I don't get shaken up by the turbulence Back when I used to rap with all of my friends Knew this would be my calling when they started calling it quits Crazy how I stayed with it back when all of 'em dipped Goes to show being resilient is some powerful shit, I swear Never believed I was cut out for a nine to five Fast lane Knizzle watch me put this thing in hyperdrive Can't even begin to tell you how much that I despise These rap niggas with the nerve spittin' all types of lies Put an end to all the frontin' Swear I don't do no fakin' you should know just how I'm comin' By the look in their eyes I can tell that they don't want it I just keep going up 'cause I can't let 'em see me plummet, yea Everybody starving know we gotta eat When in this industry so welcome to the belly of the beast Yea yea, this rap game'll swallow you whole but I won't let it Stay ten toes and follow your soul and don't forget it Don't lose yourself 'cause where can you go without direction? I'm moving forward I gotta focus on progression Stay true to yourself if you don't then you'll regret it Stay true to yourself if you don't then you'll regret it In this game of thrones, I gotta stay in my zone Sticking to my morals I'm never breaking the code Building up my legacy y'all be chasing the fame You clout chasing ass niggas better stay out my way My family worried 'bout how this game could influence me But I could never come this far to let it ruin me I'm well aware that this thing is bigger than you and me So I don't underestimate the true value of unity Gotta protect my neck I know this world is cut throat Earning my stripes until my respect is the utmost As I go deeper in this I gotta stay upfloat Before I die I can't let my story go untold Everybody starving know we gotta eat When in this industry so welcome to the belly of the beast Yea yea, sta-stay ten toes and follow your soul and don't forget it I'm moving forward I gotta focus on progression Stay true to yourself if you don't then you'll regret it Everybody starving know we gotta eat When in this industry so welcome to the belly of the beast Yea yea, this rap game'll swallow you whole but I won't let it Stay ten toes and follow your soul and don't forget it Don't lose yourself 'cause where can you go without direction? I'm moving forward I gotta focus on progression Stay true to yourself if you don't then you'll regret it Stay true to yourself if you don't then you'll regret it

Long live my innocence The way that life turned out I'd never picture it Wishing that a lot of shit had gone different Zoning out as soon as I begin to reminisce I've seen way too many caskets close prematurely Losing count of all the ones who had to leave us early Police kicking down the door looking for my brother He didn't have no charges on him still they chose to cuff him Was only four but I remember it vivid and clear A scared little nigga so I had ran up the stairs Didn't know what happened I was young and unaware All I know is one day that he wasn't there And I was downtown speaking to him through a glass When you witness certain things you tend to grow up fast We grew up oh so fast Went through so many changes as the years go pass When you look into my eyes I just wanna know if you can see what I've seen All the pain and suffering that life brings I may not be as innocent as I seem Times is hard but we getting through it All my pain I put it in the music This world'll fold you in half but I won't give into it Just find a way to rise above so I can keep it moving Sometimes I just look up to God and pray for a solution 'Cause there be days when I feel like I don't know what I'm doing I look at losses as a lesson so I'm never losing Can't ever sell my soul 'cause I know where my heart is rooted The hardships that I witnessed can't be the death of me I don't follow no one need to figure out what's best for me Moving steadily so I can reach my destiny I refuse to jeopardize the future that's ahead of me I got the vision I can see it with my eyes closed What I look like going through life with a blindfold? History just keeps repeating like a vinyl Cursed generation I'm just tryna break the cycle When you look into my eyes I just wanna know if you can see what I've seen All the pain and suffering that life brings I may not be as innocent as I seem

Knight! Yea yea Got me in a trance right now For the day ones Real life behind bars Look Reflecting on my early youth we mirrored the same ambitions Used to bond together and share all our greatest visions Before we aged up the grey began to really hit us Our ways of thinking changed, we started seeing different So we chose different lanes, for the better or the worse Used to cross paths now we never merge The false tracks pedaled only led 'em in the wrong With no direction as they went along Dudes I hooped with went from courts to courtrooms in a hurry From ballin' in jerseys to bawlin' in front of juries Went from playing in tourneys to paying attorney Took a big L they couldn't see the big picture clearly Fortunately for me I had somebody there to steer me Away from things they had gotten caught up in So I could swerve from it I seen other people's mistakes and learned from it So I won't have to hurt from it Where I stand today, what I could've become If I ain't no where to go that's where I would've end up Thinking of all the things I'd done if I ain't maintain control This ain't the only life I know but this the life I chose! This the life I chose! This the life I chose! This the life I chose! When I moved out the field Certain people that I knew was going down the hill Made me wonder where I'd be if I was rolling with 'em Would we become one in the same or would I go against 'em? I felt so disconnected when we went separate directions It bothered me at first until I learned to just accept it We got our own shoes to choose the route we wanna step in I just hope we all find success whichever way we heading I'm aware it won't be easy though Wish us the best of luck 'cause lord knows we all need it yo So we can figure out our purpose and our meaning yo And gain the courage to fulfill what we believe in yo But for now we reminisce on all the old days Before we split apart and had to go our own ways Growing up we just adjusting to our grown phase Wishing that those times just didn't have to go mane I know mane Where I stand today, what I could've become If I ain't no where to go that's where I would've end up Thinking of all the things I'd done if I ain't maintain control This ain't the only life I know but this the life I chose! This the life I chose! This the life I chose! This the life I chose! Day by day, step by step Steady looking to pave my way, left right left Along the way I made mistakes but faith I kept And now I'm onto major things and yes I'm blessed Night by night from dusk 'til dawn What's meant to be will come to light so just hold on May the eye on the prize not guide me wrong And if I'm ever blind in side I'll walk with God Day by day, step by step Steady looking to pave my way, left right left Along the way I made mistakes but faith I kept And now I'm onto major things and yes I'm blessed Night by night from dusk 'til dawn What's meant to be will come to light so just hold on May the eye on the prize not guide me wrong And if I'm ever blind in side I'll walk with God

I know as people we know right from wrong we all gon' pick a way Understand there ain't no turning back once that decision's made Gotta listen to my gut instead the voices in my brain At the end of day we all gon' make our choices and mistakes And you gotta live with that, you gotta live with that You gotta live with that, you gotta live with that Oh well I guess when you get lemons you gotta make lemonade And you gotta sip that shit down even with a bitter taste I just read the news online and saw my nigga caught a case Man you gotta get your life together you done lost your brain Swear that caught me so off guard this ain't the nigga that I know Seem like everything was better days when I was back at home I would reach out every now and then you'd say you're doing fine Then I turn around and I'll be damned you might be doing time For a stupid crime you did, acting ruthless I don't get Why you'd choose that life to live, I mean where do I begin? I can't sit around and act as if that's A-OK with me Having conversations with you like that ain't the way to be Get locked or six feet under's something that I'd hate to see Hope you feel me as I spell this message out from A to Z And you gotta live with that, you gotta live with that You gotta live with that, you gotta live with that Oh well I guess when you get lemons you gotta make lemonade And you gotta sip that shit down even with a bitter taste I know as people we know right from wrong we all gon' pick a way Understand there ain't no turning back once that decision's made Gotta listen to my gut instead the voices in my brain At the end of day we all gon' make our choices and mistakes And you gotta live with that, you gotta live with that You gotta live with that, you gotta live with that Oh well I guess when you get lemons you gotta make lemonade And you gotta sip that shit down even with a bitter taste I'm not perfect I'll admit I've done things that I regret Through this music I confess, who am I to judge the next? Guess we gotta live and learn, I suppose that's how it works Take the test before the lesson it's a gift and it's a curse Only way to right my wrongs, when I put 'em in a song Where I embrace all my imperfections and all of my flaws Guess that's all a part of growth to help me be a better man Owning up to wrong decisions I stood up and never ran Yea yea, I stood up and never ran! Aye, aye, owning up to be a man! Yea yea, I stood up and never ran! Uh, ay, owning up to be a man I know as people we know right from wrong we all gon' pick a way Understand there ain't no turning back once that decision's made Gotta listen to my gut instead the voices in my brain At the end of day we all gon' make our choices and mistakes And you gotta live with that, you gotta live with that You gotta live with that, you gotta live with that Oh well I guess when you get lemons you gotta make lemonade And you gotta sip that shit down even with a bitter taste And you gotta live with that, you gotta live with that You gotta live with that, you gotta live with that Oh well I guess when you get lemons you gotta make lemonade And you gotta sip that shit down even with a bitter taste

Been feeling like the college life really been stressing me Plus I’m always gone swear I’m never home Missing out on times my bro would do anything to experience Family go out I’m barely making appearances Maybe I'm too consumed, maybe I’m self absorbed I’m holding onto some things I need to tell the lord Bottled up my emotions though I’ve been praying more Momma sending me scriptures to keep the faith restored I bare the soul that you’re staring into Step in the booth and treat it like it’s a therapy room Feeling like music's only thing that can carry me through Lotta issues going on I need clarity soon Family drama got blood beefing with one another We got a small unit why don’t we fuck with each other? One text message away yet we still distant I don’t think about old times but I still miss it No lookin back though I’m far from the innocent kid who rocked the Afro Young shy nigga but I grew up in a flash though Ain't forgot about none of my homies living back home Promise by any means I put the city on my backbone I haven’t checked up on my stepbrothers in a minute I ought to hit 'em up just to see how they been living One of 'em got married and even had a couple children My stepmom would be proud if she was here wish she could witness I’ve been reminded of life’s fragility Seeing the world encounter so many tragedies Are helicopters crashing part of Gods strategy? Don’t mean to question his planning but it’s just sad to see I’ve been questioning my sanity Chasing this difficult dream got me up late and panicking Second guessing like is this really the plan for me? How long until I can reach the heights that I plan to reach? I tell my girl all about My worries and her words always seem to calm me down She tell me to relax and to always trust the timing And even though I know it I still need to be reminded In exchange I provide her with reassurance With our relationship though I can truly never know Because of the career fields we chose are so demanding I just hope we can align with each other’s future goals But truthfully I believe that we can work it out But I gotta be mentally prepared in case it don’t With her working hours at a time in hospitals and me touring round the country living on the road Until then we gon' keep pushin each other to be great in our professions God forbid that our careers pull us different directions The future's yet to come so there ain’t no point in stressin' I’d much rather live in the moment that’s just where my head is

Ooh, can't nobody do it like you Said every little thing you do, hey, baby Said it stays on my mind And I, I'm officially All I hear is- Girls like you don't come around often I knew better than to pass up a good one I've heard stories about the ones that got away And how people say they wish they found a way To work things out, with they significant other Couldn't get it right so they missing a lover Spending every single night reminiscing when they get in the covers So I don't want our love to go missing You the one that I tell all my ambitions Tell you all the dreams that I want to achieve And all about the stress that I need to relieve And I'm hear when you need to release From whatever's weighing down on you No matter the cause you know I'm down for you Through everything and all I can count on you Ooh, can't nobody do it like you Said every little thing you do, hey, baby Said it stays on my mind And I, I'm officially All I hear is- I need to let the world know I got a real one Nothing artificial this is real love You the type of woman that I can build with You my go to when I need healing I put your love on top with no ceilings Understand you come second to no one I really ain't the type to show feelings I had to let my guard down and open up No point in keeping secrets We don't let petty things get between us I know we gon' have disagreements But all the drama gotta stay beneath us And we can rise above all that Take our time ain't gotta rush all that Gamble for your love take a chance on that Give you my word and I stand on that Ooh, can't nobody do it like you Said every little thing you do, hey, baby Said it stays on my mind And I, I'm officially All I hear is- Know that you give me a peace of mind whenever I'm thinking of you True, know that I told you a million times ain't no other girl but you Yea, no matter what the world gon' do You my baby and I got you until we make it through I miss the kissing and touching when I was cuddling with you And I hate when you leave me but I love it when you do, yea Loving you don't get no better, I'm the shoe you Cinderella Mansion ain't no dusty cellar, you know we belong together And you know every word is true, and I'm loving everything you do I'ma tell the truth, 'cause I would never lie to you It's more to only liking you, yea Ooh, can't nobody do it like you Said every little thing you do, hey, baby Said it stays on my mind And I, I'm officially All I hear is-

People always say "congratulations, I hear you almost done with college What's the move after graduation?" I reply as if I'm so sure that everything is mapped out But I ain't figured out the navigation I just hope that I can find a solid full-time job So I can help support my studio habits At least until the day I make the studio my full-time job But that just seems so far away 'til it happens But for now I'm still juggling classes I'm moving accordingly, no I ain't out here hustling backwards I hear a lot of these rappers claiming they want it more than me But they not out here tryna get active I was told to have a backup plan Just in case the music isn't working out the way I want it to But I just feel like if you know what you can offer To the world, you should probably focus on what's in front of you They tell me I should think realistically But you gotta go beyond that when you tryna make history My journey's been so bittersweet So I just roll with the punches and embrace the small victories But nobody told me it'd be lonely No time to relax and be cozy My faith got tested I keep going Let these words cut deep now bleed slowly Since my adolescent years I always did my best to make sure that my head was clear Along the way I may have even shed a couple tears I had to put it in the hands of God and let him steer, yea And it doesn't matter how long it takes you But at the end of the day you gotta breakthrough And it doesn't matter how long it takes you But at the end of the day you gotta breakthrough And it doesn't matter how long it takes you But at the end of the day you gotta breakthrough Keep going keep going And it doesn't matter how long it takes you But at the end of the day you gotta breakthrough Gotta, gotta breakthrough! You gotta And it doesn't matter how long it takes you But at the end of the day you gotta breakthrough Uh, yea Gotta, gotta, gotta breakthrough Mmmm, I gotta breakthrough Mmmm mmmm I gotta breakthrough

Calm and collected She wanna rekindle some things I left her on read But she got the message The difference between me and them is they counting favors I'm counting blessings Could never compare me to them 'cause we do it major Follow our essence See lately I been in my bag I'm talking my shit Like my nigga Markie You can't come along for the ride I'm sonning you niggas Now I need a car seat Tell the truth I been the hardest lot of you dudes just late to the party Please miss me with all that nonsense I do not play boy I am not Carti They sick of me they all nauseous, won't be surprised if they vomit Gotta warn 'em all to take caution, I don't do no threats it's just promise I ain't never switched I'm rock solid, I'm who all these niggas been watching Everybody know that I stay ready 'cause when you ain't bring it I brought it They know I'm a threat they put a target on my back They don't wanna step but if they do they'll pivot back If I take the crown just know it's hard to get it back Soon as I attack then that'll be the end of that They know I'm a threat they put a target on my back They don't wanna step but if they do they'll pivot back If I take the crown just know it's hard to get it back Soon as I attack then that'll be the end of that But I don't think that they want it, nah I don't think that they want it They talking big like they coming, but I swear they all just be frontin' But I don't think that they want it, nah I don't think that they want it They talking big like they coming, but I swear they all just be frontin', aye Oh well hello I'm not from here they call me the GOAT I been hot on this bread gotta toast I took too many rides on a boat I stand at the top of the tier Give me head in the lights like a deer Yea I'm skinny no ass in the rear I still take the D in the night without fear Don't be naive I'm money I am what I eat And I do not need a plan B My flow is conceived ain't no fuckin' with me Here they go got me talking my shit again I think Markie found his way inside my pen It's my time I'ma climb 'til I'm big as Ben I don't know why you here but I came to win I look in the mirror I do, you know the target is you But I got this shit in my view I'm bout to skip to my Lou They can't catch my drift, they can't catch my drip Damn, oh well They know I'm a threat they put a target on my back They don't wanna step but if they do they'll pivot back If I take the crown just know it's hard to get it back Soon as I attack then that'll be the end of that They know I'm a threat they put a target on my back They don't wanna step but if they do they'll pivot back If I take the crown just know it's hard to get it back Soon as I attack then that'll be the end of that But I don't think that they want it, nah I don't think that they want it They talking big like they coming, but I swear they all just be frontin' But I don't think that they want it, nah I don't think that they want it They talking big like they coming, but I swear they all just be frontin', aye

I remember those days like yesterday A lot of young angels in heavens gates Lessons that I learned from the rest of way Was blessed back then and I’m blessed today Uh, uh, love to my niggas from the avenue Uh, uh, that’s out here doin what they have to do Uh, uh, to survive I ain’t mad at you See you around I’ll get back at you Reminiscing on the simpler times Way before I ever thought about my Mission in life Back when we were innocent and all Our friends were alive Who’da thought in ten years this is what’d it be like? Tragedies all around us Turned my world upside down I’m losing my balance All this weight on me pray I don’t become callous My angels give me comfort when my demons be the loudest Lately I been feeling like death is getting closer Paranoia creepin still I’m Keepin my composure My heart keeps breaking for my city over and over Got me stuck on this emotional roller coaster Caught up in the loop but Throughout all the ups and downs I know life is precious Every night I’m praying up ‘cause every days a blessing Throughout all the ups and downs I know life is precious Every night I’m praying up ‘cause every days a blessing I remember those days like yesterday A lot of young angels in heavens gates Lessons that I learned from the rest of way Was blessed back then and I’m blessed today Uh, uh, love to my niggas from the avenue Uh, uh, that’s out here doin what they have to do Uh, uh, to survive I ain’t mad at you See you around I’ll get back at you I was talking to a young man yesterday He was spitting in his rhymes and I heard what he said 'Cause he come from a city where they busting out lead And it's hard to live they dreams because they life unfair He tryna figure out when his time gon' come Him and his other siblings they live in the slums He seen his cousin killed so he's already numb And if they make it out man they feel like they won He said it's hard living his life without no guidance Mom was always there she was always providing Pops was never there a tear fell from his eyelid And how he got a teardrop under his eyelid Now he's no longer with us a moment of silence Damn I remember those days like yesterday A lot of young angels in heavens gates Lessons that I learned from the rest of way Was blessed back then and I’m blessed today Uh, uh, love to my niggas from the avenue Uh, uh, that’s out here doin what they have to do Uh, uh, to survive I ain’t mad at you See you around I’ll get back at you

Took a look back at what I done and I know I’m far from done But Ima celebrate the dubs it’s rewarded Feel like I can finally see the sun Since the dark clouds finally went away now everything is looking gorgeous Life was gettin heavy for ya boy but I still held it down back When everything was getting out of order Started putting prayers up then everything straightened up So Im feelin like them blessings right around the corner Not too long ago I was just a youngin wit a pocket full of hope Eating 4 for 4s everyday cuz I was broke Little over quarter tank, just enough to make it home Been commuting back and forth to campus It’s a lot man I don’t know how I afford to manage Got a lot up on my plate I can’t afford to panic For the longest felt like I was stuck with no advancing I just did my best to handle anything I’m handed Take a look how far I come Made it to the end and now I’m feeling like I won Feel like ain’t a single thing that I can’t overcome Need my coronation I know I’m the chosen one aw man Took a look back at what I done and I know I’m far from done But Ima celebrate the dubs it’s rewarded Feel like I can finally see the sun Since the dark clouds finally went away now everything is looking gorgeous Life was getting heavy for ya boy but I still held it down back When everything was getting out of order Started putting prayers up then everything straightened up So I'm feelin like them blessings right around the corner I've been losing sleep at night I've been working overtime praying for a better life Clocking in for future blessings but I finally learned my lesson Letting go of all my stress to finally get a break Never failed from all the sacrifices that I made Took a couple losses but it never stopped my gain I done suffered pain, felt a little change But I'm a be straight because my blessings on the way Took a look back at what I done and I know I’m far from done But Ima celebrate the dubs it’s rewarded Feel like I can finally see the sun Since the dark clouds finally went away now everything is looking gorgeous Life was getting heavy for ya boy but I still held it down back When everything was getting out of order Started putting prayers up then everything straightened up So I'm feelin like them blessings right around the corner