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lyrics
Verse 1, Chuckie Campbell
They said I'd never see the light,
that people like me never rise
I'd end up dead or doing time,
lost or even left behind
My mother looked me in my eyes,
asked me what I'd make my life
My answer was I'd make her proud,
can't help but think about that now
I put it down so many ways --
for love and music, to get paid,
to free my voice and bury hate,
but most of all reiterate
to dream a dream is something great
To live it, though, is different, yo
let'em know and set it straight
Impoverished, battered, and broken
abundant, found in an omen,
so destined to push it forward
listen close and I can show you
the heartache of subtle moments,
burning sofas on the street corners
dead ends that feel open --
dealers and the hustlers,
break dancers still posing,
summer nights under the street lights,
remembered but out of focus,
boxing in the streets,
Koolaid and government cheese,
I feel it like it was yesterday
Brothers, rest in peace
Verse 2, Chuckie Campbell
It's probably spinning you backward
I'm not your average rapper,
no bullet holes or bandannas,
contradicting your standards,
established through years of practice,
elaborate rites of passage,
can't play a part in your pageant,
but I'll tell you this, if I haven't
I want to sing, I want to dance
under every circumstance
I want to be myself, nobody else
no time to ask
for another's breath, another's sweat
another's life that is not mine
I love myself like no one else
I have no time to lie
I'm no one's man, no one's slave
no one's now, no yesterday
I'm the way I choose to be --
not you or him or them, you see?
I fought through the adversity
with faith alone my currency
purposely, saw an imperfect person, perfectly
I went from down and out to colleges,
earning athletic scholarships
to three degrees, a Ph.D.,
people doubted through all of it
Yo, I remember all of it,
the negatives and positives
If you're hating on the music
well, let me just state the obvious
Verse 3, Chuckie Campbell
Throughout the years I put in effort
to make an honest impression
Ignored the money, fame, and hype
most often labelled impressive
I put away the corny punchlines
put my heart on the record
You want the real? I got the real
Check me out, I'll explain it
It's often said a simple song
is likely true to its message,
but to simplify experience
reduces its credit
Life is beautiful and complex,
messy and complicated,
lest music with any truth to it
is true to deception
To walk this line of truth and fiction
is to make a decision
Just because something's explicit
doesn't make it realistic,
and although it probably could
and most likely it should,
just because something is popular
doesn't mean that it's good
Common sense is thus defined
by what's commonly understood,
not the best or right answer
or probable likelihood --
which is likely why you rappers
sound completely the same
and my music stays fresh,
in so many ways
Chuckie Campbell is an American hip hop artist who lives in Buffalo, NY. Campbell commonly performs with a live band (drums,
keys, and a full horn section), to make for a dynamic, powerful, and eclectic approach to hip hop, filled with fluid instrumentation, lush musical arrangements, and heartfelt poetic nuance....more
On his 2nd LP, the great Buffalo rapper King Ralph serves up 17 more tracks recalling the Golden Age, aided by Elcamino & more. Bandcamp New & Notable Jul 12, 2021
