from the streets

(Verse 1) Straight out the gutter, the cold night shivers From concrete cracks to shadowed figures Every corner, every block bears a story untold Where the nights are hot but the glances are cold Raised by the streetlights, fed by the noise Grit and survival, the hustle, poise It’s the life of the blade, the screech of the tires Dodging these alley traps and open fire (Hook) In the streets where the rules ain’t written Lines blurred between the free and the smitten We rise from the dust, we fight through the pain Our heartbeats echo down memory lane Echo down memory lane (Verse 2) Momma worked two jobs, trying to survive, Daddy was a mystery, seen through child’s eyes School of hard knocks was my education Learned quick, stand tall, defend your station Dream of a way out, dream of the light But the night pulls you back like a thief in the fight It’s a cycle, relentless, in the veins it flows The spirit of the streets, only the chosen know (Hook) In the streets where the rules ain’t written Lines blurred between the free and the smitten We rise from the dust, we fight through the pain Our heartbeats echo down memory lane Echo down memory lane (Bridge) Whispers under the freeway, the echo of drums Graffiti-soul painting, the language of some Every mark tells a tale, every face holds a fate In the land of the brave, in the hands of the state (Verse 3) Now I spit rhymes like the bullets I dodge Eminem style, but original, no façade I craft my art in the dead of the night Channeling rage, love, fear, flight From New York echoes to the heart of LA We're more alike than unalike, they say But walk a mile in these shoes, embrace the scars Find beauty in street lamps and burned-out cars (Hook) In the streets where the rules ain’t written Lines blurred between the free and the smitten We rise from the dust, we fight through the pain Our heartbeats echo down memory lane Echo down memory lane (Outro) So here’s my tale, raw and uncut From the gritty, city beat of each rut Where dreams are built and broken in stride In every shadow, hope and despair collide This is for the streets and those it contains Where every ending, new beginning remains.