A FULL TANK

VERSE
they said quit…go ahead and give up,
but since I’m here, you can tell I didn’t give a…
I ain’t even gotta say it – you can fill in the blank
I’m risin’ up through the ranks – I gotta full tank
yall runnin’ on empty – that was one of your many mistakes
you never know when you’ll be challenged to a race
I’ve paid hella dues, well, look at my shoes
they remind me of all the battlefields that I’ve walked through
…and I keep on reppin’, keep you guessin’ every step of the way
…even if I’m stressin’, I won’t letcha see the sweat on my face
…I’ve had the blessin’ of bein’ tested – that’s how I was raised
now I teach lessons with the passion of a sage
like the blastin’ of a gauge, like rap is in my veins
my words’ve been accused of verbal abuse, they’re locked in my rib cage
they’ve been enslaved and as they escape my mouth they behave as if filled with rage
I am to blame, but I can’t erase the way that they view life as a maze
…and I got my family surroundin’ me yellin’ “take a break”
…and my candle’s burnin’ at both ends…my health’s at stake,
but I am stubborn when it comesta the struggle
with a muzzle, you can’t keep me muffled, competition crumbles
never fumble, and if I do…best believe this
I’ll have my elbows up like I’m in a Jacknife mosh-pit
fists balled up – wishin’ I could avoid drama
gotta stay One Up, inflictin’ Blunt Force trauma
goin’ off on a tangent, managin’ to turn a new Leaf
when I get to where I wanna be, maybe then I can breathe
maybe then you’ll believe that Hip Hop Helps Heal
while I pour my soul out like Odis, I will force you to Feel
not a Lejend yet, but ya better document my footprints
an extraordinary Emissary chantin’ Dallas Got Next
recitin’ lines in my Sleep and sleep’s the cousin of death,
so when ya lay me to rest in my casket, I guess I’ll be a Dead Poet
yep…I’m so obsessive with my manuscript, you betta get
a Sniper to Merk me out before I raid your fellowship
hibernatin’ in the lab with a pad and a pen
voices in my head turned into my Imaginary Friends
in a surreal Nev.r.land – I got my Roots and Wings,
so I stay grounded, but I can fly away within my Lucid Dreams
and I have Multiple IDs that jump my ego daily
a gang fight in my head – that’s why my memory is fading
it’s Masquerading…making right look wrong
when What We Deserve is a Stepping Stone
and you may dream…big, but I Dream Bigger
I Don’t Drink the Water – stay LIT wit the liquor
double-shot of 80 proof Absolute Truth
if you disapprove of me, remember I’m Not You
if you Neva Dug me, dude, I ain’t trippin’
gotta new set of Good Years and they still spinnin’,
the Lord gave me strength to keep on truckin’
I survived that wreck…and I feel so lucky
gotta grip on the wheel and a lot on my mind,
and ain’t nothin’…EVER gonna stop my grind
ain’t nothin’…EVER gonna stop my grind
ain’t nothin’…EVER gonna stop my grind
I gotta grip on the wheel and a lot on my mind,
and ain’t nothin’…EVER gonna stop my grind
I’m tuned up…hope you ready to ride – it’s crunch-time
the grind’s swimmin’ in my bloodline
…embedded in my genes, encoded in my DNA
I make love to the mic – that’s how vocals get laid