[Verse]
Fifteen, bag on my back, no map to the scene,
Mom’s veins full of poison, dad cold and mean,
Pavement my pillow, dreams torn at the seams,
Chasin' shadows in alleys, lost in shattered schemes.
[Chorus]
But I rose, yeah, I rose from the ashes of hate,
Twenty-eight, built a throne, turned the struggle to great,
Pain’s the paintbrush, life’s the canvas I create,
From the gutter to the stars, now they call it my fate.
[Verse 2]
Hunger in my belly, streets taught me the grind,
Dodgin' cops, dodgin' doubts that lived in my mind,
Mama’s ghost in my ear, needles left her confined,
While pops' silence cut deeper than any blade designed.
[Bridge]
I screamed at the moon, made a pact with the night,
Swore I’d never lose sight, though my future lacked light,
Turned scraps to a meal, made the wrongs feel right,
The kid they left in the dark, now he’s burnin' so bright.
[Verse 3]
Friends became foes, trust a luxury I lacked,
Had to hustle for a nickel, every step I was tracked,
They said I'd never make it, but I laughed and clapped back,
Now my name’s in rooms where they ain't welcome back.
[Chorus]
But I rose, yeah, I rose from the ashes of hate,
Twenty-eight, built a throne, turned the struggle to great,
Pain’s the paintbrush, life’s the canvas I create,
From the gutter to the stars, now they call it my fate.