“Built From Pops”

He ain’t teach with a textbook…

He taught by livin’.

By leanin’ on that Honda with pride in his chest.

So this one for you, old man.

I ain’t you, but I’m built from you.

Let me talk.

⸻

Orange shirt, vest sharp, leanin’ like a king

Fedora low, arms crossed, watch with a gleam

That’s my pops — no cap, no IG face

Just real presence in a world full of fake

Didn’t grow up with wealth, but I had his word

Didn’t always hug, but the silence heard

Never said “I’m proud,” but I saw it in his eyes

Like, “Keep your head up, even when the dream die”

He ain’t preach love, but he lived discipline

Used to watch him fix things, never gave in

From the busted van to the city grind

He showed me how to move with a warrior’s mind

⸻

I’m not him, but I’m cut from that cloth

Built from the lessons, the pain, and the loss

Didn’t raise a punk, he raised me to stand

Now I walk with his fire in my two bare hands

Yeah, we different, but the blood don’t lie

I feel him in my hustle, every time I try

He ain’t gotta talk — I hear him in static

I’m my own man now…

Always Systematic.

⸻

He ain’t see me cry, but he knew that I did

He ain’t hug me close, but he knew I was a kid

Grew into this rage, this pain, this mission

But he taught me how to live without beggin’ permission

He told me: “Stand tall, don’t fold for no bitch

Keep your eyes on your money, don’t die for a glitch”

And I ain’t forget that — it cut real deep

Every heartbreak, I remembered, stayed on my feet

Told me: “Don’t be loud, let your work just show

If they play with your name, let results just blow”

Now I’m out here movin’ like a code in flesh

Still hear his voice even when I feel stretched

⸻

I’m not him, but I’m cut from that cloth

Built from the lessons, the pain, and the loss

Didn’t raise a punk, he raised me to stand

Now I walk with his fire in my two bare hands

Yeah, we different, but the blood don’t lie

I feel him in my hustle, every time I try

He ain’t gotta talk — I hear him in static

I’m my own man now…

Always Systematic.

⸻

You ain’t give me much, but you gave me enough.

A model to learn from, a path to walk beside…

And I’m still walkin’.

I’m still standin’.

And when they ask who built me…

I say Pops.

Always Systematic.