Chasing the Spotlight

[Verse 1]
Microphone dreams in a shoebox cage,
Heart’s a lion pacing in a concrete maze.
The mirror whispers, "You’re born to amaze,"
But these streets ain't giving no bouquets.
Feet scuff pavement, chasing faint applause,
Echoes of legends, rewinding their cause.
Stage just a mirage, keeps shifting away,
Got bars for the stars, but they stuck in the gray.
[Chorus]
All I want to do is entertain,
Feel the crowd erupt, hear ‘em chant my name.
Goosebumps rise from the flood of lights,
But I’m lost in the dark, can’t find my fight.
All I want is a stage, but the path’s in chains.
[Verse 2]
Notebook ink bleeds ambition’s veins,
But the industry cold, it don't explain.
Handshakes hollow, smiles counterfeit,
They sell you a dream, but you drown in it.
Every rhyme I spit feels like a prayer,
Sent to a god who ain't ever there.
Chasing the echo of a phantom throne,
A kingdom promised but never my own.
[Prechorus]
Late nights screaming at a silent sky,
Will I ever soar, or just scrape by?

raw and introspective, rap, driving beat, atmospheric synths, hip-hop