[Intro – Rapper 1]
[Sample: distant thunder + vinyl static]
Yeah...
I been quiet just to save shit,
Storm inside but I can’t let it break shit—nah.
Flame in my veins, I taste it,
If I let it blow, I’ll waste it.
[Drumkit builds: rim taps + reverse snare]
[Chorus – Both (layered)]
[Drumkit: soft 808 + hi-hat triplets + airy clap]
Keep it down, don’t let it show, don’t let it pop off
Pressure buildin' in my soul, I gotta lock jaw
Talk slick, I might flip, but I walk off
‘Cause one bad move could set it all off
Yeah, I got demons that be talkin’ in surround sound
Learned to smile while I’m holdin’ all this loud down
Keep it chill or I’m endin’ up downtown
I ain’t tryna throw my life out for a meltdown
[808 drops out last line for dramatic silence]
[Verse 1 – Rapper 1]
[Drumkit: tight kick + snare combo, low-end rumble bass]
Used to black out, brain on detonate,
Fist tight like I’m clutchin' fate.
Had to learn that heat don’t mediate—
It just burns bridges I might need one day.
Voices in my head like "Fuck 'em, go!"
But I got fam, and I can’t let it show.
I been curb-checkin’ every damn flash,
‘Cause freedom don’t chill behind thick glass.
[Sample: distorted cell door slam]
Anger’s a bitch, always lurkin’ quiet,
But I got goals, so I don’t feed the riot.
Turn that fury into fuel, I’m wired,
Put pain in bars, now I spit fire.
[Drumkit switches to open hi-hat and kick rolls]
[Chorus – Both]
[Add layered vocal harmonies + background sample: echoing “keep it down” voice]
Keep it down, don’t let it show, don’t let it pop off
Pressure buildin' in my soul, I gotta lock jaw
Talk slick, I might flip, but I walk off
‘Cause one bad move could set it all off
Yeah, I got demons that be talkin’ in surround sound
Learned to smile while I’m holdin’ all this loud down
Keep it chill or I’m endin’ up downtown
I ain’t tryna throw my life out for a meltdown
[Drumkit fades into breakdown pads]
[Verse 2 – Rapper 2]
[Drumkit switchup: trap hats + boom-bap snare with ambient reverb]
Red mist creepin’ like a fuckin’ leak,
I been countin’ to ten with grit in my teeth.
I got a temper like a short fuse,
One wrong look, and I might lose.
But I seen cuffs, I seen moms cry,
Lost time in a box just askin’ why.
I was raised to react, not talk it through,
But now I write shit down just to change the view.
[Sample: scratchy pencil scribble + ticking clock]
Box my rage like I’m Mayweather,
Talk calm, but the storm’s still tethered.
Self-control like a Glock with a cold click—
I keep the safety on or I lose this shit.
[Drumkit cuts out for line 8, comes back heavy on drop]
[Bridge – Rapper 1 (melodic)]
[Synths swell, vocoder backing vocals]
I felt it rise, felt it choke my throat,
Felt like war, but I cast my vote.
Peace is loud when the world provokes,
Rather build a path than watch it go up in smoke.
[Drumkit switches to halftime feel]
[Final Chorus – Both (adlibs, layered, melodic)]
[All drums return with added cymbal crashes + vocal delay FX]
Keep it down, don’t let it show, NOOOOOO
DCBROOKS