Verse 1 – The Early Years
Yo,
I came up in the shadows where the streetlights hum,
Latchkey kid, door locked till the nightfall come.
Microwave dinners, TV glow for a friend,
Learned early life don’t give what you don’t work to defend.
Sneakers hand-me-down, pockets thinner than a prayer,
But I walked like a king though the throne wasn’t there.
Mama on the grind, and the world felt cold,
So I learned to heat the flame from the fire in my soul.
They tried to hand me smoke, pills, lines on the low,
Peer pressure on my shoulders like winter in the snow —
But I stayed on the path, stayed sharp, stayed clean,
‘Cause I honored what my parents taught deep in my genes.
Every step uphill, every dream uphill —
But I sharpened every scar till the pain stood still.
They said I wouldn’t make it, said I’d fold, said I’d crash,
But pressure makes diamonds… and I rose from the ash.
⸻
Hook – The Rise
I came from the bottom but the bottom made me,
Latchkey nights built the warrior in me.
Struggle on my back but the grind set me free,
A legacy of pain turned to legacy of heat.
Yeah, I rise —
A product of the storm, lightning in my stride.
Tried to shut me down but I still multiply,
Made from nothing… and that’s why I shine.
⸻
Verse 2 – Tests of Character
I walked past every doubt that was thrown at my name,
Turned every “you can’t” to a torch for the flame.
Friends lit up, zoned out, clouded rooms full of haze,
Tried to hand me that life in my latchkey days.
But I never took a hit, never slipped, never bent,
Stayed loyal to my morals like they paid my rent.
Kept my mind on the mission, kept my soul on the plan,
Would’ve let my parents down — I refused to be that man.
Life hit me with the combos — jab, hook, blow,
But I bobbed, weaved, learned rhythm in the low.
No silver spoon, just a hand full of grit,
A path full of stones but I still never quit.
People talked down, tried to break my spark,
But I built my own sun just to light up the dark.
⸻
Hook – The Rise
I came from the bottom but the bottom made me,
Latchkey nights built the warrior in me.
Struggle on my back but the grind set me free,
A legacy of pain turned to legacy of heat.
Yeah, I rise —
A product of the storm, lightning in my stride.
Tried to shut me down but I still multiply,
Made from nothing… and that’s why I shine.
⸻
Verse 3 – The Man I Became
Now I’m stronger than the world ever guessed I’d be,
A survivor, a rebel, built on loyalty.
Still humble with it though — ’cause the battles I knew
Left marks on the soul that the eye can’t view.
But every lesson hit deep like a razor to skin,
Cut the boy from my bones so the man could begin.
And through all the chaos, all the pressure, all the noise,
I kept my head sober — no poison, no voids.
Never needed any smoke just to deal with the strain,
My discipline alone was the dope in my veins.
Latchkey heart, self-made from the jump,
Turned ridicule to rockets and launched from the slump.
If they doubt me now? Let ’em stand in line —
I’m the proof t