Verse 1 (A.L. Laureate)
It seems the beginning was just the other day
Introduced to the system with division blocking the way
I swayed the melancholy parted ways with the party
I try to forget but thoughts begin to stalk me//
Glam rappers become actors
On wax or on screen they become they own personal benefactors
We could close the lid and case closed
But backpackers and trappers bypass looking for scapegoats//
Rappers portray g's to make g's
Emcees rip mics to move crowds beyond what you perceive
Think about rappers when they first came out
Debut album was classic but money altered the route//
We choose to keep it real dedication never ends
The people call our rhyme scheme a tired old trend
If its Jay-Z and Nas or Manchild and me
We all had the same start its time for you to see//

Chorus (A.L. Laureate)
Open up dismiss any preconceived notions
We send a prayer for the culture to stay focused
Money changes perception of creativity
It’s shown through records today and its killing me//
We know it won’t be like it was before
But we still got the future it could be rewrote
And restore rappers and emcees to original state
Starting at the same time on the same page//

Verse 2 (ManChild of Mars ILL)
Now let me start, by saying my part, for the paying patron on the waiting line
Odd sharks say take your time
Wait for, lying, on laid on the train line
They start shining, on a playground paying mine//
Forward to the next class session till it breaks up
No static, automatic, hang on to your pay stub
Radio is wrecking y’all, when they refuse to play us
Living in a dream world, the corruption’s made up//
Hey love; it ain’t nothing but music and poetry
Everybody run the line from half track to totally blacked out
Below the scene, out of state or locally
Domestic to overseas, Ten bucks and your holding me close//
God made me I’m supposed to be dope
Already next to nothing, but still we going for broke
Choking on the contact, tell me where the songs at
Steady running on track, and showing you hope//

Chorus (A.L. Laureate)
Open up dismiss any preconceived notions
We send a prayer for the culture to stay focused
Money changes perception of creativity
It’s shown through records today and its killing me//
We know it won’t be like it was before
But we still got the future it could be rewrote
And restore rappers and emcees to original state
Starting at the same time on the same page//

Verse 3 (Praverb the Wyse)
Same start, same race, different finishes
Same scars, different skin, hidden blemishes
Underground, commercial, spitting sentences
Same goal, 20/20, vision limitless//
Nowadays, a lot of rappers babble on
it feels like false religion in Ancient Babylon
I’m the judge, without a place to slam the gavel on
Sleeping on emcees, they style I put a mattress on//
It’s sad when the radio defines us, the media defines us
Now nobody will sign us
Nobody will sign us, we all majors
We Indy-pendent but we treated like minors//
Searching for gems, we get treated like miners
Whored out to millions like a prostitute vagina
Too blunt I had to speak the truth for once
This one trick pony will not perform new stunts//

Chorus (A.L. Laureate)
Open up dismiss any preconceived notions
We send a prayer for the culture to stay focused
Money changes perception of creativity
It’s shown through records today and its killing me//
We know it won’t be like it was before
But we still got the future it could be rewrote
And restore rappers and emcees to original state
Starting at the same time on the same page//

Verse 4 (Cayoz Da Beast)
Rappers pump your breaks and slow your pace, cease the gas
Cause we all started out at the bottom in the past
When I look around now it’s funny how y’all seem to act
Like since we ain’t in the limelight there’s something that we lack//
We started out looking fly in our B-Boy Stance
Now dudes is showing off their thighs rock in sweet boy pants
Even though we proceed to speak with intelligence on tracks
We ain’t relevant cause TV done got you on a trance//
And, record labels try their best to knock us down
But the hunger that we feel pushes us to stand our ground
Cause we ain’t here to do the jerk, do the dougie, or walk it out
So were considered outcasts for what we choose to talk about//
At some point every artist is unsigned trying to shine
But whether signed or unsigned we all still got to grind
So open up your mind and I’m sure you’ll realize
We each started from the bottom, when we each began our climb (you feel me)//