Memento Mori

Part 1: The Message

[Verse 1]
Back when I was 18, I felt I would never make it
Losing faith in myself, no faith in a Heaven lately
I would over think and then drown in a pool of self doubt
When I was stuck in a slump, who could I trust to help now?
But now they look to me for advice
As if I’m no longer the one that’s never sleeping at night
Look in the mirror, wonder where did my anxiety go
I kind of miss it, I guess this is like the highest of lows
But I ain’t worried
Years ago, I was lost
Rapping for people I knew never cared about my health
Dawg, all they wanted was bars
Now you think I ain’t confident, just because I don’t ooze it
I only doubted myself due to knowing that most of you did
Still it’s all love, dawg, I don’t hold grudges
I taught myself love, dawg, I don’t owe nothing
What you know bout hearing voices come from all four walls
As you start to shut down like a car when it stalls
So when I get to feeling as if y’all ain’t got no faith in me
That’s when it sparked the feeling that this world just ain’t the place to be
But nah, she taught me better than that
Shoot for the Sun like Steve Nash, don’t you ever go back
You’ve still got work to do
Show these people why they should believe in you
Cause you know that won’t happen unless you give them a reason to
2017, Sincerely Yours was a murder
Probably album of the year, but who cares when nobody heard
It’s getting crazy out here, all these people disappearing
Can’t help but feel the cops are getting lazy out here
Nah, I’m just a baby though, maybe I’m in my feelings
Or maybe they’re killing us before the day we have to kill them

[Bridge]
‘Merica the beautiful, everyone is thinking like a dead man
Live it up, but what about the future though?
By any means, get the money, we don’t want the fame
Y’all think it’s something sweet till it leaves you numb the same

[Verse 2]
Try to name a rapper more honest, you’d probably want to stop
Closest they’ll be is 99, cause I’ve got a 100 locked
I’ve been overlooked for so long and if I cared, I’d probably complain
But maybe I’m smart enough to know that my time, it’s not
Got to keep it pushing
Ain’t no G, but I move in silence
Ain’t no savage, and I won’t fake it for your media, this is Byron
People say that Rap is dying, huh
Now they’ve got to see me
Only grew to 5’8”, but y’all done woke a sleeping giant
Life is similar to a game
Because if you can’t control her, doesn’t matter who you are, they’ll box you in fore it’s over
I told you, off rip
Our goal is defeat the gutter then feed the gutter
Our souls will make the reaper stutter with this off switch
Every single new year, the ball drops
I look at rappers, thinking, why we still waiting for y’alls, huh
You ain’t know that we’re rebels
The kind of thoughts to make these folks put me below sea level
But not before I three-peat
Put two and two together, what, you need a lob?
We’re already paying cops to try and do a God’s job
They’re getting technical, slick with the words that they use
Like y’all ain’t know that Hollywood is a world of abuse
Dudes become so eager for something to vote on
But you’ve got two heads and you’re using them both wrong
There’s a line in the sand, I pray that you fail to cross it
Cause the screws that I’m missing will be the nails in your coffin
I often think about Matt, was he really meant to die?
Were those bullets like starships, were they meant to fly?
Kels and Aaliyah know my love will never yield
I would say till death does us part, but it never will, for real

[Hook]
‘Merica the beautiful, everyone is thinking like a dead man
Live it up, but what about the future though?
Look at my generation and I wonder where the love’s at
I look at my people and I wonder where the love’s at
I look at my country and I wonder where the love’s at
One for all till we all die and the guns blast
Hanging from the tree of might
Might make it, might not but at least I put up a fight
They don’t hear me though
Nah, they don’t hear me though
They don’t hear me

[Outro]
Gotta know all your gotta knows
Gotta know when to let it be
Gotta know all your gotta knows
Gotta know when to let it be
Gotta know all your gotta knows
Wait

Part 2: Open Letter

[Intro]
That’s how this goes
How can I explain this?
Um, when the pain is all gone, when everything is gone
If you still have the privilege to feel
As far as I’m concerned, there’s still something left
And I don’t ever want to leave without expressing that
When you truly love someone, or something, you hold onto it, you cherish it
I feel I haven’t done the greatest job of that because I’ve been gone for long
But now that I’ve reached the end of this road to recovery, y’all gon get these bars...
For free

[Verse]
My generation better wake up, nah, we ain’t safe just yet
Cause y’all don’t scrap, y’all shoot but y’all sway with the tech
Murking the innocent youth, using your dumb pride for sin
They had their son set, never to see their son rise again
And I’m exhausted
I know you take pride in where you’re from
But to murder for nothing, y’all are either blind, deaf, or dumb
Had a question for my ex that I’d rather be answered
She’s a Gemini, but her personality’s cancer
Some people are like dead weight, ain’t worth stressing
Cut them off, regroup and grow like a Namekian
Glad I’ll never need a clip to load and shoot you
That’s the difference, I don’t have to pick a low to stoop to
Wonder why everybody’s got to shoot their shot
Cause when these bullets go inwards, it’s even more of a look of surprise when these N words don’t die
So tell me what’s more important, lives or your pride?
It’s like we spend our whole lives trying to avoid Hades, even if it’s by an inch
We’re all trying to ascend up to Heaven
But here’s a lesson, the Devil already let us in
We’re trying to escape even though we know that he’ll let us sin
Better come to grips with your short comings
I used to run track, but some of y’all do more running and never come back
Become a detriment to yourself
You just wait till you can put the weight on somebody else
I know a couple angels I miss that the Devil sent to me
But dawg, it’s common sense the relationships weren’t meant for me
Egos got in the way, and maybe I wasn’t meant to see these false Gods sent back to the one they pretend to be
I’ve got a message for 'em, and I know they’ve read it
I’m trying to climb out this hole before it becomes home
Folks walk around broken, the world thinking they’re close to you
Try to help and you’re treated like that ain’t what you’re supposed to do
I’d rather lose my first fight and be left breathing
Than win, get shot and my parents be left grieving
Though I’ll never love again, I still love Kels and Aaliyah
And if you’re looking up to me, so be it
If I succeed, rejoice but keep the millions
Only Em I care about happens to be from Detroit
We keep it real around here
Even through anxiety
Even through depression we look in the mirror and we express how we feel around here
You feel some type of way, then you’d better vent (yup)
I’m only fighting demons cause I’m heaven sent (wait)
And don’t compare me, I’m just here to even odds
If I performed in a prison, bet I’d really raise the bars
Wonder why I miss anxiety dawg?
It helped me feel ish, but now I’m just numb
I just get on the mic and kill ish
But Byron ain’t dumb, I won’t try to front like these other guys
Teachers never called me stupid, I showed them otherwise
Heart of gold, with a mind full of sin
Dudes say they’re bout a dollar, but the dimes reel them in time and again
I’d rather die than pretend I’m ok when I’m really not
Cause nine times out of ten, Bianca and Nay’ll cry if suicide does me in
I ain’t got to remind why when I rhyme, it’s for them, Kels, and Novelle
Diamonds don’t supply the same feeling
Just remember, that you have to die, but don’t forget you’re living
Don’t forget
Don’t be afraid