2007

Our offense is oh so, our defense dominate
We got that winning combination
To what? To regulate
Offense is oh so (Forever)
Yeah

2007, Cole dropped The Come Up
I was in high school playing corner
I never dreamt of mumbling words in front of hundreds
Studying plays all summer
I'll hit the league if my growth spurt come in, on my mom
2009, bro dropped The Warm Up

I was in warm-ups playing Weezy
And Yukimi, Little Dragon, flame breathing the weed

Patrick had the studio dorm room next to me
I freestyled over his beats
My nigga Keys transferred in from Tennessee
He's a receiver, I played DB like Aqib
Snatch a nigga chain, Talib
Talib Kweli, I could be lyrically, but I put on cleats

Scribbled lines going through my mind like a paper piece
While I covered three, playing nickel, doing safety reads, watch the flats
I can rap, but I rather tackle and pedal back
Get a pick when my growth spurt hit
I'ma be captain, and I was around 2010, no cap
I got 'Freshman Player of the Year' and figured I was on track
This nigga Pat' been in my ear talking 'bout rhyming on tracks
So after practice we record and then we got it on wax
And on campus I heard about a couple rappers from Atlanta (Earthgang!)
Said them niggas was snapping, maybe we could make something happen and shit
I wasn't serious enough to even be curious
And we lose like every game, so every day I be furious
So, the spirit of a nigga had changed
To the point I had to reframe and focus my skills for other things

I took the steel wheel, I'm steering in other lanes
But my fuel on low and my oil need to be changed
Amongst all the other shit that's going in my brain
My brother got out of jail, I only know him by name
He did a nickel and a dime in time, probably be staying with my mom
And dad probably get mad, acting lame some times, uh
Look, The Sideline Story came out September of 2011

Ib said around that time:
We was hunting for a record, under lots of pressure
Just combine the leverage with a better effort
You could find a sound to get us out the underground forever
Maybe you can bless a little brown effervescent kid
Youngest of seven from the six, eight sections
Section.80 dropped, yeah, we used to play that shit to death
And if I recollect correct, you tried to sign him for yourself

All the while I was 'round my out of town college, wilding out
Restaurants, Destin dining, dashing, call it dining out
Fucking bitches, 'posed to be in class, but I was hiding out
My friends take a little shot, smoke a lot of cannabis, coolest nigga on the campus
Now a nigga skipping practices, and acting like a rock star
Going from in the dorm to in the car, leaving the football field
But fuck that, we still sorry, and the problems from the home front
On my home screen calling me, I don't wanna answer
My brother Carl hit me, said my granny had cancer
I'm 'posed to graduate and make my way back to Atlanta
No job, no money or nothing from balling
Because between that and school, that was really all
And maybe here's the back that broke the camel with the straw
I wasn't on camera with them amateurs that they saw
But they said they still caught me and my dawgs stealing boxes
Like Craig on his day off

Called us in the office day before we 'posed to walk, uh
Called a squad car, a couple officers
I know bro was finna tell, he was looking nauseous
Now I'm sitting in a cell, nigga double crossed us
Crossed me off the list for scholarship because I lost it
No more football, my red-shirt senior season, exhausted, so I'm off it
And I'm right back in Atlanta with a half a gram of weed
And a gold Pontiac

That my granny had bought for me
I was sleeping in the back, my dad kicked me in the streets
When he saw my neck tatted, then I told him I was rapping

Fuck school, no going back, he said
If I can not follow his rules, just go and pack
Told you he be acting lame some times

This my son, he came from these nuts
This negro come back from school
All tatted up like the Sistine Chapel
Talking 'bout he ain't playing football no more
Because he know he ain't going pro (Hey, it's a standard that you left the house)
But he left on a full scholarship to go to school and get a degree
Because we taught education was the number one thing
Anyway
He came back, determined to do what he was determined to do
And I know because I know he, he is, who he is, we taught him
Hey, whatever you do, put your full self into it
So he did that, anyway
He's back home, I ain't with that
So I'm saying "Hey, you got to go to work"
And he saying "Hey, this is my job, what I'm about to do"
So I'm like "Hey man, some times you got to work
To do what you really wanna do"
We went through this whole brain wrestle
But anyway, he won
He decided that "Hey dad, I'm putting this thing, I'm doing this
This is my job" and he committed to it
And hey, the rest is history
I'm looking at him, I believe in him
I know what was in him
All him and his brothers and sisters
They all got the same mindset
Do your best, give a hundred percent or don't do it at all
So, I know whatever he put his all into, it was gon' be golden
Anyway
You might also like
Look
March 10th, 2017, The Never Story dropped
And I'm coming off of tour with ****
That was three years after opening up for Ab-Soul
But it's EARTHGANG's set, I only came to do a song
DoeBurger used to say "Ayy bro, this lil' nigga cold
Keep on doing what you doing, you gon' make it, you 'gon blow"
I ain't know that Ced had went ahead and played my shit for Cole

But I knew he knew the game, and he pulled up to his show
And then that's where we first met, but I ain't think of it no more
'Til Ced Brown said that I should open up for Omen on my own shit, if I wanted
Only four cities, maybe we get Rob Gibbs on the phoning, I got to hone in

In the game grown men uncomfortable in they own skin
But all I wanted was a chance
It feel like I'm in a mannequin challenge
Still stance, but I'm still standing

'Til my nigga lend a hand and I'm no longer stranded
Looking for strengths in the streets of East Atlanta
Momma said "Don't take advice, they gon' try and take advantage"
I was 'bout to sign with Coach K, I ain't take the advance

Cole say "Hold on, wait, bro, I got the plan
So come on, damn, lil nigga, come on, shit, let's roll, fuck"

Shsh, yo, that's crazy
That's crazy, yo JID, I remember
I remember you came to the crib
You remember this? After we had met
And I told you and EARTHGANG to pull up
To the crib in Carolina, it's the studio house
I wasn't on no shit, like "Yo, I'm tryna do some Dreamville shit with y'all", nah
It wasn't no talking no deal, I didn't even know if I wanted to sign niggas
I just knew I, y'all was dope, I fuck with you
Just pull up, let's see what the vibe is like, let's work
In my mind, if something happen, it happen
If not, then cool, niggas just got a chance to link and kick it
But while we was there, the thing that I noticed off rip
I said, "Oh, this nigga want it, this nigga really want it"
That look in your eye, nigga, I know that look
I know that look too well
But a lot of niggas want it
The thing I noticed about you my nigga, off rip
"This nigga don't just want it, he willing to do the work that it takes to get it"
And that's the difference, that's the separator

That's the difference between the niggas that never get what they want
And the niggas whose names ring out forever
Forever