The Stick-Up Tape From "Menace"

(albüm: In Celebration Of Us - 2018)

The star of the story we love so well, well enough to repeat, imitation's flattery and everything it precedes
Imitation happens to be everything we believe, and everything we see leave
But leaving doesn't come with us so never would we leave
So if there's ever a moment you do see leave
Then it was live or die, it fit you like a reply
And then all of the attention is with you until you blind
And then all that you was given was written for you to find
As true as the religion concealing your.45
.45's and gauges, Macs in fact, it switch places, act for act
It switch stages or switch pages it gets make shift and gets taken
It gets layman's then gets sacred
It's a complicated turn of a events with lights over it
And based on any further intent, you might notice it
Like, intent on being noticed for what you been on
And what you stood on being the motto that you live on
'Cause what you stood on came from the crate you would sit on
And you would look on and see how you was 'sposed to get on
And when you get on, you put on where the attention at
And know that looking on is to listen back, and getting back
Everything you did it for, bright as what you living for
Promise it would never turn dim at all

And all it took to come to life was a stage to live it
Shit can happen overnight if you're awake to get it
Like aiming before you draw and what it takes to hit it
Or Caine and O-Dog, the stick up tape from menace
Before you leave, make sure you leave with it

It's like knowing where the cameras in the walls are
And they were already talking for you before the talk starts
And your direction comes into question like it was On Star
It's either turn it on for the tape or turn into wall art
Or maybe you was there but you really wasn't
In the cut, but before it cut you can feel it coming
Quicker than you ever could've thought without interrupting
Bottle on the floor and now you wishing you didn't touch it
Empty the cash register out 'fore you get to running
Now there's a motive on top of that tape rolling
On top of that other motive that same tape ain't notice
It's all context, but get all that acclaim and you'll get to love it
It starts as a flash, it grows into fluorescence
It goes into an essence that poses when you press it, like the tape do
It dares you to mimic it like "son what your aim do?"
And however you fit in that light is how it takes you
Like, word to a shooter's touch, steady as ever like you shooting up
Brighter than ever, you ain't losing much
And validation is everything that you knew it was
You finger prints on a bottle but that ain't proving much
For the importance of needing importance
Until its loud enough where somebody's seeing you for it
And calling for everything you did it for, as dull as what you living for
Promised it would never turn dim at all

And all it took to come to life was a stage to live it
Shit can happen overnight if you're awake to get it
Like aiming before you draw and what it takes to hit it
Or Caine and O-Dog, the stick up tape from menace
Before you leave, make sure you leave with it

Leave with enough time for them to forget what they heard
But still enough time for you to spread that word
Word is that words don't be enough
But certain words be worth speaking up
Up over how we think they know us
Still up under where they hold us
Eye level with what they showed us but
Still up, all up with "they", but "they" who?
"They" me or "they" you?
'Cause "they" see what "they" do
And "they" mean what "they" drew
But "they" keeping "they" cool, and
They need you to be you, so go 'head, be you
But know that that tape's on
And you might not be able to take shorty to the back like
"Bitch that tape ain't yours, hand that over so me and my man can break north"
Still up, and still us, all for validation
Because they told us we wasn't valid
Told us we ain't matter so, now we matter right?
Matter to us, matter to you, matter to they
It matters what we say and what we portray
But what matters is what we became
All for "they", so for better and worse
Make sure they spread that around
Cause all it took to come to life was a stage to live it
Shit can happen overnight if you're awake to get it
Like aiming before you draw and what it takes to hit it
Or Caine and O-Dog, the stick up tape from menace
Before you leave, make sure you leave with it