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By Daniel Ortiz
Nothing stays the same
One day to another everyone will start to change
Friends and family will start to fade
No one remains straight, like a bullet’s range
I’ve got hate from brothers from my own gang
It hurts because it’s my family who say I be acting strange
That I’m a bitch for leave the game.
It’s not that. It’s cause I wanna live and act my
Damn age
I’m writing a book and I got to start a new chapter and flip the page
I know I might never rap on stage
But it’s talent that I earned and locked in a cage
I might never be rich, but money ima have to obtain
As for the gang I have it in my heart and it will forever remain
The love I got for 8lest is strong, I can’t even explain
‘Cause the same gang runs through our veins
Even though he tells me I’m a piece of shit and a disgrace
But I’ve learned to use my brain
And stop using drugs as a form to entertain
So I sit back and see the world as a shitty place
Through my eyes I can see nothing but grey
But my melody I have to regain
‘Cause the drugs have left permanent damage on my teeth, leaving stains
And when I brush my teeth I see my blood go through the drain
In my short 16 years of life I learned evolution is true
At one point you don’t know who’s who
And especially who are you
It happened to me. I’ve changed my views
Contemplating all the shit I’ve got myself into
And the struggle I went through
And how my life has expired tags that I need to renew
Sometimes I sit back and go back in time to review
How shitty I grew dressed in all navy blue
Till today my dreams I don’t think I can pursue
I need God or someone to give me a clue
Of what the fuck I’m supposed to do
‘Cause my old friends are covered in tattoos
Their eyes bloody red as if drenched in shampoo
Inhaling NOS out of a colored balloon
I see my life like an unfinished work of art
I say this coming from my heart
Many make fun and say, “you’re fixing your life, do you even know where to start?”
Most say that I’m retarded, I’ve never been called smart
That’s why I’m going to school so I can change
‘Cause in life there’s always a restart
Most don’t know what I want
I don’t need girls, cars or drugs
I want education, don’t matter the cost
It’s been months that I’m called soft or a 187 mark
I’m told if I make it ima forget about the hood
I will never forget my past—it built my character
So I’m out here taking 9 classes, catching up on every semester
Everything I learn I save like a can collector
I only roll with the real, the fake got me peeping like a smoke detector
I want you to feel my feelings because my words are a projector
Reason I talk at POPS is respect to Danziger, my mentor
I lived the thug life and already paid the price
I lost a couple brothers to a bag of ice
Not once but more than twice
It’s a huge number so I can’t say precise
And it’s true, just ask the government hearing me through my device
I’m lucky to be alive in the sunlight
It’s all because of God and Jesus Christ
I’m going through life as a blue shining knight
‘Cause in the streets you go in raw, bullets cook you up and your blood turns into lard
Me and society are playing poker but I hold my last card
‘Cause I’ve lost all my chips to society, but I feel like I’ve been robbed
At this moment in my life I’m going thru evolution
The stress be killing me so I write as a form of solution
I’m turning my direction ‘cause heaven is where I wanna go
It’s the only institution
I’m fighting to survive in the bullet debris pollution
‘Cause all my life has been a false illusion
But I’m almost done, I can see the conclusion
I’m end my life in battle in the black and brown against the white supremacist revolution.
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