01.

Welcome
I’m blue; discouraged and downhearted

Cantering rhythms, you hear the sound of my soul pounding

Been through a bitter divorce with sobriety

The Scotch is taking out the nerves not the anxiety

The blunts no longer hit the same

I could smoke away a backyard of ganja and still anguish the same

One day at a time, Syn says

Speaking in restraint, we avoid the D word

Ever felt like happiness is a restricted function?

My mind is where the dark comes to hide from the darkness

Dear world, you’re so heartless

Starting to feel like every verse I line will prolly be my final passage

As I transition into morgue state, tears on my old face

Teardrops on the page I inscribe this cold verse

I’ve seen my own hearse, it’s a chariot of fire

Dragging me out of hell- a figment of my desire

No lifeboats on this sinking ship

I got a third-hand spirit, was born feeling sick

Worse still, thermodynamics would never convert my energy

Into anything else but lamentations and elegies

So every morning, I’m worshipping the porcelain god

Katzenjammers from last night, I’ve been sleeping in gourds

In search for motivation to live

Or end up like my cousin whom I never got to grieve

R.I.P

Heaven said, “Welcome”

02. Blood
Verse 1:

Uh

The ink will be my blood if I’ve to write from the heart

My veins and arteries bleed all for the sake of this art

Day and night spilling and the hemorrhage killing me

All for one or two listeners to opine that I’m killing it

The writer dies once the ink well runs dry

But do the readers empathize with pouring life into rhyme?

And will they donate some if I told them my blood type

Or they’ll say I’m disingenuous and I’m jacking a style?

You gotta open new wounds to compose new music

And thick skin is slightly too bad for your bruises

You need to really bleed, all the greats died anemic

You need to shed blood, sweat and tears for each lyric

You’re hemophiliac, that’s the only reason we’re feeling ya

Them sketchers use red paint but you take art serious

See, all these other rappers; they don’t know what’s called blood

You murder every verse ‘cause you write in cold blood

Hook:

Blood

It’s creeping on me, man, I feel like I’m a Blood

Blood

I already sold my soul, why’d I gotta sacrifice my blood?

I’m already running out but these youngings coming out for blood

I’m just trynna buy some time but I guess it’s too rich for my blood

Verse 2:

You’re so good with words ‘cause it’s something in your blood

And the fans go crazy every time they see your blood

You got blue blood, we can feel it in your pen

‘Cause you write like kings do, it’s all in the same vein

Your library is your capillaries, you let us read your heart

Your art is to draw blood and use blood to draw art

But this art doesn’t pay so it’s bleeding me dry

And the fans want new blood, I’m too old for this fight

I’ll never draw first blood, not quite in that sense

All I can do is make the page look like vascular mess

But still none of my music’s even in circulation

And that thought sometimes stops all my blood circulation

I got bad blood with the fans

I get high blood pressure, my blood boiling with rage

You don’t understand a blood clot is like a writer’s block

And I gotta make it dissolve every time I write you a note

Hook:

Blood

It’s creeping on me, man, I feel like I’m a Blood

Blood

I already sold my soul, why’d I gotta sacrifice my blood?

I’m already running out but these youngings coming out for blood

I’m just trynna buy some time but I guess it’s too rich for my blood

Verse 3:

So what exactly does it mean that I write with my blood?

It means family secrets; why I don’t talk to my blood

It means telling you my uncle died in a pool of blood

It means telling you the disease that I carry in my blood

Is the same that took my ex-girl, nephew and aunt

It means I’m living on borrowed time, I’m the next one to pass

It means telling you one Thursday, I’d a fight with a friend

He woke up dead the next Friday, I think I’ve blood on my hands

It means crying my heart out while breaking your heart

So at times I lie ‘cause I’ve your best interests at heart

It means I gotta be soft so you won’t take it too hard

‘Cause everything I write, you’re gonna take it to heart

It means telling you we’ll never have money in our blood

So I’ll take that blood money if you gave me the chance

It means telling you that blood is thicker than water

Even though I haven’t seen my own sister’s lil daughter

But we blood

Hook:

It’s creeping on me, man, I feel like I’m a Blood

Blood

I already sold my soul, why’d I gotta sacrifice my blood?

I’m already running out but these youngings coming out for blood

I’m just trynna buy some time but I guess it’s too rich for my blood

03. Limelight
Verse 1:

For twelve years, I hid my light under a bushel

Used to have rap sessions on my bed with a cushion

Took a leaf out of my Dad’s book and wrote my own ticket

Played truant, hated school and couldn’t wait for the weekend

I stuffed my face and studied the greats

Repeat cycle; til I hit my stride with each verse

I got a feel of it, then made a meal of it

And hoped against hope I’d make a mil off it

It’s too bad that none of them could see the forest for the trees

Learnt more from these rhymes than from college degrees

The economy kept telling me the cake is a lie

That I’mma chase and never catch till the day that I die
But I said the dogs bark but the caravan goes on

Saw hip-hop die but I chose to hold on

‘Cause the greats showed me belief’s the name of the game

So I won’t stop until I make a name in this game

Hook:

And hit the limelight

And hit the limelight

And hit the limelight, baby

Hit the limelight, baby

And hit the limelight

And hit the limelight

And hit the limelight, baby

Hit the limelight, baby

Verse 2:

Uh

Nothing is impossible; the sky is the limit

Rap taught me to be fly and defy all the physics

I made two or three classics in the space of a minute

But I only knew the rhymes; I wasn’t good with the business

It turns out that I’m a failure but the most prolific

And seeing Jungle get his flowers made me optimistic

Since the Bible says I’m the spitting image of God

They‘ll recite all my verses like Biblical quotes

Looking back, who ever knew I’d win out in the end?

Have the best emcees call me the best in the land

Used to eat my heart out after every rejection

But I thank Chitown for believing the message

Finally found my feet and I stepped on the scene

The greatest thing to Zim Hip-Hop since Vitamin Pinn

Now here we are; a couple classics under my belt

They used to give me cold shoulders, now their scapulas melt

Hook:

I hit the limelight

I hit the limelight

Hit the limelight, baby

Hit the limelight, baby

I hit the limelight

I hit the limelight

Hit the limelight, baby

Hit the limelight, baby

Verse 3:

My life a movie directed by Stanley Kubrick, I’m never missing a wide shot

Even with my eyes wide shut

I’m still going for the gold with every drop in my barrel

Fate promised me a light at the end of the tunnel

‘Cause I was ridden hard and put away wet

But I had date with destiny, lost none of my faith

I made a classic, but I didn’t rest on my laurels

Killed beats even though it went against all their morals

Still blowing them away every time I rock the house

As long as I’m alive, Rap is gonna have a pulse

Got a mountain to climb, they say it’s outta my depth

But I’m the only reason Rap’s still got a breath

For all the world, I’d never trade this for anything

I’m giving full measure every time that I get a beat

Though I may never sink my teeth into the mainstream

Twelve years ago, all of this was a daydream

It’s the limelight

04. Asphalt
Verse 1:

Since adolescence, my dreams took a backseat to reality

I took a dim view of the light that was inside of me

My uncle took a stab at the streets and got stabbed in the streets

Screw a knife, he’d take a bullet a for me

For as long as I’d take a bead on academic degrees

Taught me the difference between taking a chance and taking a risk

Before he took a hike to heaven, he told me ‘bout luck

Preparation is overrated, take a shot in the dark

And keep chasing your dreams, take a run at all of them

Try to take a wicket every time you ball on them

Everything’s gon take a turn for the better, take a seat

Or rather take a stand for everything you believe

Threw me in at the deep end ‘fore I learned to take dip

I took a spin to Nirvana the first time I took his weed

And since then, I’ve been chasing the high from that first hit

The closest I’ve come is a rap beat; Rest In Peace

Hook:

I’mma take a ride somewheres I ain’t always at fault

Pedal to the metal, burning rubber and asphalt

Head to the horizon, we gon crash on the skyline

And fly into a world we ain’t sidelined

I’mma take a ride somewheres I ain’t always at fault

Pedal to the metal, burning rubber and asphalt

Head to the horizon, we gon crash on the skyline

And fly into a world we ain’t sidelined

Verse 2:

I’m fighting tooth and nail against the odds I was dealt

Seeking closure from an ex who brushed aside how I felt

She said I’m too delicate for a man, my heart tender

Crashed in self-hate and shock without a fender

Rose-colored glasses; couldn’t see them red flags

But we’re all colorblind when there’s love in the air

Surprise surprise; don’t mean to tell tales out of school

But what’s the booth for if not to spill my heart and my truth?

I get a rise outta these rhymes and the feelings they enkindle

So I piece ‘em all together and present them as a riddle

For your eardrums, hoping you tag along on this trip

And walk a mile in my shoes, endure the hurt that I keep

Wishing my songs could hit paydirt and catch a big break

I’d move heaven and earth to get some mint from these raps

So when I buy the farm, I’ll leave something for the fam

Let them know it weren’t for nothing what I did for this game

Hook:

I’mma take a ride somewheres I ain’t always at fault

Pedal to the metal, burning rubber and asphalt

Head to the horizon, we gon crash on the skyline

And fly into a world we ain’t sidelined

I’mma take a ride somewheres I ain’t always at fault

Pedal to the metal, burning rubber and asphalt

Head to the horizon, we gon crash on the skyline

And fly into a world we ain’t sidelined

Verse 3:

Were all the secrets of life penned in layman’s terms

I would never miss the mark and learn to master my aim

And shoot for the stars, fly in the teeth of opposition

Stand watch and protect my mother from all infliction

I would do my homework, try to make it all work

Instead of working my tail off for close to no pay

I made a hash of my life, I need an undo option

Not all’s skittles and beer, I got a box of bad chocolate

I got a losing ticket, I’m on a losing wicket

I live on a shoestring, footslogging through the thick and

Thin, with the help of hard drugs and hard drinks

Disregard my liver, it’s the brain that’s hard hit

Just trynna find some willpower but on a dead axle

The world ain’t my home but I try to play landlord

Read between the lines then maybe you’ll read my mind

And compass my whole life is a lie

Hook:

I’mma take a ride somewheres I ain’t always at fault

Pedal to the metal, burning rubber and asphalt

Head to the horizon, we gon crash on the skyline

And fly into a world we ain’t sidelined

I’mma take a ride somewheres I ain’t always at fault

Pedal to the metal, burning rubber and asphalt

Head to the horizon, we gon crash on the skyline

And fly into a world we ain’t sidelined

05. Work
Verse 1:

The world is cold as a witch tit; we trynna survive in these mean streets

Cheap-jacks by trade; dreams shattered by bigwigs

We cut and run every time the corps show up

On blind corners, we trynna help our sons grow up

Without resorting to the ski mask but baccalaureates

So they’d be objects of a government we’d rather object

And tweet #ZimLivesMatter, #RegisterToVote

And the tweets get more likes than the party gets votes

We plug away, trusting we’ll take care of our mothers

But the payslips don’t come with divisible numbers

The math ain’t adding up; we need side hustles

To fit the missing piece to the puzzle (Toda mabasa!)

We are and our parents were street vendors

We sweat it out ‘cause we want our kids to live better

And flip through the classifieds, CVs laid by the side

All them elder statesmen ain’t gon ever resign

Hook:

We putting in work

We making it work

People need work

One day, it’s gotta work

We putting in work

We making it work

People need work

One day, it’s gotta work

We putting in work

We making it work

People need work

One day, it’s gotta work

We putting in work

We making it work

People need work

One day, it’s gotta work

Verse 2:

So we call out to the powerbrokers; man, your power broke us

We just wanna catch a break but keep getting broker

It’s been a decade since Power Cut, the generator started

We been having power cuts since our generation started

We got goals but we can’t find the net

Though you can find us on the net looking for jobs with a net

But it’s hard with no connection (Toda mabasa!)

And that’s a reference to both nepotism and broadband

A billion years ago, we all came from antimatter

To work or die broke, the galactic ultimatum

Pinned down and tapered to the colors of our collars

As we knuckle down our hands for the colors of our owners

Who recite we all got a fair crack of the whip

But we fumbled opportunities and let them all slip

So we settle as the elbow grease of corporate machines

That’s the lucky of us, most of us charity bins

Hook:

We putting in work

We making it work

People need work

One day, it’s gotta work

We putting in work

We making it work

People need work

One day, it’s gotta work

We putting in work

We making it work

People need work

One day, it’s gotta work

We putting in work

We making it work

People need work

One day, it’s gotta work

Outro:

Toda mabasa!

06. Semester Hours

Verse 1:

I put in my semester hours, I’m still learning about life

Like a lamb to the slaughter, I’ve been playing with knives

Naive mentality, unmindful of my own mortality

I’m here by good fortune and a bit of whimsicality

As luck would have it, I’m 26 and still standing

Few and far between are the records of those who made it

From Chitown, chances are that God took ‘em

On the spur of the moment while I was not looking

Only time will tell, if I’ll ever get the hang of life

I say I got the drift but frankly, that’s a lie

Dad got the boot so Mama the breadwinner

My little brother came and that just made the bread thinner

But we still getting by, sometimes I help a little when I can

Life got me by the balls, that only proves that I’m a man

Chasing rainbows, God knows I’m colorblind

But beauty just speaks for itself in my eyes

Hook:

It is what it is y’all
You can’t worry about the things you can’t control

Sharks will never know camels exist

Until you fuck around, you’ll never know that karma’s a bitch

It is what it is y’all

You can’t worry about the things you can’t control

Sharks will never know camels exist

Until you fuck around, you’ll never know that karma’s a bitch

Verse 2:

I had to learn the hard way, Dad said my way or the highway

Raised on Bible-worship, I’m the upshot of blind faith

Walked through the valley of death; no life belt

My mama said to err is human, I done failed

Stuck between a work in progress and work of art

My father put some hair on my chest, I’m working hard

To put food on the table, he put me on a pedestal

Told me everything I’mma do is gon be a spectacle

I’m trynna live the dream but my life’s been a nightmare

I gotta keep straight but it keeps going sideways

Life rode roughshod over me

I never got no kind of commas from this commerce degree

So at times, I find comfort in the margins of these pages

The critics say the flow’s a bit rough around the edges

But I’ve come a long way from audio cassettes

To have people come a long way in support of my set

Hook:

It is what it is y’all

You can’t worry about the things you can’t control

Sharks will never know camels exist

Until you fuck around, you’ll never know that karma’s a bitch

It is what it is y’all

You can’t worry about the things you can’t control

Sharks will never know camels exist

Until you fuck around, you’ll never know that karma’s a bitch

Verse 3:

I’m fighting both depressions- economic and mental

And all I have for therapy is ink and instrumentals

On the piss, trynna stay pie-eyed for good

Aiming sky-high, sling my hook outta the hood

Sick of raking over old coals, need to pedal forward

And stay outta the hole until the day my casket lowered

I’ve been hanging by a thread for a month of Sundays

Mom says we gon get out of this rut someday

Still searching for a new lease of life

God knows I been aching, man, I’m getting sick of life

Need to resaddle my horse and ride outta here

I’m trynna resettle, God took the light outta here

Evolution says to crawl until I learn the ropes

But ain’t no learning curve when at the end of your rope

You get up, and walk over the bed of embers

I’mma cool my heels off at the end of the semester

Hook:

It is what it is y’all

You can’t worry about the things you can’t control

Sharks will never know camels exist

Until you fuck around, you’ll never know that karma’s a bitch

It is what it is y’all

You can’t worry about the things you can’t control

Sharks will never know camels exist

Until you fuck around, you’ll never know that karma’s a bitch

07. Happy Dance

Intro:

Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah

Block 213

All my homies from the block- past and present

Dead or alive

This one’s for y’all

Mic check, one two

Yeah
Verse 1:

This for all my friends in a higher place; left me in a cleft sick

I miss seeing your names next to mines on the rap sheet

We’d fight all the bad cess the universe shelled out

Took no one’s word, or whatever they spelled out

Bad eggs on the block, at least that’s what they called us

Till the day we hatched but our memories grew older than us

Courtesy of deathbeds and sick jokes from the Reaper

Guardian angels on the block, you remain a brother’s keeper

I bottle up the grief and hope to keep my cheeks dry

I ain’t made you proud, homies, but I swear I did try

Do I miss the chin wagging? You left the streets aching

I hope we’ll meet again, I speak for every street urchin

Poster children of the grind, we used to do the donkeywork

Barely made a dime, that didn’t kill our confidence

Then came the accident, still hard to navigate

The alleyway, triggered every time I see an ambulance

Hook:

So I bounce to the rhythm, and dance to the bass

Get up, get down and move with finesse

Let the beat take control, dance with the soul

Let it all out for the brothers long gone

Bounce to the rhythm, and dance to the bass

Get up, get down and move with finesse

Let the beat take control, dance with the soul

Let it all out for y’all

Verse 2:

The road is kinda hard, I’m still trynna crack through

Got a couple albums out, still ain’t seen a breakthrough

Still it’s some progress I wish you could see now

Man, would you believe that I’m working with Syn now?

You shoulda seen how, you always wanted that for me

It’s bittersweet I got it but you were no longer there for it

I switched back to Malcom, I’m no longer Tha M.I.N.D

Not a biggie, just a past that I wanted to leave behind

Tanya’s shot got no better, he’s still launching bricks

We’ve come to accept that, can’t kick against the pricks

But ball on the street, windows still getting shattered

‘Cause Tino still shoots like there’s another world above us

Nate got out of jail, Nigel got him a girl

Noel moved to Egypt, I guess it’s better than Hell

Remember his obsession with Salah? Yeah? What a happy chance

I hope we’ll all meet again and get to do the happy dance

Hook:

So I bounce to the rhythm, and dance to the bass

Get up, get down and move with finesse

Let the beat take control, dance with the soul

Let it all out for the brothers long gone

Bounce to the rhythm, and dance to the bass

Get up, get down and move with finesse

Let the beat take control, dance with the soul

Let it all out for y’all

08. Day Blind

Intro:

Tales from the block

Verse 1:

Back to the drawing board, reenvision my goals

Dreams of La la land, I need to know the odds

Tired of shooting hoops day in and day out

My brothers pumping iron trynna weigh in their way out

Threw the book at him, they caught him carrying weed

A brother trynna make it clean in these dirty streets

Tossed him in the slammer wearing tightie-whities

But we gon roll the red carpet when he walking out it

'Cause my hero was the lowlife whose baby ma was pro-life

Tried to raise the kid but they got him for his whole life

And now the boy is premed, welched on the student loan

Writing to his father, "Motherfucker, I wish you were gone"

But Mike was a good sport, only smoked the good pot
Taught us how to hoop, we all knew him as a good shot

The fuzz made it seem like he was gonna mug a body

Cuffed him and they judged him, locked a nigga till he's 40

Now the mother's gon kooky selling nooky on the street

To the movers wearing Gucci while they cooking on the street

Future doctor's now a rookie selling cookies on the street

How could we not stink when there's bullshit on the street?

Bridge:

We day blind

We day blind

We day blind

Hook:

Hope we’re gonna find our way

Lost out here but gon find our home somewhere

Hope we’re gon be fine one day

If we don’t find home, we gon build our own someday

Hope we’re gonna find our way

Lost out here but gon find our home somewhere

Hope we’re gon be fine one day

If we don’t find home, we gon build our own someday

Verse 2:

She seen a lotta goolies but she's only fifteen

Making out with niggas that be bigger than her dreams

Riding shotgun in the pimp's pimped sedan

Looking like a piece of meat dangling in the den

A real space cadet, she's unaware of everything

Oblivious to the consequence of her sexual energy

Innocence has no medicine and she done lost it all

Trynna shine in a world that will eat her for her glow

She's trynna pitch in to the circle of life

But she's only fifteen already working the night

Pretty little Jane Doe riding the cars and their drivers

Naked in the street like she's Lady Godiva

Mixing with the high rollers, half-brother works the corners

The mother no longer cares about her son and her daughter

'Cause her father didn't love her and his father went to jail

For possession- first time, and he never made bail

Now the daughter's gon kooky selling nooky on the street

To the movers wearing Gucci while they cooking on the street

How could she not lose it? What they doing on the street?

What the hell you gon do when you got two kids on the street?

Bridge:

We day blind

We day blind

We day blind
Hook:

Hope we’re gonna find our way

Lost out here but gon find our home somewhere

Hope we’re gon be fine one day

If we don’t find home, we gon build our own someday

Hope we’re gonna find our way

Lost out here but gon find our home somewhere

Hope we’re gon be fine one day

If we don’t find home, we gon build our own someday

Verse 3:

They caught my cousin in the knocking shop

Moody gear scattered in his whip in the parking lot

Took him to the nick and he ain't seen outta the wall since

Hard to make a rose bloom when the orchard is concrete

That’s why most of my brothers brown bread now

And they all screamed, "Fuck the police" on their way down

We still living off the hook and scarper from the old billy

Get our uncles plastered off the gin that we dealing

Streets is cold, put them Eton Jackets on

Bumfreezers for the bumsuckers trynna warm

See me flog a dead horse, trynna make my mama proud

Part of the blessed few to grow up with the Pops around

But while I was hooping on the streets

NBA dreams, playing rookies on the streets

And writing down rhymes, Ty cooking all his beats

Shit was going down, we wasn’t looking on the streets

We day blind

09. Warmth
Intro:

Tales from the block

Verse 1:

He lay on his deathbed, hope slipping through his eyes

At a loss for words but feeling everything inside

His lungs collapsing, heart breaking, life escaping

Flashbacks eating up his mind, soul shaking

Wasn’t friends from the bawdyhouse standing by his side

Wasn’t any peers that he drank down with every night

All them lost weekends ain’t amounted to nothing

But a nurse clinician helping his every function

Could barely move, regret only moved him to tears

Would his son ever forgive him? That was one of his fears

Forget God, he’d loose ends to tie up on Earth

How he missed his son’s life, graduation and birth

For a cigarette pack; so much for being a stereotype

Jumped bones and jumped ship and moved on with his life

Until death came knocking and apprised him of both

His baby mama and his son and how he needed their warmth

Hook:

Kwatonhora, chando chapinda

Ndidziisewo kani, ndidziisewo kani

Mhai

Kwatonhora, chando chapinda

Ndidziisewo kani, ndidziisewo kani

Mhai

Verse 2:

He lay on his couch about to pass from the OD

Nothing by his side except teaspoons and cold tea

Life flashing before his eyes

The high cost him a lot; ultimately, his life

His heart rhythm accelerating, and his spirit fading

Addiction is the Devil and sometimes he misses heaven

That’s something rehab seemed to forget

He ran for the hills, phonebook, and dialed his connect

Said, “Take me to heaven” and bought as much as he could

He said, “This my last time; I’mma be clean, I’ll be good”

Both came to pass; he went to heaven for good

But before his last breath, his mind elected to brood

Over his life choices and what he’d made of himself

How a prescription was the only thing to write on his grave

Though all he’d ever wanted was some healing and growth

We gave him a cold shoulder when all he needed was warmth

Hook:

Kwatonhora, chando chapinda

Ndidziisewo kani, ndidziisewo kani

Mhai

Kwatonhora, chando chapinda

Ndidziisewo kani, ndidziisewo kani

Mhai

Verse 3:

I lay in your arms, my head resting on your bosom

Talked a blue streak about making it from the bottom

And laughed out of court the idea our love would fail

Thought all it took was roses and kisses and we’d prevail

Woe betide you! Hoping your new man is a phony

Pining for karma to cross your path for all the double-crossing

As I cry my eyes out, tears filling up my wineglass

Drink away your memory, wiping out all of the times past

Rest in peace to all them plans we had made

Best laid plans won’t stand a chance against fate

Heart snapped in half in the snap of your finger

Carried a torch for us, you only made the light dimmer

I broke open my closet, I broke cover for you

Let go my emotions, I poured love out for you

Till death do us part, thought you believed in the oath

How could you be cold-hearted? I just needed your warmth

Hook:

Kwatonhora, chando chapinda

Ndidziisewo kani, ndidziisewo kani

Mhai

Kwatonhora, chando chapinda

Ndidziisewo kani, ndidziisewo kani

Mhai

Poem:

The last time my heart broke, I hatched a new plan to build a new latch for the door

So that the stampeding demons of the past

would not scatter the shards that keep getting sharper and smaller with each entry.

I used to be able to cup the wreckage in one palm.

Back then one knew that tape or gum would suffice, so we kept change for lost off-chances,
over-the-counter jinx fixes for the chipped teeth of a heart that bit more chunk than it could
chew.

Over the years, as reruns with no prenups took more blood from each bleed,

What little mess one could mop up with the edge of a t-shirt soon became hurts too brittle for
spittle to bring its lips back into harmony,

Like envelopes that now know sticking to hope is itself vanity.

Now we use high-powered tools for this fool’s land.

Where hearts mend through shock therapy

of refusing love’s invitation altogether.

The last time my heart broke, by Zomkhonto Gabadela

10. Alive
Verse 1:

I gave it my best shot; but too little, too late

Weight of the world on my shoulders, possibly you could relate

So many dreams came true; so many nightmares too

I seen with my own eyes just what nights may do

Then saw the light, but the horror stayed in my mind

I got homies I balled with just the night ‘fore they died

Survivor guilt; feels like the survivor killed

My mama said no use crying over milk that’s spilled

She 55, I ain’t lived even half of her life

But at fifteen, I already thought I wouldn’t survive

Up to 25, man, I’m 26 years now

With any luck, I’ll prolly live to see my big man proud

Of my accomplishments; prolly buy some wheels for the man

I ain’t saying it’ll happen, it’s just the will of man

In case I win by a nose and life hands me the victory

It’s either that or I’m taking myself out of my misery

I worked my socks off just to not off myself

So many pesticides I keep at the top of my shelf

So many nights I spent going through hell with my demons

On the edge of a precipice with nothing to cling on

It’s time to clean up my act and take a positive stand

Do everything my other me told me I can’t

‘Cause I been losing the plot and losing sight

Losing touch, losing track, and losing my mind

My dreams died on the vine and came back as regrets

The green skipped a generation; I’m the one in the red

Hot and bothered, like my mom was in a way

Taking care of two sons who weren’t grateful for a day

She waited with bated breath for the day that I’d grow

Less embarrassed that she didn’t capture infinite dough

For them PlayStations, mansions, Lambos and stuff

My worst rue is that I never thanked her enough

Hook:

Life taught me that we aren’t alive to be happy

So we just lie we’re all happy to be alive

I just wanna feel alive even when I ain’t happy

But I think I’d feel happy if I wasn’t alive

Life taught me that we aren’t alive to be happy

So we just lie we’re all happy to be alive

I just wanna feel alive even when I ain’t happy

But I think I’d feel happy if I wasn’t alive

Verse 2:

I’m just flying by the seat of my pants

We never got time to figure out where we land

I used to write down my dreams and fold ‘em into paper planes

Hoping that tomorrow is gon be better than yesterday

My mama used to dry my eyes

Then I’d hear her sob softly through the rest of the night

She’d to keep a cool head so we couldn’t see her break

But all she ever wanted was a bit to take a break

Mad that we weren’t rich enough; used to hate Mama

Dustups with Dad, I used to hate their drama

Said I’mma make kale and get a place in the sun

And move outta here and leave ‘em with their other son

I’m trynna wipe the slate clean now

Mama, forgive me for every sin now

I used to earn my keep and spend it all on ‘em flirts

And you never got hold of as much as a cent

That’s why I’m overcompensating now

In all honesty, I think you prolly hate me now

That’s why my first year of grind, I gave you every grand that I made

And said, let’s build that house you always wanted to have

Although we don’t have enough, we’re gonna be fine

I know we’re gon be happy somewhere along the line

And I’mma stay here till we build an empire

For this is my home; kumusha; ekhaya

Hook:

Life taught me we aren’t alive to be happy

So we just lie we’re all happy to be alive

I just wanna feel alive even when I ain’t happy

But I think I’d feel happy if I wasn’t alive

Life taught me that we aren’t alive to be happy

So we just lie we’re all happy to be alive

I just wanna feel alive even when I ain’t happy

But I think I’d feel happy if I wasn’t alive

Synopsis

"Ekhaya" is the deeply personal fourth album by hip-hop collective Malcom Mufunde & YaadUniverse.
Produced by YaadUniverse's in-house talents, Tyhill and The Maker, the album explores the overarching
theme of "home," as reflected in its Ndebele title.

In “Ekhaya”, Malcom Mufunde lays bare his vulnerabilities, addressing his flaws and personal trials with
remarkable honesty. The album serves as a transparent reflection of the rapper’s journey, revealing the
reasons behind his hiatus after their previous album, "Existence."

Through soul-stirring lyricism and thought-provoking storytelling, Malcom delves into the complex
dynamics of finding a sense of belonging and how it relates to his personal experiences. "Ekhaya" lyrically
encapsulates the profound longing, introspection, and self-discovery that come with the concepts of family
and friendship.

With its raw emotions and heartfelt narratives, the album invites listeners to embark on a profound and
intimate journey and serves as a testament to the transformative power of self-reflection, growth, and the
pursuit to find solace and identity.