Flavor from the Struggle

Prologue

Eight two eight, born and raised with the lessons stacked

Shout to my big brothers who always had my back

Fulton Street summers, learned quick how to move

Engineered my hunger to the pulse of the groove

Stackin' every moment, from the stoop to the gate

Cipher coded wisdom, never serving no fake

Legacy’s the marrow, taught me how to compete

Steady climbin', steady rhymin', never faced defeat

Intro

Yeah

From the corners where the sun don't show

Never heard a beat that I can't eat

Let’s go

Verse 1

Words sharp as razors in the chill midtown night

Pressure cookin' daily life, under flashing red lights

Persistence in my sneakers, determination in my bones

Every subway scratchin' tickets, tryna turn 'em into gold

I break bread with wisdom, ancestors on my sleeve

Droppin' knowledge in the cypher till the shallow souls leave

Mic in my grip, but I treat it like a feast

Never heard a beat that I can't eat, that's least

Chorus

Never heard a beat that I can't eat

Turn struggle to flavor, spit lava on the street

Hungry for change, no silver spoon in reach

Never heard a beat that I can't eat

Verse 2

Stackin' syllables like crates at the bodega

Spray pain on the canvas, truth sharp as a razor

I bounce off adversity, pivot, then score

Mouth full of struggle but I’m always hungry for more

Reward in the rhythm, city drum in my chest

I savor every moment, taste the pain in my breath

A chef with the heat, make a meal from defeat

Never heard a beat that I can't eat

Chorus

Never heard a beat that I can't eat

Turn struggle to flavor, spit lava on the street

Hungry for change, no silver spoon in reach

Never heard a beat that I can't eat

Verse 3

Eight two eight, still hungry, never sated

Brotherhood roots, every lesson cultivated

From Buckshot to brownstones, steady walkin' with pride

Dreams heavy in my pocket but my vision’s wide

Sharpened by the struggle, learned to cook from scraps

Rhymes lace the silence, hands buried in the maps

Every bar’s a pulse, violins with the bounce

Legacy in the measure, let them critics count

Chorus

Never heard a beat that I can't eat

Turn struggle to flavor, spit lava on the street

Hungry for change, no silver spoon in reach

Never heard a beat that I can't eat

Outro

Big brothers paving lanes, Buckshot runnin' deep

Always movin' forward, never miss a beat

Violin sing my pain, baroque on the street

Never heard a beat that I can't eat