Cut the cycle

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CUT THE CYCLE — BORN READY [Intro – Male Spoken Voice] Dear istrouma, They taught us how to survive. But who taught us how to heal? Sometimes the biggest prison ain't got walls up in field It's the mind. Born Ready. [Verse 1 – Aggressive Southern Rap] I'm from Istrouma where the struggle get passed down like names, Where little boys learn survival before they understand pain. They taught us never fold, never cry, never bend, But never taught us how to heal or how to trust another man. Seen pride destroy families, seen egos ruin homes, Seen a man surrounded by his people still feel alone. Everybody preaching loyalty, but loyalty to what? If I'm following you to destruction, is that loyalty or love? I watched that prison mentality walk right through the door, A man can leave a cell and still be locked up some more. The rules that kept you living ain't the rules that heal your soul, And the things we learned as children ain't the things we gotta hold. [Chorus – Deep Male Reflective Rap] I had to cut the cycle, couldn't keep living that way, Had to question what they taught me, had to face my own mistakes. I still love where I come from, I just see it differently, Some of what they called real is what I called ignorant I ain't running from the boot, I ain't turning on my past, I'm just trying to build a future that ain't haunted by the last. Had to cut the cycle, had to let that thinking go, You can love the place that raised you without letting it control your soul. [Verse 2 – Hard Southern Flow] Why we teach a boy retaliation before emotional control? Why we tell him fear is weakness when it's something we all know? Why a man can face a weapon, never question his own pride, But can't sit across from someone and admit he wasn't right? I started studying behavior, trying to understand the mind, How a childhood full of chaos can affect you down the line. How the people who conditioned you might be conditioned too, Passing down another generation everything they went through. I ain't better than my people, I just chose another road, Still got love for every person carrying burdens on soul. If being real means staying broken just to prove I never changed, I'd rather be misunderstood than keep repeating all that pain. [Chorus – Low Male Voice] I had to cut the cycle, couldn't keep living that way, Had to question what they taught me, had to face my own mistakes. I still love where I come from, I just see it differently, Some of what they called survival was in a prison system. [Verse 3 – Personal Reflection] I ain't perfect, I got triggers, I got things I'm working through, Sometimes I catch myself responding like the younger me would do. But I stop and ask the question, is this anger or a wound? Am I reacting to this moment or the things I lived through? I got a daughter watching closely, every move and every choice, And I know the way I live can speak much louder than my voice. I want her asking questions, thinking freely for herself, Knowing she can love somebody without sacrificing self. First Love Yourself, that's the foundation that I chose, You can honor where you started without staying their froze. I ain't here to save the world, I'm just doing what I can, Trying to break the things I inherited and become a better man. [Bridge – Spoken, Drums Fade] You know what's crazy? Sometimes the people who love you Teach you the very things you spend your life trying to unlearn. They call it respect. They call it loyalty. They call it being a man. But sometimes... It's just pain and fear they don't understand [Final Chorus – Deep Male, Quiet] I had to cut the cycle. Had to face what I became. Had to question all the lessons. Had to separate love from pain. I still love where I come from. But I see it differently. I ain't cutting off my people. I'm setting my own mind free. [Outro – Spoken Prayer, No Drums] God... Forgive us for the things we've done out of ignorance. For the pain we've passed down without understanding it. Forgive the children who have been misguided. The boys taught to fight before they learned to communicate. The girls taught to accept pain as proof of love. The children who confused fear with respect, Violence with strength, And survival with living. Forgive the adults who passed down pain they never healed. Give them the wisdom to recognize their mistakes, And the courage to take accountability. God, don't let the mistakes of their parents become the limits of their future. And forgive me for the things I didn't understand when I was younger. Help me become the example I needed as a child. Not a perfect man. Just a conscious one. One willing to learn. One willing to grow. One willing to break the cycle. Amen. [Final Spoken Words] Istrouma raised me. Life challenged me. Knowledge changed me. Love is guiding me. But I was already Born Ready. Yall heard