Paid The Price

Lyrics

(Dark piano… distant thunder… heartbeat…) “They only celebrate the wins…” ”…they never count the scars.” (808 starts breathing…) “Pressure make diamonds…” ”…let’s see who survives.” (Silence.) “Run it.” [Beat Drops] ⸻ [Verse 1] Fresh out the mud, still got dirt on the sole, Nobody opened a door, had to build me a road. Cold nights, empty stomach, learned to live with the hunger, Now the weight on my shoulders only made a man stronger. Same block, same pain, different vision today, Saw too many lose they soul tryna shortcut the way. I was betting on myself when nobody would believe, Now they reaching for the branch from the tree that I seed. Every scar got a lesson, every loss left a mark, Had to learn how to shine when the room stayed dark. Ain’t no luck in the hustle, every dollar got earned, Every bridge that got burned was a page that I turned. Eyes low, heart cold, never folded on pressure, Had to move with a purpose, couldn’t settle for lesser. Now the circle stay tight, I don’t move with a crowd, ’Cause the quiet ones usually make the loudest amount. ⸻ [Pre-Hook] They wasn’t there when the lights went dim, When the rent came due and the odds looked slim. Now they see the climb, wanna say they knew, Funny how success make strangers feel familiar too. ⸻ [Hook] Straight out the trenches, I remember that rain, Every setback built me, every loss brought gain. I don’t move for attention, I move for the team, Turned a dream into a plan, then a plan to a dream. Pressure never broke me, it just changed my pace, Kept my head to the ground while I studied the race. If it came too easy, it was never my lane, Paid the price every day, now they know the name. ⸻ [Verse 2] Stayed ten toes when the road got rough, Had to learn real quick that “real” ain’t enough. Everybody got love when the pockets get bigger, Same people disappear when the nights get bitter. Never chased validation, only chased a result, Built another foundation every time that I lost. Too much weight on my back just to fold under pressure, So I carried every burden like it came with a blessing. Money come and it go, but respect stay forever, If you stand on your word, can’t nobody apply pressure. I done seen envy hide behind congratulations, That’s why I keep my circle smaller than a conversation. Still thankful every morning when I open my eyes, ‘Cause I remember every night that I questioned the sky. Now I’m speaking less often, let the work do the talking, Every move calculated, every step with a caution. ⸻ [Bridge] This for the ones that stayed solid… When nobody was watching… This for every late night… Every closed door… Every sacrifice… ⸻ [Verse 3] Still got the hunger even after the wins, ‘Cause the mission ain’t finished if the mission just begins. Can’t let comfort become what ambition destroys, I was built through the silence, not the loudest of noise. Kept receipts on the pain, never counted the pity, Had to build my own lane through the cracks of the city. Now the view look different from the top of the climb, But I still hear the echoes from the hardest of times. Never forgot where I came from, that’s part of the code, Can’t lose who you are chasing diamonds and gold. So I pray through the pressure and I move with intent, Knowing everything earned worth more than it’s spent. If tomorrow it vanish, I’ma build it again, ‘Cause the mindset the asset, not the house or the Benz. You can take every dollar, every chain, every ring, Can’t take the heart that survived everything. ⸻ [Final Hook] Straight out the trenches, I remember that rain, Every setback built me, every loss brought gain. Never switched on my people, never folded for fame, Paid the price every day just to change my name. Pressure made diamonds, now the light hit different, Every chapter got written with a purpose and vision. If you know where I’m coming from, then you know what I mean… The mud never leaves you… It just reminds you why you grind.