Excel - JohnnieB

Lyrics

( Johnnie B On The Beat ) Where was y’all when I was down and nobody would help? Everybody had jokes when I was fighting myself. They heard one side of the story, then they ran with the tale, Now they swear they know the truth from some shit that they felt. They love to talk about pain like they know what it tells, But they don’t know what it’s like when your own mind’s a cell. Locked in with regret, fake friends, and old hell, Still I found me a pen and a reason to Excel. I fell so many times that I learned how to rise, Learned fake love got a smell when it’s covered in lies. Learned some people only care when your pain gets televised, Then they act like they was there when you finally survive. I ain’t coming back for revenge, I’m coming back with a name, Coming back with the truth, coming back with the flame. JohnnieB don’t need pity, I done carried the shame, Turned every locked door into a reason to change. They tried to kick me when I fell, but that shit didn’t last, I took every bad moment and I built from the crash. They thought my past would bury me, but I buried the past, Now I’m moving so far they can’t reach where I’m at. I got stories from hell, but they don’t own me, You say I’m not about shit, but that don’t control me. I caught every accusation and still stood boldly, Who would’ve thought all that hate would help grow me? Hook I came from the bottom, now I’m built to Excel, Took every damn loss and made it ring like a bell. They tried to count me out, but I counted myself, Turned pain into power, now I’m raising the shelf. I came from the pressure, now I’m built to prevail, Walked through the fire, came out harder as hell. They thought I would break, they thought I would fail, But every scar on my name just taught me to Excel. Verse 2 And it’s still on sight with the truth when I see it, bitch, I don’t need to crash out just to prove I remember shit. I don’t need to swing first when the pen can hit, I can let karma talk while the song gets lit. I remember who was fake when the money got low, Remember who switched when I had nowhere to go. Remember who laughed when I needed growth, Now I turn that same pain into fuel for the road. I regret what I did when I hurt the innocent, Still hope forgiveness finds its way into this shit. But the ones who played games and acted slick, I hope they see me rise and feel sick from it. I put work in the craft, I put time in the pain, I put nights in the notebook when I felt insane. Now this rap shit ain’t something I can quit or fake, I’m too deep in the purpose to walk away. Call me influenced, call me spin-off, call me whatever you need, I still turned a southern suburban kid into a different breed. Not a gangster, not a saint, just a man with a dream, Who learned how to turn pressure into gasoline. Y’all weren’t there when the walls felt close, Weren’t there when the doubt got loud in my throat. Weren’t there when the only damn thing I had was hope, Now you wanna act shocked when the confidence shows. They ignored me, then used me like I wasn’t a person, Took my lowest damn moments and tried to rehearse ’em. But JohnnieB found purpose inside every burden, Now the same old pain got the whole room turning. Hook I came from the bottom, now I’m built to Excel, Took every damn loss and made it ring like a bell. They tried to count me out, but I counted myself, Turned pain into power, now I’m raising the shelf. I came from the pressure, now I’m built to prevail, Walked through the fire, came out harder as hell. They thought I would break, they thought I would fail, But every scar on my name just taught me to Excel. Verse 3 I ain’t bragging like I never had dirt on my hands, I’m just saying I survived what they don’t understand. I’m just saying every loss had a lesson attached, And every scar on my name gave the pen more impact. I been counted out, laughed at, doubted, and blamed, Still came back stronger with the same damn name. They wanted me stuck in that old-ass pain, But I took that shit and made it part of my aim. So ring the bells, but not for the grave, Ring ’em for the man that the pressure remade. Ring ’em for the kid who got lost in the shade, Then turned into the artist that the dark couldn’t take. This is Excel, not me trapped in a cell, This is growth from the hurt that I never could sell. This is JohnnieB walking through heaven and hell, Saying fuck what they said, I still had to Excel. Big John told me, “Grow,” Little Johnnie said, “Burn,” JohnnieB stood between both sides and learned. I took every wrong road, every bridge, every turn, Then made the whole damn struggle something I earned. They can hate how I move, they can hate how I speak, They can hate that I’m strong when they wanted me weak. They can hate every bar, every hook, every beat, But they can’t hate the fact that I got back on my feet. Hook I came from the bottom, now I’m built to Excel, Took every damn loss and made it ring like a bell.