Every Word, Every Drum

Lyrics

[Intro] One for the hands that built it Two for the hearts that live it Yeah [Verse 1] I fell for the language of a notebook page For the kick and the snare putting breath in a cage For a thought turned gold when the syllables land For a room full of strangers throwing joy hand to hand No silver spoon, just a borrowed cassette A cracked pair of headphones and a rhyme to protect Every bus ride became a small master class Reading names on the liner notes, learning where it passed From the block party speaker to the late-night booth From a cousin with a record collection telling the truth It taught me pain can pivot, pressure can bend A verse can turn a locked door into a meeting with a friend [Chorus] I love hip-hop, every word, every drum The way a quiet little spark makes a whole crowd come I love rap, when the real gets said When a beat gives a heartbeat to the thoughts in your head Hands up for the craft, let the whole room know We carry what we learned everywhere we go [Verse 2] I love the producer digging through crates for a breath Finding three seconds of gold and giving it a second life left I love the DJ reading the floor like a map Cutting one perfect moment, bringing everybody back I love the writer counting every vowel in a line Turning one sharp image into something that shines Not pretending that the struggle is a costume to wear Just naming what we lived, putting truth in the air Freestyle in the kitchen, cypher out by the store A friend says, “Run it back,” and we build one more Different accents, different stories, same need to be heard A whole generation finding power inside a word [Chorus] I love hip-hop, every word, every drum The way a quiet little spark makes a whole crowd come I love rap, when the real gets said When a beat gives a heartbeat to the thoughts in your head Hands up for the craft, let the whole room know We carry what we learned everywhere we go [Bridge] It is the lesson, the laughter, the nerve The chance to speak plainly and still be heard It is the past in the sample, tomorrow in the flow A living conversation everywhere we go [Verse 3] So here is my love letter, folded in time For the ones who made a staircase out of every rhyme For the kids with a pen and a beat in their chest Who turn a hard week into something expressed Keep the roots, make room, let the new voices rise Let the truth have a face and a thousand replies If the world gets loud, give the people a phrase If the road gets dark, give them more than a gaze I found my own name in the rhythm and breath Found a way to choose life when the day offered less That is why every bar still feels brand new Hip-hop gave me a language, and I give it back to you [Final Chorus] I love hip-hop, every word, every drum The way a quiet little spark makes a whole crowd come I love rap, when the real gets said When a beat gives a heartbeat to the thoughts in your head Hands up for the craft, let the whole room know We carry what we learned everywhere we go [Outro] Every word, every drum Every voice, every one Keep it moving Keep it honest Hip-hop lives where the people come