[Intro]
(Yeah) 2AM on Willow Ave, brakes hiss, neon sad
Old tape spittin' hiss, mama said, "Get up" — I had to grab (uh)
[Verse 1]
Clock ticks, block spits, my notebook's got the indicts
Paperbacks, late rent, mixtape nights, fluorescent lights
Cig smoke, corner stoop, Mr. Reyes sells the keys
To a dream with busted hinges, I learned to pick with pleas
Backpack full of demo CDs, cassette hiss in the rain
Laundry quarters, friendship short, learned how to swallow pain
I scribble lines on bus stops, on napkins from the diner
Polaroid of younger me, eyes hungry, smile finer
Two AM, Willie’s Deli, grease stains on my plan
Took a beat, found a rhythm — built a fortress from a van
Internal rhymes, time crimes, I stitch phrases to survive
From Willow Ave to skyline, I hustle just to feel alive (yeah)
[Pre-Chorus]
Hands tense — breathe in, rise in
Break the hush — cue the siren
[Chorus]
Rise & shine — watch me climb (uh)
Midnight crown — this my time
City breath — feel the rhyme
Lights up — claim what's mine (yeah)
[Verse 2]
Three missed calls, eviction note pinned on the door
Lost a show at Riverside, promoters shut the floor
Kicked out of a couch, found solace in a subway seat
A lady gave me coins and said, "Son, keep the beat"
Bounced checks, cold sweat, hospital halls at dawn
I spit to empty rooms until the echo sang my song
Old friend turned foe, sold my verse for a quick win
But I learned what loyalty costs, and I learned how to begin
Studio with a busted mic, we recorded through the static
Laid a hook on cassette hiss — honest, raw, and rabid
Every setback a map, every scar is syllable proof
I turned lost nights into anthems, and my chest is the roof (uh)
[Pre-Chorus]
Chest tight — hold the line
One breath — drop the sign
[Chorus]
Rise & shine — watch me climb
Midnight crown — this my time
City breath — feel the rhyme
Lights up — claim what's mine
[Bridge]
Doubt crept in like winter, teeth chattering on the stoop
I heard the sound of silence — felt the needle of the truth
“Quit while you’re ahead,” whispered bills and old regrets
I almost sold my draft for a promise that forgets
But my mother kept a postcard: “Boy, burn bright, not out”
I replayed her voice in elevators, on nights of doubt
So I flipped the script — fear’s a beat I learned to ride
Turned the whispers into horns, put the skyline by my side
[Breakdown — Soft]
(Yeah) inhale — slow exhale, let the city narrate
Remember where you started, then accelerate (uh)
[Final Chorus]
Rise & shine — watch me climb
Midnight crown — this my time
City breath — feel the rhyme
Lights up — claim what's mine (yeah)
Rise & shine — watch me climb
Midnight crown — this my time
City breath — feel the rhyme
Lights up — claim what's mine
[Outro]
Willow Ave to billboard nights, neon to gold frames
I roll my past into the chorus and I shout my name (uh)
From busted hinges to heavy crowns, the journey's in the lines
Rise & shine — Willow Ave forever in my rhymes (yeah)
[Production Notes]
Sub-genre: Hip
