[Intro]
(Beat drops — vinyl crackle, distant siren)
We rise up — (we rise) — yeah
Neon halo, midnight halo — come on
[Verse 1]
Cracked pavement under Air Max, breath foggin' the streetlights,
Corner stoop sermons, espresso steam, bus stop fight nights,
Sirens stitch the skyline, red and blue in slow-mo, blinkin',
My name's on a notepad, ragged lines, hope I'm inked in.
Got a pocket full of lo-fi beats and a half-packed dream,
Mama workin' doubles at the diner where the coffee's steamed,
I spit syllables like silver, shiver the cold, make it shimmer,
Turn a busted Metro card into a map where I glimmer.
[Pre-Chorus]
(Percussive cadence — snap, snap — let it breathe)
Can't put a price on the nights that taught me to fight (uh),
Tap the rhythm on my ribs, keep the pulse, keep the light (yeah),
No chains, just trains, late names on a wall I write,
Call me lost — I call it practice for the flight. (rise)
[Chorus — Hook]
We rise up — (we rise) (3 beats)
We rise up — (we rise) (repeat, ad-lib: hey)
Short and loud, city proud — we rise up (voice tag)
(We rise, we rise) — earworm, hold it, make it mine.
[Verse 2]
Remember open-mic Monday, mic died but I kept rhyming,
Five minutes of static, one phone flash — crowd timing,
Old man in the back with a whiskey grin, called my name,
Said "Boy, you got thunder," I laughed, said "I got rain."
A girl from Block C traded me a cigarette for a verse,
Told me "If you make it up there, don't rehearse the hurt,"
So I stitched my past into bars, multisyllable chainmail,
Punchlines like paychecks, never petty, always aimed well.
[Pre-Chorus]
(Clap-clap, ride the hi-hat — leave space for ad-libs)
They shouted doubt like fireworks, I learned to code it as fuel,
Every closed door taught me the lock — made me build a new tool,
No pity in the pocket, just grit in the groove,
We hustle in the limelight, still humble in the booth. (yeah)
[Chorus — Hook]
We rise up — (we rise) (3 beats)
We rise up — (we rise) (repeat, ad-lib: come on)
Short and loud, city proud — we rise up (vocal tag)
(We rise, we rise) — keep it circling, keep it tough.
[Bridge — Half-sung / Half-rap]
(Beat slows, keys float — harmonize)
I used to count the knocks on my bedroom door (yeah),
Half the dreams left on a stoop, half the hope on the floor (whoa),
Call and response: "Are you ready?" — "Always ready," I confess,
Turn the echo into answer, turn the doubt into a guest.
(Half-rap)
I trade fear for fire, trade silence for sound,
Hold your breath, then let it out — we orbit then rebound.
[Breakdown — Call & Response]
Lead: We rise up —
Crowd: We rise up — (uh)
Lead: From neon cracks to midnight stacks —
Crowd: From neon cracks to midnight stacks — (come on)
[Chorus — Hook x2]
We rise up — (we rise) (short, sharp)
We rise up — (we rise) (repeat, ad-libs & tag)
Short and loud, city proud — we rise up
(We rise, we rise) — loop it, own it, shout it out.
[Outro]
(Beat fades to vinyl, distant horns, whisper ad-libs)
Keep the hook in your pocket, keep the l
