[Instrumental 1]
You need your ears open, people
Yeah, Avelino
Uh huh
(Let's get 'em, fam, let's get 'em)
Yo, AV
Uh, motivated by failure
Motivated by the saying that we are who we say we are
I close my eyes and see stadia
I bet Mum never saw me raising the roof when she raised me up, yeah
I'm in the Western with Haile, they're hailing us
Cause we're the new gen, they just see new genitalia
Wretch told me "Av, you're the truth, you're the saviour
And you can love the fame, just don't mistaken the fame with love", yeah
I was next up to bat, I've got the batter now
I was on my block doing nothing, I'm outstanding now
What you mean, live by the cold akh? I'm on camera now
I ain't forgot my background, I go back to that ground
I call my yardie friend amigo, he's from Spanish town
If he saw it, he'd straight jacket for some [?]
Remember when they used to pat us down, we get patter now
I mean you spent around a bag, we've got a bag of rounds
Long story short, I made a long story short
I even could've got shanked but that's the wrong storyboard
I don't know why they think the hall of fame's a long corridor
I could've got to a key but I stopped for these chords
These rappers ain't got no topics of conversation
You're too focused on being the topic of conversation
I was on my Js with the blueprint to rock the nation
Had to rise above it, now I'm on top of the conversation like
Who's the father? Man, I'm riding gully through the Gaza
Where the youth get licence and learn manoeuvres after
Yeah, what's a question when they're calling you the answer?
There's a channel for the Top Boy and I'm used to drama
Right now I'm running from feds so I'm hardly home
Close friends are becoming people I hardly know
Now that I'm on the scene, it's a totally different scenario
I always knew I'd go from selling Charlie to the Charlie show
Sloth
Uh, straight back in
I'm with a skinny model from Paris that hates fashion
Man, I wish her body was luggage, she ain't packing
I want a bad B from the ends that rates mandem
Ironic how there's money on my mind cause I had penny thoughts
I ain't gonna stand up here and lie, we were very poor
It was January and July but not any more
Fuck a 9-5, it's 12-12, that's a 24
I'm Jack Bauer with an empire, that's power
MMR and Mo Milli, we lost that founder
I drank till I felt my liver pool like a scouser
Although Dad was proud of me, I've gotta make Dad prouder
Yeah, so here's my Fire in the Booth flow
King Avi, I've been ruthless, I've got my rude flow
I can rap like Swiss, watch what I do [?]
Roley, come and get APs, he's got a Hublot
The G code written, I'm writing new codes
Sometimes I sing out of tune, but they sing on tunes though
Red Bull Studios, I'm drinking Boost though
Sat with Julie Adenuga, I'm on her new show
These rappers ain't got no topics or conversations
They're too focused on being the topic of conversation
If I was popping and they wanted pop, I'd probably make
Some music of black origin and that's not for a nomination, nah
Do what you've gotta do till you can do what you can
American A&Rs are coming Europe for man
Meanwhile, a girl I'm into just flew to Milan
And I just dropped an AC but that ruined the plan
Damn homie, what happened? Homie, you was the man
I told you make your P squared like you was D'Banj
They say don't bite the hand that feeds you, I'm chewing my hand
Imagine your people had a way out and you was the plan
Walk in my shoe if you can
Notice I said shoe, not shoes
It's that deep, that real
(Oi fam, you're an animal!)
Listen, but we ain't done though
When all was said and done, all you said and done was one flow
I'm grinding for my son, I ain't got a son though
Listen, let's go into the next beat, Charlie
[Instrumental 2]
I've never seen bad times, I've never seen Dad die
I've never seen Mum cry
I've never seen so much darkness
I've never been dazed at a ninth night
I've never seen pain, I've never smelt fear
I've never felt blind
I've never tasted success cause success sucks
It never helped mine
The light is blinding at the end of the tunnel
I'm tryna buss but the ends is a tunnel
Never had too much to dream of
Never want anything, had sleep loss
I wasn't hype for life, I was lean off
Now I'm listening to Compton tryna detox
I don't need church, I need God
Some manors don't like me, they try to bad mind me
But I left all that behind me
Impossible ain't ever been dislikely
I don't even write, how the fuck are you gonna sign me?
I grew up on Kano, Wiley
Had a little temper, now I know Tinie
Watched Kylie sell, I sold Kylie
I sold dreams, now I'm in her diary
I'm on a blog list, I'm on a playlist
I'm on a hit list, why did I hit this?
Babes, I was wrong but I'll never admit this
Mandem are victors, gyal are the victims
I think I had too much to drink
I'm being a little too honest
I think I have too much, I'm the best my age
That's a little too modest, but
When you never had too much, you can never have too much
Grab too much
Food on the stove got 'em gassed too much
I'm cool cause I rap but they'll wrap you up
That's savage but gangs do stuff
That their families won't even do, that's true love
Don't back down when they back you up
That's not how it settled when man grew up
Yeah, my statement, I made a statement
I'mma put it out there, that's a statement
We lost a good guy and a great friend
But these kind of things make or break men
How's man gonna come with this rap ting
Then go stand up in court? That's a mad ting
I told you on my Behind Barz
That I'm not a hood yout but I roll with gangsters, AV
