Stay Committed

[Intro] I'm sure some of you are wondering Why it took so long for this album to come out Well, I'll be glad to explain But first, let me tell you a little about myself [Verse 1] I'm a 20-something nothing that was raised in the 'burbs I like good music, good food, and blazing the herb Since I was different, people labeled me as crazed and disturbed But when I grabbed the microphone, they were amazed at my words Now everyone wanna act like they've been riding from the jump Kissing up to me; the truth is they should hide, I'm on the hunt These fake friends in disguise are praying for my demise But this ain't “Lord of the Flies”, the fat boy's gonna survive I know why they're mad at me: I took my time, honed my craft and graduated with honors from this rap academy The critics did me no favors, now I'm rap's Joe Frazier I bob and weave in between the kick and the snare Then I picked up a guitar to advance my talents Finger-picking and soloing till my hands were calloused But I kept practicing because this music is what I cherish And now I got more 'riffs' than a troubled marriage If you wonder why I took so long to make my presence Its cause I had to let it slowly bubble up like effervescence Now I'm here to bring The Funk to the party like refreshments And show the whole world Hip-Hop in its essence! [Hook, scratches by Jabba the Kut] "I stay committed while you motherfuckers babysit it" "Y'all appointed me to bring rap justice" "I stay committed while you motherfuckers babysit it" "While you player hate, I'm trying to elevate this Hip-Hop" "I stay committed while you motherfuckers babysit it" "Y'all appointed me to bring rap justice" "I stay committed while you motherfuckers babysit it" "I love rap, no matter how much I say I hate it" [Verse 2] (24 bars) From Yaggfu Front to Omniscence, Little Brother to Supastition North Carolina has always been repped by the true and living Now Headcase is joining their ranks, I'll attain my new position Most of you rappers are fucking garbage, no need for euphemisms I've seen these new jacks, last year, grinding real hard then This year, they disappear, you only see 'em on milk cartons But I'mma keep it moving while the others run in place And I refuse to pump the breaks 'til I've accomplished something great The industry will grow to hate me Fuck you producers, I ain't paying thousands of dollars for your throwaway beats All you ever do is copy the greats There's one Premo, one Pete Rock, one Dilla – y'all are obvious fakes And so many local rappers got a chip on their shoulder So if I try to speak my mind, they wanna flip into soldiers And talk tough, when most of 'em are softer than melted butter I thought as as artists, it was beneficial to help each other I prefer honesty over modesty And seeing all these delusional emcees in NC really astonished me You can tell when a rapper's grind is make believe Your album is a burnt CD with sharpie writing in a paper sleeve But go ahead and call yourself the King of NC like it means something Whine and pout, point at me and say "He's fronting!" Crying like no anesthetic when you pull kids' teeth I'm committed to the music, not some bullshit beef [Hook] [Verse 3] Friends hit me up like Jay Electronica, "what you waiting on? Why do you take so long to make your songs? Man, you're lazy! Where's the album at? 'Slice of Life' dropped four years ago!" I tried to give an explanation, they don't wanna hear it though For those still asking questions 'bout my career's progression Here's the truth: I couldn’t get over my crippling depression I was in the worst kind of slump, where I wouldn't write for months But when people asked how my album was going, I would front (Oh yeah, its coming along great!) I wish I had listened When Big D told me not to talk about it till it was finished Another year wasted, I was feeling like a loser With every day that passed, I was questioning my future I finally started recording in 2011 And had to start the process over again four times since then I know the fans' anger is justifiable But what can I do when these studio engineers aren't reliable? But I have no right to place blame, the fault is my own I spent so much time in Raleigh, I started calling it home I did shows and got love from some of the cats who run shit But in time, I saw everyone who supported me jump ship They told me "Case, look how long it's taken you to hustle At such a slow pace, you're never breaking through the struggle!" But I finally overcame depression, beat my writer's block Looking at the final product in my hands, its quite a shock "Lunatic Fringe: A Self Portrait" A perspective on society from a psyche that's been tortured But I spent so much time building anticipation Fans stopped caring – its like the boy who cried wolf situation But I still put the record out, even if they don't check it out I'll keep my head held high – you wonder why? I leave it all on the stage when I rock Cause I still believe in Hip-Hop, whether it believes in me or not I stay committed! [Hook]