Lyrics:

Music is medicine. Music changes us. And for Nathaniel, music is sanity, because music allows him to take his thoughts and delusions and shape them through his imagination and his creativity into reality. And that is an escape from his tormented state.

-Robert Gupta

[Verse 1]
I was raised in the suburbs–never heard rap / never really had a passion, ‘specially not towards that / sure fact / was that I was into games and wasting time / didn’t do much in my early days I played and ate and whined / yeah–if you saw me, you’d know I had nothing going for me / but that would change when it hit my auditories / yeah I’m talking ’bout rap, man, the fact’s that it grabbed me / on the day I got my first iPod, “Yo, what’s happening” / I said as I stepped into the world of hip hop / to the world of Eminem, Jay-Z, and Tupac / there was something ’bout the beats / something ’bout the scene / something ’bout the heat that the emcees bring / that had captured me, and yo, it changed my life / spending hours upon hours trying to hear the newest rhymes / trying to get the next album, single, or EP / I still remember when I bought my first CD

[Chorus]
DANG – (dang) music changed my life / IT’S INSANE – (insane) now I’ve made it my grind / yeah the BOOM (BOOM) / and the BEP (BEP) / all the moves and the step / yeah this music’s the best

[Verse 2]
Yo hip hop–it was home to me / I could come to it whenever I was broke and beat / and I was on my knees / I could openly / run to it with my issues and be so at ease / yeah – Eminem became my medicine / and maybe that was detrimental / but it felt like it was heaven sent / it’s evident that man, it changed me for the better / having dreams in January all the way down to December / yeah–I was there when Eminem was dropping gems / and yeah I heard Nas say, “Hip hop’s dead” / I was there when T.I. called himself the king of the south / and I was in it back when people thought Detox was coming out / even after I became a Christian / I started getting into Christ, but still I was an avid listener / man, I praise God that he brought me to the game, man / if it wasn’t for that, I wouldn’t be able to say this:

[Chorus]

[Verse 3]
Yo, I remember back when / rapping / was absent / from my life and I ain’t have no real passion / but then I found it and the more I got into it / naturally I got influenced / started doing what I’m doing now / and wow–really, who would’ve thought / that I would have my own records getting ready to drop? / the longer that I’ve been a rap fan / man, I’ve advanced / stepping deeper and deeper into the craft’s sand / my ears have matured / changing what I’m listening for / went from listening to B.o.B. to Kendrick Lamar / went from looking up to Eminem to looking to Lecrae / went from talking bout myself to speaking truth up on the stage / dang, I ain’t ever think that this would happen / man, look at me–an Asian boy whose passion is rapping? / no one saw it coming, guess it had to be fate / and at the end of the day, there’s only one thing I can say and that’s: