================================================================================ TRACK 113 - KING OF THE RATS ================================================================================ [INTRO] I didn't come from the top. I came from the bottom of the bottom. And I brought the whole sewer with me. Welcome. [HOOK 1] King of the rats, crowned in the drain Every king before me was a rat just the same They can put me on a throne, they can put me in a frame - But the crown don't change the species and the species don't change [VERSE 1] I learned everything I know from the worst of the worst, From the men who never made it and the women who got cursed; I learned how to move quiet from a man who moved loud once, I learned how to hold a secret from a snitch who held it wrong once. I learned how to eat from somebody else's plate, And I learned how to smile at the people that I hate; I learned how to survive on nothing and to make nothing a meal - And I learned the only law that matters is the one that you can feel. So don't come at me with your pedigree and your degree, I got a doctorate in hunger and a master's in debris; I got a PhD in watching everybody turn their back - And I got a crown made of everything that everybody lacked. [BRIDGE 1] (*dripping echo, no drums*) They say you can't rise from the sewer. They say that so the sewer stays full. I say: watch me. [HOOK 2] King of the rats, crowned in the drain Every king before me was a rat just the same They can put me on a throne, they can put me in a frame - But the crown don't change the species and the species don't change [VERSE 2] I've been down so long that up looked like a rumor, I've been broke so long that money felt like a tumor; I've been angry so long I forgot what calm was for - And now the calm is the weapon and the rage is the door. They want a rapper that's relatable, want a rapper that's sad, Want a rapper that'll tell 'em that the bad guys aren't that bad; But I came from the drain and I remember every name, And I will not be noble just to make you feel okay about the game. So put me in the gutter, put me in the pit, Put me anywhere you want and I'll be king of it; 'Cause the rat that never dies is the rat that runs the ship - And the rats have always run it. That's the truth. Take a sip. [BRIDGE 2] (*whispered, mock-gentle*) "You should be grateful you got out." Out of what? (*beat slams*) I never got out. I got promoted. There's a difference. [HOOK 3] King of the rats, crowned in the drain Every king before me was a rat just the same They can put me on a throne, they can put me in a frame - But the crown don't change the species and the species don't change [VERSE 3] (*power switch, standing tall*) I-am-the-drain-and-the-diamond-I-am-the-scum-and-the-sovereign I-am-the-reason-that-the-ones-who-had-it-all-are-gone-and I-am-the-rat-that-ate-the-rope-and-then-ate-the-whole-mansion I-am-the-proof-that-nothing-stays-the-bottom-if-you're-patient; I-don't-want-your-respect-I-want-your-rent I-don't-want-your-handshake-I-want-your-consent I-don't-want-your-friendship-I-want-your-debt And-I-got-all-three-and-I-haven't-started-yet. So crown me in the gutter, in the drain, in the dark, Put the paper on my head and let the paper leave a mark; 'Cause the king of all the rats is the king of all of this - And the rats were always running it. They just never took the risk. [OUTRO] You're all rats. I'm just the one who admitted it. Track one-thirteen.
