[Intro - whispered, distorted, vinyl crackle, low 808 creeping] Yeah... Ain't no halo on this head... Ain't no choir in this house... I came from the fucking dirt. I just learned how to grow something from it. 808 creeping... Don't... don't... don't test my gangsta. [Verse 1 - low, monotone, dark] Born where the streetlights flicker, Where the night don't sleep, Where a man learns quick That the weak get eaten. I had rage in my chest, Had the devil in my ear, Had a pocket full of problems And a head full of fear. I was fucked up... Young... Dumb... Full of pride. Had a storm in my blood And a chip inside. I chased every bad decision Like it owed me respect, Put my foot on the gas With my life on the wreck. Now I look in that mirror And I recognize the face— But the motherfucker staring back Finally changed his ways. Yeah. I ain't proud of that shit. But I survived that shit. [Pre-Chorus - whispered, chopped, tape stop] I buried the old me... Six feet... No flowers... No funeral... Just dirt. Don't wake him. [Chorus - distorted, repetitive, huge 808 drop] DON'T TEST MY GANGSTA. I got peace in my soul But there's war in my DNA. DON'T TEST MY GANGSTA. I walked out the darkness I ain't scared of the grave. DON'T TEST MY GANGSTA. I'm a better man now— That don't mean I'm afraid. I changed my fucking life... I DIDN'T CHANGE WHERE I CAME FROM. [Verse 2 - aggressive Memphis flow, triplet flow] Black smoke, low bass, Ghost ride through the past, Every scar on my body Got a story attached. I ain't chasing no clout, I ain't begging no bitch, I ain't trying to impress Every clown talking shit. I got bills. Got family. Got shit to protect. Got a future I'm building With a fucking paycheck. That's growth. That's pain. That's knowing my worth. That's looking at the man I was—and putting him in the dirt. I used to love that chaos, Now I love being calm. Used to carry that anger Like a loaded alarm. Now I breathe. Now I think. Now I walk away. But don't confuse my silence For some motherfucking shame. Nah. I'm still from where I'm from. Still got that stare. Still got that voice. Still don't scare easy. [Pre-Chorus - chopped vocal, distorted] Old me... dead. Old ways... dead. Bad decisions... dead. But that motherfucker Still knows my name. [Chorus - huge 808 drop, layered vocals] DON'T TEST MY GANGSTA. I got peace in my soul But there's war in my DNA. DON'T TEST MY GANGSTA. I walked out the darkness I ain't scared of the grave. DON'T TEST MY GANGSTA. I'm a better man now— That don't mean I'm afraid. I changed my fucking life... I DIDN'T CHANGE WHERE I CAME FROM. [Verse 3 - darkest section, half-time, whisper to growl] I got ghosts in the hallway, Names in my head, Memories crawl When I lay in my bed. Every stupid decision Still knocking at night, Every person I hurt Still lives in my mind. That's the price. That's the tax. That's the weight that I carry. You don't see that shit When you see me with my family. I smile now. I laugh now. I live now. But somewhere underneath There's a motherfucker Who remembers how to survive. And I don't feed him. I don't praise him. I don't let him run free. I just keep him locked away Where he can't become me. That's the difference. That's maturity. That's fucking growth. I ain't gotta prove I'm dangerous. I ain't gotta show you shit. The strongest motherfucker in the room Can be the one who refuses the conflict. But if you mistake that restraint For weakness... That's your mistake. Not mine. [Bridge - slowed, horrorcore atmosphere, vinyl crackle] Mama said— (Boy, you gotta change.) Life said— (You better change.) Pain said— (You WILL change.) So I changed. Not overnight. Not clean. Not pretty. I crawled out that fucking hole With blood on my knees And dirt in my teeth. And when I finally stood up... I didn't see a saint. I saw a survivor. 808 fades... [Whisper] And survivors remember. [Chorus - distorted, layered, adlibs] DON'T TEST MY GANGSTA. (Don't... don't... don't...) I got peace in my soul But there's war in my DNA. DON'T TEST MY GANGSTA. (Back up...) I walked out the darkness I ain't scared of the grave. DON'T TEST MY GANGSTA. (You don't know me.) I'm a better man now— That don't mean I'm afraid. I CHANGED MY FUCKING LIFE. I DIDN'T CHANGE WHERE I CAME FROM. [Outro - slowed to half-time, vinyl crackle, single 808 hit] Yeah... I'm not the same man. Thank God. But don't ever confuse a changed man... with a weak man. I know the darkness. I lived in that motherfucker. Now I just choose not to live there anymore. Vinyl crackle. Old me... gone. New me... still dangerous. 808 hit. Don't test my gangsta. (Tape stops.)
