No Shortcuts (Remastered)

Chilled indie-rap beat, 80-95 BPM, Soft guitar, airy pads, deep bass, Boom-bap drums, light hi-hats, River sounds, vinyl crackles, Dreamy, floating vibe, Soulful, smooth, perfect for storytelling

March 20, 2025 at 11:38 AMv4

Remaster of

No Shortcuts

Had to wake up, lace up, put my pain in the pen,
Every L that I took made me hate it again.
Momma told me, "Baby, patience gon' pay in the end,"
But I was tired of the struggle, I just wanted to win.

Now they see me shinin’ like the stars in the rafters,
Same ones who doubted try to act like they mattered.
Where the fuck was you when I was stuck in disaster?
You ain't seen the journey, just the wealth that came after.

I done seen my own blood drip, felt my soul break,
Made it through the trenches when my homie caught a cold case.
I was on the block with dirty kicks and an old face,
Grown before my time ‘cause the stress never took breaks.

But I ain't fold, nah, pressure made me diamond,
Even when I lost, I could hear my mom remindin’—
"Boy, this ain't a race, it's the scars that define it,
You don’t need to rush when your moment’s realigned in."

Took that to heart, every step is a lesson,
Took some bruises, took some losses, took some wins as a blessing.
Now the same pain that I hated got me countin’ my blessings,
Ain’t about where you at, it's ‘bout the shit you invested.

If you ever felt broke, I done been there too,
If you ever felt lost, I done walked that route.
They don’t see the long nights, all they see is the views,
All them fake congratulations, like they prayed I improve.

Fuck that, I was runnin' on fumes in the basement,
Watchin’ rich kids shine while I begged for some placement.
Told myself, "You ain’t weak, gotta move like you dangerous,"
Ain't about the top, it's the climb that’ll change us.

I ain't made it yet, still fightin’ my demons,
Still got some scars that ain't finished they bleedin’.
Still got some homies in the trap, still dreamin’,
Still got some nights when my heart stop beatin’.

But I ain't never quit, I just learned how to cope,
Learned how to take pain and turn it to hope.
Learned how to lose everything, stay afloat,
Learned how to bet on myself when I’m broke.

Ain't no shortcuts, ain't no easy-ass road,
Ain't no fairy tale wish, ain't no luck with no gold.
Either work ‘til you break, or you die in the cold,
Cuz the journey is the trophy, not the shit that you hold.

They told me life was easy, that was cap from the jump, Ain't no elevator goin' up, I had to scrap from the dump. Broke nights, ramen noodles, cold floors in the slums, I was dreamin’ 'bout a million, but that shit never come. Had to wake up, lace up, put my pain in the pen, Every L that I took made me hate it again. Momma told me, "Baby, patience gon' pay in the end," But I was tired of the struggle, I just wanted to win. Now they see me shinin’ like the stars in the rafters, Same ones who doubted try to act like they mattered. Where the fuck was you when I was stuck in disaster? You ain't seen the journey, just the wealth that came after. I done seen my own blood drip, felt my soul break, Made it through the trenches when my homie caught a cold case. I was on the block with dirty kicks and an old face, Grown before my time ‘cause the stress never took breaks. But I ain't fold, nah, pressure made me diamond, Even when I lost, I could hear my mom remindin’— "Boy, this ain't a race, it's the scars that define it, You don’t need to rush when your moment’s realigned in." Took that to heart, every step is a lesson, Took some bruises, took some losses, took some wins as a blessing. Now the same pain that I hated got me countin’ my blessings, Ain’t about where you at, it's ‘bout the shit you invested. If you ever felt broke, I done been there too, If you ever felt lost, I done walked that route. They don’t see the long nights, all they see is the views, All them fake congratulations, like they prayed I improve. Fuck that, I was runnin' on fumes in the basement, Watchin’ rich kids shine while I begged for some placement. Told myself, "You ain’t weak, gotta move like you dangerous," Ain't about the top, it's the climb that’ll change us. I ain't made it yet, still fightin’ my demons, Still got some scars that ain't finished they bleedin’. Still got some homies in the trap, still dreamin’, Still got some nights when my heart stop beatin’. But I ain't never quit, I just learned how to cope, Learned how to take pain and turn it to hope. Learned how to lose everything, stay afloat, Learned how to bet on myself when I’m broke. Ain't no shortcuts, ain't no easy-ass road, Ain't no fairy tale wish, ain't no luck with no gold. Either work ‘til you break, or you die in the cold, Cuz the journey is the trophy, not the shit that you hold.