(Intro) This is Zaire, and I’m breaking the mold, A rebel with purpose, a fire uncontrolled. (Verse 1) I went to high school, it was time to graduate, I’m only 18, with the world at my feet. Mama says, “Zaire, what you gonna do with your life?” I fire back, “I’ll live it fast, no need for a desk life.” I wanna party, dive into neon and thrill, Mama, college’s a cage, a challenge too still. But she says, “Zaire, college is your ladder to rise— It’s a weapon, a flame, a way to the skies.” I retort, “Mama, I’m more than a degree, I’ll craft my own future, just wait and see.” But her eyes hold a fire, a wisdom so deep, And in that moment, I know I can’t cheat. So I step on that campus, with a spark in my chest, Mama’s voice inside me, pushing me to be my best. (Chorus) When I step up on the block, they all feel the fire, Who’s that girl rising, taking the empire? Every step, every dream, every risk that I take— Zaire’s a force, and I won’t break. (Verse 2) My friends say, “Forget class, let’s live while we can,” But I walk the fine line, like a queen with a plan. I’m in the lecture, but I dream of the stage, Still feel the beat of that wild, open cage. But every time I waver, I hear Mama’s sound: “Education is a weapon, it lifts you off the ground.” So I push through the nights, even when the path is steep, Knowing Mama’s faith is the promise I keep. (Chorus) When I step up on the block, they all feel the fire, Who’s that girl rising, taking the empire? Every step, every dream, every risk that I take— Zaire’s a force, and I won’t break. (Verse 3) In the dorm, I drift, like a wave in the storm, Friends say, “Live loud, the night keeps us warm.” But every shot, every party, it pulls me astray, I remember Mama’s words, and I come back to the day. She said, “Zaire, you can’t be young forever;” And every time I falter, I remember that tether. So I rise, I stand, in the fire I grow, Zaire’s still rising, with more to show. (Outro) OVIAIR, we end things right here, Till another time, see you down the line, no fear.
