Back to Back

Alternative hip hop, smooth-sharp female rap and booming male baritone trade intimate close-mic lines and explosive shouts in crisp call-and-response; 82 BPM, G minor, downtempo dusty boom-bap with a calm-to-aggressive dynamic arc; raw, dry vocal mix; cold neon synth pads and glitch textures over deep sub bass and dusty drums, abrasive distorted synths erupting in heavy sections

[Explosion: beat drops in hard, distorted synths, Female Rapper aggressive and shouted]
I been holding up the sky with my bare hands (hands!)
Now I'm telling you the truth, can you understand? (understand!)
Strong don't mean alone (alone!)
Even mountains need a stone

[Hook: call and response, calm, hypnotic]

[Male Rapper]
When I can't stand

[Female Rapper]
I'll stand for two

[Female Rapper]
When I can't see

[Male Rapper]
I'll see you through

[Both]
Back to back, we don't fall (fall!)
Back to back, we carry it all

[Verse 2: Male Rapper, booming baritone, calm and honest, cold neon synths]
They told me men don't cry, so I swallowed the storm
Kept it in my chest 'til it bent me out of form
Said "I'm good" so many times it became my name
Smiling in the picture, drowning in the frame
First time I said "help," my voice was shaking
Felt like losing, but it was the fear breaking
Turned around, and you were already there
Didn't ask me why, you just pulled up a chair

[Explosion: beat drops in hard, Male Rapper aggressive]
Tears ain't weakness (no!), that's the rain on the ground (ground!)
Everything that grows needs the water to come down (down!)
Say it out loud (loud!), let it out (out!)
That's what strength is all about

[Verse 3: both rappers trading lines, calm building to intense]

[Female Rapper]
You hold the map

[Male Rapper]
You hold the light

[Female Rapper]
I watch the day

[Male Rapper]
I watch the night

[Female Rapper]
Two different storms

[Male Rapper]
Same kind of rain

[Both]
Back to back, we split the weight of the pain

[Both]
Nobody's built to carry everything alone

[Bridge: beat cuts out, almost a cappella, whispered, both voices alternating]

[Female Rapper]
Who's got your back?

[Male Rapper]
Look around...

[Both]
Now be that for someone

[Explosion: full beat, heaviest drums and distorted synths, both rappers shouting]

[Both]
Back to back, we don't fall (fall!)
Back to back, we carry it all (all!)
When the world gets loud (loud!), we stand our ground (ground!)
Back to back... back to back

[Both]
Back to back, we don't fall (fall!)
Back to back, we carry it all

[Male Rapper]
When I can't stand

[Female Rapper]
I'll stand for two

[Female Rapper]
When I can't see

[Male Rapper]
I'll see you through

[Both]
Back to back
Back to back... back to back

[Both]
Back to back

[Outro: hard stop on the last beat of the bar, no fade-out, loops back into the hook]

2809/7500

I'm the one they call when the whole thing breaks I'm the one who smiles while the whole ground shakes Everybody leans, but nobody asks How I'm holding up behind the strongest mask Working two shifts and a heart on the side Strong ain't the same as fine, I know the divide So tonight I'm putting the armor on the floor I don't need a hero, I need someone to lean on, that's all [Explosion: beat drops in hard, distorted synths, Female Rapper aggressive and shouted] I been holding up the sky with my bare hands (hands!) Now I'm telling you the truth, can you understand? (understand!) Strong don't mean alone (alone!) Even mountains need a stone [Hook: call and response, calm, hypnotic] [Male Rapper] When I can't stand [Female Rapper] I'll stand for two [Female Rapper] When I can't see [Male Rapper] I'll see you through [Both] Back to back, we don't fall (fall!) Back to back, we carry it all [Verse 2: Male Rapper, booming baritone, calm and honest, cold neon synths] They told me men don't cry, so I swallowed the storm Kept it in my chest 'til it bent me out of form Said "I'm good" so many times it became my name Smiling in the picture, drowning in the frame First time I said "help," my voice was shaking Felt like losing, but it was the fear breaking Turned around, and you were already there Didn't ask me why, you just pulled up a chair [Explosion: beat drops in hard, Male Rapper aggressive] Tears ain't weakness (no!), that's the rain on the ground (ground!) Everything that grows needs the water to come down (down!) Say it out loud (loud!), let it out (out!) That's what strength is all about [Verse 3: both rappers trading lines, calm building to intense] [Female Rapper] You hold the map [Male Rapper] You hold the light [Female Rapper] I watch the day [Male Rapper] I watch the night [Female Rapper] Two different storms [Male Rapper] Same kind of rain [Both] Back to back, we split the weight of the pain [Both] Nobody's built to carry everything alone [Bridge: beat cuts out, almost a cappella, whispered, both voices alternating] [Female Rapper] Who's got your back? [Male Rapper] Look around... [Both] Now be that for someone [Explosion: full beat, heaviest drums and distorted synths, both rappers shouting] [Both] Back to back, we don't fall (fall!) Back to back, we carry it all (all!) When the world gets loud (loud!), we stand our ground (ground!) Back to back... back to back [Both] Back to back, we don't fall (fall!) Back to back, we carry it all [Male Rapper] When I can't stand [Female Rapper] I'll stand for two [Female Rapper] When I can't see [Male Rapper] I'll see you through [Both] Back to back Back to back... back to back [Both] Back to back [Outro: hard stop on the last beat of the bar, no fade-out, loops back into the hook]

0/500