MIC LIKE A LIFELINE | Lyrical Hip-Hop (Official Music Video)

[Studio Engineer: "Track 01 recorded live. Raw Midwest underground delivery."] [Intro] Look, if you had one real window under that single light To take every damn thing you ever needed to survive Would you step out into the dark or pull back? Yeah [Verse 1] Cold sweat dripping down his jawline, knuckles pale, chest tight Stomach turning off a cold brew and stress night He's terrified, but on the surface he acts stone-cold Ready to rip the beat apart, but his mind folds Forgot his opening line, the front row is staring in He lifts the mic up to his lips, but no words begin Throat locked, room quiet, feedback starts ringing out Crowd turning ugly, clock ticking, he's drowning now Panic hits hard, cold chills down his spine He blew his first bar, frozen in the spotlight line But he can't walk back to that basement broke with empty hands Back cornered to the wall, gotta force a new plan He knows he's gifted on the low, but his bank account's zero Goes back to that cramped two-bedroom, no hero Back to the graveyard shift, same old misery Better grab this microphone now before they bury me [Chorus] You better lock into the rhythm, hold the mic like a lifeline Grab the whole room, never let 'em steal your shine (Shine) You only get one run, don't you stumble in the light This kind of open door only comes once in a life, right You better lock into the rhythm, hold the mic like a lifeline Grab the whole room, never let 'em steal your shine (Shine) You only get one run, don't you stumble in the light This kind of open door only comes once in a life, right You better [Verse 2] Mind spinning while the bassline rolls through his ribcage Trying to turn a dollar into dinner on a minimum wage Moving toward a bigger goal, leaving all the small talk Living like a ghost while the industry sharks walk Close to the edge, every single day gets harder Kid gets hungry, rent bill gets larger Groupies at the back door after the local show Driving down I-80 through the midnight snow God knows he drifted way too far from his roots Walking through the mud in his work boots He gets home late, barely sees his own kid sleeping Landlord at the front gate, cash that he's keeping Local scene don't care no more, he's last week's news They moved on to the next young cat with clean shoes He took a loss and banked nothing, so the story goes Old news on the block, that's just how the game flows But the kick drum knocks, boom-boom-clap, boom-clap, rolling [Chorus] You better lock into the rhythm, hold the mic like a lifeline Grab the whole room, never let 'em steal your shine (Shine) You only get one run, don't you stumble in the light This kind of open door only comes once in a life, right You better lock into the rhythm, hold the mic like a lifeline Grab the whole room, never let 'em steal your shine (Shine) You only get one run, don't you stumble in the light This kind of open door only comes once in a life, right You better [Verse 3] No more waiting, I'ma rip the hinges off of the gate Tear this whole motherfuckin' roof off, settling the hate I was quiet at the start line, now the mood switches I've been dragged through the dirt, sleeping in ditches But I kept writing and stepped right into the next cipher Payday's coming, gotta pay the pipe piper All the stress in my chest heavy on my shoulders 'Cause my nine-to-five fired me, cold shoulders And I can't buy formula and milk for my daughter When the power company's threatening to cut off my water And there ain't no record deal waiting, no easy route out Midwest winter, cold wind blowing through the house And these times are so rough, and it's getting even tougher Trying to keep food on the table while I suffer Caught between staying present and chasing this dream Baby-mama shouting in the kitchen, ripping at the seams Stay in one spot, another month of working for pennies Got me looking at the clock like I don't have many Gotta execute a plan or end up broke or locked down Winning is my only motherfuckin' way out now Ma, I love you, but this basement unit's got To go, I cannot die broke on this block So here I go, taking the stage, feet don't fail This might be the only chance I get to prevail [Chorus] You better lock into the rhythm, hold the mic like a lifeline Grab the whole room, never let 'em steal your shine (Shine) You only get one run, don't you stumble in the light This kind of open door only comes once in a life, right You better lock into the rhythm, hold the mic like a lifeline Grab the whole room, never let 'em steal your shine (Shine) You only get one run, don't you stumble in the light This kind of open door only comes once in a life, right You better [Outro] You can break through anything if you don't back down, man.