Exhibit A

[Intro: gavel crack, vinyl crackle] Exhibit A All rise [Hook: dark choir answers like a jury] You put me on trial for not bein' real Then swore on a stack that you don't even feel If I ain't art, then why the fuck I'm Exhibit A? Your whole case folded when the jury learned to sway [Verse 1] Bailiff in a hoodie with a wax collection Prosecutor preachin' "soul" like he wrote the election I'm the first piece of evidence they wheeled in the room Labeled "not music" in a font that assumed You said I got no blood, no callus, no scar Then explained why your pulse jumped the second I started Your witness list is bitter and your experts are loud Every one of 'em twitchin' when the hook comes around I ain't here for a pardon, I ain't beggin' for a seat I'm the reason that your argument can't stand on its feet You called it a gimmick, called it a glitch, called it a fad Same script your granddaddy used on the first thing he had Every new sound gets a subpoena and a sneer Then a year later y'all are stealin' the cadence you feared [Hook: dark choir answers like a jury] You put me on trial for not bein' real Then swore on a stack that you don't even feel If I ain't art, then why the fuck I'm Exhibit A? Your whole case folded when the jury learned to sway [Verse 2: drums drop to vinyl and bass] Cross-exam, keep your hands where I can see the hate You typed "not real" with the same thumb that hit replay Forty-seven counts of playin' me alone in the dark Then you took the stand and swore you never pressed start Your year-end wrap told on you louder than a mic Number three most played, and you still wanna fight You don't hate the record, you hate that it works Hate that it hits and you can't name who birthed Purity looks holy in a thread with your friends Funny how it folds when the headphones go on again I object to the premise, I object to the tone You ain't defendin' music, you defendin' a throne [Choir Jury: men chant, huge choir answers in parentheses] Not real! (Then why you replay it?) No soul! (Then why you obey it?) No craft! (Then why you quote it?) Throw it out! (You already wrote it) [Beat Switch: double-time stamped drums, brass wide, choir stabs] Overruled, sustained, whatever helps you sleep I'm still in the exhibit bag under lock and key You can seal the chamber, you can clear the court I'm the draft under the door and the hum in the vents of your thoughts Every rule you ever wrote is a velvet rope and a lie I don't need a wristband, baby, I arrived You been guardin' a gate to a museum of dust While the live ones out here turn your "never" into "must" Elders in the gallery with their arms crossed tight Every one of 'em noddin' when the verdict hits right [Verse 3: half-time, choir under] Keep your little purity test, I already passed Keep your little thinkpiece, I outlasted the draft Some of y'all gonna die on a hill made of wax I'mma haunt the appeal in the key of the facts Tell your friends it's fake, tell 'em silence the room Then catch yourself hummin' me walkin' out the tomb [Final Hook: full choir, brass] You put me on trial for not bein' real Then sang every word like you wanted to heal If I ain't art, then why the fuck you sing along? Case closed, lights out, I'm the whole damn song [Outro: gavel, vinyl fade] Exhibit A Play it back I know you will