(Verse 1) Sun baked concrete, tinted windows on the block Waking up to sirens, beating clocks against the lock Ten years deep, still stuck inside the same old zip code Car is out of alignment, carrying a heavy load They talk about the platinum, diamond records on the wall I’m just trying to keep my head up while the ceiling start to fall Every audition closed, every hustle ran aground Another broken promise in this concrete underground But the bass in the trunk keeps the heartbeat steady I ain't got a mansion, but my spirit feeling heavy In a good way, you know? Taking what the street provide Pawned my old ambitions, kept my dignity and pride. (Chorus) Never made it big, never hit that golden light But the sun still sets, and the house is full tonight Got no gold chains, got no platinum on the wall Just a roof overhead and my kids to catch me when I fall Yeah, the West Coast breeze feels just as sweet When you’re happy with the love on a quiet hood street. (Verse 2) Living check to check, or more like debit card to empty Surrounded by the struggle, man, the neighborhood is gritty Never caught the big break, never hit the lottery Hollywood is miles away from where they try to plot on me Bills piling high like the smog over the bay Another working-class hero trying to survive the day They measure success by the figures in the bank I measure my survival by the ranks of how we sank And rose right back up when the floodgates opened Found a peace of mind inside a world that felt so broken No Grammy on the mantelpiece, no feature in the press Just a warrior in sweatpants wearing quietness and stress. (Verse 3) Step into the apartment, drop the weight right at the door Little footsteps running, skipping 'cross the hardwood floor Two kids looking up with a future in their eyes Teaching them the truth behind the neighborhood lies Make sure they do their homework, make sure they eat their greens Protecting them from shadows and the city's crooked means I never made it big, I never toured across the map But I’m keeping all my babies off the corners and the trap That's the real legacy, far bigger than a chain Standing like a lighthouse through the lightning and the rain They got manners, they got heart, they got straight A's on the fridge While I’m out here trying to build a better future, bridge by bridge. (Chorus) Never made it big, never hit that golden light But the sun still sets, and the house is full tonight Got no gold chains, got no platinum on the wall Just a roof overhead and my kids to catch me when I fall Yeah, the West Coast breeze feels just as sweet When you’re happy with the love on a quiet hood street. (Verse 4) So pour a little juice, let the lowrider idle I don't need a billboard or a magazine title Happiness ain't Gucci, happiness ain't selling out It’s the laughter in the kitchen when the lights are going out Yeah, we broke by the standards of the folks up on the hill But we rich in connection and the way we love still West Coast sunset painting purple in the sky Watching over family as the rolling clouds go by I failed at the hustle, didn't make the Fortune 500 But I won the only race that matters when all said and done Got my kids, got my peace, got the rhythm in my soul Never touched the peak, but I'm completely whole. (Bridge) They tell you that you're nothing if you didn't reach the top Like a soul ain't got no value if the money had to stop But I look into their eyes and I see what really counts It ain't about the status or the bank account balance I lost a thousand battles, but I won the actual war 'Cause everything I needed was right here behind my door. (Chorus) Never made it big, never hit that golden light But the sun still sets, and the house is full tonight Got no gold chains, got no platinum on the wall Just a roof overhead and my kids to catch me when I fall Yeah, the West Coast breeze feels just as sweet When you’re happy with the love on a quiet hood street. (Outro) Yeah... Turn the TV off... go to sleep, y'all. Daddy’s right here. No spot in the hall of fame... but we got everything we need right in this room. Westside state of mind... rich in the heart, man. Never made it big... ...and that's just fine with me.
