Rise

Welcome everybody, this is City Heights
Hope you like your stay, the graffiti's pretty nice
Mostly warm days, a couple windy nights
And if you look up to your right you can see the planes keeping flight
I'll put the focus here for anyone with open ears
Now my bars are crafty like the local beer
And I hope that you support 'em like a sports brassiere
No capping, I'm snapping and crafting up magic
'Cause I'd imagine rapping is a dope career
And I know I'm not a gangster so I gotta change my image
I'll be calling up my dentist for some gold veneers
This is so sincere, a love letter to my city
Aging like a wine, I'll be better when I'm fifty
Had to drop a record, there's no telling when it hit me
I'll be calling all my friends to try and sell it like a Scentsy
Illinois is where I'm from, but Cali's where I'm at
Peoria and City Heights, gotta put 'em on the map
One is where I'm born, the other's where I crash
And if it wasn't for my past then I wouldn't wanna rap

That was where I'm from, this is where I'm at
That was where I'm from, this is where I'm at
Peoria and City Heights, gotta put 'em on the map
If it wasn't for my past then I wouldn't wanna rap
That was where I'm from, this is where I'm at
That was where I'm from, this is where I'm at
Peoria and City Heights, gotta put 'em on the map
If it wasn't for my past then I wouldn't wanna rap

Step on with verse two, yes Mom I heard you
I'll keep eye on the street light for my curfew
All these years later I guess nothing's really changed
I moved to California, but some stuff is still the same
I'm detouring, cops are holding down the spot
And later I found that out an older guy was shot
I guess I just assumed he was banging up the block
But it's crazy nowadays any stranger could get popped
Sometimes I feel foolish for views I'm assuming
Lady at the bus stop, what are you doing?
Saw me walking up and started motioning to stand
As soon as I got close she started holding out her hand
Thought she wanted money from me, nah, open up her can
She fell the other day, her wrist is broken and she can't
She told me don't get older and I told her I would try
I opened up her soda and she opened up my eyes
You might be living low, but you could be living high
It doesn't really matter as long as you're living right
So I spit it for my cities of the past and present times
The future's in disguise, welcome to City Heights

That was where I'm from, this is where I'm at
That was where I'm from, this is where I'm at
Peoria and City Heights, gotta put 'em on the map
If it wasn't for my past then I wouldn't wanna rap
That was where I'm from, this is where I'm at
That was where I'm from, this is where I'm at
Peoria and City Heights, gotta put 'em on the map
If it wasn't for my past then I wouldn't wanna rap

I miss my hometown in the autumn weather
And all my family when we're all together
But sometimes I get lazy and I tend to avoid it
Plus chilling by the beach, I kind of enjoy it
Send me a beat, I'll likely destroy it (Yup)
Fell off your feet? It might be an annoyance but
What's to stop you from going to The Red Fox Room
And getting lobster on unemployment?
Rappers acting like Baby, need to order up bibs
That's not what your boy did, straight from Illinois kid
No Hollywood fashion or Valley girl accent
Just Maui Jim glasses with Jordan One Mids
And it sucks that the resellers keep on hoarding all the kicks
'Cause I know the sneaker culture is important to the kids
And if I buy my daughter Yeezy's and she doesn't wanna see me
'Cause she's acting like a teenie, swear I'm gonna throw a fit
So here we are, I hope you played it first
And I hope ya'll have a great day at work
And if you didn't, you should just play my verse
'Cause you know good music never made things worse, City Heights

That was where I'm from, this is where I'm at
That was where I'm from, this is where I'm at
Peoria and City Heights, gotta put 'em on the map
If it wasn't for my past then I wouldn't wanna rap
That was where I'm from, this is where I'm at
That was where I'm from, this is where I'm at
Illinois and California gotta state 'em like a fact
The futures in my grasp, now I'm never looking back