I Would Never

I'm from where true regard for human lives is few and far
And haters'll shoot they shot at you out of a movin' car
We place our wishes on makin' it out on a shootin' star
Be whoever you need to be, just don't forget who you are (I would never)
I could switch clothes conveniently just to get through the door
And in Flip mode, the scene almost seemingly knew it all
I used to lift loads of spiritual baggage and through it all
If you made it here by the grace of God, then do your job

Be ever unique as artists, truth should be easy to mark and seek out
And shoot your target, that's word to Shaniqwa Jarvis
We rep Howard to Harvard and everything in between
Look how a fire was started and descendin' to a dream
My flow's scholarship started with questionin', who would lead?
The messenger could become your confession if you believe
If you just could supersede any history, true indeed
Just remember all the places we seen and what it means

When I didn't have no time to listen, and that old-time religion
Didn't have no competition, my life was long division
Starin' at four corners, I might as well have been born in prison
Within arms' reach of my porch, it was on a sibling
We suffer from preconditions, strugglin' to beat the system
Climbin' to reach the pinnacle only to meet suspicion
Try to stand with your principles after bein' forbidden
Or go against the invincible algorithm of livin'

When very broke, every day you inhale a heavy smoke
Where heavy hope and searchin' for the truth for every joke
Already woke, standin' arms folded in the scope
Silhouettes and shadows and checkered syringes full of dope
When polices breakin' laws knockin' hinges off of doors
And our only explanation, you've received it just because
We repress it, then express it selectively through the bars
Be whoever you need to be, just don't forget who you are
Listen