Lifestyle (Serious Mix)

Lyrics: Charne Hixon Music: Julien Diesnis/Cedric Bertin Verse 1: It was August 11th, 1973 The birth of Hip-Hop first came to be In a borough we call the Bronx in NYC At a rec room birthday party That’s crazy, okay let’s get it started Speaking not only as a student but a growing artist That’s got the culture flowing thru her veins within this market Picking out the best words like produce in a music garden I never cared to bargain Because like any meal that’s made with love By a chef infatuated with their work, it’s the same with us I rock ruff and stuff in my dreadlock bun Cookin’ up classics & they can’t get enough Verse 2: I was conflicted between going to school or making music Was it lucrative enough? Or was dropping out foolish? I didn’t know if this was the way to go Cause if you make one wrong move that’s enough for you to lose it It seems like society will try to dictate yo life if you let it & keep you in a box if you ain’t got the credit & those too scared to take a chance criticize yo methods & it’s all cause of resentment Dang, are we too stuck on traditional ways? Work for another company at minimum wage? For 40 plus years, feel like you wasting away? For the sake of always playing safe? Psh ain’t no way That’s one narrative I can’t obey The world ain’t black and white, and it ain’t so gray Different hues exist and it ain’t just paint Grateful that Kool Herc helped paved the way Verse 3: In this day and age everybody’s rappin Some possibly trappin just to make it happen This they livelihood, so they’re taking action No longer hate on rap that don’t have substance Those folks might be fighting battles that goes beyond my judgment The element of Hip-Hop has always been freedom All aspects of it is history for museums Used to express feelings or fighting off demons It done saved me plenty times without me sending out a beacon It was once seen as obscene and hostile Too explicit and aggressive, incomparable to gospel & back in the 90’s it was almost banned The older generations still don’t understand 30 years later HipHop is number one The most listened in the world, the work still ain’t done It’s part of black culture, no matter how you view it Do you fools listen to music or do you just skim thru it?