818 En Los Noventas

[Intro]
Windows down
Summer sky
818
All my life
[Verse 1]
Mama yelling, “ven pa’ dentro”
Streetlights coming on, late centro
Sidewalk chalk on the hot concrete
Hand-me-down Js on my small, brown feet
Corner puesto, bag of chips, chile rojo
Sticky fingers, laughing loud, “vámonos, bro”
Backseat battles, cousins in a line
Mi tío on the wheel, bumping rhymes all the time (ey)
[Chorus]
Growing up en el 8-1-8
Paletero bells, we would all chase
Spanglish dreams in a backyard space
From the valley to the whole damn place
818, that’s home in mi mente
Sunburnt skin y corazón caliente
We were broke but we still felt great
’Cause we grew up en el 8-1-8 (oh-oh)
[Verse 2]
Report card folded in mi mochila
Stop at the park, pick-up game, “tira, tira”
Boom box blasting, neighbors yelling “ya cállense”
Pero luego see them nod, “okay, déjense”
VHS nights, Friday, family crowd
Abuelita in the kitchen, talking proud
“Eres de aquí, pero nunca olvides”
Tus raíces, tus calles, tus pibes
[Chorus]
Growing up en el 8-1-8
Paletero bells, we would all chase
Spanglish dreams in a backyard space
From the valley to the whole damn place
818, that’s home in mi mente
Sunburnt skin y corazón caliente
We were broke but we still felt great
’Cause we grew up en el 8-1-8 (8-1-8)
[Bridge]
Ahora miro pa’ atrás, digo “qué suerte”
All that love in the face of the estrés y la muerte
From the cul-de-sac kids to the hills so steep
It’s the place that me taught how to laugh, how to keep
[Chorus]
Growing up en el 8-1-8
Paletero bells, we would all chase
Spanglish dreams in a backyard space
From the valley to the whole damn place
818, that’s home in mi mente
Sunburnt skin y corazón caliente
We were broke but we still felt great
’Cause we grew up en el 8-1-8 (818)

rap, Warm boom-bap drums, woozy West Coast synths, and round bass under male vocals; verses swing between English and Spanish with laid-back confidence, subtle vinyl crackle. Hook widens with stacked gang vocals, tambourine hits, and bright keys. Short breakdown before final chorus with filtered drums, then full mix slams back in for a nostalgic, head-nod finish., hip hop