[Intro] Late night Same block Same crew Same talk Old heads on the stoop like a board of stock [Verse 1] Mama said "Clock in" Pops said "Clock out" Corner said "Stay here" Whispered my name loud Brown bag lunches Brownstone summers Hand-me-down Js But the hunger got younger Writing on the margins Math sheet, rap scheme Teacher saw equations I was plotting out a dream Tapes in my Walkman Bus seat, back row Marking every stop like a mile toward a show Cousin hit a bid Came back, less jokes Same park bench Less hope, more smoke Looked me in the face Said, "Lil cuz, don't freeze" So I turned every Plan B to Plan A with ease [Chorus] From the stoop to the skylines, I climbed slow Pocket full of small change, big-time goals Kept my cool in the heat, let the grind speak Now I’m sipping from the top of that five-floor walk-up dream From the stoop to the skylines, I climbed slow Every 'nah, you won't' just fed my soul Kept my cool in the heat, let the grind speak Still that kid on the block with a high-rise reach (oh yeah) [Verse 2] Dice game circle I just watched math Angles of the wrist Probabilities of cash Shorty said "Rap nice, but you from where?" I said "Right here, I just think clear" Saw my man trade time for a gold chain Saw my aunt trade sleep just to hold change I learned both costs Both sides hurt So I flipped every loss to a live verse Label call buzzing on a prepaid flip Said they love the authenticity in every script I said, "Cool, but my uncle still forty on rent So the ink on that contract better pay that quick" Now I'm back on the block in a clean-fit tee Kids chase dreams when they look at me Told 'em: Stack skill first Then stack pay Respect last longer than a champagne spray (hey!) [Chorus] From the stoop to the skylines, I climbed slow Pocket full of small change, big-time goals Kept my cool in the heat, let the grind speak Now I’m sipping from the top of that five-floor walk-up dream From the stoop to the skylines, I climbed slow Every 'nah, you won't' just fed my soul Kept my cool in the heat, let the grind speak Still that kid on the block with a high-rise reach [Bridge] Young boy asked "How you beat that trap?" I said "Never let the fast cash lead your map" Take that pain Press it to a page till it bends Then you breathe Then you build Then you break those ends Yeah, the block still talk But I talk back calm Same cracked pavement New lines in my palm If success got an address I wrote mine in ink Right there on the steps Where I learned to think [Chorus] From the stoop to the skylines, I climbed slow Pocket full of small change, big-time goals Kept my cool in the heat, let the grind speak Now I’m sipping from the top of that five-floor walk-up dream From the stoop to the skylines, I climbed slow Every 'nah, you won't' just fed my soul Kept my cool in the heat, let the grind speak Still that kid on the block with a high-rise reach (oh yeah)

rap, East Coast boom-bap with dusty jazz chops, swung drums, and a round, rolling bassline; male vocals laid-back but razor-sharp. Verses sit close and conversational with vinyl crackle and muted horns; chorus widens with stacked harmonies and crisp snare drops. Subtle piano stabs and background crowd ambience build an arc from late-night grind to triumphant stride-out., hip-hop, jazzy, beats, smooth

Stoop Dreams