Way Down We Go Akuma

[Intro]
Way down we go
To the rhythm we play
We rap this song
(we are Akuma)
[Verse 1]
Chrome frame, sunset in the rear
Tattoo ink, old scars, new year
Koto ring out, cold wind in my ear
Turn the page, but the ink stay here
West side, waves hit the pier, that salt
OGs talk slow, speak on faults
Shamisen slash through the smog like chalk
Outline dreams on the concrete walk
I was broke, ramen on the stove
Loose change, long nights, same clothes
Now I carve my name where the stream flow red
Every bar like prayer for the unfed
Mama lit incense, smoke in the hall
Said, “Honor your name or the name will fall”
Devils in the gutter but they move like kin
So I learned every shadow where the light too thin
[Chorus]
Way down we go
To the rhythm we play
We rap this song
(we are Akuma, hey)
Way down we go
Where the lost still pray
We rap this song
(we are Akuma)
[Verse 2]
Hichiriki cry in the back, that pain
Sound like ghosts in the cold night rain
Piano one note, heart in my throat
Acoustic string hum while I sharpen my quotes
I remember cheap shoes, split seams
Staring at the rich kids, split dreams
Teacher said “quiet”, I drew whole scenes
Samurai mask over cracked blue jeans
Now the crowd chant loud when I slide on stage
Old heads nod, hear the hunger, the rage
But I bow to the ones that were left in the cage
Name ‘em line by line like I’m turning a page
Akuma in the mirror but my eyes stay kind
Devil in the stance but I still seek mind
If I fall, let the echo write me in stone
Every verse thick blood, every cut full-grown
[Chorus]
Way down we go
To the rhythm we play
We rap this song
(we are Akuma, yeah)
Way down we go
Where the lost still pray
We rap this song
(we are Akuma)
[Bridge]
Step for the kids in the back row
Step for the friends that we can’t phone
Step for the ones in the ground now
Hands up high, say their names out loud
Way down we go, but we rise on the beat
Dust on the tongue, hope under our feet
If the world turn cold, we still burn slow
Akuma in the heart, West side in the soul
[Chorus]
Way down we go
To the rhythm we play
We rap this song
(we are Akuma, hey)
Way down we go
Where the lost still pray
We rap this song
(we are Akuma)

rap, Hard 80s West Coast boom-bap with Japanese traditional textures; koto and shamisen riffs ride over dusty, swung drums, hichiriki lines for eerie hooks. Male vocals, dry and upfront in the verses; chorus drenched in reverb and echo. Occasional glitch stutters on turnarounds, warm acoustic guitar and piano chords drop in for contrast, with short solo fills between sections. Big, head-nod knock and a gritty, cinematic energy arc.