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Ordinary Lives

by Rayneman

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renzthemc Rayneman is a great storyteller. An album full of emotions evident in his writing, cadence and flow. I love the varying changes in the mood and tone of each tracks and also the diverse but integral production. He makes sure that the listeners will be able to feel him deeply through his words which is an experience, sentiment and an ode to life! Favorite album from Latent Labrats! Favorite track: Over Shadows (feat. Latent Labrats, prod. by KMG).
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1.
[Verse I] It begins Enter the two-bit crook Whose time is counted by the rice pouring from his hand Blood spilled for a refill Never knowing how long the crime life is gonna last Nor any idea when this all began It was like this ever since No past, no future Just the present of his children forged with every sin Every cellphone snatched is tuition Every gram of drug is nutrition Every scrape with Death a repetition Heavy conscience honed his intuition But ain't much difference between the needy and greedy in the laws that are bound Run like the wind when the hogs come around They'll run you to the ground and gun you down, another body count They say everybody see the devil on an empty stomach Then they see God when their end is coming And he knows damn well ain't no running from it, but... At least 'til his kids make it out of this hell, gotta stay alive Too far downhill for a better life Not saying he ain't praying for it every night Then his answer came, on a fated chase through the maze-like alleyways It was there that he saw God's face... ... right behind a .38 aimed at his way "But I'm still needed by my family" So he drew his own weapon frantically Time stood still as they both stared down The barrel of a gun and their mortality [Interlude] Who is right, who is wrong Does it even matter? When only winners get another chapter But even then you're getting played This is not Lady Justice's scales Just the strings of a puppet master As the world keeps spinning And your money keeps thinning And humanity is slipping Into fear, need, greed Desperation, rage and pride The problems keep pressing Now let's hear the other side of the story [Verse 2] Enter the young police Whose career was built with every dime from his mom and dad Studied hard so he can make 'em proud at last He was gonna be the one to take 'em out of that Lifestyle of debt and decay That he knew growing up in this rough place Not one to accept how "it just is", He vowed to bring order and justice But it wasn't quite like he first thought Corruption rooted down to the bedrock Salary wasn't enough for the risk brought Some'd rather trade honor for a quick buck As he got pulled in to a world of sin He had lost his dreams and his flames were killed And his badge's glimmer grew dimmer with every moral descent Now his only saving grace was his bloodless hands Couldn't take the life of another man But it wasn't for long, now he understands As he stands in front of God In this confrontation with a man on the run Deep in the alley, no backup to come Shaking hands firmly grasping that guns They stared eye to eye And the only thing they saw was a swine and a man of crime Neither one will ever get to know Their similarities and burdens held up inside No chance for redemption When in just another millisecond, you're about to die Shots rung loud in the sky As the two lost souls pulled the trigger at the same time [Outro] Who was right, who was wrong? Does it even matter When only winners get another chapter But even then you're getting played This is not Lady Justice's scales Just the strings of a puppet master As the world keeps spinning And your money keeps thinning And humanity is slipping Into fear, need, greed Desperation, rage and pride The problems keep pressing us Further down the slide
2.
[Verse I] Got nothing in my hands that I can offer 'cept warmth But I'm worried if you ever hold it, you would be scorched 'Cuz I'm a sucker for love, rather easy to excite Just another violent heart in need of some peace of mind I'm not just in it for our bodies to become one But I wouldn't mind if I ever was your loved one It's kind of a conundrum, the same fertile imagination Is the cultivating ground for hesitation Thoughts lost on the beat of the drums I feel my body burning hotter than the heat of the sun When we're face to face, written scripts incinerate Every dialogue and logical thought disintegrates As I find myself deep in space, giving chase To a bluefire comet whose tail illuminates This dark, empty place where I float with no aim In this soundless vacuum, I call for your name [Hook] Pick up from my hints 'cause Love has a melody, sung in sweet subtleties This song is a gift from me to you Forgotten sensations What's lost in the memory, comes back eventually This song is a gift from me to you [Verse II] I wanna take you on a lovebound journey You're a real life Celine, but I can't play your Jesse I'm more like the poet sweet-talking you for pennies Hiding my true feelings in cryptic entries You're the Halley in my orbit, a once-in-life moment I should carpe diem on it and yet I'm afraid to blow it So I stay frozen, gazing at your bright silhouette Don't have the answers to this self-imposed riddle yet Too afraid to see the end of the puzzle If I ain't gonna be in it, so I deliberately miss a piece Now you even got me doubting on my non-belief Asking God not to make this story bittersweet But I'm aware that if I want it, gotta stand the hurt The gravity of a confession pulls me back to Earth Still no resolve, but a crystal clear aim In this crowd of lost souls, I call for your name [Hook]
3.
[Verse I] You are my loved one, you are my biggest hope You're the seed of my emotions, salvation of my soul You're everything to me, you're my sanity You're the silver line holding down this family I know that it's not always gonna be a sanctuary There'll be a lot of friction between your father and me But never enough to stop the motion of your growth When push comes to shove, we'll work together through the slope Sometimes our flaws and neurosis will get the best of us I hope you never stop believing in the best of us In this house, I'll be the light that you need So that you can grow brighter than I ever could be Our future may be shrouded in uncertainty But we'll be trying with the best of our abilities To pave the way for your journey to the endless Your gratitude will be my life's repentance [Hook] 'Cause I'm haunted by the present and past Your future is the last elation that I know And no matter what judgement is passed Your happiness is the salvation of my soul (x2) [Verse II] You are my loved one, you are my biggest hope You're the seed of my emotions, salvation of my soul The constant reminder of my love and my pain The sole recipient of all that remains Your mother died to bring you to this world Life's cruel reality immediately unhurled Before you could even open your eyes to see it Shattered my dreams the very moment I conceived it But we've gotta live on for her sake I would never let you feel like your birth was a mistake The dream lives on, you just inherited her light So I'll give you all my love for the two women in my life My darling daughter, my nighttime star My springtime thawing out my frostbitten heart You've raised me up before I even raise you I'll be your pillar 'till I pay my dues [Hook] [Verse III] You are my loved one, you are my biggest hope You're the seed of my emotions, salvation of my soul You represent everything that I'm fighting for A future that can nourish innocence like yours They made me birth you in prison walls and steel thorns I'll sing you lullabies over banging steel doors My arms will protect you from the cold chill of malice, The lies and the madness, this narrow world's our palace You're too young for these hellish ordeals, but Let it temper your bones 'til we win our freedom The truth shall prevail, happiness will come You'll live to see the beautiful world kissed by the sun Ready yourself for when tomorrow's within reach No tyrant's too great for a will unrelenting You are warmed by the fires of change May your generation witness better days [Hook]
4.
[Verse I] All he ever wanted was a happy little family But the household atmosphere was angry by default They tried to maintain the illusion of living happily But both of his parents were earnest to a fault His mom's story was that of rags to riches And his dad's was of riches to rags They had opposite changes, but were equally bitter And he was inadvertantly caught smack in the middle of all that He knew they kept secrets, but never dared to find out Assumed that if he left the flames alone, it would die out on its own Feigned ignorance was the way he coped They'd keep it together for his sake is what he hoped Until one day, they came home thunderously mad And his mother proceeded to pack clothes into her bag Revealed so many things, it was impossible to start But he knew that everything had fallen apart [Hook I] His faith shattered along with all the family portraits He couldn't say a word, his vision was distorted Then his crying mother's sudden question made him quiver Leave with me now, or stay in here forever Of course he couldn't choose, for he loved them both equally Defiant, as if to say that "none of this is real to me" No way that he'd settle for just half of a home So he chose to run away on his own [Verse II] Holding a cellphone and only 20 bucks He went over to his homies and asked to stay there But none of them wanted to be a part of his affair Nor to have freeloaders in their care So then he set out to seek self-sufficiency through work But young with no skills or creds meant he had no worth Then he tried to sell art for a living But his second-rate sketches were only good enough for dimes and pennies His reclusive upbringing came back to bite him hard He learned what it meant to be filthy and to starve His father's teachings have always kept him in line But he'll be damned if he survived without resorting to crime So he became a thief, but lacking stamina and speed He was caught easily and got ganged up in the streets Crawled into an alley, cried alone in the dark For him, everything had truly fallen apart [Hook II] Hungry, bloodied, isolated from help No words could explain just how pathetic he felt He wanted to blame God, his parents, or his friends But in the end, he knew that he could only blame himself Reached the absolute lowest point of his life To the point he even questioned what's the point of his life Wishing to go back to the time before he left He closed his eyes and waited for death [Outro] He woke up, neither dirty nor dead What seemed like an eternity was was all in his head Back from limbo, but knowing the hell that awaited He turned things around before any of that became real He went back to his home, where his parents were waiting Set aside their differences and then embraced him They promised him that it would all work out Promised it would all work out...
5.
[Verse I] You were born to be a leader, a star To be somebody great, gotta tell yourself that's what you are It always starts with the proper mindset and discipline Gaining assets and then building it up Like how your parents raised you for the task They worked too hard for you to half ass Gave you a taste of all the fine things in life The preview alone is almost blinding in its light But you gotta prove to the world that you deserve it and more, Only made men can go inside the glass door Observe for the moment 'til you figure out the secret How to get a passing score Don't you wanna stand among titans? Your face gracing Time, you life story timeless? I know you do, who wouldn't wanna live the dream? I'll teach you a magic spell, repeat after me [Hook] Here's a toast to some wonderful times Spreading peace, love and positive vibes Never let up on the hustle and grind Stack your money 'till it's up in the skies [Verse II] You're on a roll, and building momentum With a sound plan with necessary connections The money tree you planted's slowly grown to fruition Just keep doing things that earn you recognition As for charity... well you can give back But frankly, morality and empathy is a trap Designed to take away and impede your cash flow The obligation is a little hard to grasp, though, 'cuz Where were they when you were out making money? All your former bullies now broke, ain't it funny? It was a good choice to chase material possessions But still not enough, you need more obsession Yes.... you gotta make more You haven't made it 'till you can't make any more Everything else is utterly inconsequential Now sing it with me as we hit the instrumental [Hook] [Verse III] Now you're at the top, the profit never stops So much, you've forgotten what it's like climbing up They look at you like some kind of biblical figure When you're up that stage, give 'em all a middle finger Fuck 'em all, inspire competition? Teach 'em how to lick your feet and bow in submission Show them success is not a bedfield of flowers You gotta have tenacity to power through the doubters Nerves of steel to ignore inequality Those who can't be a king deserve a peasant's salary And all these parasites are plaing guilty conscience But all the accusations boil down to jealous nonsense They say you never starved... Yeah, 'cuz you're smart They're starving 'cuz they're lazy It's not the system's fault Poverty is just another deadbeat excuse Better do the whipping if you don't wanna be the one abused And you're amused with all the contradiction Denying your reality with poorly-written fiction When you shed metaphorical blood, sweat, and tears Don't let anyone tell you that you had it easy getting here Let those losers get their just desserts You get the full course and everything that you deserve Let them salivate as you dine with fellow kings Drink that fine wine, raise it high, and sing [Hook] [Outro] It feels good to be a god among men It feels good to be a god among men It feels good to be a god among men I know you wanna be one too, don't pretend.
6.
I've had enough, this is the last straw I'm burning it all, no more bad draws No more for me, or anyone else Drag you off of your high horse and into the dregs That you make us crawl, while you stand tall Walking over us, now YOU take the fall How does it feel, ain't it miserable? Why do you puke from the same shit you throw? You don't know my story, don't call me a bum You don't know the burden of a first-born son Standing in for a father who left us for dead Mother was my only model for strength And all of those years, I intend to repay But not as a slave, harnessed and chained I've played in this game for too long with no say I'm here to live life, I'm not here for charades So go preach to your choir You built your career in a lavish empire I dare you to come spend a year in my jungle Where shit is so rough, even diamonds crumble to dust To put food on the shelf Poor mental health, not a pill for myself Cuz my momma's grown frail, sister critically ill Medical bills got me buried in debt While you pilfer more wealth, I've been working like hell Yet my salary's held, zero empathy felt And no friends to reach out, they condemned me instead Companionship ends where the money begins, huh? And you think I'm lacking gratitude? You think I'm just not trying as hard as you? Two jobs, seven days, and I'm a slacking fool? You wanna see a fucking change of attitude? Fuck you self-serving class You think your money gives everything you do a pass What you wouldn't do for cash; trade lives for dead-- -- presidents, you might as well join the severed heads You want stocks? Watch out for the bad signs Cuz I will turn your fucking life's crescendo to a flatline Just like the one from that night, I can hear it still As she said her last I love you and her breathing failed Hands so cold, tears froze as they fell I'll let you have a good taste of that soul-freezing chill She found God, while I lost the one I answer to From now on, I'm the judge, I'm the arbiter of vengeance And you're all accountable Crimes against humanity: treating them like animals Pillage, murder, theft within the law And when I kill you, I'll be the guiltiest of all So what's the verdict? Whose neck should be strung? Mine, or these worthless, egotistic scum? How many bullets do I need for everyone who wronged me? How many shots will it take to fucking end this story? Fuck, I just steal what I can find Loaded handgun, ready to go Columbine Inside that office that I've longed to burn for years The asshole in charge just wet himself in fear Wishing this a dream, a horror movie reel I wish it was too, but my sister died for real Your fortune won't save you from the karma that you've earned Take it all to hell and see if that shit don't burn Duh-duh-duh-duh, duh-duh-duh-duh Empty, reload, then more duh-duh-duh-duh-duh-duh-duh How you like me now, motherfucker? You walked like a king, now you lay like a sucker What's the matter? No more witty quips? Choke in your blood, you condescending prick I did at last Holy shit, I just killed a man It happened so fast I'm falling and I can't turn back So I gotta make my exit quick before the cops arrive Now that it's come to this, everybody has to die That's right, I'm coming for you all I'll show the whole world how the mighty will fall I'm gonna kill you, I'm gonna fucking kill you There are no depths that I'm not willing to sink to Just to prove even royal bloods bleed red I'll take you to the same place my dreams went I'll take you to the same place my dreams went It guess this is where my dreams end
7.
[Hook] Somebody hear my signal of distress Somebody come and help alleviate this stress Unremarkable but doing my best I just need some time to wrap my head around this mess (2x) [Verse I] Always unremarkable, that's how the world makes me feel Got too many hands pulling on my steering wheel False freedom, might as well be riding shotgun As everybody steers me through Knievel long jumps The only thing expected from my hands is 2 and 10 Cuz everything less than a 10 is just a 2 to them They say "do your best", their eyes tell you "don't bother" Expectations higher than parents in soap operas So what am I to do? Can't let my people down Gotta cross oceans for 'em even if I drown And you know that I'd do that shit with zero hesitation But it would it be too much to show me some appreciation I know I stumble through my missions, can't do it quick But I can take the bruises so I don't break these eggs Yet if I break one, I'm treated like I broke them all It's so tiring, might as well just take the fall so [Hook] [Hook II] I need some time, just a minute or two Don't need to put me in a leash for me to journey with you My loyalty is infinite for everyone who's worth the time But don't push me to a self-destructive state of mind I can only take so much before it bends my psyche Psychopathic tendencies or psychedelic coping's likely Don't gotta psychoanalyze me for a turn out I'm one step away from a burnout [Verse II] I never did nobody wrong But the people in my life make it difficult to get along I'm always on the giving end of favours Yet always on receiving end of being called a failure And a fake just because I take a middle ground But when things are getting real, they never stick around Maybe it's exactly 'cause I'm fake That I never know when to abandon ship until it's too late All alone, I turn to music Resonating melodies make me wanna try it too Cobble up these stories into something moving And if it's not, the act is still therapeutic Turn my life to art, is that my only way out? The only way I'm going to be heard amidst the chaos When things are spiraling out of control And we can't speak person to person, make it soul to soul [Hook] [Hook II]
8.
[Verse I] What is a life worth living, he asks? What's the price of dreams in this world run by cash? Is mediocrity hand-to-hand with contentment? Are we only alive if we shine through the heavens? He's burnt-out so he's inclined to think this way The elitism sinks further into his brain Living conditions make it difficult to escape The jagged fangs of his self-hate Then he remembers, a dream that he had shelved ages ago That maybe he should give another shot but take it slow Is it a ray of hope or just a another way to cope? He doesn't care, his once lost flames were stoked Who could have ever thought that you could turn a new page from an old book And reclaim the will to live this world took Now that he's got his inner demons at bay He takes his first jump back to the fray [Hook] 'Cause when your heart is crying out loud for change You've got no other choice but to obey The passion overflowing inside your veins No matter what lengths you have to chase It goes beyond the... Money, fame, power and pride The urge to burn alight 'till the embers turn white When only ashes remain, the lives you touched will sing your song And then inherit your will, the dream goes on [Verse II] Even though we live in fearful times It was his way of telling fate to read between the lines Never again gonna crumble to his knees Unfazed by the hunger and fatigue, because For the very first time in this life He doesn't feel like a nuisance Seeing past the road between winning and losing He was a rogue in the divide between diamonds and roughs Blurred the lines, pulverized the whole framework to dust He lived only for exhilaration Treating every battle as his greatest creation He wasn't even thinking of dreaming, he just did Only madness could push someone so off the grid Yet somehow, the world felt connected to him They admired his pursuit that was untainted by sins Unrelenting though he wasn't the best by any means So this is what it truly means to dream [Hook] [Verse III] Through the rise and fall, he never missed a step Even if it meant criminal neglect upon his health Like he truly wished to burn to ash He kept playing with the fires that his works had cast There was no better elation than the euphoric sensation Of making whole-hearted creations out of self-elevation And a sense of indignation towards the petty racing May he be an inspiration for this generation, ugh For the aspirants whose confidence is shaken up By the culture that only values the greatest, ugh 9 to 5ers, providers under stagnation, ugh Everybody with a dream who'd like to chase it, ugh Take the pain and break your chains Forsake the fame and make true change 'Til the day only your deeds remain, and a new dreamer takes your place, The dream goes on! [Outro] Yeah, this is to all my riders, providers 9 to 5ers and trife life survivors Truth writers, freedom fighters and dream igniters True friends and loved ones that's always there beside us Dreamchasers, carving out a path of your own Or bringing change for society as a whole Earnestly, without selling your soul Keep living your extraordinary ordinary lives Yeah
9.
[Intro] Yo, putting this here 'Cuz I didn't have room for this inside the song I'd like to thank Writer's Block Master Gab AKA Rambling Man The vets who support the new school Glitching Forever Studios No Face Records, good friends Let's get it [Verse I] This is to everyone who always got my back A message to my people and the reason I rap Look, the daydreaming, doodling downer has grown And now I have something I can call my own This is for my friends who're always there for me Who've seen the worst and best of me They're like my second family Do I deserve this blessing? See, I was always quite the fool in life and in school But having homies by my side made the challenges cool Now I'm here, emcee-slash-engineer All the losses that I took made the victories sweeter Sparked a big bang in this empty void Now all the obstacles and noise, I can handle with poise This is to Fight Club, DERAILED and my brothers in high We may have our own flights, but we all share the sky [Hook] This is to everyone who always got my back In troubled times, I was raised from the dirt To all the assholes who doubted my worth I got my middle fingers raised to the jerks This is to everyone who taught me to believe in me Believe in their belief in me unleashing my abilities Believing in the hope that I’ll be living worthwhile And when my time comes, I’ll be leaving with a smile [Verse II] Every now and then, I get a little bit jaded 'Cuz the world is so bleak, life's colors seem faded I made it, but it's kind of hard to appreciate Knowing many out there who'll never share my fate Lost in despair at a very young age Falling into a state of mind of shallow escape Locked down in this cold world ruled by the money All these good kids in a mad country S'why I don't like shit when I go outside I wanna be their angel but I'm not qualified Dreamville's dreamers must be dead or in grief Turned to dark twisted fantasies of 6 feet deep Yet smiling faces shine in the dark The many faces of hope, I etch 'em all in my heart Always keep 'em in my thoughts for every song that I write So I can bless them with the same music that changed my life [Hook] [Verse III] Celebrating life’s long trail of milestones Failures and successes comprise all the rhymes wrote Head up clouds while reliving the essence But with feet on the ground, I move on to the present Firsthand witness that love can be fragile But to hold it down as long you can is what matters So I love them all the same, that won't change Dedicate it to my folks when I step in the stage And though the Labrats are late in their revolt At least their talents are no longer latent in the vault See, Wally on his Don shit, Mental he evolves quick Kensa, Soup, Omega’s next release is on the watchlist As for me, I can only be me How far I'll make it in the end, I can only wait and see In this make or break to make a break world we live in We could all use a helping hand to make it through the distance [Hook] [Outro] This is to Emman, Nathan, Faye, Jim and Joe Karl, Earl, Sam, Rodjie, Cavs, Betch, and Badjong To Dei, Tiu, and Jorge, big homie Norms Aniki’s got your back, tell Shella, Carl and Lawrence Riz, JV and the hip hop fam Rio and every girl who once held my heart in their hand This is to mom and dad and every single part of the clan Thank you very much, you all made me what I am
10.
[Verse I] As I stand on the grave of my elders All their memories are calling from the past Though I somewhat vividly remember I no longer feel their warmth in my hands Everything they ever meant is just interpretation Fuzzy recollections of their best and worst traits Never knowing their regrets and hidden pains Are their true identities just another secret buried in the grave? Well I guess that I'm the same Tellin' souls to fly away 'cuz I will be okay When the truth is, I can't even tell if blood is in veins I'm so empty, I've been living just to build a frame for coffinspace Friends, dreams, beliefs, good fights Just so I can tell myself I had a full life No idea when it's my turn to die But like my loved ones in the ground, I'm just passing by [Hook] 'Cuz no matter the belief, all the answers that you seek Lead to one reality, in the end we're all just passing by Everybody's just a shadow through our memories And only the emotions that we shared is left in the obscurity [Verse II] 'Cuz all the empathy in the world Wouldn't ever let me know how it's like from your shoes I could sing about it every day And still fail to portray your conditions Having everything to lose Just verisimilitude Imagery in prose never grimmer than the truth Tell 'em of the thickness of the blood we've never seen But it's never quite as red As the spilling in the province and the streets Farmers starving, oh the irony Beggars lying under tall walls of ivory Childless mother's tears, or fears of a refugee Shattered views warrant need for an effigy Looking for a savior with their hands in the air Suffering around us but we just don't care Apathetic winners of survival of the fittest Some relying on their privileges, challenges dimished While the others be forgettin' what it's like to be weak Never looking back while continuing the streak Every second is a dollar under the account Is this really what it means to make our time count? Hah Well what do I know? I'm also stacked in this race for survival Never in my life held a hammer and a sickle And these bars do little than to whittle down The guilt that's inside of me Hypocrite as I may be 'least I know the stakes, and the bane of humanity Our time is too short, but not short enough To realize we need each other's help to make it through the rough I don't mean to invalidate our grind Just a self-conscious ode to mankind We're all just ordinary people living ordinary lives And we're all just passing by
11.
[Verse I: Rayneman] I'm just a fuck up trying to unfuck up my situation Holding a shovel, I dig through layers of frustration They say it's all in the state of mind, so I put my mind on stasis Wear a happy face, look for rainbows and chase it But chasing happiness is like building card towers in the wind No matter what you do, it's gonna tumble down in the end Still I gotta front that I got my marbles together Force a smile just to walk by your side, hoping that you'll make it better You know half of my time's spent spewing some posi vibe shit But deep within my heart's recesses, I know it's all nonsense Just as spiteful and conniving as my antithesis Little satanspawn reaching out for that hand of Jesus Too real for those I ride with, too fake for those I rock with That smile you hate stuck on my face and overtakes my conscience Until the day that every one of you turn on me I'll still be smiling all alone in purgatory [Hook] It's so easy to lie No one sees through my smiles When I'm expressing Feels like I'm transgressing in your eyes It's so easy to lie No one sees through my smiles Scattered dreams in the sky Along with each piece of my life Is it too late to pick up all the missing parts I wanna go back from the start [Verse II: Kensa] I'm in it to win it, I’m shooting for the zenith Break from the prison of my inhibitions Conflicted on whether to listen to my shoulder angel or inner demons What is the weight of a flick of a pen if it hardly changes the minds of men? It's nothing but a speck in the infinite spectrum of interrelated butterfly effects Still, I plunge into fictional narratives like a messianic renaissance man Megalomania shredded to sediments, dreams of a god transcending from man I refuse to be broken down to repetitive sets of influences 'Cause I went down from being the best to getting the worst of my depression Now listen: Bullets are raining from every direction, I'm spitting up blood from my wounded reflection I try to be perfect with my imperfections, I'm shooting with my eyes closed, misdirected To the innocent men I never wanted to war with, gotta stand tall 'spite the painful process Of losing your friends to a game that ponders to the selfish even if it breaks another soul Exacerbated by my pain and anger Every waking moment feels like a blade of a dagger Being driven to my hollow chest that I am barely breathing with I'm killing my darlings, down to the last bullet of the gun that I will shoot myself with [Verse III: Mocksmile] Stay on the background, pretend that it's cool Wait for the last round, deny a revenue Drool on the scenery and act like a fool Nod my head as I get back at the queue Never be defined at the highest point of my life Every time I feel alive, I always close my eyes And refuse to see what can be if I only took two steps Will it count as a victory? Before I drown from the misery that I used to be  The one to fix catastrophes, create all of the masterpieces From the mastery of calamities Even shadows couldn't see the shade under my strongest canopy (no, no) I dive the attic for misplaced chances Before it went all tragic, pictures painted on the piles of garbage Only strong from afar Come nearer and clearly you'll see all my scars The feeling is fear, sincerely want to restart And throw all my cards [Hook] [Verse IV: Nakr] Everyday, my face is painted with a smile that's fabricated As a way to remain sane in this hell that I've created Every layer's made up of unattainable aims That I thought would aid in saving me a space in a safe haven I remember those moments wherein I initiated On taking baby steps to step away from a state of being jaded Evading the statements indicated by my cranium  Intended to impede my intentions so as to keep me safe from Falling down a rabbit hole, housing a thousand false hopes Reaching out, just to force-open a thousand close doors So that all of my longings break loose and run amok To open up a thousand wounds that are bound to leave a mark When I'm about to take a step back, I realized I sank too deep In this abyss that I am in, swimming in a cesspool of tears One of these days, I'll bathe in acid rain to eradicate the pain But not today, 'cause I still have a long list of smiles to fake [Verse V: Soupherb] Staring at light but emitted display for 5 or 7 days a week We always worked and played but I contemplate if this a life worth to keep With only 5 hours of sleep while juggling life with hands and feet Yet I gain small victories but they don't matter because of soul-crushing defeats Feels like they tie me up to my seat, turned blue then slowly losing my heat How do I fight back with a crunched mind during crunch time? I'll get fired How do I fly high when I'm wasting my time on the ground while I'm so inspired? Already tired, quit on this world then move onto the next just like my faded fire My life's a rolling tire on a depressing slope, losing hope, for once I was dope But somewhere between living was dropping low notes, it was hard to cope No brainer I had to show patience, determination it was the only way for me to grow It was slow and steady, plenty of time to learn all the things that I need to know Learning is painful, no wonder why "learning process" exists Either it overwhelms you or overcome the challenge which is the sweetest Learned that there's no difference between righteousness and wickedness How do I know? I learned how to be one with angels and demons

about

Love. Hatred.
Hope. Despair.
Tenacity. Futility.
Desire. Contentment.

A collection of stories and emotions juxtaposed with one another to paint but a small picture of the chaos that is humanity.

As the album name suggests, the stars of this epic are the ordinary people, with their ordinary lives, ordinary dreams, and (alarmingly) ordinary struggles.

I dedicate this to every human being who has been part of my memory in a certain way; from the friends and family who helped make me who I am, to the strangers who have shaped my perception of the world one story at a time.

I dedicate this to all of my peers senior rappers whose pursuits have inspired me to take this road of expression through rhymes.

Most importantly, I dedicate this album to Klarize Permejo. This album would never have seen its completion without her encouragement during the rough times.


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Released October 6, 2018

credits

released October 6, 2018

All tracks were written by K. Hao
Guest writers for Track #11 include K. Samonte, P. Lorenzo, P. Nacar, and A. Martin

(Lyrics are available in each track description)

Tracks #1, #2, #3, #4, #9, #10, #11 produced by KMG
Tracks #5 and #8 produced by Kensa
Track #6 produced by Mocksmile
Track #7 produced by Serena DC

All tracks recorded at Glitching Forever Studio, except:
Nakr's Track #11 verse - recorded at Cosche Collective Studio
Mocksmile's Track #11 verse - recorded at his home studio

All tracks mixed and mastered by Kevin Algozo.

Cover art by Paolo Lorenzo and Kevin Hao (original illustration)

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