1. |
Old Soul
04:10
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Old Soul
Verse 1
Wisdom’s not determined by age my body’s a slave
my soul is a sage
trapped in this flesh cage for decades
the only freedom is through the page
escaping numeric age inside these modern age
I’m outdated and proudly dedicated to preserving the past
so I continue the path
I feel connected with ancient relics so I resurrect them
their part of my perception and pieces of my reflection
and I don’t fit in with peers
these past couple years
have felt like millenniums
and now they question how I’m spending them
but I keep it honest and simply pay my homage
to my heroes that have fallen I can hear their voices callin
Chorus
I’m an old soul
trapped in these young bones
I’m starting to feel alone
inside of this time zone
but the music can bring me home!
Verse 2
I abscond with every song to a time that’s far beyond
obtain a nostalgic aura and a more fitting decorum
the golden age of music such a beautiful movement
when you look at culture now it seems sort of amusing
but I plan on infusing the lessons I’ve learned
from shadows ,these former remnants are
hidden still in attendance
But at times I feel lost in these new fads and new trends
and every single day it’s getting harder to blend
maturity found me so early in life it aged me so fast
but gave me spirit to fight
so with this power I will keep your memory alive
revive the better days and get back to the olden ways
Verse 3
but when I’m an old soul grown into old bones
I’ll keep the new ones in line my mind is true to the rhyme
I want to be a living classic but time can be tragic
and can eat you alive if you aren’t settled inside
but I wont fight it my mind has been ignited
by those who came before me with every tale and story
with open ears you’ll get wisdom beyond your years
inspiration comes from history open bottled epiphanies
by grabbing a novel listen to an ancient record
to these teachings I will forever be indebted
so while they cling to youth I aspire to just be timeless
when my prime has passed that’s when ill be at my finest
and throw my watch out the window so every moment is intimate you only become old when your mind feeds into it
our timelines intricate our paths need to intertwine past future can share mutual time
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2. |
Rhythm and Tone
02:40
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and I'm tired of my surroundings
i feel like I've been drowning in a sea of negativity
routine is the enemy but my words
make the planet more appealing
bend the elements to my will
and erase the sealing
draw a latter to the sky and start feeling alive
rain down my writings and the land fuses with the vibe
I parachute to earth, it feels like my birth has happened again
hope flows from out of my pen
and the colors are brilliant
I'm no longer militant
A creature that is sentient can change the world with sentiment
I'm walking through the streets getting people on their feet
with a little bit of poetry we'll tackle any feat
Come on and give me that Microphone
Come on and give me that Microphone
come on and gimme d-dat microphone
so I can change the world through rhythm and tone alright
Now they tamper with the world I've created
poetry's not enough and my dream feels faded
everybody wants something more a flashier decor
I redesigned everything and wonder what i made it for
this is not what i envisioned
my heart starts to sink i regret my decision
should've stayed in my cell
accepting life is hell
they're killin my creation trying to get it to sell
but the cost is just too high to keep my world running
my writings are destroying me it's all about the funding
there's got to be a better way
I wanna fight for more my finger tips are sore
as i'm reaching for the door
Chorus
I'm making my escape on the wings of a verb or a noun
to exemplify freedom of sound
With an aerial view yo i can carry the tunes
escaping mediocre tunes keep the lyrics in bloom alright
and i don't know the meaning of life
but I never felt alive until i started to write
happiness will never happen until you find a passion
a vital word to be involved in every single action
with no creative spark i'm a knife in the dark
stabbing with no direction just an empty reflection
Chorus
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3. |
Cavalry
03:56
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I’m searching for these middle men while they’re chasing dividends
and I still pretend that they’re on the way
sit and wait while I waste a day
and they thrive on the aimless
with all of these dreams of being famous
and they’re just lying straight through their teeth
if they told you that music’s going to be painless
my dreams were crushed so that I could fall in love again
with my pen and my poetry
and now my poverty it don’t bother me
so until the bitter end
ill find a different way to spend
my energy by finding methods closer to reality
So don’t hold your breath because nobody’s gonna save you they’ve gotta get paid to pay you and money is the only way that they’ll aid you
I keep my mind on the music and flow my personality through it
just as long as I can construe this
then ill find a place of congruence
not all these labels are evil yo some of them are just people
tryin to make cash off of their passion but still treat you like an equal
so if you can feed you family by getting fans to jam with me
and keep us all out cubicles then that’s symbiotic and its beautiful
so help should be accepted if you feel that they’ve connected
with your project and your vision but we gotta stay protected
Chorus
but I wanna rule the world with my way of words
and I will fill this page until the snakes are purged
and I’ve got an urge ive gotta find a way
to turn predator into prey and I say
that we break the mold and become the bold
and on the day that my story is told ill die broke
but at least they can say that my soul was never sold
but now im feelin great it’s just me and you
an independent man and I’m pushin through
these fabricated lines
between your ears and my mind
so when you find an artist that you respect
spread the word so you’ll protect
everything that they’re fighting for
you fuel the core when you explore
Chorus
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4. |
Grey
03:37
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Grey
I’m so tired of the color grey
I’m tired of the concrete that is paved
I need to see the color blue
a brighter pallet shows a different point of view
tired of the lines tired of the binds
I need a place where the sun shines
zero cars and zero streets
No buildings and no police
the color green as far as I can see
breathe deep and let my mind run free
when everything is bleak
its hard for me to find words that inspire me to speak
A grey bird singing out of tune
carries notes trying to find a vivid boon
I’ve served my dreary bid
now ill bask in the color right across the bridge
There’s gotta be some beauty I can raise
inside of this dull grey maze
black ink will bring a little spark
there’s gotta be some color in the dark
Verse 2
we scurry in the shadows of skyscrapers
the only green we see is in the form of paper
grey smog into a grey sky
sitting silent as I watch the planet die
dull rats with dull suits in dull ties with their empty eyes
I just wanna see a couple green trees
someone wake me from this nightmare please
Humans filling every single space
but you can’t find one familiar face
the rain culminates into a pond
looking at myself I see my colors gone
as the noise pours from the void
my creative flow is ripped and destroyed
it’s just a chapter in a bigger story
soon I will escape this barren purgatory
Chorus
Verse 3
I need an orange sunrise
paint the golden rays on the land
a bouquet in my hand
the flowers span all across the color wheel
an open palm lets the wind paint the field
pedals dance off into sea
past the beige sands and the palm trees
vibrant fish pilot through the waves
I want to spend my days with nothing man made
nature’s beauty enshrouded
the grey tint smothers earth’s pallet
I’ll never let the city darken me
a pen and paper give me strength to plant a seed
of something gorgeous a mental forest where the colors come together and can flourish
Chorus
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5. |
Minimum Wage Slave
03:13
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I'm battled tested my story will be written as a message
that if we form a vision we can see beyond the wreckage
The sight will not come from a crooked politician
The vision will be given from a lyric tactician
stuck inside a prison of a monetary enemy
the dollar bill rules every part of my identity
it never betters me the all ruling entity
reminding me that freedom is a well hidden memory
With every single second
a battle is waged to topple the maze
and break minds out of the daze
i'm just another pawn i stand alone with a microphone
speaking revolution but the message never hittin home
Cause I'm a minimum wage slave
low grade and under paid x3
and I don't need to be paid come on!
cause I don't want a normal life
I wanna battle til the microphone
falls from my cold dead head as an old man
weathered by the battle for a better way of living
defined by a cause to which everything is given
the only way to find true balance in life
is to seek a real challenge and just live for the fight
I wanna push my voice to the height of being
and never live for money try to find a better meaning
be the voice that is leading the people out of poverty
and bringing us together working on our comradery
so we can come together break the tight tethers
make our lives better rise with a vendetta
to obtain freedom at last forgetting the past
and moving towards the present on our newly paved path
Chorus x2
I wanna release my rage my hatred and pain
and focus pressure on the chains that are keeping me tamed
i'm enslaved by material judged by managerial
fear filled and weak willed pawns of the dollar bill
They got me so tight ill never be free
until the puppeteer's hand comes to terminate me
then a grunt like me will wither and die
and be swept into the wind in the blink of an eye
another nameless face now nothing but a digit
with no vision of living I'm stiff cold and rigid
Chorus
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6. |
Restless
04:37
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Restless
I rise with the yellow star and redistribute the rays
in positive ways a mirror that is filling my days
by packing the page with energetic letters that slay
when I reflect what the world projects a filter is made
inside the conduit that I have become
and even in the dark I thrive on promise of the sun
my poetry is always on the move I can never stand still
gotta keep my hands filled
creativity spills with little literary thrills
a never ending race trying to better my skills
I can never turn off my mind is running through the streets
trying to find some inspiration while refusing to sleep
No rest until it's off of my chest with these lyrics on my mind I'm becoming obsessed
In text there's always more to invest I give my life to my passion with no time for regret
I embody words I'm tapping into reserves
of endless energies defending me from going unheard
to get what I deserve, I'm ascending from the pit
and depending on my grit
I can toughen up my grip
on the throat of opportunity to move words fluently
and operating how I please the world becomes attuned to me
I’m feeling anxious but I try not worry cause it can not be hurried I’m on the right pace
trying to get a little taste of a life that’s free
from all these concerns that are restraining me
I’m getting out of the same hell and freeing my brain cells
to reach my potential and unchain my mental
and all of it’s strength will allow me to paint
with a word brush my surplus of words bottlenecks
into a cluttered mess I shatter the glass to let the rhymes past I must embody the wrath
Chorus
My fiery heart will never let me relax
I'm falling into traps while the insomnia stacks
on the weight of success is like a plate on my chest
protecting me from being just a rat in the nest
but my lungs are squeezed like I cannot breathe it's a blessing and a curse like you wouldn't believe
but if you're ready to bleed and you think that you can bare it
then take on the burden there is power to inherit
the pen is a thorned rose allows me to form flows
it's beauty I my hand but it leaves behind a brand
A beaten scarred man he will truly understand
the merit in the battle of a love fueled stand
Chorus
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7. |
Dark Side of Ambition
03:04
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Say goodbye to all of my patience
and wave hello to my hatred
That'll stray me from these vagrants
and pour darkness into my cadence
My glass is half full
nah better yet it's filled up to the brim
where does my optimism stem?
From the vengeance trapped inside of my pen
They say love can bring us power
but my love has been devoured
by these negative emotions
That'll bring me copious devotion
And I'm that cog that wont fit
Using those intentions that i cant resist
They're a catalyst to my raised fist
I'm positive but with a dark twist
Like a burning fire feelings yearn to be fed
And once they've had their fill
Then i might find some peace inside of my head
And so i fortify with a darker truth
And let the dimmer side of my pallet loose
To escape my prison
I will just attack my vision
So i can feed on the darker side of ambition
And the taste of success seems like an unobtainable flavor
My insatiable hunger tailors necessary behavior
Gotta use everything that i got
against all of those who don't believe
and i show my real power
when i pull that jealousy out from under my sleeve
destroying those that i envy
embrace the feelings that tempt me
and i know that they will end me
but i use them now to defend me
and i want everything that they have
and i just crave it so bad
and i'll do anything that i have to
just as long as i can get past you
I'm leering up at the top
for being everything that i'm not
and having everything that i want in life
without enduring this morbid fight
Chorus
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8. |
Payin' Dues
05:03
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Payin dues
Striving to entertain
Will drive you insane
They don't feel your pain
They forget your name
To them we are all the same
dealt with blatant lies
Charlatans in disguise
Stare you in the eyes
Come up from behind
And slide the knife into your back
I'm tired being judged
For living a life of love
Tying to get a buzz
Trying to rise above all these mediocre days
I'm tired of paying dues
And proving myself to you if you only knew how far we've come
And all my sacrifice I have given life to be standing here still there's no respect but the simply blues will put you in my shoes and show y’all what it's like to be paying dues
But they don't understand
It's all part of the plan
When I've paid my debt
There'll be nothin left
To be standing my way
Fuck your feedback
I bleed for these tracks
We'll do what we please
We hold the keys
For all the hidden doors
I've played the empty rooms
Hit the open road
Played the barren shows
You know how it goes
It's all about who you know
Chorus
Ive lost a lot friends
But this is a common trend
in this music career
And searching for ears
To lend a little time
I've been shot down
Pushed and pulled around
Led astray in an evil way
By people tryin to get paid
But I shall persevere
Let me make it clear
I didn't make it here
To live in fear and be less than what I am
Chorus
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9. |
Traction
03:55
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Verse 1
I feel strong for the very first time in my life
and I feel the chains churning every time that I write
I feel a return from everything that I have poured in to it
my baby steps are now generating some movement
and it’s soul crushing but im so lucky to have it
a plan with no schematic just taking a stab at it
it’s freedom in it’s truest form and if you brave the storm
you’ll bask in sunshine and be reborn
My confidence was earned through pain
trial and error will burn when you learn by the flame
will it destroy you or define you
is it a cage or a portal that you can finally climb through
what if no one’s behind you and no body’s supportive
when everything was morbid I trapped it in a recording
momentum shifts caused by pen tips and words from live lips
can thrive from inside as time ticks
ever faster but the clock is not my master
my fate is under my control on my journey to rapture
I feel them listen
giving my wheels friction my dream is a reality not a figment of fiction
Chorus
The promise lands now in my sight the harder path is worth taking if you’re doin it right we’re fueling the fight the battle for a meaningful life now the futures looking bright it was worth the sacrifice
Verse 2
I can’t sleep I’m waiting on the sun to rise above the land and put the day in my hands and I mold it how I please any progress frees me from the seeds of doubt while they try question my clout they judge me on numbers and stats not the content of my tracks but I feel relaxed if I can reach or inspire one mind everyday life will not be in vein as I fight through the fray but I’m looking back on how far that I’ve come Though I feeI proud I’ll never turn complacent and numb
sometimes it all clicks I was born to speak words through the metal in my iron fist
the work is payin off the flow has endowed my life with some confidence
through vowels and consonants
struggling is a talent of mine I learned that I can parry time
with a weapon of rhymes
the people give me strength my voice is never hoarse
their undying support is the of my core force
four gears will turn each other we through the years
we grind together in the eyes of our peers
Chorus
there is no finish line
We do not retire
any success we find
pushes us to reach even higher
I’ll die by this microphone
but ill live with no quarter
but let my corpse be pointed forward
indomitable will
unequivocal hunger
Relentless resolve
is why we will not fall
Our progress can be measured in toil
but one foot leads another
until we gain speed to let our wings flutter
Lets go!
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10. |
The Hunger
04:09
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The hunger
Everyday everyday I'm scheming of ways layin awake
while my mind stays on the chase
of a fortunate fate and I'm supporting the weight
and the burden on my shoulders is the plan to escape
and though my body may tire I feed the fire
the air in my lungs will turn my heart to a sun
and they'll be orbiting me when I force them to see
all of the hunger in my chest that is devouring me
and no man will match my desire
and even in dreams I feel the heat of the fire and everyday that I fail gives my coffin a nail
but I will drive them from the wood as my appetite prevails
I want to feed like a feral animal
I'm tired of smiling I want to be a cannibal
and eat musicians that don't share my vision
I'm still starving even after this dark nutrition
Chorus
I'm out for everything I crave
Life only favors the brave
This voids got me feeling depraved
I'm out for everything I crave
Feeding my rage words jumping off of the page
Get away from my project If you don't believe
I'm coming back at everybody for watching me bleed
and watching me drown the bricks pulling me down
tying the knot in my noose and destroying my sound
they tell me that my time is next but right now I wanna rip hearts from chests
and with the power of text I will devour the flesh
of anybody that they're telling me I'm supposed to impress
they tell me competition is fierce
but I will make them feel pain the the pen that I pierce
into the neck of songs drink blood the black ink
will ooze from my lips and will save me from the brink of insanity
because famine demands amnesty from my bright side that's trapped in a fantasy
I'm ripping apart songs limb from limb though my needs are grim I feel them pulling me in
Chorus**
Some days I feel swallowed by the void
becoming the white noise that I crave to destroy
I want it so bad so much I'll never have
I'm losing sight of myself with the days that pass
but I seek revenge the nourishment I need
I gain my feeding on those that doubt my lead
if I lose a place for me to vent my intensity
I'll lose the driving force that truly invented me
the need for money only makes things worse
monetary concerns can put you dreams in a hearse
I want to bite the hand the feeds until it recedes
the nutrients they give only power the seed that
grows to doom and it will consume every shred of will power that is yearning to bloom
and when you silence your needs then your fire will freeze and the uninspired will tire and never be free.
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11. |
Phantom
03:29
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I'm not a family man I'm a renegade
born to inhabit a page until i make the words raise
I'm flawed and imperfect i claw to the surface
my words are purpose to stray from the hearses
living like a dead man nothin to lose
i might as well be a skeleton singing the blues
no fear in the chest makes me one of the best
im defeating the stress and never breathe a cowardly breath
full steam coming out of a dream
from the mind of a rhyme fiend and everything I've seen
paints art of a tenebrous breed
to bring the tight jawed phantom to light to feed
From the echoes of ancient sounds
in these words my strength is found
until we rise from the underground
No fear and no backing down x2
Why would i have other concerns
these words scar tissue i'm feeling the burn
They never leave me alone but their crafting my throne
made from my bones and a crown of stone
chizzled from the heart
I start to come a part
i become an idea of living with no fear
a testament of will power
grab the flowers from my grave
and if i must die as a slave
I come back a phantom
not in physical form
but a message in the lyrics
so the fight will live on
if you're living like a pawn
and your spirit is gone
let the words reign free
as a calling to arms
Chorus x2
And if it's not rap then its death for me
because failure is not a word known to me
so then the ghost of me will have to roam the seas
and roam the lands try to find words that'll lead the lambs
rule the thoughts of a silent man
until he lashes out to lay is own path out
then ill rest with ease until i hear the pleas
of downing souls then i return to my role
as the words on the will fill the hole inside your heart
words of the wise to ignite the spark
as you grip the reins
a phantom of pain left to carry the flame!
Chorus x2
No fear and no backing down! x3
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12. |
Humanity
04:38
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Humanity
I believe in humanity I believe in the people
putting faith in your neighbor instead of god isn't evil
and we're decaying matter
organic family of stardust that’s scattered
with no purpose and nothing matters
no grand scheme a spec inside the stream of life and if we work together we'd find we are the beam of light guiding earth through he galaxy we're divided my fallacies that pit us against each other turn us all to causality but beyond race color region or religion we share the same components and a like minded vision but yo with all this tension there's dissension in the masses there's no communication and the disconnect is tragic
But we will live on
The people are strong
We bind together through power of song
We shape the planet through the power of song
We send this message through the power of song humanity shall prevail
I gaze into an empty sky and dream that when I die like all the other people I'll return to earth’s easel and I'll seep through the soil return to the canvas as a different shade of life rising to the sunlight and then the cycle is seeded no higher power needed if we rely on each other then we can start to believe It we can carve a new path with no fear of heavens wrath free minds can shackles of our broken past
We forget where we are rooted unity feels truant got faith in my fellow humans it's happiness we're pursuing but still in my profession my job is protection of freethinking animals who cherish something tangible
Chorus
So until we lose our bright flaming centerpiece lets live inside of moments and find a smile sense of peace and push the limits of the willpower that's filling me and try to rise above the heights of all of my abilities and I will not participate in hatred of men based solely on location or the flag of their nation but we gotta make a dollar bill with strong sense of urgency but humans should never trade their passion for some currency I wanna spend my time connecting with crowds making them proud to be themselves no heaven and no hell respect each other's lives with no divine reward just a warmth from the core and ask for nothin more but as the days pass it seems I don't live in reality if that's the case then I'll never leave my minds gallery uh
Chorus
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Apollo Quad Chicago, Illinois
We are Apollo Quad - a Hip Hop band ! We have released two full length albums; "Come Alive" and "No Gods, No Masters". We have opened for national acts such as Snoop Dogg, Bone Thugs N Harmony. The road is a familiar place for us we have played Los Angeles (at the legendary Whisky A Go Go), New York, Chicago & Nashville. We mix many different elements from all walks of music. ... more
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