Ambition - Gradient

Nate Kiz gonna scratch wax because that cat’s the man

While I’mma blast tracks in a hatchback sedan

Gotta backpack full of raps that’s within

And man I feel like I can do anything

Yo, people wanna see you throw in the towel

They stopped listening before you even show ‘em a vowel

They’re mad when they see that you been doing it well, but

It’s all because they couldn’t do it themselves

They’re lookin' foolish as hell… outta the way, haters

They’re full of horse shit so I call ‘em naysayers

They won’t be able block your dedication

Whether it’s rockin' stadiums or Autzen Stadium

Don’t stop when chasin' it, if it’s often rainin'

You just shake off the pain and keep walkin' each day

I can honestly say that it’s kinda cliché

But with some dedication you can have anything

And it’s alright now

If you never back down, whoa

When it’s tough keep makin' the best of it

Keep pushin' through the pain the stress

Be anybody, anything, everything you wanna be

But you have to believe, oh

Keep movin', don’t give it up on that vision

‘Cause you can do it with enough ambition

I was 11 when I heard the Marshall Mathers LP

I had the edited version but I remember explicitly

He was spittin' wicked similes that blew my mind

I was thinkin' maybe I could do it sometime

But when I threw some rhymes down with the pen and a pad

It was never the cleverest stuff that Em and them had

I was wack, I thought that I’d forever be bad

So I ended that dream and I never went back

‘Til I had to do an art project for the Odyssey, sophomore year

But I couldn’t draw a thing

So I wrote a rap and the classroom applauded me

And honestly, it felt unbelievable

Call it Pearl Jam, baby, I’m Alive and can Even Flow

And even though I’m white, I respect this art form

I’m not from the place of the pain and strife

But I believe in hip-hop ‘cause it changed my life

This is for single mothers tryna search for employment

For military soldiers on their third deployment

For the schoolgirl that the popular haters avoided

Now she operates at the hospital replacing organs

For success after massive rejection

For sixth-graders running in their classroom elections

For those who have had some depression

For same-sex couples who no longer have to mask their affection

For dedicated teachers who shape education

For college dropouts bumpin' Late Registration

The family who just paid their home loan, barely

The trans girl undergoing hormone therapy

The young coach bringing hope to the youth

For any fans of my music, the old and the new

For any broke 20-something who don’t know what to do

For anybody feelin' this, I wrote it for you!