Composure (feat. Hit-Boy)

Ayo, Hit, I like this IE weather [Verse 1: Hit-Boy] Hey, look Vote yes on Hit-Boy, bitch, I'm the city spokesman They see we got this shit crackin' and now they spirit broken I'm standin' on the green like the British Open And stackin' ice on top of ice, but I'm not building snowmen Doctors couldn't even detect my disorders One case, six figures on six different lawyers I put my soul in every song with limited support Focused on the output, not the outcome, big God is my source Spirit of excellence in my genetics Complexities come with my complexion 'Fore you shut me down, let me reach my level first Y'all be too proud to do the devil's work All that actin' and fakin', I can't take part in it I'm washin' my hands with the soap opera shit I set the cameras to speed, co-directed KD We know the caged bird sings and screams when it's free Every second I spend on this, I got it back in blessings You can't stop and run no errands on the way to legend [Chorus: Hit-Boy & Nas] They should've told 'em I'm raising up on the totem Yeah, boilin' over, pot full of yola Mix it with the cola, son of a block controller (Yeah) Can't let 'em fuck me over (Nah) gotta keep my composure, look [Verse 2: Nas] Had yellow jaundice when I was born Kept me in an incubator, ten days long I made up songs, I was like humming tunes ten years later Writin' in my room ten years after that on stage like it's too soon, but For me see, my parents met inside a nightclub Olu started to fight and then my moms broke it up She said "This boy, he's in the Navy, settle down before y'all need savin'" Pop went to war around the world, came home, we celebrated AWOL Fast forward to when I started to play ball From a place where we hate law See the Jakes and we take off (Whoop whoop) Hit the gate, I get home and take my chain off Thankful I got through the day and all the evil I prayed off Everything is cause and effect Make the wrong moves in this business, you lose all your respect My block is dark as it gets We all make mistakes, only a few will recover from 'em Don't spend your whole life runnin' from 'em, run up the numbers [Chorus: Nas] Should've told 'em I'm raising up on the totem Yeah, boilin' over, pot full of yola Mix it up with the cola, son of a queen and a soldier Can't let 'em fuck me over, gotta keep my composure, look [Outro: Shaka Senghor] Keep your composure, on city blocks, and cell blocks Keep your composure Hold it down, hold it tight Hold it close, hold space for yourself It's the way of the ancestors Our elders, our artists, our OGs, our dreamers, our builders With each breath internalize their successes Their struggles, their sense of self, their sense of overcoming And take that power forward through your life Remind yourself of the magnitude of your good fortune And the mere chance, one in billions, that you survived That you will thrive And even the strongest kings and queens being, yet remain unbroken Keep your composure And believe in the magic of who we are Because what you believe is everything And what someone believes about you is nothing Keep your composure, I am Shaka Senghor