ENDGAME.

[Intro: Byron Henderson]
It almost feels like this is kind of my happy ending. I think at some point, everyone comes to the realization that they're running out of time. So, me being able to get this all out of my system before time was up was great. For everyone to finally know what happened to me, and why it happened. There's definitely a sigh of relief. I don't have any regrets, or anything. It's just that sometimes I feel like I'm the only person I know that didn't give up on myself or what I wanted to do. And to see a lot of these entertainers on the auction block, I don't know what to think of that...

Mm
Yeah

[Verse 1]
Soon as I catch the vibe, hit the morgue up
I hear these records and catch the lies
Who got more guts, me or them
Leaving them petrified before they've met the sky
Kind of like Jess' ideas on life
I told her don't get involved in these shady acts, my beloved
They shot her cousin
Now she wants her baby back, but she's Muslim
You rise above it or it brings you down
I feel your pain, but shame that I can't empathize
Been locked away a while, living my life through a sinner's eyes
How many times can people count on me before they count me out this game
If I'm emotionally detached, how am I sane
Was holding you down for months, yet now you say I've changed
But dawg, I'd honestly be more concerned with why you stayed the same
Like, are you happy with your lifestyle
These people want you slain and degrees don't block bullets
They'll happily turn your lights out
I wonder how your cousin would feel
Seeing you lost in all this heartache, like you no longer know love if it's real
You ask me how me "How did I deal?" with Marina, or Matt, or Tony, all that
Was it love, does it heal
I'm being honest, right
I didn't deal with it, it dealt with me
I would've been sober years ago if it ate at me seldomly
It's the bringer of truth, whatever you do, own it
From the home of the brave, where the brave'll remain homeless
Y'all question my sanity and my faith in your God
How tough is your skin when you lose a friend and they brush you aside
I had abandonment issues, let me take all the time I need
The numbness you get from drugs ain’t the numbness I found in peace
Don't compare me to leaders, don't compare me to my reflection
Believe that with every breath, you've been blessed with another lesson
Embezzlement, fraud, desolate thoughts, and insecurities stressing your heart
The message is brought to you by your next of kin
Was never suited for family ties
They're throwing salt like Yokozuna or Fujiwara
I'm back at their necks again
Crazy, I was stuck in Hades with friends that were Heaven sent
Whoever's sleeping on me, I'm here to wake you to death for them
Someone called me the best they never heard of
I brought him in for a session, he unexpectedly became an accessory to murder
But ignore him, I feel I've gotta cause Jessica is hurting
The memories of holding 'em, in her hands, got her walking round with stigmata
He got to see the pearly gates, and his killers get nada
That's the end game
The same girl thinking I went insane, she took a different path
We haven't spoken in years, dang
Peace of mind is so essential
Even if I wanted to, I ain't got the time to resent you with everything on my mental
Pyromaniac with the flow, I admit it
How the saying go, I believe everybody is a critic
I'll say it slow
Ironic if you don't catch it, I'm the sickest
You ain't God and till that day, I'm afraid I'll have to dismiss it
Was never one for settling
Leave that to proud Americans that care about the bruises on Rihanna more than veterans
Picture me rolling
You blink, your victory's stolen
These dudes become different people when the mic is off
I use my word to excel when I speak you see the difference
Dudes are Microsoft
Spineless, I'll pick my teeth with their vertebrae just cause I've got the right to floss
This the game that they see me in
All these different ingredients leave them geeked when they see me thin
Been gifted with this rapping, ain't no telling when I will stop
It's crazy how the block that Wayne was talking bout is still hot
Back against the wall, the underdog
But still I morph until I'm dwarfing rappers
On my Shane Strickland, this that kill shot
Yeah, I show the real me, still I've got them playing catch up to my shadow
Ain't no sense in trying to feel me
You're a man, but you're afraid to face your own internal battles, that's hereditary
Sheep in wolves clothing, got my whole generation speaking chattel
Let's take it back to eighth grade, been thinking bout it recently
Back to those vaccination shots
My mom called me over while conversing with this woman she'd never met, could tell easily
The way she called would've had y'all thinking she needed me
This woman, she calls a girl over about my age
I look at her and know what I want to say, but the silence is deafening
I sigh and walk away cause all I see is what I used to be in her
I know one day it all changes
Her name was Tanisha
Though not a single word was said, I got the feeling that one day, I'd be thankful to meet her
A firm believer in fate, and destiny awaits
Fast forward eight years later, expecting me to break
Three months sober, I spoke with Tanisha
Giving us both a form of closure that I'm sure that I needed
The whole world has gone mad
But I ignore it though we're in a pool of sharks
Trapped in the dark and the water just deepens
Cold world, ain't no need to tell me bout it
If you give a man a gun, he'll rob a bank
But give a man a bank and he'll rob everybody
I'm a different breed
Was struggling to survive, but still let that girl depend on me
And that's the reason why I let Tanisha know my feelings
Please, people spend their lives thinking man, what good is drive when my tank's on E
Had to shake this negative energy once it found me
Pandemonium erupted, the world crumbled around me
I stood motionless, so much potential gone to waste
Felt myself shutting down for good
Or so I thought, I blinked once, Novelle was there for close embrace
Now it's all coming full circle, love or lust, life or death
Either way, they all hurt you
When through friends like women go through men or men go through women
Always at each other's throats, hard for me to tell the difference
Cause failure isn't fatal, but failure to change might be
My worst fear was Aaliyah ending up just like me
They tried to write me off, and I looked to Kels for advice
Would you take the scenic route if it meant for a better life
Or would you sacrifice integrity for the money and fame if it meant after fifteen minutes, they would forget your name
Choose wisely
Cause trust me, I know peace of mind is costly
So many L's for that one big win, that's what it brought me
Since the people closest to me already feel like they've lost me to sobriety
It's got me reflecting on all my choices
Tread softly
Death is certain

[Outro: Byron Henderson + Marina Rivera]
It’s to the point where you know certain things won’t stop. My people won’t stop killing each other, cops won’t stop killing us, the school shootings, the unnecessary wars, the rapes won’t stop, the carelessness of the higher ups won’t stop, and the racism? Pfft. People have such a need for hope that they believe almost everything. Especially if the person saying it is doing better than them, with no clue what that person did to get ahead. That’s the endgame. I remember Pac said the poor might eat the rich, and I agreed until I realized they were too busy eating each other...
[Laughs]
So as I was saying, the ramblings of a mad man can be very dangerous; especially for those that listen...
Right...