Switch Lanes
from The Rap Guide to Business by Baba Brinkman
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lyrics
Switch Lanes
To some people rap is just a lot of manure
Others say the planet’s sick and hip-hop is the cure
Some people say commercial rap isn’t pure
But to me every rapper is an entrepreneur
You wanna make a difference? You wanna to make a living?
You wanna teach the children? You wanna make a million?
Either way, you gotta find a way to get their attention
And if you don’t then no one’s gonna listen
I know a few anti-capitalist rappers
Whose activism consists of selling anti-capitalist
Raps to their fans in fancy little packages
While ranting about how rap is cash-obsessed
Try to not give yourself an aneurism
Or get your panties twisted, just ‘cause your angst-ridden
Anti-business existentialism
Is just a strategy to get more fans to listen
It’s like a jungle sometimes
It makes me wonder
How I keep from goin' under
It’s like a jungle sometimes
It makes me wonder
How I feed my growin’ hunger
You’re gonna make a lotta mistakes
It’s okay, you take a hit, you switch lanes
Competition is extreme
To get ahead you gotta switch
Every record gets the fans it deserves
Hip-hop is a business first
You wanna make a difference? Word
Then go find yourself some customers
A couple artists will hate this for sure
And say “success is just a curse”
Sour grapes get squished to syrup
C’mon, don’t shoot the messenger
Hip-hop started in the streets
And then it spawned a whole industry
Sorry if I’m bein’ indiscrete
But I’m in it for the spinach and it isn’t just me
So if your songs are interest-free
Then I doubt they’re gonna interest me
Integrity makes you poor? Interesting…
I pay for things that impress me
It’s like a jungle sometimes
It makes me wonder
How I keep from goin' under
It’s like a jungle sometimes
It makes me wonder
How I feed my growin’ hunger
You’re gonna make a lotta mistakes
It’s okay, you take a hit, you switch lanes
Competition is extreme
To get ahead you gotta switch
Rappers are crabs in a bucket, just ask ‘em
They’re stuck with a tiny fanbase that happens to love it
But they can’t expand it without angering someone
I couldn’t handle that, man, I had to do somethin’
Here’s a business plan for you: self-promote
And grab onto some driftwood to help you float
And when you got enough, built yourself a boat
And fill it with like-minded folks to help you row
You got two choices, you do it yourself
Or you find somebody else with a use for your skills
You take the red pill or blue pill
Most businesses do fail, but you don’t think you will?
I’m not tryin’ to say you ain’t different
But it takes creativity to change directions real quick
And go where the competition ain’t headed
So if you get stuck in a single lane, switch it
It’s like a jungle sometimes
It makes me wonder
How I keep from goin' under
It’s like a jungle sometimes
It makes me wonder
How I feed my growin’ hunger
You’re gonna make a lotta mistakes
It’s okay, you take a hit, you switch lanes
Competition is extreme
To get ahead you gotta switch
To some people rap is just a lot of manure
Others say the planet’s sick and hip-hop is the cure
Some people say commercial rap isn’t pure
But to me every rapper is an entrepreneur
You wanna make a difference? You wanna to make a living?
You wanna teach the children? You wanna make a million?
Either way, you gotta find a way to get their attention
And if you don’t then no one’s gonna listen
I know a few anti-capitalist rappers
Whose activism consists of selling anti-capitalist
Raps to their fans in fancy little packages
While ranting about how rap is cash-obsessed
Try to not give yourself an aneurism
Or get your panties twisted, just ‘cause your angst-ridden
Anti-business existentialism
Is just a strategy to get more fans to listen
It’s like a jungle sometimes
It makes me wonder
How I keep from goin' under
It’s like a jungle sometimes
It makes me wonder
How I feed my growin’ hunger
You’re gonna make a lotta mistakes
It’s okay, you take a hit, you switch lanes
Competition is extreme
To get ahead you gotta switch
Every record gets the fans it deserves
Hip-hop is a business first
You wanna make a difference? Word
Then go find yourself some customers
A couple artists will hate this for sure
And say “success is just a curse”
Sour grapes get squished to syrup
C’mon, don’t shoot the messenger
Hip-hop started in the streets
And then it spawned a whole industry
Sorry if I’m bein’ indiscrete
But I’m in it for the spinach and it isn’t just me
So if your songs are interest-free
Then I doubt they’re gonna interest me
Integrity makes you poor? Interesting…
I pay for things that impress me
It’s like a jungle sometimes
It makes me wonder
How I keep from goin' under
It’s like a jungle sometimes
It makes me wonder
How I feed my growin’ hunger
You’re gonna make a lotta mistakes
It’s okay, you take a hit, you switch lanes
Competition is extreme
To get ahead you gotta switch
Rappers are crabs in a bucket, just ask ‘em
They’re stuck with a tiny fanbase that happens to love it
But they can’t expand it without angering someone
I couldn’t handle that, man, I had to do somethin’
Here’s a business plan for you: self-promote
And grab onto some driftwood to help you float
And when you got enough, built yourself a boat
And fill it with like-minded folks to help you row
You got two choices, you do it yourself
Or you find somebody else with a use for your skills
You take the red pill or blue pill
Most businesses do fail, but you don’t think you will?
I’m not tryin’ to say you ain’t different
But it takes creativity to change directions real quick
And go where the competition ain’t headed
So if you get stuck in a single lane, switch it
It’s like a jungle sometimes
It makes me wonder
How I keep from goin' under
It’s like a jungle sometimes
It makes me wonder
How I feed my growin’ hunger
You’re gonna make a lotta mistakes
It’s okay, you take a hit, you switch lanes
Competition is extreme
To get ahead you gotta switch
credits
from The Rap Guide to Business,
released September 30, 2011
Produced by Mr. Simmonds
www.mrsimmondsmusic.com
Lyrics by Baba Brinkman
www.bababrinkman.com
Produced by Mr. Simmonds
www.mrsimmondsmusic.com
Lyrics by Baba Brinkman
www.bababrinkman.com
license
all rights reserved
tags
about
Baba Brinkman New York, New York
Science rapper and inventor of several novel hip-hop variants. Canadian transplant to New York. Pathological optimist.
discography
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May 2023 -
May 2021 -
Jul 2019 -
Apr 2018