Dead Horse

[Verse 1]

Yo, I first met Hop back in two thousand and nine (2009)

I reached out when my homie Lo Key found him online

He blew my mind with his rhymes, he sounded sublime

He showed me I wasn't the only one down for the grind

We kept in touch and grew closer as the time went on

Till we became best friends and the bind was strong

Sittin' up and just straight talkin' like from nine to dawn

Our mutual struggle to be heard defined our bond

He was the only one who understood what it was like

The struggle and strife to make a name jugglin' life

Trying to become something bigger than some regular guys

Like eagles with our wings pinned trying to spread 'em and fly

We kept our friendship secret as a joke and a plot

That we'd reveal it in his new video that I shot

But when the video dropped, and I saw he cut all my parts

It felt like I had a damn dagger stuck in my heart

[Hook]

But it's a dead horse now, can we all just move on

But it's a dead horse now, it's really been too long

But it's a dead horse now, I'm thinking that it's time that we all just leave it alone

I'm telling you

But it's a dead horse now, and it's already been said

But it's a dead horse now, it's gone and it's been dead

But it's a dead horse now, feeling like it's time that we all just leave it alone

[Verse 2]

Now Strange Music fans, listen, I have to oblige

Tech N9ne is straight one of the dopest rappers alive

I won't lie, some of them crazy delivery patterns are fly

And on a personal level he ain't that bad of a guy

I was a big fan of him right out of the gate

I first heard Tech spit in two thousand and eight (2008)

Flippin' through MySpace I came across Night and Day from Everready

Played it and was like "Wow, that was great!"

He had the rhymes, had the speed, had the harmony down

And Rob Rebeck on the mix, with the barbarous sound

His stage show was straight nuts, no matter the spot

So as a rapper you could imagine how happy I got

When I got invited to meet him in Santa Barbara that day

And then drove like eight hundred miles at eighty dollars a tank

And spent my whole check to show Tech a couple of songs

But got kicked off of the bus cause the game was on

[Hook]

[Verse 3]

So that's the gist of what happened with Funk Volume and Strange

But looking back my perspective wasn't all that pertained

I've done a lot of growing up in the past two years

So as a man here's a couple things I ask you hear

All I ever really wanted was the love of a friend

Who could relate to my struggle, and thus was akin

Along with the validation from professional peers

To whom I looked up to justify the stress and my tears

So when I felt Hop betrayed me, it cut me deep

And getting kicked off of the bus hurt enough to weep

So when my situation got bleak, I hatched me a ploy

To throw a fit and lash out like a sad little boy

It wasn't Tech's fault his manager treated me bad

But I dissed him for the buzz that I seen that he had

And in the process I flipped off a legend of rap

And made a horrible impression I could never get back

Now with my homie, Hop, it was even deeper than that

The bond we shared, I should've worked to keep it intact

But instead, I let my anger overcome me and snapped

And ripped a gash in between us too rugged to patch

But it wasn't just that, I trashed every one of his acts

And hit SwizZz with elaborate redundant attacks

And used my whole platform as a big bullhorn

That turned a once-pure friendship ugly and black

And even though I might have felt validated inside

I wasn't gracious, I reacted out of anger and pride

And at the same time stigmatized my name

And defamed the notoriety I tried to gain

And tried to blame other people for a course of events

I could've stopped from even happening before it commenced

And ever since, have lost fans, lost respect

Lost any chance to ever do a song with Tech

Lost a best friend, pissed off loads of his fans

Lost potential opportunities to grow and advance

And I was speaking on God, while diggin' a grave

In a vast misappropriation of the gifts that he gave

I was blind with the justice and redemption I craved

But I never stopped to think about the picture displayed

I made myself look small as an infant and paved

A trail of my own destruction with the bricks that I laid

So listen, to Dame, Hop, Tech, SwizZz and the gang

Hoppa, Benton, Krizz Kaliko and Dizzy the same

I'm ashamed of all the dirt that I kicked on your names

I was hurt and lashed out, and you were fit for the blame

So I apologize. Simple and plain

There's no excuse for it I was sinful and vain

I acted out my bitter anger as a vent for the pain

And ignored the same message I was sent to proclaim

And to the fans, listen, all that I ask

Is if you're in the same position don't follow my path

Any punk can start swinging when the gauntlet is cast

But it takes a real man to sit back and swallow the wrath

And even if you don't deserve it, just take it and chill

Cause people hurt you as a symptom of the pain that they feel

And probably from somebody hurting them the way they did you

Then the cycle will continue till the hatred is through

So if you got somebody out there and you know who they are

You really cared about, who left you heartbroken and scarred

It might be time to swallow that pride and punch in a call

And put an end to that sick cycle once and for all

And even if it feels like it's beyond repair

Fixing your half's the only thing you're called to bear

But unless you try, you'll never know, and who could be mad?

One day you two could look back like "Yeah, it used to be bad but..."

[Hook]

[Outro]

Regardless of what happens, we should always take that first step to make it right.

Holding on to anger and hatred is cancerous, and understanding and forgiveness is the only cure