David Styles (born November 28, 1974), better known as Styles P, is an Amer… Read Full Bio ↴David Styles (born November 28, 1974), better known as Styles P, is an American rapper. He was born to a Jamaican father and a South African mother. He is a member of Hip Hop group D-Block, which includes Jadakiss and Sheek Louch. He is known primarily for the hardcore lyrics and powerful messages in his music.

Born in Corona, Queens, and raised on Groshon Ave in Yonkers, NY, Styles began rapping with Jadakiss and Sheek in 1994, as they all grew up in the same Yonkers, New York neighborhood. They eventually signed to Bad Boy Records, formed the rap group called "THE LOX" which stands for "Living Off Xperience", and recorded songs with Notorious B.I.G., Sean Combs and Darren Blackburn. In 1998, The Lox released Money, Power & Respect w/ the hit song "Money, Power, Respect" feat. fellow Bad Boy, "Lil Kim" and Ruff Ryder Earl "DMX" Simmons. Soon thereafter, Styles P led the Lox on the now infamous quest to leave Bad Boy Records. When they were finally released, the Lox signed to Interscope. Shortly thereafter, a new Lox album and Jadakiss' solo album Kiss Tha Game Goodbye were released.

Styles released A Gangster and a Gentleman in 2002, as his debut solo album. The album contained the song "The Life", featuring Pharoahe Monch which was originally recorded for Rawkus Records' Soundbombing 3 compilation album. The follow up hit was the song dedicated to marijuana use, "Good Times (I Get High)", one of the most played songs of 2002.

In 2003, Styles P. and Jadakiss appeared on the "Oz Soundtrack" with one of the harder edged songs "Some Niggas" about prison life. On a mixed album with several songs about the lifestyle behind bars, "Some Niggas" was one of the fiercest and most remembered songs on the street from that album.

In 2004, Styles P. released the mixtape Ghost Stories in limited distribution form (NY only) -- the mixtape spread to other cities and onto the internet in the next year. He was featured on the hit song "Locked Up", by R&B artist Akon.

In 2005, Styles P. received local market airplay for his and Jadakiss' remix of Mariah Carey's mega-hit "We Belong Together", and on Miri Ben-Ari's album, The Hip-Hop Violinist; he features on the track "We Gonna Win". He released two stand-alone mixtapes in complete form: Ghost in the Shell in the spring of 2005 and Ghost in the Machine in the Fall.

Styles P. has been featured on many rappers' albums including Ghostface Killah, Jadakiss, Sheek Louch, and Akon's albums. Styles is rumoured to appear on DMX's new album Walk With Me Now and You'll Fly With Me Later. He will also appear on the title track to The Roots' latest album, Rising Down.

Keep The Faith
Styles P Lyrics

Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴

What can I say? (ooooohhhhh, yeeeeeeeaaaaaaahh!)
It's so real.
I don't even feel like talkin' most of the time (yeeeeeeaaayeeaaaahhh, yeeeeeeaaayeeeeaaaahhh!)
It's ironic that I happen to MC
Then I don't really wanna say shit! (oooooooooohhhooooooohhhhhhhhhhhh!)
Kinda funny, though (yeeeaaaaaaaahhhh, ooooooohhhhhhhh!)
Ha!

I always feel the ghostes amongst me (yeah!)
I remember times when the roaches was hungry. (let 'em know!)
The livin' was grungy. If it's money, I bungee until the cord breaks; (sssss!)
Thinkin' that I might be the one that's in the Lord's way. (I might be!)
Am I the bad that's provokin' the good? (c'mon!)
We all ride! All live and we smokin' the good. (we all liiiive!)
But my nigga on the reel to reel; (reel!)
We move stock 'til we not for gettin' killed for bills! (it's like that!)
And it's all about the chills and thrills and the good times (good times!)
It's like the mob, nigga, in it 'til the hood dies! (YEEAAHH!)
Addicted to the concretes, addicted to the crates! (uhh!)
If we don't get a connect, we stickin' up a wake. (word!)
Whatchu know about a wake with the bishop bein' late? (whatchu know?)
All my jail niggaz standin' up, fists up to the gate. (staand up!)
Faggotass CO's get the piss up in they face (ssssshhhh!)
Hold a grudge cause the judge never listened to the case! Yeah!

[Chorus]
Even though you feeeel liiike cryyyiiin'
Juuust keeeep on smilin'!
Believin' that, there is gonna beeee,
Somethin' better past the paaaiiin!
And even though it huuuurts liike heeeell
You, juuust keeeep on giiiivin'!
Doooooooon't stop moviiin' aaaand
It's all worth it in the eeeend; you just keep the faith!

You can see it but you just can't vision it! (see it!)
Society judge a man for the way that he live in it. (true!)
Either you gettin' money or deal with imprisonment;
No in betweens! (no in betweens!) I'm gettin' green! (ssss!)
Spots in the world where they don't know what dinner mean; (damn!)
It's really not that crazy in the paint! (not!)
Hear 'Clef in the club. Have Haiti on the brain! (salute!)
Surrounded by liquor drinkers, niggaz makin' it rain. (uhh!)
And the world's always changin' but we still need change. (change!)
Life's a bitch. Is death like a good woman? (huuuh?!)
I ask that cause I know the whole hood comin' (I KNOW!)
And the fam' comin'. And do!
Heaven got a' ocean or a dam runnin', tryna understand somethin'; (tryna!)
Flowin' like a feather in the wind. (flow!)
It start off rough. Do it get better at the end? (huuuh?!)
Do I go to a place where I don't never have to sin? Yeah!

[Chorus]

I'm wicked in my ways cause my temperament, (yeah!)
Ride for my crew and fuck everybody's sentiment. (ride!)
You enter in the dragon or "The Gangster And The Gentleman" [inhale]
Saliva is like poison with adrenaline! (fear you!)
I spread love to the point I hit the hay line. (you know!)
Fuck jail and state time but you ain't gon' take mines! (brother!)
It sucks when you livin on gun terms;
Rather be high on the island gettin' sunburned! [inhale]
Live 'til I'm old know what my daughter and my son learned
Life is all real, my nigga. You get one turn! (one turn!)
I'm tryna tell these boys that they oughta learn
It ain't just fire, my nigga. Even water burn! Yeah!

[Chorus]

Faith makes all things possible. (makes all things possibleeeeeeeee!)
Faith is the reality of(the realityyyyyyyyy!)
Things I hope for. (of things that I hooooooooope foooooor!)
And the evidence of things not seen and told (evidence... of things NOT seeeeen and tooooold!)
Keep the faith, y'all! (wooooaaaaahhhhhh!)
Hahahaaa! (IIIIIIIII see you there!)
Just keep the faith y'all (oooooooooooooohhh!)

[Chorus]

Wooooaaaooooaaaaaoooooooaaaaaaaaaooooooooooooaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaahhhh
Smiliiiiiin'!
Yeeaaeeeaaahhhhh, oooohhh!
Somethin' better past the paaaaaaaaaiiiiiin!
And even THOOOOUUUUUGH...
Huuuurts liike heeeell, YOOOOUUUU... [beat fadesout]
Keeeep GIIIIIVIN'!

Oooohhhh!
It's all worth it in the eeeeeeend; you just keep the FAAAIIITH!

Overall Meaning

In "Keep The Faith", Styles P and Aja present an introspective view on the realities, struggles and faith that they needed to uphold in their lives. Styles P heavily leans into the paradox of being an MC who's supposed to speak but doesn't feel like talking; instead, he prefers to ruminate on the existence of ghosts and how the hunger of roaches in his childhood grungy and poor neighborhood left an indelible mark on him. He also grapples with the feeling that he might be getting in the way of his own success, causing more pain than good, but still finds time to revel in the chills and thrills of his triumphs. He acknowledges the contradictions of living amidst poverty and the need to make their own way to survive, even if it means dealing with illegal activities and fighting for bills. Aja comes in strong, emphasizing how society judges individuals based on how much money they have or if they have been imprisoned or not, with no in-betweens.

Overall, the song shows Styles P and Aja navigating the thin line between faith and despair. It speaks to the listener's feelings of hopelessness and doubt, yet it also offers a message of resilience, urging them to keep pushing through no matter how hard things get. As it concludes, it reminds us that faith makes all things possible, even though the evidence of things not seen and told.

Line by Line Meaning

What can I say? (ooooohhhhh, yeeeeeeeaaaaaaahh!) It's so real.
I can't express enough how real this is

I don't even feel like talkin' most of the time (yeeeeeeaaayeeaaaahhh, yeeeeeeaaayeeeeaaaahhh!) It's ironic that I happen to MC Then I don't really wanna say shit! (oooooooooohhhooooooohhhhhhhhhhhh!) Kinda funny, though (yeeeaaaaaaaahhhh, ooooooohhhhhhhh!)
As a rapper, it's funny that I don't feel like talking most of the time and when I do, I don't feel like saying anything.

[Chorus] Even though you feeeel liiike cryyyiiin' Juuust keeeep on smilin'! Believin' that, there is gonna beeee, Somethin' better past the paaaiiin! And even though it huuuurts liike heeeell You, juuust keeeep on giiiivin'! Doooooooon't stop moviiin' aaaand It's all worth it in the eeeend; you just keep the faith!
Even though times are tough, just keep smiling and believing that things will get better. Keep giving and moving forward because it'll all be worth it in the end if you just keep the faith.

You can see it but you just can't vision it! (see it!) Society judge a man for the way that he live in it. (true!) Either you gettin' money or deal with imprisonment; No in betweens! (no in betweens!) I'm gettin' green! (ssss!) Spots in the world where they don't know what dinner mean; (damn!) It's really not that crazy in the paint! (not!) Hear 'Clef in the club. Have Haiti on the brain! (salute!) Surrounded by liquor drinkers, niggaz makin' it rain. (uhh!) And the world's always changin' but we still need change. (change!) Life's a bitch. Is death like a good woman? (huuuh?!) I ask that cause I know the whole hood comin' (I KNOW!) And the fam' comin'. And do! Heaven got a' ocean or a dam runnin', tryna understand somethin'; (tryna!) Flowin' like a feather in the wind. (flow!) It start off rough. Do it get better at the end? (huuuh?!) Do I go to a place where I don't never have to sin? Yeah! I'm wicked in my ways cause my temperament, (yeah!) Ride for my crew and fuck everybody's sentiment. (ride!) You enter in the dragon or "The Gangster And The Gentleman" [inhale] Saliva is like poison with adrenaline! (fear you!) I spread love to the point I hit the hay line. (you know!) Fuck jail and state time but you ain't gon' take mines! (brother!) It sucks when you livin on gun terms; Rather be high on the island gettin' sunburned! [inhale] Live 'til I'm old know what my daughter and my son learned Life is all real, my nigga. You get one turn! (one turn!) I'm tryna tell these boys that they oughta learn It ain't just fire, my nigga. Even water burn! Yeah!
The world is full of judgment and there's no in-between when it comes to making money. Life can be tough and we wonder if it starts rough, does it get better at the end? There is love, but wickedness can also come from within. We ride for our crew and our own and we spread love but we also know how to take care of our own. Firearms in our lives suck, we'd rather be somewhere peaceful and it all comes down to this one life. We have to learn that even though fire burns, even water can also burn.

Faith makes all things possible. (makes all things possibleeeeeeeee!) Faith is the reality of(the realityyyyyyyyy!) Things I hope for. (of things that I hooooooooope foooooor!) And the evidence of things not seen and told (evidence... of things NOT seeeeen and tooooold!) Keep the faith, y'all! (wooooaaaaahhhhhh!) Hahahaaa! (IIIIIIIII see you there!) Just keep the faith y'all (oooooooooooooohhh!) Wooooaaaooooaaaaaoooooooaaaaaaaaaooooooooooooaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaahhhh
Faith is what makes all things possible and it's the reality of what we hope for and the evidence of things unseen. So, keep the faith and don't falter.

Lyrics © BMG RIGHTS MANAGEMENT US, LLC, DELLA MUSIC PUBLISHING, LLC, SONY ATV MUSIC PUB LLC

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