T.R.A.Y.
Travell Rhythm And You...

Hip hop/Rap music began as a … Read Full Bio ↴T.R.A.Y.
Travell Rhythm And You...

Hip hop/Rap music began as a platform for friendly competition and the expression of artistic creativity. Over the years it has sadly become a who’s who and mega capitalistic popularity battle. It no longer fosters the freedom of expression, creativity, and diversity it had in the days of its prime. As a direct result for the past 3 years the industry has seen a tremendous drop in sales as many artists turn to replicate the songs and they hear on radio and images seen on music videos. All for the purpose of making a quick dollar and at the expense of the true hip-hop/rap community. The artists of today’s generation are no longer challenged to create original material, instead they have nurtured a culture of ringtone sing along hits that the mainstream public has become accustomed to. While this has made millions of dollars for the music executives involved, it has turned the industry into a pool of one hit wonders who don’t have a clue how to make their music into an actual career.

Travell a.k.a. T.R.A.Y. was born December 10, 1985 in Saginaw Michigan. At the age of 7 he moved to Cincinnati, Ohio where he first fell in love with the art of writing short stories, poetry, and music. Throughout his early career he could be seen in class writing songs in High School, but was too shy to recite his lyrics. Then one day due to peer pressure a group of school friends persuaded him through peer pressure to join a cipher in their school’s cafeteria. The young audience was amazed by the clever wordplay, creativitiy and concepts presented in his material. As word of his lyrical finesse spread around the entire school those lunchroom ciphers became a daily performance. Pretty soon TRAY found himself winning dozens of local battles around the city of Cincinnati. At the time he had no official rap name and went by his well-known nickname Tray, it stuck with him to this day.

There was a moment in time when T.R.A.Y. began to second think his talent due to the lack of competition and opportunities in such a small town. Looking at the industry it was clear that his talent set him aside from a multitude of artists, as many fans said his lyrical capacity was compared on or near the level of fellow musicians Jay-z, Fabolous, and/or Lil Wayne. For Travell rhyming, punchlines, and song concepts came so easy to him, everyone knew he’d be a star and he couldn’t find anyone to feed his inspiration of becoming the best MC ever. He stopped writing songs for himself but continued writing for local artists. By in 2004 He completely stopped and decided to go to college and study for a career in real estate. There he created Finesse Realty Ltd, a small real estate investment firm. This wouldn’t last long as the music bug continued to bite and by late 2006 he was back writing for himself.

Early 2007 he hooked up with a longtime friend who produced the now hit single “I Know” from his first EP. The song got excellent reviews but failed to expand the artists music career as he hoped it would. After turning down deals from several independent recording labels he later began talks of starting his own label with longtime friend and producer Ian Talbert.

At the beginning of 2008 Tray moved all the way to California to record his first acclaimed debut solo album (still untitled) with the hopes of returning the hip-hop/rap community back to a place where artists are celebrated for their lyrical content, and song writing ability. Look for this star to change the face of music as he becomes a major trendsetter in an environment filled with obstacles and the primary competition being ignorant to the current saturation in the current music industry.

PROBLEM
T.R.A.Y. Lyrics

Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴

These streets had made a man out me
I ain't have nothing went and made a plan bout it
Posted on that block, sometimes I feel like Dennis Rodman
Every time it's beef then we resorting to violence
Police come around we act like we got Alzheimers
Legend in my hood I probably be a all timer
Shout out to my mama nigga I been staying solid
Raised a nigga right, somehow I turned into a monster

Nigga I'm a problem
When you really in the trenches shit be different
Robbing and killing you see it vivid
Bad enough that you seen it you had to live it
And you ain't thugging for nothing that shit be critical
Pushing them pounds, I beat the pack like Sunny Digital
Clutching this glizzy for whenever they want to get physical
Sliding with some niggas if I tell em they'll get rid of you
Same lil niggas who was thugging in elementary school
Same lil nigga got expelled from a couple different schools
High school selling grams in the hallway
Catching plays tell em meet me when the bell ring
Eighteen, I had it rolling when the mail came
Now I done found out how to get this shit a couple ways
Dope boy
Ran me up some cash, come from pulling niggas hoe card
Nigga I been stacking, I might cop me some to show for it
Thousand dollar shoes like they came with a toe guard
These streets had made a man out me
I ain't have nothing went and made a plan bout it
Posted on that block, sometimes I feel like Dennis Rodman
Every time it's beef then we resorting to violence
Police come around we act like we got Alzheimers
Legend in my hood I probably be a all timer
Shout out to my mama nigga I been staying solid
Raised a nigga right, somehow I turned into a monster
Nigga I'm a problem
Nigga I'm a problem
I was fucked up, down bad, I went and got it
Shawty them was up, but they ain't help, I shot by em
Still with them niggas who was with me at the bottom
These streets had made a man out me
I ain't have nothing went and made a plan bout it
Posted on that block, sometimes I feel like Dennis Rodman
Every time it's beef then we resorting to violence
Police come around we act like we got Alzheimers
Legend in my hood I probably be a all timer
Shout out to my mama nigga I been staying solid

Raised a nigga right, somehow I turned into a monster
Nigga I'm a problem

Overall Meaning

In "Problem", T.R.A.Y. reflects on his upbringing and the environment in which he was raised. He states that the streets "made a man" out of him and he had to make a plan to better his situation. Despite being grateful for what he's been able to achieve, he acknowledges that he may have turned into a "monster" as a result of his experiences. Throughout the song, T.R.A.Y. reflects on the violence and criminal activity he's seen and been a part of, and how it has shaped him into the person he is today. He expresses loyalty to those who have been with him from the beginning and acknowledges his mother for raising him right.

Line by Line Meaning

These streets had made a man out me
Growing up in these tough streets has shaped me into the person I am today.

I ain't have nothing went and made a plan bout it
I had nothing, but I created a plan to improve my life.

Posted on that block, sometimes I feel like Dennis Rodman
I spend time on the block and sometimes feel like I'm a rebel, just like NBA player Dennis Rodman.

Every time it's beef then we resorting to violence
Whenever there's a dispute, we tend to handle it with aggression and violence.

Police come around we act like we got Alzheimers
When the cops come around, we pretend to have memory loss to avoid getting caught.

Legend in my hood I probably be a all timer
I'm respected and known in my neighborhood; I'll most likely go down in history here.

Shout out to my mama nigga I been staying solid
I want to give a shout-out to my mother; I've been staying true and loyal to my roots.

Raised a nigga right, somehow I turned into a monster
My mother raised me well, but somehow the environment transformed me into a rough, intimidating person.

Nigga I'm a problem
I'm a force to be reckoned with; I'm a troublemaker.

When you really in the trenches shit be different
When you're really living in tough conditions, things feel and look different.

Robbing and killing you see it vivid
When you're involved in illegal activities, the violence and danger become very real and vivid.

Bad enough that you seen it you had to live it
The violence and danger you witness is bad enough, but when you live it, it becomes even more traumatizing.

And you ain't thugging for nothing that shit be critical
Being involved in criminal activity is serious, and there's always something at stake.

Pushing them pounds, I beat the pack like Sunny Digital
I sell drugs, and I'm good at what I do.

Clutching this glizzy for whenever they want to get physical
I carry a gun for protection in case someone wants to get aggressive.

Sliding with some niggas if I tell em they'll get rid of you
I have loyal friends who will help me out if I need someone to disappear.

Same lil niggas who was thugging in elementary school
The same group of people I hung out with as a kid are still involved in criminal activity.

Same lil nigga got expelled from a couple different schools
I was kicked out of multiple schools during my childhood.

High school selling grams in the hallway
During high school, I sold drugs in the hallway.

Catching plays tell em meet me when the bell ring
I arranged drug deals during school hours, telling my customers to meet me when the bell rings.

Eighteen, I had it rolling when the mail came
When I was 18, I had enough drug deals going on to receive a lot of mail containing money.

Now I done found out how to get this shit a couple ways
I've discovered new ways to make money through illegal means.

Dope boy
I'm a drug dealer.

Ran me up some cash, come from pulling niggas hoe card
I made a lot of money by taking other men's girlfriends.

Nigga I been stacking, I might cop me some to show for it
I've been saving up money, and now I might buy something expensive to show off my wealth.

Thousand dollar shoes like they came with a toe guard
I have expensive shoes that are so well-made, they might as well come with a protective toe guard.

I was fucked up, down bad, I went and got it
I used to be broke and in a bad place, but I worked hard to change my situation.

Shawty them was up, but they ain't help, I shot by em
I had friends who were doing well, but they didn't help me out, so I went my own way.

Still with them niggas who was with me at the bottom
I still hang out with the people who were there for me when I had nothing.

Lyrics © DistroKid
Written by: JaTahj Malcom

Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind

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