Nightmares Are Real
YBN Cordae Lyrics

I can tell you how I first started in this rap shit
I can explain how I began my career in the rap industry

Momma kicked a nigga out the house, felt fantastic
My mother forced me to leave home, but I felt good about it

Told my homies "If you got a couch, know I'm crashin'
I told my friends that if they have a place to stay, I'll be there

Worried 'bout my future, couldn't care about the past tense
I'm concerned about my future and not focused on my past mistakes

Lost my grandmother, and I haven't been the same since
My grandmother passed away, and I've been struggling to cope ever since

Start to get anxious, I'm tired of this lame shit
I'm becoming anxious and tired of my difficult situation

Tired of the struggle livin' family in the subdivision
I'm exhausted with the challenges of living in a lower-class neighborhood

Ramen noodles, drawin' doodles wasn't in my fuckin' vision
Eating cheap and unhealthy food and drawing instead of achieving my dreams was not what I imagined for my future

But who's fault is that? Tryna stay all intact
But I can't blame anyone else, I'm trying to keep it together

Fightin' all my demons, they be schemin', but I'm crawlin' back
I am struggling with my inner demons, but I am trying to overcome them

And eventually flyin', lately been mentally cryin'
I hope to eventually soar, but I've been struggling with my emotions lately

Niggas resentin' me, I am not for the industry lyin'
Some people are resentful of me, but I won't compromise myself for the music industry

Life's a dream, but nothin' is a fairy tale
Life can seem like a dream, but it's not always a happy ending like a fairy tale

Do you love me, I can barely tell
I'm unsure if the person I care about truly loves me

'Cause I'm up an down, been all around, nobody's callin' now
I've had ups and downs, been to many places, but now no one is reaching out to me

Uh, 'cause I know what I been through
I have a deep understanding of the struggles I've faced

But I still, uh, I'd do it all over again
Despite the hardships, I would still choose to go through it all again

And my life is so sinful (YBN, why be them?)
My life has had many immoral moments, and people question my choices

But through times (King Push), uh, the good guys always win
Despite the struggles, I believe that good people will ultimately come out on top

8th grade, backflippin' on the mattress
In eighth grade, I practiced backflips on my bed

9th grade pack, doin gymnastic
In ninth grade, I was part of a gymnastics group

10th grade, somersaultin' all them crack flips
In tenth grade, I did somersaults and flips, both physical and drug-related

Asterix, skip school, record it with The Neptunes
I used to skip school to record music with The Neptunes

We was makin' high school classics
We were creating memorable music during our high school years

Before I took a kilo and I rapped it, I wrapped it
Before I began selling drugs and rapping about it, I would wrap gifts for funerals

Around the funeral, with the casket (ugh)
I would use the gift wrap around the caskets at funerals

Coke avalanche, like a landslide
I fell into a severe addiction to cocaine

Only grew my hair this long, because my man died
I grew my hair long as a tribute to a friend who passed away

Collect calls on them landlines, I pressed 5
I would receive calls from incarcerated friends, and had to press 5 to accept them

To tell about the new test drive, and talk fly, ooh
During those calls, I would tell them about new things in my life, and try to sound successful