About the song
A story for this song hasn’t been added yet.
Words from the artist’s archive
PAST PRESENT READY lyrics
Artist-supplied lyric sheet, matched by title. The sheet may differ from this released performance. Production notes and alternate promotional cuts are omitted.
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Intro
Yeah, this one for every echo in the hallway From cassettes to the cloud—hip-hop, all ways We ain't dissin', we reminiscing Every flavor’s part of the kitchen
Verse 1
Golden touch, that Midas boom-bap When Rakim wrote sermons with a notepad LL got ladies, Kane kept it slick Tribe had the rhythm, PE made it stick Slick Rick told fables in stereo glow Wu broke chambers, gave the sword its flow Big had a dream, ‘Pac had a vision East and West co-signed the mission No beef, just flavors in the melting pot Back when DJs spun truth, not just what’s hot We salute the blocks, the parks, the flights Where bars meant freedom and the verses had rights
Chorus
Every era got a beat, every beat got a story From shelltoes to emojis, pain to glory We ain’t throwin' shade, we throwin' confetti It’s all hip-hop—past, present, ready Crunk to conscious, ringtone to blog Mumble or mosaic, we all part of the fog This ain’t a roast, it’s a toast to the past Rap ain’t a moment—it’s built to last
Verse 2
Ringtones ring bells—snapbacks and dances Soulja showed how internet advances T-Pain crooned, Shawty had the melody Crankin' the charts with that autotune energy Then blogs hit hard—Cole had the pen Kendrick wrote scripture for boys and men Mac brought joy, Chance brought truth Odd Future wildin’ but still fed the youth Mixtapes for free, gems with no gloss No gimmick, just hunger from the underdogs We felt every line, clicked every post Came for the bars, stayed for the growth
Verse 3
Then came the SoundCloud sea with a surge Peep wrote pain, Juice let it purge Uzi with the neon, Yachty with the smile X with the chaos, Trippie versatile The youth got louder, the beats got grimy But every voice mattered—even if untimely Future mumbled truth through a toxic haze Thug turned fashion into vocal maze Yeah, they said it’s noise—but hear through the fuzz Each track held a story, a truth that was From boom to Buu, clone to clean Every wave made ripples in this dream
Bridge
So whether you dropped vinyl or you click your stats Whether you write essays or you flex in caps This cipher’s for all—no line gets blurred Rap is evolution in every word
Chorus
Every era got a beat, every beat got a story From shelltoes to emojis, pain to glory We ain’t throwin' shade, we throwin' confetti It’s all hip-hop—past, present, ready Crunk to conscious, ringtone to blog Mumble or mosaic, we all part of the fog This ain’t a roast, it’s a toast to the past Rap ain’t a moment—it’s built to last
Outro
No punches thrown, no timelines dissed They all took the mic and gave the world a gift From Sugarhill’s first to tomorrow’s blast It’s all one voice—just different masks
Inside the recording
Yeah, this one for every echo in the hallway From cassettes to the cloud—hip-hop, all ways
Every era got a beat, every beat got a story From shelltoes to emojis, pain to glory
No punches thrown, no timelines dissed They all took the mic and gave the world a gift
Excerpts from artist-supplied lyric files matched by title. Lyric sheets may differ from the released performance.