I Don't Fold

Intro

Yo, yuh, ayy—skrrt, skrrt

Hands up, no brakes (no brakes), let's move

Ride the cadence, ride the cut, ayy

Uh-huh, let's go

Verse

I cut through the crowd with a grin and a grin (ha), silk tongue, stainless steel chin

Count my wins like commas, then fold 'em in, ledger lit, never fold again

Pocket full of nothin' turned to pockets that mention me, lookin' familiar

Used to study ceilings, now I study fillings in the money dealer

I spit geometry—angles, tangents, corners of the blueprint

I stack syllables fluorescent, light the room with a new hint

They playin' checkers, I'm check-mating kings with a rook's grin

My mind's a blacksmith, every doubt I forge, turn to hooks again

I move like a rumor in a boardroom—quiet but violent

I write lines that bite you, require stitches for the silence

Cash flow conversational, convertin' verbs to nouns

I take a misfit beat, tailor it, make the fit profound

No sympathy for small talk, I collect respect and invoice

I chop beats like carpenters, build empires with a choice

I got a ledger of lessons, receipts for the scars

Every scar's a medal; every medal's my pulse, my radar

I sprint past pity while my critics stay buying time

I'm writing headlines in margins, sign my name in prime

Chorus

I don't fold, I go (I go), I don't fold, I go (I go)

Run it up, run it up, let the bankroll show

I don't fold, I go (I go), I don't fold, I go (I go)

Run it up, run it up, let the bankroll show

I don't fold, I go (I go), I don't fold, I go (I go)

Run it up, run it up, let the bankroll show

I don't fold, I go (I go), I don't fold, I go (I go)

Run it up, run it up, let the bankroll show

Verse

Back with a different tempo, chrome tempo, metronome menace

Verses like iron filings—attract the metal, feel the sentence

I gamble with odds 'cause the odds never bet on me twice

Now I'm dealin' from the bottom, watch me double up the dice

They say patience is a virtue, I turned it into muscle (yeah)

Lifted weight off my ledger, now my ink is more than hustle

They whisper 'bout a comeback—nah, this was a long launch

I built from the basement, now the basement got a front porch

My anthem got a backbone, my backbone got a plan

I remodel storms, turn the thunder into a brand

I'm fluent in the sidestep, practiced in the pivot

Counterpunch syllables, make the critics need a visit

I keep my friends close and my paper closer, that's basic

But loyalty's currency, convert it, no replacement

I valet the moment, park it right at opportunity's door

I walk through with two left shoes sometimes, still leave more

Every setback was tuition, I'm collectin' diplomas

Now the compass points my name, and the road speaks in stoma

(skrrt) I shift gears, no fear, heavy cheques in the rear

(yuh) Flash the grin, flash the creed, make the future adhere

(ayy) Clap the beat, clap the deal, watch the ledger clear

Bridge

They thought I was finished