Family Tree - AK

Think about where all your inspiration

Comes from, is he from your generation?

If he’s not I’m sure you probably hate it

But ask yourself, would you have even made it?

If it wasn’t for him

And everybody else before him

And before him

And before him

'Cause you would never make it

If it wasn’t for him

And those before him

And before him

And before him (Haha)

Yeah, yeah

I am AK, I am not the next Em

But everybody telling me that I’m the next him

But understand there will never be a next Em

You’ll probably twist my words and say I don’t respect him

I always preach to keep it real so I’m about to now

Em did not influence me 'cause I was not allowed

To listen to 'em, my parents said I was just a child

I wondered why and I look back and I got it now

My young mind back then probably wasn’t ready

To hear the shit that he talked about, they said he was too edgy

I couldn’t listen to anything, younger me he was begging

I couldn’t wait to hear the song about his momma’s spaghetti

His influence on me was indirect

'Cause I was listening to Hopsin, I was obsessed

I come to find he was the same way when it came to Em

That’s when it hit me this culture’s a family tree

And this shit affects the whole game

From the beginning 'til I’m hitting old age

'Cause even after when I’m gone, kids come up with more flames

And artists feed the industry with songs that bring 'em more rage

'Cause they just hate the fact the era of sound’s evolving

But where would they be?

If it wasn’t for him

And everybody else before him

And before him

And before him

'Cause you would never make it

If it wasn’t for him

And those before him

And before him

And before him (Haha)

Once Cole became my idol I was looking for his

Found out Nas was the reason that he did what he did

So I was looking up his classics try’na find all his hits

To see what spoke to Cole, so I could grow even though I was a kid

Illmatic still classic, I feel that shit

Even though it dropped five years before the world had me

Shit was blessing the next king of this real rap shit

I don’t hate the new generation though I love it

Let’s make that clear, happy I got it off of my chest

Now the truth is out

Look, already I can see all the fans that I’m losing now

Just because I fuck with Pump, Roddy Ricch and Lil' Uzi sound

If you don’t like it then don’t listen

It’s simple I’m cruising 'round in the Civic

Just wondering on how it’d be if they listened

They’d see that they got it twisted and all these kids they been dissin' all

this time have been gifted

I’m just minding my business

Shit I’m blind to the situation

I plead the fifth

The old must respect the new

The new must respect the old

If you a youngin' coming up but you’ve been hating on what’s old

Do your homework, learn the game, watch the way this shit’s evolved

Without the old, your biggest idol?

You would never even known

If it wasn’t for him

And everybody else before him

And before him

And before him

'Cause you would never make it

If it wasn’t for him

And those before him

And before him

And before him (Haha)