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Paint A Better Picture

by Epick

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1.
You better take it in stride Cause there's a whole lotta snakes looking to break in your pride And I wouldn't wanna be one of em who catches the side Of one of those ready to die for the sake of their high I'm sayin, this ain't even rap no more this is good times Jimmy Walker's out on the street throwing hood signs People need to relax and stop the hating, but fuck it Hating's fun and I'm bad at harlem shaking I mean, I dance a little bit and I can keep up a step But I ain't banking on my moves or getting by on my rep Shit, yo this is harder than I thought it be I'm 20 years deep in this game and no one's calling me Who got the blues? Who ain't fitting their shoes? Who ain't paying dues? Who addicted to booze? Who outta luck? Who out there feeling stuck? Only out for a buck and ain't giving a fuck Who got the blues? Who ain't fitting their shoes? Who ain't paying dues? Who addicted to booze? Who outta luck? Who out there feeling stuck? Only out for a buck and ain't giving a fuck You think it's a joke, I'm here to provoke hope Instigate hate learning love through rote I gotta go to school on cats that don't know They either don't care or it just don't show I'm on some slow your roll if you step up Cause your dome might get swole if you ain't got respect cuz Simple and plain I'm sunshine and rain Everything is everything I gain through pain And I ain't trying to stay the same I want a range and a chain I want my girl proud of her man who be doing his thing And if I can't make it bang I got no one to blame But myself so I'm hustling for wealth and a name Who got the blues? Who ain't fitting their shoes? Who ain't paying dues? Who addicted to booze? Who outta luck? Who out there feeling stuck? Only out for a buck and ain't giving a fuck Who got the blues? Who ain't fitting their shoes? Who ain't paying dues? Who addicted to booze? Who outta luck? Who out there feeling stuck? Only out for a buck and ain't giving a fuck I bake the format so emcees will fall back I'm all that, rings of fire in all black I'm out for cash and won't stop til I get it Cause living check to check come on I'm not with it I want security like presidents, yeah 80 acres and a gate in front of my residence I want respect like World War 2 veterans If rap goes to court I wanna be evidence My eloquence represents my intelligence I'm living off these elements riding on backs of elephants I'm in the zoo, Brooklyns always on top Influential to the masses we just can't stop This ain't a game it's the same thing as working the chain gang We spittin out hymns but we never see our change gain It's bout the dollars, we don't care who hollers People rape for pape including politicians and scholars Who got the blues? Who ain't fitting their shoes? Who ain't paying dues? Who addicted to booze? Who outta luck? Who out there feeling stuck? Only out for a buck and ain't giving a fuck Who got the blues? Who ain't fitting their shoes? Who ain't paying dues? Who addicted to booze? Who outta luck? Who out there feeling stuck? Only out for a buck and ain't giving a fuck
2.
You don't need defenses if your world ain't got no fences And you're free to be your truth but still you choose to be offensive I'm just trying to find that balance between the atmosphere and trenches In a world that's never fair you better care bout your intentions See I make my own luck, I don't give a grown fuck I still do this for the heart, I don't care bout no buck Shit, I'm 20 years deep my peoples think I'm so stuck Been arrested in this world yet it's what made me grow up, yup I'm bout my faith and making people feel loved Or maybe that's just me projecting and I just need a hug I swear to god I'm on the path that I'm supposed to be cuz I can feel it in my heart, I'm my art, in my blood There's a fire in my soul and it's saying tell everybody That it's gonna be alright if you look in and see what's godly We all here for a reason and it's not to fuck and party It's to get your soul right before the light leaves your body Lord knows, I'm living in a world of darkness Lord knows, I'm living in a world The more you pay attention the darker the world can seem And I vacillate between what I'm seeing and what I dream And I know that lines thin still I'll snort it like a fiend I just wanna make the things that I do be what I mean And it's hard to see the difference we been blinded by the cream What was once an act of heart is now a fight for self esteem I just want a little truth for that I'd even hail a queen If her corona was for good and not controlling human beings But it's clear to get some truth we gotta dig a little deeper Cause that crown is now a virus and we all hiding from a fever Me I ran into the fire begging make me a believer, but All I found were lies that's why I'm now a truth seeker Truths my money speak that shit or be gone Cause fuck the new normal I ain't trying to belong Keep your betters from your worse I know my right from a wrong I'll turn the darkness into light and alchemize it through song Lord knows, I'm living in a world of darkness Lord knows, I'm living in a world
3.
Shame 03:16
Yo, I raise the bar every minute Then jump over that shit like what bitch I'm wit it And I'm not joking I'm still hoping I can win it But deep down know better than to even fucking think it I ain't quit drinking or smoking My liver lung and heart been broken Still I'm on my two like what here come a new cut Yeah, and you'll be on it like a new drug Then off it just as quick as some true love, fuck Cause in this game ain't no shame in getting chewed up And spit out just to try again and tie another noose up Why so serious yo Epick you should loosen up I swear you coulda blown by now if you'd just choose your luck I want it all but I don't wanna watch it fall It's a pattern of destruction and I author every call Every line that I write's begging me to stand up tall Either paint a better picture or be happy on the wall What's worse feeling ashamed or regret from it Where's your hearse quit your pain or place some bets on it First things first be the change you wanna get from it And then maybe you could complain about the stress from it What's worse feeling ashamed or regret from it Where's your hearse quit your pain or place some bets on it First things first be the change you wanna get from it And then maybe you could complain about the stress from it I killed my love and told my life it wasn't worth shit And thought I'm just a psychopath in need of idle worship I grabbed a bunch of pills and a bottle and went to bed Thinking maybe if I'm dead then my life will become perfect Sent my ex a text saying sorry I'm so worthless Love you more than life you and my fam don't deserve this Please forgive me and I pray you see my purpose If I go underground then your spirit could resurface This is for you and I hope that you can accept the gift And wish that when I had your heart I honored and respected it Think I hate myself your love had me second guessing it My heart was dead for years then you came and resurrected it Showed me I got goodness that I'm more than a depressive dick You became my moon my raison d'etre most definite But had to prove you wrong show you I'm my own detriment I'm buried in my shame and I can't ever forget that shit What's worse feeling ashamed or regret from it Where's your hearse quit your pain or place some bets on it First things first be the change you wanna get from it And then maybe you could complain about the stress from it What's worse feeling ashamed or regret from it Where's your hearse quit your pain or place some bets on it First things first be the change you wanna get from it And then maybe you could complain about the stress from it
4.
Crazy in love, no I'll never get enough Crazy in love, no I'll never get enough, of you More than just a crush, obsession or a crutch A whisper from a skinny love telling me to hush Listen love you hear that sound that melody is us Said I do I hear it too that song just made me blush Sing it with me hold my hand love's never enough Squeezing on your fingertips I'll never miss your touch As long as you got hands one will be inside my clutch I don't plan to miss a thing me I'll be around too much You might, need a break from me I'd understand and such But I won't need a break I'll just wait up on the bus Til you're ready for forever and forever til we're dust I'm not crazy I just love you but some people call me nuts Crazy in love, no I'll never get enough Crazy in love, no I'll never get enough, of you I look into their blank stares and see a little me there Helpless, hopeless eyes telling me to beware There but for the grace go I we all need care Someone to hug tell we love and help us breath air Someone we can trust show our lust and give our cares to Someone who will tell you when you're lost that love there's you Someone who will show you truth and wrap their arms around you So when you're feeling down and out you're grateful that they found you Someone you could kiss, someone to tell you miss Someone to hold you down, someone to give a lift Someone that gets you hot always giving you fits Somebody who won't stop, somebody who won't quit Crazy in love, no I'll never get enough Crazy in love, no I'll never get enough, of you
5.
Get Off 02:24
Yo she hit me in that fine line Right between where you dream and where you keep your fine wine I poured some cups in her guts and made her mind shine Made her laugh, even ate her ass when it's prime time I put a lot in it but couldn't put a stop to it Cause she had other brothers and I was just some old stop and git And one of these fellas had her locked on a chain And guess I couldn't be enough to make her hop off that train But get off You deserve a lot better lil mama Even if it ain't from me You could take all them cuffs off And put other cuffs on Write you a love song You could be free, yeah But get off You deserve a lot better lil mama Even if it ain't from me You could take all them cuffs off And put other cuffs on Write you a love song You could be free, yeah Get off Yeah I shamed her, projected my anger Turned a sweet cuddle into holding on a stranger Blame is a game where the one pointing the finger Is really just the person who be pulling on a trigger Love is a war, I love you I love you more I'm more than your mi amor is something we can't afford I'm just trying to be chill but still offer something more I'm on a different train if you wanna get aboard Get off You deserve a lot better lil mama Even if it ain't from me You could take all them cuffs off And put other cuffs on Write you a love song You could be free, yeah But get off You deserve a lot better lil mama Even if it ain't from me You could take all them cuffs off And put other cuffs on Write you a love song You could be free, yeah Get off
6.
Could've been my savior, my one and only Could've been my savior, my one and only Could've been my savior, my one and only Could've been my savior, my one and only, yeah nono Watch the sky fall, a tear from her eyeball Could make you lose pace in the race for survival Call it love call it war call it libel He say she say, love is like the bible We all interpret it different, some people die slow While others get the job done quick flying high low Up down side to side is how that ride go Hold on tight or you might let your piece of pie go And I don't wanna lose, I swear I wanna win this Made it my business to get this I'd be damned if I'ma quit this Be a president or crackhead, yeah them scorpio rules They got me acting a fool walking round half dead Got bad facts and a sense of entitlement Backpacks filled with crap and other vitamins We all just shapes of our environments So I won't be surprised when these skies come flying in Could've been my savior, my one and only Could've been my savior, my one and only Could've been my savior, my one and only Could've been my savior, my one and only, yeah nana We don't see things as they really are we see them as how we be And most people hypnotized and programmed by the TV So when they look around the town and see people who acting greedy They compete and try to win and don't see that they being needy Perspective is a mother be conscious of how you see things You could love the honey and still be traumatized by bee stings If everything's an option and everything's always three things Nothing's ever sacred, are there three stars or three kings? I see GOD in every movement we make In every moon and each shape In every broom and each rake You could be a fucking witch and summon dooms and mistakes Or you could rake a little sand and learn to groove and create I'm a student of boom bap and native tongues on the tape Speak your love into existence, watch that frequency fate And be careful what you wish for, hope it's truthful and great Cause intentions under blood could reap a future you hate Could've been my savior, my one and only Could've been my savior, my one and only Could've been my savior, my one and only But it's just as simple as a love if you ain't got it for me
7.
Love Food 03:13
I want that good if what you got is bad then don't even bother Unless that bad is on some bad meaning good cause that's that bad I can honor I want that heart attack, start to crack make my arteries a flutter, yeah I want that love that gets all up in your blood then makes you shake and then stutter I need your lovin like it's food I need your lovin like good good good good good good good good food I want that hot if what you got is cold then that ain't my business Unless that cold is on some cold like old soul cause thats that cold I bear witness, uh huh I want those leave you froze freeze your toes make your teeth start to chatter I want that cold that gets all under your clothes but gets you hot where it matters I need your lovin like it's food I need your lovin like good good good good good good good good food I can't get ya no matter how hard I try, no no Nothing I do seems to satisfy, no no I grill you dinner but you want it fried, no no And then complain about what's on the side I need your lovin like it's food I need your lovin like good good good good good good good good food
8.
9.
Symbolism’s my graffiti, got an eye out for the needy Been awake since the American-Morrocan peace treaty It ain’t hard to tell, we on the teet of Neffertiti And the history we got ain’t even history believe me I been on my J O B’s with this, pots and pans and grease with this Everything ain’t lies but holy Jesus this some evilness And no one wants to face the truth so most won’t even see this shit Then point a finger at you for not eating what they feeding us Please this the disease, they get you by repeating it Saying it again and again, but this time meaning it And once more cause why not, it’s everywhere on my block They say yours ain’t gone work unless I go and get my shot And now I can’t shop or get a beer at a bar Unless I prove I’m vaccinated and show a bouncer my card I swear to God I think I know how the Jews felt back in Germany It’s the most insecure folk trying to poke you with their certainty And everybody’s full of shit, the politics of doctoring Big pharma’s big hands the only thing they honoring I’m trying to paint a picture so that maybe you could see it clearer It’s not about your health, it’s bout what you be eating in the mirror And careful what you snacking on, got good people acting wrong The hubris of being right mixed with a fascist song And a hook so catchy got you singing in your head I can’t wait til the people I disagree with are dead Hook 1 Put me in a box and try to label me as anti Am I anti sky because I walk the ground and can’t fly Try to make some sense of all your thoughts cause I just can’t guy I’m trying to eat my piece in peace but y’all poisoned the damn pie Epick 2 You’re putting us at risk by not complying with the narrative For all of us to be safe cooperation’s imperative Yet you think that you’re special as if you don’t got a care to give And you could give a shit about whether your grandparents live I never met a soul who’s as selfish as you appear to be Acting like the mask I wear somehow shows that there’s fear in me I wear it cause I care about the health of those who near to me While you act like you’re too good and then say it’s all conspiracy You and all those Trumpers are the reason that we’re where we at Saying it’s all fake denying science and that there are facts People catching sicknesses and spreading them is fairly tracked Yet you say germs a theory and terrain is what is staring back Don’t even get me started on comparing this to Germany You’re nothing like the Jews you get to choose in this emergency And you chose not to vax knowing damn well there’d be consequence No-one’s segregating you, you chose this route with confidence We tried to give incentives to show you what we were facing You then called it coercion and said no to half the nation So own it and be honest this is not descrimination You’re not allowed where we are now you chose your destination Hook 2 Put you in a box and then I’ll color you as that guy Five year old mindstate where all you doin is ask why Try to make some sense of all your thoughts cause I just can’t guy There’s slow and steady truths while you just believe the fast lie Verse 3 (K-Rino) The climate has got eerie so what is the plot really? Clearly once a conspiracy is proven it’s not theory The people have grown weary of weak inferior images They used to insult our intelligence now they diminish it Baiting and switching history to infinitely condition us And finish us with viscous degenerate initiatives Disable programming enslave you is all that they do Then you let em take over the flesh the creator gave you Create laws to incarcerate your offspring and make yours Fall on their face like a drunk person riding a skateboard A cruel agenda smoothly executed by the true offenders Bend the rules and tell a two year old that they can choose their gender Hold up, it gets deeper black, how? Cause we’re the only people that get forced to publicly apologize for speaking facts Blinded us with clever deceit, cause we were never taught The history they told us not to ever repeat Hook 3 Put us in a box and try to label us as theorists Attached to your body denying the soul and spirits Try to make some sense of all your thoughts and why you fear us We think outside the box while you just follow where they steer us
10.
Higher 03:00
Funky as the juice dripping out of her cooch, I'd still slurp it And I'm a feminist, ain't nobody here perfect I get as high as the roof but stay surfaced And grounded in my search for the truth like it's got purpose Cause, life's a cruel joke and I'm not sure it's worth this But I tried and suicide's not something to flirt with So take a five, cause if you're here then you deserve this And who am I to try and get by on these universes This is what we make of it, make it great or make it shit Keep on writing songs, right or wrong someday you'll make a hit And even if you don't at least you tried instead of faking it Cause everybody here lives in fear of never making shit So take a number, get on line and keep your head high Cause sometimes we confuse blues with trying to get by And then we get angry, get drunk and get high When all we had to do was stay focused on how to get live We could get higher Yeah we all need, trying to be more free and then we feed our greed Yo we could get higher Trying to G O D, but motherfuckers gonna just OD Yo we could get higher Trying to find some love, and looking for it in a bottle or a garden above Yo we could get higher Trying to be more free, shit I'm just trying to be more me Check it, I'm not somebody that you heard about I'm not like herpes, I ain't spreading round by word of mouth I'm barely trying shit I'm walking with the curtains out I think I'm in a rap club living in Tyler Durdens house All I do is get high and make a mess of shit But deep down know there's something better on the precipice I want true love, one that's almost effortless I'm sick of playing Tinder, always looking for a better fish I know I need to love myself to see those benefits But that there is hard and my self love's erectionless Real talk I'm trying to get my self love's dick up So I'm not just a slave to these emotions and these hiccups I know this ain't a game, I'm overcoming my shame Not just pointing fingers looking for someone to blame I'm looking deeper inside, past my ego and pride And think that what I'm gonna find is gonna help me break chains And get higher Yeah we all need, trying to be more free and then we feed our greed Yo we could get higher Trying to G O D, but motherfuckers gonna just OD Yo we could get higher Trying to find some love, and looking for it in a bottle or a garden above Yo we could get higher Trying to be more free, shit I'm just trying to be more me
11.
12.
I took my love upon a roller coast, said I'd hold her close And I did I squeezed her so tight I broke her nose Wrote her love songs but couldn't write her hopeful prose Every poem ending with a look at all these broken bones Mother goose said she's flying with the hopeless crows But we loved the feeling of feeling beyond our broken homes So we made our own, tried to play we grown But we were just kids trying to live off of making songs Made a couple tracks drove em passed a riverbed And drowned in the ocean near the hamptons out past riverhead She tried to save em but I said let em live instead We can't be the songs that we sing or we'll be living dead Made a choice for us but then I couldn't live in debt I owed her the world but I took her world and slit it's neck I didn't wanna choke but still I couldn't give us breath And when I left I just walked us right into our death Said you'd never let me go then you kept walking Then you left me all alone like a little orphan thinking Why can't this just be easy like it's a sunday morning Maybe you're just wednesdays with love Mourned for years so I guess it's time to date again But the internets an ugly place to try and make a friend Swiping right where every night it's like we play pretend And try to act like we ain't a mess and in a state of zen We have our lists of what we want and we won't break or bend Until we find that perfect little piece that fits and makes us blend Perfect height perfect smile at least an eight to ten And won't settle for nothing less than better than a naked gem Turning stones I found a couple shining bright for me Took em out for drinks bought em dinners living wild and free Making love we'd adventure through the island breeze And spend our afternoons drenched in sun out at Lido beach Feeling safe again we made a little pile for three Where we'd roll around go to town and just smile in skeet But then I woke up and they told me it was time to leave I was just a play thing and they walked off waving bye to me Said you'd never let me go then you kept walking Then you left me all alone like a little orphan thinking Why can't this just be easy like it's a sunday morning Maybe you're just wednesdays with love Said you'd never let me go then you kept walking Then you left me all alone like a little orphan thinking Why can't this just be easy like it's a sunday morning Maybe you're just wednesdays with love
13.
Just Jam 03:03
Yo listen for the funky revolution, it's coming We ain't gonna have our fists in the air We just gonna be walking and hummin Hmmmm hmmmm You know the deal, funky drummer drummin Always into something whether for money or just for funnin Cause I been running round doing this for nothing It's the fact of it that keep me so passionate, always huntin For a better way to go, a future more fortunate A balance that can see through the challenge, staying proportionate To what I am and sposed to be, never take the easy road Know yourself, know your speed, that's how you gone heave your load I got hope by the hopeload and if hope floats I'm a be a part of a movement that helps some po folks I got money on it, pour a lil honey on it Staying serious but put a lil funny on it Just for giggles and shits, cause if you wiggle your hips I did my job in the face of those who fronted on it Don't just do it for the money, just jam Stand up, be a man Don't say maybe say you know that you can Don't just do it for the women, just rock Not for paper or stock Putting your heart in it's what making it hot Don't just do it for the money, just jam Stand up, be a man Don't say maybe say you know that you can Don't just do it for the women, just rock Not for paper or stock Putting your heart in it's what making it hot I'm on some one two and don't do anything you can't undo Cause one shoes gotta fit before you get the other shoe And you better not worry bout what all the others do And focus on yourself cause if you don't then you gonna lose And you better get better and you better get on Not just to say you made it and prove competitors wrong You owe it to your dream to your team and your moms To your self esteem and to the fiends for the songs You know that it's true and you know you deserve it So stop waiting and being patient go take it like you reserved it And make it more than your bitch, make it scream like you hurt it Make all the people doubting say they sorry when you earned it This is you baby, better play it for keeps, you better Control and own it like you're making your beats, you better Hop up on her like she's naked in your sheets, you better Know it's for you but still go make it for me Don't just do it for the money, just jam Stand up, be a man Don't say maybe say you know that you can Don't just do it for the women, just rock Not for paper or stock Putting your heart in it's what making it hot Don't just do it for the money, just jam Stand up, be a man Don't say maybe say you know that you can Don't just do it for the women, just rock Not for paper or stock Putting your heart in it's what making it hot

credits

released April 28, 2023

All songs written and produced by Epick.
Who Got The Blues, Shame & Higher Co-Produced by Keith Witty. Crazy In Love Co-Produced/Written by Irene Diaz and Carolyn Cardoza. Guitars on 4, 5 and 10 by C. Martin Carle. Bass on 1, 4, 5, 8, 10, and 13 by Keith Witty. Guitars on 1 by Joe Young. Keys on 1 by Surya Botofasina. Drums on 1 by Sangmin Lee. Rhodes on 13 by Alexis Martin and French Horn on 13 by Josh Landress.
Mixed and Mastered by @Nasteeluvzyou
Photos by Michael O'Shea
Painting by Michael Hambouz
@epickmusic

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Epick New York, New York

Epick is a rapper/producer out of NYC specializing in soulful boom bap. Get you some

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