[Part 1]
It all started in ninety-eight (ninety-eight)
Writin' songs, recordin' tapes, anticipatin' the big break
My dream of a rap career just startin' to take shape
On a campus of my college down in morehead state
I was on a scholarship, studyin' in two minds
One's on the NFL, the other is spittin' rhymes
With a deal, gettin' signed was the goal of it all
'Cause to me my family deserved at least one star
On the cover of The Source or the Sports Illustrated
Either way they be able to look and say "One of us made it!"
I'd be bringin' home the bacon, with grits and eggs
So I stayed in the lab and trainin' my legs
Got associated with a couple cliques and crews
From Jersey to Kentucky, scribin' up different tunes
On a Amtrak, Delta flights and Greyhound buses
22-hour trips to see mom, but losin' luggage
[Hook]
They say, nothing ventured, nothing gained
And sometimes you risk it all to earn your name
And sometimes you win, you lose, but faith remains
If you wanna know glory, you gotta know pain
They say, nothing ventured, nothing gained
And sometimes you risk it all to earn your name
And sometimes you win, you lose, but faith remains
If you wanna know glory, you gotta know pain
[Part 2]
The first of my family to go to college straight from highschool
I was strugglin' inside but still a nice dude
From a fam I never knew had musical background
But I couldn't clear my head to those musical sounds
So now I'm playin' politics with different heads in the community
Tryin' to find a platform, so this was all new to me
Smiles in my face, knifes in my back
At the same time I'm earnin' MVP Sportsplex
From serious stats, gettin' pressed, gaining courage
Developin' a name in the eyes of the public
From sweat on my brow, my hand the plow
I expected to become my family's cash cow
That's not how it went down, I never got drafted
Never made it in a magazine, pages for my rappin'
It's seemingly tragic and far more did it cost
I hung my head in shame, thinkin' all is lost
[Hook]
But they say, nothing ventured, nothing gained
And sometimes you risk it all to earn your name
And sometimes you win, you lose, but faith remains
If you wanna know glory, you gotta know pain
They say, nothing ventured, nothing gained
And sometimes you risk it all to earn your name
And sometimes you win, you lose, but faith remains
If you wanna know glory, you gotta know pain
[Part 3]
I became one of those brothers goin' Pro in somethin' other
Than Superbowl rings and jump shots at the buzzer
Inside I felt like a disappointment to my mother
Later on I discovered she was less concerned
With my draft status but more for the grease I earn
A lesson hard to learn but won a highly value
And tryin' to calculate what my life amounts to
I'm now an example of hard work and integrity
Greater than any yard stick used to measure me
Against sports cats and worldwide celebrites
My life's not a parody, []
[], spittin' amateur bars
I'm a champion in charge with a new life perspective
Knowin' my flesh is flaw, strivin' for perfection
[] in my reflections that I have a bright future
I swing sixteens on a page, not as a []
[Hook]
But they say, nothing ventured, nothing gained
And sometimes you risk it all to earn your name
And sometimes you win, you lose, but faith remains
If you wanna know glory, you gotta know pain
They say, nothing ventured, nothing gained
And sometimes you risk it all to earn your name
And sometimes you win, you lose, but faith remains
If you wanna know glory, you gotta know pain
