Otherside - Macklemore

"He rolled up, asked him what he was sipping on

He said lean, you want to hit it, dawg?

That's the same stuff Weezy's sipping huh

And tons of other rappers that be spitting hard

Yup, he had five up on

When he passed him that Styrofoam

The Easter pink, heard it in a rhyme before

Finally got to see what all the hype was on

And then he took a sip, sitting in the Lincoln

Thinking he was pimping as he listened to the system

Little did he know that it was just as addictive as base

Not the kind of hit from the kick drum

Hot box, let the bass bump

Take it to the face, gulp

Months later the use went up

Every blunt was accompanied by the pink stuff

But goddam, he loved that feeling

Purple rain coated in the throat, just so healing

Medicine alleviate the sickness

Liquid affix and it comes with a cost

Wake up, cold sweat, scratching, itching

Trying to escape the skin that barely fit him

Gone, get another bottle just to get a couple swallows

Headed towards the bottom couldn't get off it

Didn't even think he had a problem

Though he couldn't sleep without getting nauseous

Room spinning

Thinking he might of sipped just a little bit too much of that cough syrup

His eyelids closed shut

Sat back in the chair clutching that cup

Girlfriend came and a couple hours later

Said his name, shook him but he never got up

He never got up, he never got up

We live on the cusp of death thinking that it won't be us

It won't be us, it won't be us, it won't be us

Nah, it won't be us

Now he just wanted to act like them

He just wanted to rap like him

Us as rappers underestimate the power and the effects that we have on these kids

Blunt passed, ash in a tin

Pack being pushed, harassed by the Feds

The fact of it is most people that rap like this

Talking about some shit they haven't lived

Surprise, you know the drill

Trapped in a box, declining record sales

Follow the formula: violence, drugs, and sex sells

So we try to sound like someone else

This is not Californication

There's no way to glorify this pavement

Syrup, Percocet, and an eighth a day

Will leave you broke, depressed, and emotionally vacant

Despite how Lil Wayne lives

It's not conducive to being creative

And I know cause he's my favorite

And I know cause I was off that same mix

Rationalize the shit that I'd try after I listen to Dedication

But he's an alien

I'd sip that shit

Pass out or play PlayStation

Months later I'm in the same place

No music made, feeling like a failure

And trust me it's not dope to be twenty-five

And move back to your parent's basement

I've seen my people's dreams die

I've seen what they can be denied

And "Weed's not a drug," that's denial

Groundhog Day, life repeat each time

I've seen Oxycontin take three lives

I grew up with them

We used to chief dimes

I've seen cocaine bring out the demons inside

Cheating and lying

Friendship cease, no peace in the mind

Stealing and taking anything to fix the pieces inside

Broken, hopeless, headed nowhere

Only motivation for what the dealer's supplying

That rush, that drug, that dope

Those pills, that crumb, that roach

Thinking I would never do that, not that drug

And growing up nobody ever does

Until you're stuck

Looking in the mirror like I can't believe what I've become

Swore I was going to be someone

And growing up everyone always does

We sell our dreams and our potential

To escape through that buzz

Just keep me up, keep me up

Hollywood, here we come"

Anyone who's not listened to The Heist really should give it a go. Macklemore and Ryan Lewis are the future of music - self produced with introspection and a vision for what music should really be about. They use the guise of Hip Hop and Rap to discuss relevant topics which almost anyone can resonate with - materialism, rights, the will to succeed, and the vice of addiction among others.