Dead Horse

Yo, I first met Hop back in two thousand and nine (2009)
 I reached out when my homie Lo Key found him online
 He blew my mind with his rhymes, he sounded sublime
 He showed me I wasn't the only one down for the grind
 We kept in touch and grew closer as the time went on
 Till we became best friends and the bind was strong
 Sittin' up and just straight talkin' like from nine to dawn
 Our mutual struggle to be heard defined our bond
 He was the only one who understood what it was like
 The struggle and strife to make a name jugglin' life
 Trying to become something bigger than some regular guys
 Like eagles with our wings pinned trying to spread 'em and fly
 We kept our friendship secret as a joke and a plot
 That we'd reveal it in his new video that I shot
 But when the video dropped, and I saw he cut all my parts
 It felt like I had a damn dagger stuck in my heart
 But it's a dead horse now, can we all just move on
 But it's a dead horse now, it's really been too long
 But it's a dead horse now, I'm thinking that it's time that we all just leave it alone
 I'm telling you
 But it's a dead horse now, and it's already been said
 But it's a dead horse now, it's gone and it's been dead
 But it's a dead horse now, feeling like it's time that we all just leave it alone
 Now Strange Music fans, listen, I have to oblige
 Tech N9ne is straight one of the dopest rappers alive
 I won't lie, some of them crazy delivery patterns are fly
 And on a personal level he ain't that bad of a guy
 I was a big fan of him right out of the gate
 I first heard Tech spit in two thousand and eight (2008)
 Flippin' through MySpace I came across Night and Day from Everready
 Played it and was like "Wow, that was great!"
 He had the rhymes, had the speed, had the harmony down
 And Rob Rebeck on the mix, with the barbarous sound
 His stage show was straight nuts, no matter the spot
 So as a rapper you could imagine how happy I got
 When I got invited to meet him in Santa Barbara that day
 And then drove like eight hundred miles at eighty dollars a tank
 And spent my whole check to show Tech a couple of songs
 But got kicked off of the bus cause the game was on
 But it's a dead horse now, can we all just move on
 But it's a dead horse now, it's really been too long
 But it's a dead horse now, I'm thinking that it's time that we all just leave it alone
 I'm telling you
 But it's a dead horse now, and it's already been said
 But it's a dead horse now, it's gone and it's been dead
 But it's a dead horse now, feeling like it's time that we all just leave it alone
 So that's the gist of what happened with Funk Volume and Strange
 But looking back my perspective wasn't all that pertained
 I've done a lot of growing up in the past two years
 So as a man here's a couple things I ask you hear
 All I ever really wanted was the love of a friend
 Who could relate to my struggle, and thus was akin
 Along with the validation from professional peers
 To whom I looked up to justify the stress and my tears
 So when I felt Hop betrayed me, it cut me deep
 And getting kicked off of the bus hurt enough to weep
 So when my situation got bleak, I hatched me a ploy
 To throw a fit and lash out like a sad little boy
 It wasn't Tech's fault his manager treated me bad
 But I dissed him for the buzz that I seen that he had
 And in the process I flipped off a legend of rap
 And made a horrible impression I could never get back
 Now with my homie, Hop, it was even deeper than that
 The bond we shared, I should've worked to keep it intact
 But instead, I let my anger overcome me and snapped
 And ripped a gash in between us too rugged to patch
 But it wasn't just that, I trashed every one of his acts
 And hit SwizZz with elaborate redundant attacks
 And used my whole platform as a big bullhorn
 That turned a once-pure friendship ugly and black
 And even though I might have felt validated inside
 I wasn't gracious, I reacted out of anger and pride
 And at the same time stigmatized my name
 And defamed the notoriety I tried to gain
 And tried to blame other people for a course of events
 I could've stopped from even happening before it commenced
 And ever since, have lost fans, lost respect
 Lost any chance to ever do a song with Tech
 Lost a best friend, pissed off loads of his fans
 Lost potential opportunities to grow and advance
 And I was speaking on God, while diggin' a grave
 In a vast misappropriation of the gifts that he gave
 I was blind with the justice and redemption I craved
 But I never stopped to think about the picture displayed
 I made myself look small as an infant and paved
 A trail of my own destruction with the bricks that I laid
 So listen, to Dame, Hop, Tech, SwizZz and the gang
 Hoppa, Benton, Krizz Kaliko and Dizzy the same
 I'm ashamed of all the dirt that I kicked on your names
 I was hurt and lashed out, and you were fit for the blame
 So I apologize. Simple and plain
 There's no excuse for it I was sinful and vain
 I acted out my bitter anger as a vent for the pain
 And ignored the same message I was sent to proclaim
 And to the fans, listen, all that I ask
 Is if you're in the same position don't follow my path
 Any punk can start swinging when the gauntlet is cast
 But it takes a real man to sit back and swallow the wrath
 And even if you don't deserve it, just take it and chill
 Cause people hurt you as a symptom of the pain that they feel
 And probably from somebody hurting them the way they did you
 Then the cycle will continue till the hatred is through
 So if you got somebody out there and you know who they are
 You really cared about, who left you heartbroken and scarred
 It might be time to swallow that pride and punch in a call
 And put an end to that sick cycle once and for all
 And even if it feels like it's beyond repair
 Fixing your half's the only thing you're called to bear
 But unless you try, you'll never know, and who could be mad?
 One day you two could look back like "Yeah, it used to be bad but..."
 Regardless of what happens, we should always take that first step to make it right.
 Holding on to anger and hatred is cancerous, and understanding and forgiveness is the only cure