Industry - Cormega

Listen to me good

The artist is the most important person

You are the feature

People listen to you, they don’t listen to their preachers

Exaggerated tales of hustlin'

We quick to pass judgment and fail our brothers

Instead of talkin' 'bout Lauryn Hill, talk about Lauryn’s skill

Truth be told there may never be a girl as ill

Don’t gossip 'bout Dame Dash, give props to Dame hand

For the rise of Jay and for signin' Kanye, man (you know what I’m sayin'?)

Niggas is crazy that’s why we ain’t got shit

Rappers hate each other not the labels that got rich

Don’t care about culture they only want profit

If your album sells slow bet you get dropped quick

Q-Tip warned us the industry’s toxic

For reference check out B.D.P — Sex and Violence (brrrrrah!!)

Styles made I Get High, it was playin' all day

When Styles made I’m Black, it didn’t get enough play (WORD!)

I guess they got a problem with anything positive

Doesn’t make sense if it doesn’t bring dollars in

Those that managed us

Those that were our agents

Those that were our accountants

Those that were the records executives

Those that were the owners of the record label

You never got true accounting for nothing that you did

What’s the difference between a label and pimpin'?

You sell yourself, they tell you how to spend it

Ho ass niggas slow down, listen

Pimps prey on minds with no ambition

They keep you fly — image is promotion

They keep you high, so a nigga isn’t focused

You livin' in a moment, feeling yourself

They livin' in plush homes, what’s really success?

And what’s swag?

I don’t care how you dress

Or what you drive, I want rhymes that really impress

You say it’s all about money, do you even invest?

Any time in your rhymes, let me guess

You so nice you don’t write it just comes to you

'Cause you the shit — nah, you just doo-doo

I’ll lyrically abuse any rapper who choose to

Step to me, I will bring it right to you!

Who do you think you are?

To them you are nothing but a piece of meat

And you are only as valuable as your last hit song

And when you make no more hit songs

Nobody cares for you no more

Men lie, women lie, numbers can be altered

To look high, shareholders hate takin' losses

This is business, they don’t care about your lyrics

The better you sell, the better future for their children

Controversy sells so they support conflict

Makes more progress means more profit

And artists get killed they say they so sorry

Meanwhile they tell you the date of his next project

What a life, death made it more profit

Record companies get paid for your drama

And Beef DVD is on BET

So every artist who was on it was beefin' for free

While the royalties are going to QD3

He Quincy Jones son, what he know about beef?

No disrespect intended, I know he got beats

But it’s deep how the rich get paid off our grief

And every one of our great artists they die — with nothing

And the record company executives were rich, sending their kids to college

You’re not stupid — you are brilliant

But the question is: can you put your brilliance in a song?

Can you put the conditions of the world in a song and inspire young people all

over the world?