This winter, I'm ready to simmer Hot as an ember flaming Inside an incinerator A fiery instigator My disclaimer: Best use oven mitts Wanna touch this cuz you're loving it But under the surface Something is bubbling Suckers get tested like Wonderlic They puzzled when I'm Unleashing these bars in abundance That they can't comprehend There's godliness in these lyrics Whether you're Protestant Or just the opposite Much more nonreligious like I have been I'm in pursuit of the truth Up in this booth But it's on the loose Much like a tooth or two up in my youth I can't get down with your newest movement I'm too removed I can't get down with consumerism It's stupid too I'm not concerned with your purpose I'd rather turn up the furnace Turn this place into an inferno and burn it I got a license to murder these verses You got a learner's permit Let the jury's adjournment end I'm overturning the verdict [Gavel bangs] Order! Order in the court! Truthfully Things just ain't the same As they used to be Reminiscing on a youthful me Who was he? Should've listened to that Troops recruiter who said be All that you can be Cuz there's no dream too big To achieve Choo-chooing like a train Am I losing steam? Or am I just building momentum Feeding the engine all the Fuel it needs to succeed Accelerating and reaching Cruising speed Steadily embracing opportunities I got a plan it's going beautifully Executing to a tee Never second-guessing, maybe foolishly I never questioned is this lunacy Since I always felt that I was destined To pursue my dreams Ruthlessly Didn't fit the molds they threw at me I don't wear no jewelry Don't go chasing feuds or beefs I do my thing The future seems bright Cuz I'm doing me Just a true emcee who's a beast On this mic as you can see

I feel that wind blowing I guess that means that the window is open And I'm either going to seize the moment Or get lost in this sea that is overflowing With emcees, each of them convinced That he is the one chosen But we all know this isn't the case Very few of my opponents could even hope to keep pace All telling themselves this isn't a race, and slowing So I'm giving em chase Forever frozen in place is this grin on my face The laughing stack is you You'll have to walk a few Blocks in my shoes To have half of a clue just who you're talking to Yeah true, this habit is irresponsible Rapping 'til my tonsils go *PFFT* Then pushing on with no Voice feel I don't have a choice Even if I'm screaming into voids At least then I'm speaking and making some noise I'm just an average joe Attacking the status quo From every angle and point of impact imaginable Things are screwed up from my point of view If you feel the same way, then we're in it together I am with you What we have on our side is the truth Cold hard science and proof A perfect counter for the cold hearted lies that they spew The cold hearted lies that they spew And the only thing I'm trying to do Is shine a light onto these shady actors And the radioactive tactics they practice These maniacs have Got a method and I'm learning it fast Sewing confusion by going accusing All these journalist hacks Of turning their backs on the American flag With one-sided coverage How come no one's using alternative facts? That's because there's no such thing Just a crutch used too much By these know-nothings To gain support for unsupportable Wars that are unaffordable Wonder where did their morals go Portable just like cordless phones The most crooked among us Are somehow running the show It's a humongous bunch of bull So no punches are pulled As I go and finally let loose No need for typical hip-hop language to get through My message, what's that message? I'm here to threaten Anyone getting on my nerves These words are my weapons So I'm merging the Second and first amendments As I'm burning the remnants And scorching earth out of personal preference Things are screwed up from my point of view If you feel the same way, then we're in it together I am with you What we have on our side is the truth Cold hard science and proof A perfect counter for the cold hearted lies that they spew The cold hearted lies that they spew Once we open our eyes we'll see through It took too long before I finally knew I was wrong to remain silent hiding from view

Crack a wishbone and hope for the long half Wanna get home so my shoes I'm gon tap Three times, say there's no place Like the Minneapolis, the city so immaculate I rock a TC fitted cap that sits Just a little bit crooked to the left Like my politics Switch subjects, kids are we done yet This shit's getting me upset Fuck this, questions coming, what, which When, where, why and how Did the game get to start drying out Feel like I'm stranded on an island now Got a fighting chance to fight my way up Out this paper bag Finally made some stacks Might as well be making hay Making waves, paving roads To take the stage Be the focus of attention even if only just for a moment Wake up and smell the roses These explosions are setting ablaze haters Thawed Out, Nickle Nelly You best remember the names I'm too close to slow Slow down now I got the world in my palms I finally found out Just how this is supposed to go Take a couple sticks of dynamite Combine em with your lines and recite em And there's no doubt you're going to blow Em all away with your ferocious flow Danger contents may be explosive When we're bout to start the show Exercise caution Watch for falling objects when these records are dropping See I'm a stage destroyer Make these speakers blow up Thawed Out beats be the coldest and I go so Hard with these bars that I'm speaking over That dude in the back He's screaming so loud, I don't think he's sober Stay sharp on the way home now Cuz them cops out there trying to Meet the quota I got no qualms with all them party-goers Shit I've been in that state of mind Way too often in the past I'm no smarter for it Got a heart of gold, better melt it, pour it Sell sell sell, there's a shortage You can buy your way to the top if you want I cannot afford it That would be boring anyway Tell me what does a penny weigh Less than five, guess what I'm trying to say Is that Nickle's a heavyweight Can you get it straight? When I hit a stage I'm like a fucking super villain in a fit of rage Channeling Thanos All it takes is a snap with the hand Foes vanish and disintegrate Finish line is in my sight But I'm blinded by the light Let me give you this final bit of advice If you grip that mic better grip it tight Don't get ripped by the tide When I'm zipping on by In the blink of an eye it's lift-off And I take flight must move quick to the sky cuz I'm too close to slow Slow down now I got the world in my palms I finally found out Just how this is supposed to go Take a couple sticks of dynamite Combine em with your lines and recite em And there's no doubt you're going to blow Em all away with your ferocious flow Danger contents may be explosive When we're bout to start the show Exercise caution Watch for falling objects when these records are dropping

I come from a city where the competition is thick So many hopping on this hip-hop The shit isn't hip A crowded environment So this mountain I'm climbing it No amount of perspiring would ever get me to slip This scene is known nationwide So I take my time Been working on this craft since the day I became alive Back in '85, just a baby crying By now I probably should be in an insane asylum Deranged as I am Good things come to those who can wait Forget good, though, me and Wood chose to be great I get no roses on the stage But have rose to occasions More than once, more than twice More than you can equate You fucking showed up too late Sit there and hold up your plate You're stuck in place, saying grace Prayers going to waste Why should I allow a higher power To dictate what I get out of this life I control it and I know that's the case All these copycats and cut and paste But let's cut to the chase The truth hits like a punch to the face I want it all, everything No matter what it should take I've placed the chips on the table So I'm upping the stakes Now you gotta be Clear Do you wanna be Feared Do you wanna get Respect Do you wanna get These checks Do you wanna be Heard When you're shouting these Words Do you wanna be Loved Or all of the above All of the above The name is Nickle That's with an L before the E Spell it incorrectly Then you are going to see Some fireworks, I'll make you believe This is the truth unfiltered You can take it from me, now I'm done asking I'm coming through with verbal guns blasting Set to deliver another tongue-lashing I'm getting raspy and My lungs gasping for breath Because I'm laughing at these other rappers As I run past em You ain't going places unless you motivated I realized that myself, patience is overrated You want it then go and take it Cuz showing faith in yourself Is the only way that you'll make it There's no use waiting Do you wanna be a star? Paid to write bars And playing with cars Be everything you say that you are? Me myself I'm fine not straying too far Making my mark in a lab in St. Louis Park Now you gotta be Clear Do you wanna be Feared Do you wanna get Respect Do you wanna get These checks Do you wanna be Heard When you're shouting these Words Do you wanna be Loved Or all of the above All of the above

Might have expected I'd Just give up this dream and let it die But I kept my mind running Excessive mental exercise The way I grind they be respecting the hustle Cuz when I lay a rhyme you could say I'm Flexing my muscles I'm from the Twin Cities So you can rinse repeat Coming in threes, make it rain Like I'm Pistol Pete When he stops and pops And drains a shot from sixty feet Then they admit defeat They be like, shit retreat! I didn't roam I stayed posted In Minnesota To get my diploma When you're in the zone No need to switch the flow up I'm just riding this wave And doing it my way They look to the skies and they pray I keep my eyes straight Ahead I'm looking Only reason to look backwards Is to check my footprints This path I've traveled It is hazardous, hectic and crooked Too many times I've learned my lesson When I stepped where I shouldn't but I'm Feeling great I'm in my zone, in my own space Been around the way but there ain't no place like home base There ain't no place like home base There ain't no place like home base Feeling great I'm in my zone, in my own space Been around the way but there ain't no place like home base There ain't no place like home base There ain't no place like home base This is a marathon and not a sprint If you truly want to win Then stop running in the wind In a rush to reinvent That which makes you different Trying to fix what ain't broken I ain't saying change is bad But this is full transformation Me myself I've tinkered with quitting But keep on coming back to this Cuz something's lingering within So many things that I've written But still don't think that I'm getting Anywhere close to the peaks I'll be hitting When I see through this vision Building a masterpiece When these lyrics clash with beats It's a catastrophe, these raps improving rapidly Self-promoting unabashedly Buckle in and strap ya seatbelts This is my test run you're my crash dummies Feeling great I'm in my zone, in my own space Been around the way but there ain't no place like home base There ain't no place like home base There ain't no place like home base Feeling great I'm in my zone, in my own space Been around the way but there ain't no place like home base There ain't no place like home base There ain't no place like home base

Close off the borders Until we sort it We need some law and order We got a problem I see it clearly like vodka water We need enforcers Officers armed with rocket launchers On top of revolvers and batons That leave us knocked unconscious Armored trucks Barging up the alley, pardon us We been told to harden up Make sure that them charges stuck All those dollars spent on our defense Somehow could not amount to sense Entering my house again without consent That thin blue line Mattered once upon a time Now it has been redefined Everything's a crime, even rhymes But these bars the only I will be behind No cell's holding me and mine Prisons overflowing Inmate quota's growing The rate of people making their escape By parole is slowing Going to war with inner cities, literally See that artillery they're bringing? It is built for killing Hello sir, do you know why I pulled you over? Well no sir, I suppose I could be going slower? No you're well below the speed limit I just needed to get here next to your vehicle So I could see in it Ha, just as I thought Contraband in that cup-holder, what's in that pop? Uh, probably, pop? What's with this cop? He had nothing to stop me for But it just must have been the luck of the draw

I'm trying to be a candidate in 2020 Eradicate the establishment While stashing em bags of money Ain't it funny? How these fat cats can laugh at the man with less So easily we can see this greed manifest Checks and balances? Man they're cashing checks And checking their balances While the rest of us adding debt Top one and a half percent They got us in a plain old stranglehold So we're gasping for breath Don't get me wrong I will pay my share And then some just so long as my Fellow neighbor's bare essentials are taken care I hear you whining about welfare but It's about the welfare of the people Not the wealth fare of yourself, player Trouble is this The head of the government is dumber than bricks And he's just mumbling shit The idiot can tweet all day he's a twit Spewing hate, you couldn't relate to him Even if you were one of his kids Billionaires twisting the rules in their favor And make no mistake: We're all gonna get screwed by it later But it's a sign of the times that we're here They lie and blind us with fear They line their pockets and profit That's why I'm trying to be a Candidate in 2020 Eradicate the establishment While stashing em bags of money Ain't it funny? How these fat cats can laugh at the man with less So easily we can see this greed manifest

Opened my Twitter app Whoops A grave mistake but I can't take it back Now I'm entranced by this unconvincing act These damn accounts must been hacked Or else the code must been cracked The net's broken though the modem's intact My synapses can't withstand this assault On reason See my whole life I've been taught Malfeasance That it was sordid now these people are getting rewarded Getting these seats made to order In the Supreme Court and it's sorta a joke I mean they clearly make it up as they go And then they claim the shit is so constitutional Like you are trying to be the peacekeepers Except we see you with them bee stingers See your true stripes and know you are devious So how the hell am I supposed to remain sane? When it don't feel like we're playing the same game? I find it tougher to maintain My sense of faith in institutions When kids are killed in shootings like bang, bang And all this plays in my head Incessantly It gets to me every night I cannot sleep and so I restlessly Toss and turn, haunted as these thoughts return The doc's concerned He tells me listen Nick You've really got to learn to Meditate Find that peaceful mental state everyday Just vegetate no need to medicate endlessly You can relax it is a better way And they say this method is great, flawless No one's ever been led astray Meditate Don't let the stress and hate penetrate Suppress your angst and simply Catch your brain's gentle waves You can relax it is a better way And they say this method is great, flawless No one's ever been led astray Flawless, oh is that what you call it? Huh? This the distraction as you're snatching me wallet? Been sold a false bill of goods This practice it don't feel as it should It's as if they've doused gasoline on a house Built of wood Then lit a match and dropped it Oh look at that let's watch it See how he handles all this Catastrophic and chaotic Madness that's unfolding As bad guys profit and backwards progress Is the only thing I keep seeing You want me catatonic? Sitting, thinking, staring straight at the wall? As it all falls around me and I stay uninvolved? Nah There's a time for introspection But this aint it, it's time for disinfection I bet you can guess where this is heading If you paid even a bit of attention to history lessons The way the pattern fits is depressing But I won't let the stress and anxiety Wreck me entirely See this technique's predicated on silence I won't go quietly and Meditate Find that peaceful mental state everyday Just vegetate no need to medicate endlessly You can relax it is a better way And they say this method is great, flawless No one's ever been led astray Meditate Don't let the stress and hate penetrate Suppress your angst and simply Catch your brain's gentle waves You can relax it is a better way And they say this method is great, flawless No one's ever been led astray

I was doing maybe 35 on a side street Nothing crazy, but this lady Jumps out with her hands waving Acting like she's panicked and in grave danger What's up with the drama Cut the citizen cop act This ain't major I'm barely over the speed limit But can read her lips she's saying go slower Instead I press the gas pedal lower Rev the engine, go a little faster As I roll my eyes at her Driving by giving a cold shoulder I check the rearview to admire my work And she's just standing there Looking tired and hurt She's all acting like I am the jerk Man I'm just driving to work Don't need no guilt trip From your righteous ass Right there on the curb There's a lesson learned Maybe mind your own business next time If you cross that line you're getting burned I turned the corner, cruising away But to this day it still annoys me Thinking who is she to say Slow down, slow down Slow down, slow down slow down Three years prior Same quiet street There's a lady on the lawn It's the same one I'd just seen But this time she ain't a lone And she's smiling While playing a game with her daughter Looks like hide and seek She's adorable, maybe four years old Giant green eyes filled with wonder Under golden curls For this girl, not a care in the world She's doing barrel rolls in the grass Mom's turn, where to go? Begins wandering, searching for a hiding spot Mom doesn't notice til she's crossing the sidewalk Oh my god! She's screaming but the words All get caught up in her throat and then emerge Much too soft to be heard Here comes a car, unseen from afar As she's running cross the boulevard Dashing past that double-parked Vehicle, mother cries out, sweetie no! But it's too late, the sound of screeching brakes And the unthinkable Slow down, slow down Slow down, slow down slow down You never know how Someone else's story differs from yours Think of that before your assumptions form And just slow down, slow down slow down Distracted driver That's the label they attached to describe him And at this time it's accurate because he's absent-minded At the station trying to give a statement But his brain keeps playing back rewinding What took place he's agonizing And at this moment, I noticed this man was About the same age as I am now You'll find no hate inside him It was all a mistake, speeding ever so slightly And looked away from the road for a moment That's all it takes And all this plays In my head as a vision I cannot concentrate Gotta believe there's a reason I'm reliving All this pain, it's too much to tolerate I know now I was wrong it aches All night long I ponder and I contemplate The following day, I go and drove back all the way To that same neighborhood This time with more caution displayed Make my way to that old spot on the street And lay a bouquet of flowers Along with a note of apology Slow down, slow down Slow down, slow down slow down You never know how Someone else's story differs from yours Think of that before your assumptions form And just slow down, slow down slow down

All these page stacked in boxes Packed away in storage Don't got a lot but I don't Have to pay a mortgage So why can't I just go for it This torment no longer metaphoric The pangs of waiting actually ache Can't stand the soreness When I steps on stage, I wrecks Tyrannosaurus Gigantic swarms of people stand up And they chant in chorus They asking for it, I have to torch it I wrap the cord around my forehead And get to cooking up these raps to order Been biding my time, looking for a sign Others bite lines, me myself I write mine All original with the flow See I can kick it into fast gear, when I'm asked yea But I find it's classier when I spit it slow Been miserable, sitting in silence Like a witness that's hiding But I'm having visions of riding And marking my territory like I'm pissing on hydrants So try to jump up out the way When these pistons are firing And while this Rhymes flowing I see the seconds ticking by Don't know where I'm going All I know's I'm keeping my Eyes open and my focus intensifies Cuz this is my moment This is the nick of time Rhymes flowing I see the seconds ticking by Don't know where I'm going All I know's I'm keeping my Eyes open and my focus intensifies Cuz this is my moment This is the nick of time Got my eyes on the prize But it's so goddamn high And the problem's I don't know how to fly I wanna rise up to this occasion So I gotta find Another method of ascension I'm elevating my body, mind, and soul This whole industry's homogenized All your playlists been automated by Spotify I'm not that guy If they ever come and want me to sign Upon that dotted line, I'll be like nah I'm fine I'm getting mine, this is the nick of time Tonight's the night I light it up A stick of dynamite is up Inside my gut it might erupt So flick that lighter liven up this bitch It feels like lightning struck me twice That's just my kinda luck That's just what I conduct Electric type of stuff A diamond tucked inside the rough With the Midas touch Feeling golden, the seal is broken No longer frozen Now I'm on my own in this ocean It's mind-blowing while this Rhymes flowing I see the seconds ticking by Don't know where I'm going All I know's I'm keeping my Eyes open and my focus intensifies Cuz this is my moment This is the nick of time Rhymes flowing I see the seconds ticking by Don't know where I'm going All I know's I'm keeping my Eyes open and my focus intensifies Cuz this is my moment This is the nick of time

Landscape stretching before us Heading directly north through Minnesota forest You betcha it's gorgeous My engine revving like an equine So many horses This wanderlust is tugging us Like magnetic forces Cruising up I-35W, realizing I'm loving you Minny Oh my, what a view A marvelous sight My arm out the side and in the car to my right My partner in crime, we larger than life Wind whipping her hair but she ain't giving a care Neither am I, we're just getting prepared For whatever the scent of adventure thick in the air Me and you against the world, baby? This isn't fair We bout to go on a tear, and we can go anywhere Let's hit this diner off the highway and just pull up a chair Plot our course through the great unknown It's obvious, no stopping us, when roll as a pair If they could see the view When it's just me and you Taking the scenic route It's a dream come true When it's me and you It's a dream come true We got us a good thing We're bout to see it through If they could see the view When it's just me and you Taking the scenic route It's a dream come true When it's me and you It's a dream come true We got us a good thing We're bout to see it through Bar-hopping, dropping dollars like we're car-shopping The next spot ain't too far, so we should start walking Electricity sizzling, sparks popping We keeping this party rocking and we aren't stopping Where the hell even are we? I don't know, somewhere far off in The hinterlands, we find ourselves in these parts often Exhilaration got our hearts throbbing Like we're taking a swim in dark uncharted waters With sharks chomping We going through our list of checkmark boxes Crossing every last one off as we cross Through the park hopping the fence Sneaking through this yard walking Past a sleeping guard dog and Hoping that we don't hear no alarms squawking Calling it a night? Probably the smart option But how we're feeling in the morning ain't a now problem The rest of this town's sleeping, we drinking hard scotch in The back of and empty parking lot with just the stars watching If they could see the view When it's just me and you Taking the scenic route It's a dream come true When it's me and you It's a dream come true We got us a good thing We're bout to see it through If they could see the view When it's just me and you Taking the scenic route It's a dream come true When it's me and you It's a dream come true We got us a good thing We're bout to see it through

Started from the bottom now we're here Sipping on a bottle of this beer I been shifting gears, pulling back the throttle every year Probably not a model to my peers But I'm here to tell you everything is Not as it appears, no You see a young man struggling Growing older, slumping his shoulders Cuz he's been lugging this bolder Around his whole life The heaviest weight, you see the stress on his face He's broken down, but yet he creates When you stop ascending you plateau The only place then to go is down Back with them below So he knows it's best to keep an upward trajectory Presses on relentlessly, measures every step but he's Not climbing flights of stairs He's taking flight in the air Lifting himself to heights he didn't dare When he didn't care Now he's hitting rare milestones Finally seeing in the mirror Finding what's been hidden there Step with me on this escalator I promise that we saved the best for later Cuz we headed for the top floor And there is a lot more Where that came from so grab your popcorn Please could you hold that elevator We're going up and you can tell the haters That we headed for the top floor Because we're in top form Won't be stopped by closed windows or locked doors Was he born with it? Or did it form, he's getting more ambitious Drifting from the norm Heading toward a metamorphosis But he cannot transform in a minute Kicking this is difficult as a visit To the Betty Ford Clinic Don't know what he's got in store, isn't it A beautiful thing in a world of unfortunate, horrific Situations people tormented By their demons, seems the poorest spirits Belong to the richest, and he's bored with it Will he fit in? He's ignoring it Like a kid who's hidden in the corner of an orphanage Unwanted, discarded, forfeited Now he's looking down after it all And it is glorious Orbiting, trespassing into forbidden Foreign territory going for the win Giving no quarter when he's forcing his Way up to the top floor Kicking through the door hinges Step with me on this escalator I promise that we saved the best for later Cuz we headed for the top floor And there is a lot more Where that came from so grab your popcorn Please could you hold that elevator We're going up and you can tell the haters That we headed for the top floor Because we're in top form Won't be stopped by closed windows or locked doors Step with me on this escalator We heading for the top, we can't be stopped, so grab a spot As we're taking off Please would you hold that elevator All aboard, we going to the the highest floor Just wait and see how much more we've got in store

I wink, I wince I blink, I rinse My face up in the kitchen sink What danger did you think was coming When you chose to take the plummet And plundered like pirates Searching for something shiny and getting sunburnt This whole life is sometimes nothing but a bummer I run for cover, find it underneath These thoughts as I wonder Think deep, and I pause for a minute I'm asking god for forgiveness Even if I may doubt his existence From the tops of mountains To the bottoms of these ditches I move on persistently Not a thing could stop me it's just Science, you can't deny it It's a fact I murder your preconceived notions Violently when I spit these raps And I leave a map to my soul With this ink and page So I can one day be reawakened in a different age Better make sure that you say Just what you meant to say Because once these words have been printed They will forever stay This disappearing ink For eternity my spirit's linked To these lyrics that I create For people to hear and think And it never dissolves Long after it is gone still the memory calls This disappearing ink For eternity my spirit's linked To these lyrics that I create For people to hear and think And it never dissolves Long after it is gone still the memory calls See the beginning’s already been written I have been smitten with this wordsmithing Ever since I was kid in kindergarten Sitting, my attention was drifting In infinite directions Living somewhere off in the distance The consequences Of taking an interest In lyricism led to listening to the great ones, studied how they did business and then made friends with some like-minded pimps and we kicked it, spitting over instrumentals But the shit was always a gimmick until this one fateful night I met this dude he says my name is Mike I got some bangers here that you may just like Eight years later Look at us now Putting it down As we’re cooking these sounds Blazing like Cajun spice Crazy the way that life It keeps us on our toes And I suppose that's why I've chosen To waive my right To remain silent I won't stand idly by This world can ask a lot I've got to write my reply in Disappearing ink For eternity my spirit's linked To these lyrics that I create For people to hear and think And it never dissolves Long after it is gone still the memory calls This disappearing ink For eternity my spirit's linked To these lyrics that I create For people to hear and think And it never dissolves Long after it is gone still the memory calls