Kobe to Philadelphia
In a parallel universe
I might never have to spit this verse
But God had other plans for us
Disbelieve that and I might discuss
What follows
What if Kobe went to Philly
With first pick back in ‘96
And never flew the chopper
He might be here selling kicks
Red and blue colorways
Man, would that be strange
2020 would just mean vision
That doesn't show its age
We may never have estranged
The relationships and friendships
That all got rearranged
In the days of the pandemic
The epoch of distortion
We blew out of proportion
Made moves we didn’t realize
Would change the world before our eyes
Bob Marley might not be
Rolling in his grave
One love, one heart
Boy, we couldn’t save them
Changes, Pac was right
Still, I haven’t seen none
Strangers, among each other
A war that may not be won
A war that may not be won
War, there may not be one
What if Kobe B and D Wade
Were swapped instead of Diesel
Would I ever even care to sing
Or would turn more toward the easel
Painting to express myself
The words may not come out
But the colors, shapes and landscapes
Would tell the world about
The chaos and calamity
Observed over the years
Visual depictions
Of my innermost fears
Or if I gravitated to the ring
Instead of baseball fields
Might I fight my way up to the top
While danger makes most yield
Bob Marley may not
On the silver screen
One Love, one scene
Cashing in the green
Changes, Pac demanded
Justice for his peers
Right now, I fear
The future’s so unclear
What if Cassius Clay
Went to Vietnam against his will
What if Premo wasn’t joking
When he strove for Mass Appeal
What if Snoop was never smoking
Breaking stereotypes
What if Cole gave in to pressure
Quit and married “yo’ type”
What if all my heroes stopped,
Dropped from the face of the earth
What would I become
If I never even tested my worth
What if I packed my bags and moved to
Kobe, Philly or Perth
If I never stopped running
From the place of my birth
I’d be a lost soul
Yeah I’d be a lost soul
(That’s the butterfly effect)
I’d be a lost soul
Yeah I’d be a lost soul
(When cash rules everything around me)
I’d be a lost soul
Yeah I’d be a lost soul
(That’s the butterfly effect)
I’d be a lost soul
Yeah I’d be a lost soul
(That’s the butterfly effect)
Ain’t, for the record, I wasn’t born in Miami
But here my spirit came alive
Like a seed replanted at 6 months old
It was here I learned to thrive
And for as much I disparaged it
Growing up and growing out
It was the love I only found here
That made me what I’m all about