Listen To My Demo

I'm standin' outside in the rain
Passin' out demo tapes tryna get a name
I was like eleven back then with the braids
It was 1999, I was tryna catch a wave
I heard JAY-Z was in town
'Bout to hit the Summer Jam stage and I gotta see his face
If I give him my demo, then I wonder what he'd say
Maybe he'll sign me and I'll finally get a break
So now he on stage
And everybody's singin' all the words to his shit and I'm amazed
I'm holdin' up my demo with a sign sayin': Please
I just need a couple minutes of your time, mister JAY
Could you? But that ain't gon' work
Fuck it though, I know there gotta be another way
I snuck past security and made it backstage
Demo in my hand hopin' he gon' press play when he seen me
But when the show is all over, I was tryna walk fast
Catch him when he leaves hopin' we can cross paths
But he ain't seen me and I was feelin' all bad, uh
And then security approached me, he was wearin' all black
I passed him my CD with my house number on it
Sayin': If you listen to it, could you please call back?

Please, please listen to my demo
Please listen to my demo
Please listen to my demo
Pl-pl-pl-please listen to my demo
Listen to my demo
Please listen to my demo
Please listen to my demo
Please

It's 2001, I'm thirteen now, but I'm better than I was
Rappin' in my class when I should be doin' work
But I'm thinkin' 'bout this beat I was hearin' on the bus
I heard Dre and Snoop Dogg was in town
Up In Smoke tour, Eminem comin' out
You should have seen the way my eyes popped out
You done thought the heavens opened up and God popped out, uh
I wish that I could vibe with him
If I gave him my demo, maybe I could ride with him
Maybe Em would listen if I got some time with him
Maybe Dre is lookin' for a kid that can sign with him
I don't know
All I know is that I gotta go, hopefully it all pans out
Tryna get tickets, so I get the plan down
If I get front row then I probably stand out
Then my pops came home with two VIP passes in clutch
And at that very moment I was happy as fuck
So I started gettin' dressed so fast in a rush
Demo in my hand, had a rich nigga glow
He walked in my room and said: Kids can't go
Damn and so he brought his girl with him
And I can't believe I let another big chance go, damn

Please, please listen to my demo
Please listen to my demo
Please listen to my demo
Pl-pl-pl-please listen to my–, uh
Please listen to my demo
Can you listen to my demo?
Please listen to my demo
Pl-pl-pl-please, uh

A lot of years went by
I'm twenty-five now and the tears went dry
2015 and I still got a dream
But reality is lookin' kinda real this time
I'm in the booth with a grunge on my face
Tryna make a demo with no funds in the bank
I don't wanna quit 'fore I make it out the bricks
And my girl told me that we got a son on the way
What the fuck? Damn
I gotta push to go, but I ain't got a bit of time
'Cause it ain't 'bout me no more, I gotta just provide
If I don't make it when he born, then I gotta get a job
I hit the ground runnin' with a plan
Make a mixtape and build somethin' with the fans
If I don't do it now, then I'll never get a chance
Got a certain way of thinkin', some will never understand
So now I'm sittin' on the block
Vibin' out bumpin' instrumentals in the drop
Writin' every day like my pen don't wanna stop
And my baby mom packin' my demos in the box
I was pullin' up to schools in the rental
CD in my hand, put my arm out the window
Nobody took it and I didn't get the memo
And all I kept sayin' was: Please listen to my demo

Please, please listen to my demo
Please listen to my demo
Please listen to my demo
Pl-pl-pl-please listen to my demo
Listen to my demo
Please listen to my demo, yeah
Please listen to my demo
Please

It's 2025, had some change
I think I finally made it to a household name
Moved my whole family out the hood with a change
Told my mama quit her job, she won't work another day
I got Platinum plaques now
Couple hit singles and a back to back now
Couple big cribs I'ma have to pass down
When I put my demos out, I don't have to ask now if you can listen
I'm sayin' what I want
All your favorite rappers keep sayin' I'm the one
And if I died now, then I'm grateful what I've done
'Cause a lot of niggas never really made it where I'm from
I'm on tour and they waitin' in the front
Campin' outside while they bakin' in the Sun
Pull up to your city and they wavin' to the bus
Got my songs on the speaker and they singin' every one
And so I hit the stage
This the same book, just a different page
Crowd goin' crazy, but I know this one kid starin' at me with a glow like he was in a daze
I'm lookin' at him in the crowd, I can see his face
And he lookin' back at me and I wonder what he thinkin'
It remind me of how I used to look at JAY
When all I wanted was someone to give my shit a play
And when the show is all over, they was tryna get me back in the cut
Security was walkin' all faster than us
Tryna get me out the buildin', tryna get me back to the bus
Standin' by the bus was the kid that I seen from the crowd
Nigga, how coincidental
Handin' me his CD with his number on the pillow
Looked at me and said: Please listen to my demo