Get all 58 Substantial releases available on Bandcamp and save 25%.
Includes unlimited streaming via the free Bandcamp app, plus high-quality downloads of Apeks (Maxi-Single), Adultish (Deluxe Edition), Salt N Pepa ft. Black Root & Marcus D (Maxi-Single), 1580 ft. DJ RBI & T.Lucas, You've Grown ft. MLLN, Reed Richards, No Per Diem 2.0 ft. Mega Ran, Animal Arithmetic, Vol. 1 (Instrumentals), and 50 more.
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1. |
What I Been Saying
03:06
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(‘Cause I… got) Substantial (got, got… got)
For my people (got something to say)
I’m just saying… (got something to say)
I’m just saying what I been saying (got something to say)
They can’t kill us all though they try
Justice for all been a lie (got something to say)
Fighting to live and I’ll brawl ‘til I die
Freedom is all in the mind (got something to say)
Ain’t shit but what I been saying
They tell us pray but we been praying
They tell us vote but we been voting, They tell us march but we
Been marching, they talking change but they been talking
Get it crackin and make it happen today
These bammas blocking progress lets get’em out of the way
400 years of struggle how long are we s’pose to wait
Giving y’all solutions for problems we ain’t create
All these black lives matter, bruh. Whether we on a stage,
In the streets, millionaires or making minimum wage
Gay or trans, made you dance, do more that just entertain
This world ain’t shit without us, I know you know what I’m saying
(‘Cause I… got) I’m just saying… (got, got… got)
I’m just saying what I been saying
Know what I’m saying? (got something to say)
They can’t kill us all though they try
Justice for all been a lie (got something to say)
Fighting to live and I’ll brawl ‘til I die
Freedom is all in the mind (got something to say)
Black father, black artist with a black business
Married to a black woman raising black children
Black love, Black teacher, sharing Black thoughts
Shout out to Black Root, Black Boo, these black bars
Fills the safe but it can’t guarantee my safety
Trying to rewrite history before they ass erase me
Love me when I’m rapping, I ask for action then they hate me
Maybe they hate us because we’re everything that they can’t be
Tell me where’s the love for us, dirty cops on the hunt for us
System isn’t just to us, some white folk say “it’s just for us”
School system ain’t helping much, truthfully their fucking up
You’re one of us. Black women originated everyone of us
Vainglorious, protected by RGB
Look past the me your mind manifested and see the real me
But really, this moment feel different I hope it stick
But I’m just saying what I been saying on songs you skipped
I’m just saying… (got something to say)
I’m just saying what I been saying (got something to say)
They can’t kill us all though they try
Justice for all been a lie (got something to say)
Fighting to live and I’ll brawl ‘til I die
Freedom is all in the mind (got something to say)
Blackity-black rappity raps from your man
This is brought to you by a black dude named Stan
I’m just saying…
Freedom is all in the mind (got something to say)
Freedom
For the
People
Today
Freedom
For the
People
Today
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2. |
Resilient
03:35
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VERSE 1
The television say that I'm suppose to be a crook
The message is the same on every station that I look
Gonna hide something from me they say put it in a book
'Cause that's the last place that a simpleton would look
But sorry to disappoint, never been to the clink
Known to kill shit, just not the way that you think
And not afraid to do just that, I ain't stupid
Some get brain then act scared to use it
That there is foolish
You've got me mistaken
Got too much love to waste my life hatin'
Suppose to rhyme about the money I be makin'
Dessert chef stee, my G, strictly cakin'
But if I did that then clearly I'd be fakin'
Instead I rhyme about the difference I be makin'
Suppose to be a rapper, I'm an MC
You'd be one too if you knew your history
We went from toastin', boastin', to loafin'
Pioneers pissed that they left the door open.
We're suppose to make them proud. I still plan to
By kicking all these lame men out, Substantial's
Suppose to be a quitter and absentee father
But I figure what's more precious than my daughter
Nada! Develop her mind so she's smarter
And destined to do great things like her father!
HOOK
Speak about it
Then I be about it
Where would I be without it
Brilliant!
Speak about it
Then I be about it
Where would I be without it
Resilient!
VERSE 2
I'm suppose to be homeless
Slept on the floors of my brothers, no Jonas
So I... ain't... thinkin' 'bout opponents
Went from the couch surfer to an homeowner
Where I'm from that's called progress
I'm the truth indeed I plead no contest
I'm suppose to be a thief no conscious
Only stole the show at sold out concerts
And never sold any kinda
Contraband to no man. No ganja
Don't let the locks fool ya, y'all got me twisted
No sice, no stereotype, no statistic!
Shape up or ship out in this game
Take a little off the top, go against the grain
And keep my cuts bold, refuse to be faded
But when your green's light you're usually jaded
HOOK
VERSE 3
I'm suppose to be a failure
But I catch breaks
Like a breath of fresh air and the snare's my inhaler
Brought a brother back when I should've been silenced
I'm suppose to be a victim of gun violence
Thrice!
But my spirits defiant
The earth gave birth to a sun with a vibrant
Light!
But my heart should be black
Overcompensating for everything that I lack
In fact I'm the polar opposite of that
But they act like I only play sports and sell crack
And/Or rap I can be that and much more
Came a long way though they tried to leave me cut short
Hard work pays, what I need luck for?
Guess I was suppose to be scared of a shut door
Can't halt my train of thoughts conductor
Express lines nonstop when tracks cut off.
HOOK
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3. |
It Could Happen
03:09
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HOOK
Will it happen? Could it happen? I don't know.
Signs are around me, everywhere I go.
From P.G. County to Tokyo.
Everywhere I go, the people wanna know...
How will it go down?!
VERSE 1
I had a nightmare that I hope don’t come true (Talk about it, bruh!)
Black blood on the streets ‘cause they’ve blacklisted our hue (So ironic, huh?)
Thought it was a dream until I turned on the tube (What you seein’ mang?)
Murder, hate and sadness all I see on the news (Can’t believe it, mang!)
S‘pose to be the future but it look like the past (Seen it all before)
Master’s boot still on our throat when it ain’t up our ass (Time to go to war)
Bracelets come with collars, kept on a very short leash (Get it off of me)
homes are now are cages, called animals by the beast (The hypocrisy)
HOOK
VERSE 2
I had a daydream while I was wide awake (Oh word?)
Opponents try to put a rack of shit upon our shoulders, they ain’t know it
But we just could not break (No sir!)
Had our community and businesses in order, we supported
Ourselves our own way (Indeed)
Greater schools within our zoning, our creations never stolen.
Taught and owned what we made (No greed)
S’pose to be future but it could to be today (Talk about it)
Soon as you see your destiny is linked to ours
And acknowledge that these scars will not fade (Ain’t forgot about it)
And stop the whitewashing of our Gods far too long you been
Controlling our faith and fate
I pray, one day, we work together
Or lay to waste this world forever!
HOOK
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4. |
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HOOK
Back stateside on MLK riding
Low in the whip look like no one’s driving (Repeat 3x)
Whether 395 or 704
Dream big baby stay steady on course
VERSE 1 (See King)
I grace these peasants with my presence King Martin Luther,
The streets with his namesakes the perfect place to find a shooter
A civil rights mover turning left up in a Cougar,
Watching the revolution on TVs took by a looter
On fire like H Street, tongue twerks on a break beat,
History maker tell spectator to take seat
Enjoy the experience of this social experiment,
Send shots at Cyclops; close the eye on the pyramid
I’m too dope it’s no legalizing this lyricist,
Father MC and your baby mother’s the surrogate
Hip Hop’s in my heritage, save it from the culture vultures and
The poet poachers, still not a player though I’m dressing like the coaches
Most of us fell victim, to well-placed pitfalls got my dawgs in the system
The chocolate city now suffers from vitiligo,
The dream died on that balcony pray it wakes up tomorrow
VERSE 2 (Substantial)
Mike King like the minister’s initial name
Fighting imprisonment and those with wicked aims
Who administer pain, but we navigate the baddest fate
Like our ancestors did use our head to carry weight
Many chose to move it so now they facing the music
Misguided warriors can’t find their place amongst the movement
So you know the guns stay shooting ‘cause the streets blind niggas
don’t see their a budding Nobel Peace Prize Winner
Tryna’ eat my dinner like what’s mine is yours…
Really what’s mine is ours, need to combine our power
Why shine for hours we can reflect eternally
For y’all to take me seriously, they’d have to murder me
No respect like the mascot in gold & burgundy
But certainly spitters this ill belong in infirmaries
Still dreaming temporary setbacks be deferring me
But my Corretta know betta she ride for eternity
VERSE 3
(See King)
Lost my sight at the podium, blinded by diabetes
A diet with too much sodium still writing this opium
Claim country in crisis gain control of petroleum
Dreamt big as a kid, grew to be a custodian
Mass media frenzy, beamers Benzes and Bentleys
Before we party'd with panthers but now the venue is empty
Still penny pinching while the devil’s Willie lynching,
Guess my brother was too poor to pay attention…Overstand!
(Substantial)
Baby soldiers taken over never be an older man
Ain't playing with a full deck, no one there to hold their hand
So they hold the steel like they wielding the wrath of God
Or hoping for a deal for their skill as a rapping God
….Hoping to give them chills with their catalog
Or hoop dreaming cuz they got skills with a basketball
Once you’re at the mall speaking to and for the people
Will you follow like sheep do or take a stance against evil while we’re…
HOOK
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5. |
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VERSE 1
Peacemaker
Son of a violent man
Dream chaser
Raised on divided land
Where thieves raped us
Treated like I’m not a man
Our behavior
Like rebels without a plan
Step false get offed by a coward’s hand
Life’s shorter than an hour hand
But the least of my worries is the Taliban
Or hopin’ that they’ll pass an assault rifle ban
Most guns where I’m from aren’t licensed fam
The ones that are
Usually held tight in hands
By the cops and so called authority figures
Cringe at my black skin while calling us nigger
But 6 letters can't define me I'm so much bigger
The path I walk,
Most people can’t endure the rigor
Back up talk
By displaying so much vigor
Mastered art
The blind just ignore the picture
Passed a tart
But of course my portion’s bitter
That or starve
Cause round here they don’t deliver
Grabbed a quart
Rather be engulfed in liquor
Lacked support
And I wasn’t born a winner
An afterthought
These know-it-alls won’t consider
A man of God
Who sits upon a throne of wicker
Who scratched & Clawed
to reach the very point I’m sitting
After-all
That’s what fuels the poems I’m spitting
HOOK
(Substantial)
I’ma take this pain I’ve been dealt with and use it
This ship can’t reach the stars if I don’t fuel it
Without my music and art I’d be useless
I always knew
I got to do so...
I’ma take the pain I’ve been dealt and use it
This ship can’t reach the stars if I don’t fuel it
Without this music and art I’d be useless
I always knew
What I had to do 'cause...
(Oma Pearl)
You can’t hide from who you are
You can’t hide from who you are
Not even the highest peak
The lowest place
In every space
You always leave a trace
You always leave a trace
Always leave a trace!
VERSE 2
Blood pressure high,
Self-respect low
Could be cancer inside
Am I’m scared to know
Lucky to be alive
At the age of 34
Livin’ in fast times
Still manage to die slow
IV pumping morphine in my bloodstream
Woke with a scratchy throat & groggy what a rough dream
Something’s
Not right, nurse can you help me sit up
Felt like I was stabbed,
Every time I try to get up
Hurt so damn bad,
I can’t even cough this phlegm up
Pain every minute
Every moment that I been up
When I told the fam
They looked at me like I’m finished
Huh! I’ll be damned
if anything we’ll make me give up
Wishing I was home in my chair
Anywhere but here
Baby girl completely unaware
Lives without a care
It ain’t fair
When your child, you can’t even pick up
But I did it for her, so I’ma keep my chin up
HOOK
BRIDGE
(Oma Pearl)
No matter what happens today
Tomorrow the sun will rise
We'll be there
We'll be there
We'll be there
To greet the sun
Good Morning
Good Morning
Good Morning
Good Morning
HOOK
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6. |
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7. |
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8. |
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Written by: Substantial, Tunji, EA Floe, & Niles
Produced by Marcus D
Additional Vocals by Stephanie Gayle
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9. |
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HOOK (Steph)
VERSE 1 (Substantial)
To live a lie isn’t living, You gotta live the life you been given
However you decide to the ending, You try’na make it like you envisioned
Use to run & hide, Use to wanna die
‘Nuff tears cried we could swim in
True self denied, No self pride
Like you’re locked inside your own prison
Try’na fight loose when they bind you
So you’re free enough to go find you
Got enough to say to write a novel
But they’re limiting you to a Haiku
They’ll condemn you with their bibles
Tried to kill you with their rifles
Even hold you down with their titles
Some of us hide for survival
When you really know who you are what another thinks shouldn’t concern you
But of course this is still hard when a person intends to hurt you
Freedom comes with risk... no love without war
What you thinkin’ buddy, gonna take it from me? Have to kick down my door
‘Cause my vision hasn’t been clearer, I am on a mission now I don’t fear much
I won’t give in now, and I’m grinning proud when I see the man in the mirror
So I welcome change like it seldom came,
Very interested in what tomorrow brings
Getting all this pain, slowly off my brain
Now I see that there is so much more to gain
HOOK
VERSE 2 (Substantial)
Some call you black , Some call you weird
Some call you artist, Some call you queer
Some never call, Some are in fear
Some, when you speak, will never lend an ear
Some, when you need, will never lend a hand
Some are simply here to sabotage your plan
Some call you different
Some call you fam
Their the sum of anyone that understands
Come as you are, and they love you
Couldn’t live false if you wanted to
What’s in your heart, can’t undo
Come too far, shouldn’t shun truth
I had to run to another city, to find my true self what a pity
Where they embrace diversity and don’t try changed you with scrutiny
Because the skin of me and my kin is known to offend and treated as sin
But black is beautiful and always in, that’s the way feel, I can’t play pretend
That don’t make me better that just mean I love me
In a world that loves to paint us ugly
Can’t believe we live in a country
That tells you who you love is disgusting
Thought we lived in a free state
But that’s clearly up for debate
I don’t speak hate, I won’t behave
I don’t give a damn if you relate
I just want peace for the peaceful
And the haters too ‘cause we equal
For I leave you, I really need you
To live your own truth, all my people SING...
HOOK
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10. |
Exposition (Remix)
03:22
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HOOK
(2x) The past is always present in the future
VERSE
Do remember, I am a true descendant
Of people who were stolen and traded all for the riches
But I can’t play the victim, I’m told to just forget it
While they dwell on 9-11 and celebrate independence
But I’m suppose to clear my memory of all the lynching
Shit, I cringe at the thought of giving my daughter whippings
Plus I see the name that owned my family every time I write a check
So how the fuck am I s‘posed to forget
When we ain’t safe in churches or even when we comply
The ones paid to protect us are making sure that we die
They say we kill ourselves we still cheat and we rob
But what’s that have to do with these cops doing their job
And if you really cared ‘bout the welfare of my people
You’d make sure that the schools for all children were equal
Fear competition so they had to rig the game
Scared if we catch up that we’d do their ass the same
Know they deserve it, but they ask what would Jesus do
Bet my bottom dollar he wouldn’t be down with you
He was the wrong shade, you’d probably do’em the same
Shoot’em seven times while tryin to give his name
Right in front of his kids, body with the chrome
Labeled a threat when all he tried to do is get’em home
All I’m saying, a future minus our past can never exist
Y’all make sure your baby listen to this! Wake’em up!
HOOK
(2x)The past is always present in the future
(2x)The past [Born a King] is [Raised a slave] always [Niggers to Gods] present in the future [Cradle to grave]
Born a King. Raised a slave.
Niggers to Gods. Cradle to grave.
Shall be redeemed. We shall be praised.
Never will scars outweigh our grace!
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11. |
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12. |
Substantial Alexandria, Virginia
Virginia based International Hip Hop Recording Artist from Maryland.
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