On “06 dreamin,” the fundamental introduction to Cordae’s third studio album, The Crossroads, he explores his mother Jennifer Dunston’s struggles to break into the music industry as an aspiring artist.
Her efforts included unsuccessful auditions for reality shows, including American Idol and Making...
[Intro]
Yeah, word
I got a story to tell
Yeah, ayy, check it
Ayo, ayo
[Verse 1]
My mom had once tried out for American Idol
I was eight years old, back home, feelin' entitled
Went to school the next day, eyes gleamin' with hope
Plottin' on the J's I'd get when she finally blows
Watchin' MTV Cribs, you know, the spin-off for kids
I just knew when she won, that's just how we would live
Grandma babysittin' us, paper plates in the kitchen
I was heartbroken when she didn't make the audition
Next mornin' filled with gloom, back to regular life
My dreams of bein' a rich kid would finally die
Fuck workin' hard, nigga, boy, I'm tryna be fly
Hand-me-downs from my cousin, these ain't even my size
Fuck writin' a verse with a sweet sixteen
I'm tryna be on MTV for my sweet sixteen
Rev Run elder son got a Lambo for his
They makin' fun of my Shaqs, I can't handle this shit
Back to mom's dream-chasin'
I used to cry when she'd leave for the studio when we lived in East Aiken
Another demo that was shopped around and ain't make it
So then I started writin' in that basement, it went like
[Bridge]
It went like
It went like
It went like
Yeah
[Verse 2]
Ayo, my mom had once tried out for Making The Band
She made it to the third episode, was takin' a stand
You know the season where Puff made 'em run six miles?
Now look what happened to Puff, crazy how it work out
It take me back to the days, I'm sittin' up on the couch
Still countin' my blessings, Uncle John watchin' Westerns
Headphones in, my pen game steadily progressin'
This lil' hobby of mine had turned into an obsession
Now, this is back in '06, now I'm back in '05
Mama had to choose between her dreams and keepin' a job
I said, "Mama, maybe you should make a dancin' song"
She said, "Son, that type of music don't last too long"
Dream deferred, meanwhile, my dreams is worse
Explicit bars, but I swore I wrote the cleanest verse
Fast-forward, I'm fifteen and got the biggest plans
I'll make it big since my mama didn't get the chance
Nigga, that's real
06 dreamin was written by Cordae & Ashton Sellars & Tommy Parker & FNZ & Smoko Ono & Brandy Haze & Mesa D & Zadra & Shaan Singh & Ayanna McNeil & Nili Harary & Success Davis.
06 dreamin was produced by FNZ & Smoko Ono & Ashton Sellars & Tommy Parker & Cordae.
Cordae released 06 dreamin on Fri Nov 15 2024.
06 dreamin is one of my favorite joints, honestly. That’s why it’s so early into the album. And it’s funny, I actually sampled one of my mom’s old songs. […] She had this one song and I asked her to send me it and I was in the studio with FNZ and I told him we needed to chop it up and sample it. As...