Uncle Jay

[Verse 1]
It’s hard to get support from our relatives, I start resentin’ ‘em
Skipping family meetings, it’s seeming like I don’t mess with them
It’s not that, it’s just I don’t wanna hear y’all crap
About a job or joining the service ‘cause I’m not that
See nonbelievers argue for their limitations
I can tell you’re speaking from fear easily from your statements
But I’ll come to your gathering, briefly
But when I see the patterns, please don’t get mad when I say I’m dashing and
I remember like yesterday or just today
Meeting at my Uncle Jay’s house, how he stepped away
He pulled me to the side and everybody vanished
Demanded that I listen, said, “Listen nephew, you have it”
He said, “You are the one, and nothing they tell you matters”
It’s hard to imagine he saw the magic in my rapping
But whatever the case, I promise to make it happen
You were the voice I needed in the middle of the madness, Uncle Jay

[Chorus: Sheda B]
It’s your voice that carries me through
My darkest times when I needed you
Speak to me, tell me what to do
Keep believing
Just keep dreaming

[Verse 2]
I remember being at work at lunch I wouldn’t eat
Saving up for studio time at the end of the week
Salivating, every time somebody brought a plate in
It got to the point that I hating being in that basement
Then Uncle Jay came in from riding on a bike
North Philly to downtown, that’s gotta be a hike
He’s holding up this bag like I gotta see inside
Hands it to me, I can smell that it was food, he said “It’s mine”
It’s not about the sandwich, it’s really about the time
‘cause he surely couldn’t have known I really needed a bite
I told him I was thankful, he smiled, got on the bike
And as sure as he came, Uncle Jay rolled out of sight
Hard to believe this happened, but I’ma make it happen
You were the one I needed in the middle of the madness, Uncle Jay

[Chorus: Sheda B]
It’s your voice that carries me through
My darkest times when I needed you
Speak to me, tell me what to do
Keep believing
Just keep dreaming

[Verse 3]
The word got out that you passed, some kind of cancer you had
We took a trip to DC for the funeral sad
We never made it, my cousin got directions twisted
But in a way I was ok remembering you was living
I never forgot our conversations and your deep poems
At times when it got rough, I would use it to keep going
But conversations with your siblings, well, one of your sisters
As all about how I need to be thinking ‘bout pension
And not to mention giving up on my vision of spitting
That I don’t need to be like Jay, I need to be different
‘cause Jay died with a measly dreaming of riches
But how I see it, Jay was broke but he was the richest
I told her this is my purpose for waking everyday
She nodded with a smirk and then told me, “Ok, Jay”
It hurt me then ‘cause I’m thinking he never made it
A couple of days later, she saw me on Jeff Majors
On television, calling to tell me congratulations
When I got on the phone, I asked if I was Jay then
Fast forward to now, looks like I made it
I got a fan base and the legends praising my greatness
The only difference is I’m older with different thinking
I understand now there were many people who made me
See Uncle Jay lives through me ‘cause of his message
I walk with him on red carpets, we are not separate
So if she was to tell me the same thing today
I would tell her “You were right ‘cause I am Uncle Jay”