American Rapstar Lyrics

[Intro]
An A&R once told me
“You can determine the worth of a song within 15 seconds of it playing”
With complete and utter lack of the fact
That it takes takes all 3 minutes and 40 seconds of a song
To comprehend what I’m saying
It ain't a single if it don’t fly
It ain't a hit if it don’t ride
Now he couldn’t tell me the components of a smash
But the ringtones were their all-time high
And a rappers only as big as his chain, the flashier the better

[Hook]
They say "money make the world go round"
You never lost til you lose your crown
And they don’t love you till you’re under ground
Or when you’re maxing out your bank account
Yeah, you do it all just to live the life
Even if it means you don’t live it right
And even if it means you don’t survive the night
But if even if you do you won’t survive the hype
Of an American rapstar

[Verse 1: Big K.R.I.T]
Push it to the limit (Why?)
Just to get up high with a wood grain kitted?
Ride around town like I never lived in it
Gun in my dash, pray I never kill with it
I’m that real with it

Got my eyes on the prize
Bills still due, motherfuck 9-5
Searching for a freak that wanna fuck once or twice
Wanna buy a bottle but I ain't paid my tithes
This ain't no lie, I got a vision and a masterplan
To hit the block and blow up like a Taliban
I make it where the plane never have to land
I make it where them lames never stand a chance
Shit, you’ll never know, only time’ll tell
You either starve or you find the scale
You either buying or you tryna' sell
You either fall or you grind the rails

[Hook]
They say "money make the world go round"
You never lost til you lose your crown
And they don’t love you till you’re under ground
Or when you’re maxing out your bank account
Yeah, you do it all just to live the life
Even if it means you don’t live it right
And even if it means you don’t survive the night
But if even if you do you won’t survive the hype
Of an American rapstar

[Verse 2: Big K.R.I.T]
So watch me get it how I live
Waiting on my moment, screaming fuck how they feel
Dodging jail cells and them pigs down to kill
They shot Oscar Grant swear it gave a nigga chills
Lets keep it real, if you ain't looking keep your eyes closed
Will I pay what I owe? Only God knows
I ain't for sure, give me strength just to change what I can’t
And understand the difference between a nigga and the King that I am
Gotta keep ya finger on the trigger
Pac died, Biggie died, they ain't found the killers
Momma say she worried ’cause I rap about the Government
And how the Church caked other people out there struggling (its real though)
I just call it how it is, folk
I’m breathing for a reason, what you here for?
They got it where the villains who we cheer for
Cause they murdered all the heroes
[Hook]
They say "money make the world go round"
You never lost til you lose your crown
And they don’t love you till you’re under ground
Or when you’re maxing out your bank account
Yeah, you do it all just to live the life
Even if it means you don’t live it right
And even if it means you don’t survive the night
But if even if you do you won’t survive the hype
Of an American rapstar

How to Format Lyrics:

  • Type out all lyrics, even repeating song parts like the chorus
  • Lyrics should be broken down into individual lines
  • Use section headers above different song parts like [Verse], [Chorus], etc.
  • Use italics (<i>lyric</i>) and bold (<b>lyric</b>) to distinguish between different vocalists in the same song part
  • If you don’t understand a lyric, use [?]

To learn more, check out our transcription guide or visit our transcribers forum

About

Genius Annotation

Track #8 on Big KRIT’s “Return of 4Eva” mixtape dealing with hardships of being a rapper if capitalist America.

Q&A

Find answers to frequently asked questions about the song and explore its deeper meaning

Credits
Produced By
Written By
Release Date
March 28, 2011
American Rapstar Samples
View American Rapstar samples
Tags
Comments