IRONCEDAR — “FROM THE ROOTS”

IRON CITY — “FROM THE ROOTS” [Intro – spoken] Yeah… Ironcedar.. This ain't about glorifying the streets. This is about telling the truth. From the reservation to the city blocks, from the dirt to the roots— we gotta give something back to the youth. [Verse 1] Funny how they keep us distracted, while another generation gets impacted. Started with the bottle, then the cocaine, heroin followed, now fentanyl in the lane. Meth in the shadows, taking families apart, no jobs, no hope, depression weighing on the heart. When you can't provide, when you're feeling stuck, wrong crew comes around saying, “Man, come with us.” Selling poison like you're playing a game, missing school while you're chasing a name. Thought you knew the streets before you knew the rules, little kids growing up thinking violence is cool. But they can't fight the world, so they reach for a tool, Bang-bang—now another family sitting at a funeral. [Hook – Country/Rap] Now everybody's standing at the graveyard, wearing all black with a broken heart. Praying for the ones that we lost too soon, while another young kid is searching for a room. I'm on this stage, but I ain't selling violence, I stop the beat for a moment of silence. Then bring it back—this is the moment of truth, I give it all back to the youth. [Verse 2] I ain't here to tell you that the streets are glamorous, I'm here to tell you what the streets can damage us. You want respect? You don't need a gun. You want a future? You better build one. Get a job, learn a trade, put your hands in the dirt, turn the pain in your past into something that works. You can break that cycle, you can change that route, sometimes the strongest man is the one who walks out. Two sons watching everything that I do, so every step I take, I'm thinking about the youth. I can't preach change if I don't live it myself, can't tell them chase a dream while I'm sitting on a shelf. So I'm sticking and moving, staying true to the mission, turning scars into lessons, turning pain into vision. [Hook] Now everybody's standing at the graveyard, wearing all black with a broken heart. Praying for the ones that we lost too soon, while another young kid is searching for a room. I'm on this stage, but I ain't selling violence, I stop the beat for a moment of silence. Then bring it back—this is the moment of truth, I give it all back to the youth. [Bridge – melodic country section] From the roots, let the new leaves grow, from the places that we came from, let the whole world know. You can lose your way, but you can still turn around, you can plant something good in the same broken ground. And when I'm gone, don't remember me for the fame, remember that I tried to help somebody change. Seeds hit the dirt, then the roots run deep, what we build today is what our children keep. [Final Verse] Iron City standing, built from the ground up, not with a weapon—I'm building with love. Community behind me, family in my blood, every scar that I carry turned to strength in the mud. I don't care where you started, just remember this truth: you can still write a better chapter for the youth. Don't let the streets write the ending of your story, don't chase temporary fame when you're searching for glory. Legacy lives even after I die, like seeds in the earth when the seasons go by. One falls down, then a thousand can grow, that's the kind of movement that I want you to know. [Outro – spoken over guitar] So if you're listening… don't pick up the gun. Don't pick up the drugs. Pick up the pen. Pick up the guitar. Pick up a trade. Pick up your brother. Pick up your sister. Give something back. From the roots… we rise. From the community… we build. For the youth… we keep going. Iron City.