6LACK - ​here's to being free lyrics

In July 2011
I signed to an independent record label
Owned by a popular artist at
The time the deal came with an
Advance that was little to
Nothing but at the time it was
My only way out and the
Artist who I was signed to
Was very popular so I
Took the chance after spending a year in
College chasing love and studying shit
I could care less about I finally
Had the opportunity to do
What I loved so I seized it
I didn’t even withdraw from VSU
I just dropped everything and left
Initially it wasn’t that bad
But it never is in the beginning in the
Years to follow I found myself at
My absolute lowest after the little advance
Money ran out I was
Unable to eat most nights, had
No stable place to stay
And found myself living out of
A ripped up backpack
They had me making hundreds of songs I hated
To meet their criteria of what they viewed as
"hit records" all I ever heard in that
Place was hit record hit record hit
Record hit record i watched
So many people go in and out of that studio
They always used to tell me that I
Was special, that I was next up all I
Felt was jailed instead of doing
Their whole two-step and dancing in the
Shackles they set out for me
I chose to sit in that
Cage and not release any
Of the music they forced me to make they
Wanted me to just be a hit song and I
Wanted to show them I was more than that

For the next three years I had to make
Moves in secrecy i put music out on
My Soundcloud even though my
Contract didn’t allow
Me to release any music on my
Own with the few songs I put out I
Grew enough of a following and established
My brand when the label found out I
Thought they would start taking me seriously
But they didn’t and that’s when I knew I
Had to get the fuck out of there
I needed to work with people who understood
My vision and would get behind it
People who understood what was
Going on in popular
Culture and not just popular radio i
Eventually found that team in LVRN i remember
Sitting down for our first meeting
Thinking about how much I was
Over the industry and hated
The people in it
But I listened and all of my doubt quickly
Disappeared they understood that music
Is so much more than just making hit
Records and they understood
Everything I wanted to establish with my
Brand i believed in them and they believed in
Me when I met them I had
Recently gotten out of the contract I was
Trapped in for so long it’s amazing
How something so small as a
Piece of paper can
Control you for life for five years I
Felt owned there were so many times I wanted
To upload my entire hard drive of
Songs to Soundcloud and just put it out
But I couldn’t sell myself short so I waited
It was painful at times, like I just wanted
To quit and never make music again
But when you have a vision it’s
Kinda hard to call it quit's

I’ve always known what I wanted to do but I
Couldn’t do it alone the one thing that has
Gotten me through all of
These years of living
In captivity was love love
From friends, family
Fans and even strangers so much of it that I
Often look at the little I’ve done so far
And wonder what the hell people see in
Me i’ve had the opportunity to
Meet some amazing people in my life
And the fact that most of
Them remain regardless if I
Ever released another
Song is a blessing I’ll never
Take for granted after five years I’m
Free from my first contract
I now have an amazing team in
LVRN and I’m finally able
To do shit the way it
Should’ve been from the jump

Here’s to being free