Mega Ran, 88bit, GameChops - Epilogue lyrics

So they were wondering where I've
Been all this time
And truthfully, I've been working
I've been trying to enjoy the fruit's
Of my labor when I could
But there wasn't a lot of time for that
So it was right back to work
We put out an album that changed the game
Way back in 2011
And it took me around the world
Quite frankly and literally
And it took me out of the classroom
I tell this story all the time but it
Was literally because of Black
Materia going viral
I was able to quit my teaching
Job and start doing tours
Right after that, MC Chris called me
To hop on the road, i was glad to do that
Next, touring with other folks doing more
And morе traveling and writing and I knew
That I could nevеr ever attempt
To retouch and regain and
Recapture the momentum and excitement of
Black Materia ever again so I didn't bother
We did a few remixes here and there
But it was not like we ever had to worry
About an actual remake of this game happening

And then, it happened
Many years later, we saw
Announcements, we saw rumblings
We saw rumors
Then we saw screenshots, then we saw videos
And I knew that it was real
Because it was real, I knew
The question that I got asked every day
Would I be going back to
The center of the earth?
Would we continue, would we remake
Would we attempt to touch
Something that I thought was
So personal, so dope, and so important?
And I didn't know if I could do it, honestly
Then, I knew that I had to try at least

We got together with some producers
Lost of course was there, brought in
DN3, K-Murdock, Rifti, RoboRob, Kazu
So many talented folks who helped out
And then I went back to find all
Of the performers, all the rappers
All the singers that had helped me
Out with the first Black Materia
And some of them
Quite frankly didn't even make music anymore
They had gotten out of the
Game for various reasons they had family
They had dealt with so many disappointments
And they didn't want to rejoin on
The adventure for whatever reason
Or they just couldn't
And so, we had to get a whole new team
There's new performers, new characters
But, I knew if I had to do this
Then I absolutely had to make it
Bigger and better than before
So we went to bigger producers, bigger mixing

In the beginning
I mixed this album in my closet
I was in my apartment
On some cracked software
Doing the most with the absolute least
And somehow, we made something special
And I knew, that if this
Was really going to happen
It had to be bigger and better than before
So DJ Cutman enters
Agrees to do some mixing and mastering
We bring in live brass
All types of instrumentation
And finally, it got to the point where I knew
This was going to be just as special
If not more

And then, we're hit with the pandemic
I'm at a point now where
Can't get into the studio can't do anything
But yet the release date creeping up
One thing that's very important
To me is dates
So I wanted this to come out on the date
On the anniversary of the original release
Wasn't able to do that
We hit so many snags and
Started to believe and
Think that this just wasn't meant to be
Like maybe we just weren't gonna get it done
Because it had to be so perfect
But then I realized
This journey has been so far
From perfect for me
It wasn't the story I would have written
If I was in control of the pen

I come from humble beginnings in a small town
Well not a small town at all
A large city called Philadelphia
But in our part of town, uptown
It felt like a small town
Because everybody knew each other
And nobody really made it out
We didn't see any success in music like
We saw in other parts of Philadelphia
So once I finally decided to do it
I had to do it my way
And I'm very excited and very happy
About the way it turned out
But it wasn't perfect
It was no crystal stair as
Langston Hughes put it so I knew
That this journey couldn't be perfect just
Because of the way I had
Been built and the people who
Made this had been built

We've seen so much tragedy
So much loss along the way
That it just pushed me and
Fueled me even further to
Let me know that this absolutely
Had to be done
Because Final Fantasy VI I is such
An important part of my life
And I feel like it always will be
So fast forward, we're at Tokyo Game Show
And I get an invite of all invites
To go to Square Enix's offices
Get to hang out
Talk to people who created the game
And are working on the
New game that's about to change
Everything all over again so amazing

Next, E3 comes around and they
Have a playable demo
And they invite me to come in as a
Special guest to come and play the demo
And it's unbelievable, absolutely gorgeous
Better than I could have ever expected
And I went back home
More motivated than ever
We gathered up the troops
And I listened to beats
We rewrote, restructured, repackaged
Added singers, took singers off
Added rappers, took rappers off
And created what you are finally listening to
Black Materia: The Remake

I have way too many people thank
But most importantly, I want to thank you
The listener
Because, I don't know about you, but I've
Listened to this album approximately 1
000 times but my goal and my only hope
Is that you, the listener
Makes it through this recording one time
So if you're able to do that
Then I know that my 1
000 listens were worthwhile
So I just want to thank you for that
And continue to spread the word
And until that moment comes again when we are
Summoned from the ground like a beast
Stay safe, stay blessed, stay awesome
And keep on chasing what's important to you
Because I know I will haven't found it yet
And I don't even know if I'll
Know it when I find it
But that's just the carrot in front
Of me that keeps me going
And I wouldn't have it any other way

So this is Mega Ran
I'm signing off of this very
Long outro with the age-old
Ending of every hip hop record I ever
Listened to back in the day
When they would ask
Whatever happened to peace? Peace