Revisit: Day 1 – Day 2 – Day 3 – Day 4
The ‘LIT’ Album Experience
LIT is a ‘lyrical remix’ album where I take mainstream pop and hip hop songs that have an amazing sound and style (but leave a lot to be desired in terms of lyrical content), and I infuse them with my own original, spiritually-conscious lyrics.
Day 5 – “Made It Out”
🎥 Vlog #5 🎥
🎤 The Original Song 🎤
Kevin Rudolf ft. Lil’ Wayne, Birdman, & Jay Sean – “I Made It”
***Warning Explicit Content***
Song Facts:
Release Date: 2/10/2010
Billboard Hot 100 Chart Peak: 21st
U.S. Record Sales: 1 million+
YouTube Streams: 20 million+
⬇️ My Lyrical Remix – “Made It Out” ⬇️
✍ The Lyrics ✍
[Intro]
Haha,
Chyeah,
Let’s get it, yo
[Verse 1]
All these forces, surrounding me,
Grabbing at me, pushing and pulling me all around like gravity,
I’m telling you man like honestly, it’s kind of sad to see,
All this depravity, calamities,
Civilization leaping over the bounds of moderation,
Beauty on the outside, rotten underneath, society looking like a cavity,
Immersed in a sea of materialism, when you’re swimming, it’s all good,
But without your boat, it’s really a material prison, missing the spiritual foundation,
Sinking sinking, walking through life, no prayer, no praise, no devotion, unphased,
We don’t need God,
I was living with this mindset, following the blind not blinking,
Then I got to thinking, let me sidestep,
[Hook x 2]
I made it out,
Can’t weigh me down,
I made it out,
I made it out,
I’m shouting loud,
[Verse 2]
Poppin pills like their skittles,
Poppin bottles like it’s kool aid,
Treating women like objects
Hit it and quit it and smash and dash it,
Like she is just a piece of meat you can treat like a treat,
Well trick or treat, but this aint Halloween,
This pornographic fantasy will leave you feeling hollow as a teen,
Watching scenes on the screen that are simply obscene,
Consuming these movies like it was candy, but it was really a carcinogen,
Cancerous curriculum eating away at the innocence and purity of my spirit,
And feeling used and abused, cuz the trick is on you,
I’m taking back my nobility, so I can say
[Hook x 3]
I made it out,
Can’t weigh me down,
I made it out,
I made it out,
I’m shouting loud,
[Verse 3]
Heedless, my generation needs this message,
The racial prejudice of our nation has got me speechless,
Squeamish, sleepless nights wondering,
If I am living in a melting pot or in a powder keg,
Xenophobic bottleneck, corrosive bigotry seeking power,
Getting louder and louder, looking up ahead,
Race is a man made illusion,
Black to brown to white, shades of human, I’m illumined,
[Hook x 2]
I made it out,
Can’t weigh me down,
I made it out,
I made it out,
I’m shouting loud,
[Verse 4]
You aint cheating, then you aint trying,
Teach deceit compete to beat defeat,
Cuz the meek are weak, the key to be elite,
Is to crush the competition by any means necessary,
That’s how we do, me over you,
I do what I gotta do, to get that W,
Cuz all I do is win win win, that’s how you play,
But life is not a game,
So why you still frontin?
When it’s game over, there aint no reset button!
Thank God that I,
[Hook x 3]
I made it out,
Can’t weigh me down,
I made it out,
I made it out,
I’m shouting loud,
🎁 Bonus Content 🎁
In today’s bonus content we get another GIFT from the legendary Karim Rushdy! As I’ve shared, it was Karim’s album “Wide Awake” that inspired me to create LIT, so I’m so grateful he’s allowed me to share some of my favorite tracks from his album here with you in the LIT Album Experience!
The track below was another one of my favorites from Karim’s album. It’s called “Paths of Delusion”, and it’s a lyrical remix of Flo Rida’s “Whistle” song. Similar to today’s track, “Made It Out”, “Paths of Delusion” explores the theme of chastity and highlights the harmfulness of objectifying women. It’s a topic that needs to be addressed, and I hope that these songs help contribute to the discourse!
🤔 Elevated Conversation 🤔
Based on today’s lyrical remix, here are some questions for reflection:
1) Are there certain societal standards of success that you DISAGREE with?
2) How do YOU define “success” in life? What SHOULD it look like to “make it”?
I find it fascinating how much pressure we put on ourselves to live up to standards we may not agree with or have any passion for, just because society tells us to! I’m curious to see what you all think about this topic! Let me know by leaving your thoughts below!👇🏽
How I see success is being content with what we have. Trying to work towards making this world a better place by first evaluating our hearts and minds then going out and spreading that light and reality a lot of people don’t know about which is God and truly living out Gods will for your life nothing can be more beautiful than fulfilling God’s will for your life. Then you will have true peace, contentment, and success in knowing you are living this life to glorify God and lead others to Him!
Ahh, this is so on point!! Whenever I actually take the time to reflect and pray to live out God’s will, I’m also so relieved of stress and anxiety. But whenever I insist on my own will (and especially when I’m not praying about it), the anxiety and attachment steadily creeps up. Thank you so much for this wonderful reminder! 🙏🏽🙏🏽
Yes I totally learned that the hard way last year. I had a great opportunity to go to school on full scholarship but I really didn’t pray about it and I was mostly taking it to make more money and I didn’t want to disappoint my peirs and parents but it wasn’t what I was meant to do and I felt so much anxiety after accepting it and stress then I actually took it to God and straight away I knew I had to give it up and it was so freeing I am still struggling to let go of the worlds definition of success but by spending more time with God in prayer and truly listening, my mindset is changing. So going through this album experience is really bringing things to light so thank you for making this possible and sharing your music!
Wow, such a beautiful reflection! Yes, isn’t it crazy how we are basically “wired” to need that guidance from On High? Stress, guilt, remorse, etc, are all “negative” emotions that we experience, but they’re actually part of our design to turn us back to God. It’s awesome to hear that your stress actually led you to consult God on what path you should take, and then you immediately got your answer, took action, and then the stress was gone! It’s like we need to re-orient the way we view these emotions/feelings and actually be grateful for them, because they are triggers to let us know we are getting off track and need to pray about something.
So happy to hear that the Album Experience and “elevated discussion” portion is allowing that deep reflection to take place! A few people have reached out privately and shared that reading through everyone’s comments has been one of their favorite parts of the experience! Brings me so much joy! 🙂
Yes! There are definitely societal standards of success I disagree with. I remember being in high school and having to make a decision about what I would do next. Do I go to college and try to get a degree to work in a job that will give me a lot of money and status? Or do I pursue something more philanthropic. What would people think about me if I was 35 years old and drove a mediocre car, lived in a mediocre house and had a mediocre income? My entire decision about my future was based on how other people would perceive me and my income. I feel so blessed to have gone a more philanthropic route because I loved what I did and the people that I eventually became friends with through service! It wasn’t until later that I realized that financial and material success does not not always equal happiness. I actually feel as an adult it’s really hard to find other adults who are truly happy with their life’s decisions. If you have a lot of money and nice things but are not happy, can you really call that success?
2) I’m still working on this idea of achieving my version of success but it looks like detaching from the things of this world and focusing more on my spirit. I like to think of it as being “woke”. I have a quote I love by Rumi that says “this place is a dream only a sleeper consider that real then death comes like Dawn and you wake up laughing at what you thought was your grief”. It just helps me to remember that my life in this world is not about accumulating material possessions and power but by coexisting in this beautiful world with beautiful creatures, animals and humans!
Yes! I 100% agree with you on this one! Definitely had to rethink what I wanted to do and what I knew would make happy rather than listen to the voices saying lots of money in your bank account is true happiness/success and it’s not. I’d much rather work at a job I love and not make a lot of money but still afford life rather than work at a job I hate going into everyday just to make a lot of money. And a lot of us have the mind set going for the job that pays more because we are afraid of the worlds judgment of not having a big house, new model car or expensive clothes and so on. It’s all about the materialistic stuff rather than the spiritual/ inner being stuff. Thanks for sharing Mallory!
Mallory and Melissa, you are two wise souls! Happy to know you both! 🙂 Yes, I think this is probably one of the most common forms of “making it” that is distorted in our society. I remember one time when speaking to some middle schoolers on career day, and asking them what are the main things you should consider when pursuing a profession. Most of the classes had similar answers. The most common two answers though, were “Money” and “Do what you love”.
While I think “doing what you love” i.e. what makes you happy is a huge step above “money” as a motivation, I think it’s important to go even deeper. After diving into the topic with the middle schoolers and trying to help them identify the MOST IMPORTANT consideration, we came to the conclusion that picking a profession that is of service to others in the most important factor.
In light of that, I think success looks like “being of service to others and contributing to social good”, and if that’s the case, then also making sure it’s something you love, and also it’s great if what you’re doing also helps you earn a living.
Just some thoughts to add to the conversation… Thanks so much for sharing such beautiful reflections!! 🙂
“what blesses one, blesses all” is a quote that is often heard from Christian Scientists.
The full quote reads “In the scientific relation of God to man, we find that whatever blesses one blesses all, as Jesus showed with the loaves and the fishes, — Spirit, not matter, being the source of supply.”
(Science and Health, with Key to the Scriptures, by Mary Baker Eddy 206:15)
When you are in service to others, by nature, it blesses both the giver and receiver, and as the Bible verse says, “the laborer/worker is worthy of his hire.” (Luke 10:7)
Melissa, you are spot on with knowing that gratitude for what we have already is key for contentment. This passage is from page 3 of Science and Health:
Are we really grateful for the good already received? Then we shall avail ourselves of the blessings we have, and thus be fitted to receive more. Gratitude is much more than a verbal expression of thanks. Action expresses more gratitude than speech.
(SH 3:22)
Blessings to all,
Rachel
Rachel – thanks so much for sharing! I love that… “what blesses one, blesses all.” Such a beautiful way at viewing our service to others!
I feel like this album experience is a great example of that. I took some time to create this music, and then took some more time to craft this experience, because I wanted to inspire and uplift others, and raise consciousness on important issues. And now, as we go through the experience, I feel like I’m benefiting more than anyone, because I’m getting so inspired by all the comments everyone is making on the music, as well as the deep reflections and insights people are sharing that I get to learn from. Such a blessing!! 🙏🏽
I made it out. Not by my own conscious efforts or desire. I received and followed what every human being is offered by God. His Grace and Mercy
Word! That is THE WAY out, isn’t it? When I tap into what I think God wants me to do, it always brings me clarity. When I follow my lowly passions, it tends to get me into trouble. Thanks for sharing this simple, yet profound truth!