Kings Never Die (feat. Gwen Stefani)

Here to stay Even when I'm gone When I close my eyes Through the passage of time Kings never die I can hear the drummer drummin' And the trumpets, someone's tryna summon someone I know something's comin' But I'm runnin' from it, to be standing at the summit And plummet, how come it wasn't what I thought it was? Was it too good to be true? Have nothin', get it all but too much of it Then lose it again, did I swallow hallucinogens? 'Cause if not, where the hell did it go? 'Cause here I sit in Lucifer's den by the dutch oven Just choosing to sin, even if it means I'm sellin' my soul Just to be the undisputed again Do whatever I gotta do just to win 'Cause I got this motherf- cloud over my head Crown around it, thorns on it Cracks in it, bet you morons didn't think I'd be back, did ya? How 'bout that? I'm somehow now back to the underdog But no matter how loud that I bark This sport is somethin' I never bow-out at I complain about the game, I shout and I pout, it's a love-hate But I found out that I can move a mountain of doubt Even when you b- are countin' me out And I appear to be down for the count Only time I ever been out and about Is drivin' around town with my f- whereabouts in a doubt 'Cause I been lost tryna think of what I did to get here But I'm not a quitter, gotta get up, give it all I got or give up Spit on, sh- on, stepped on, but kept goin' I'm tryna be headstrong But it feels like I slept on my neck wrong 'Cause you're moving onto the next, but is your respect gone? 'Cause someone told me that Kings never die Don't give me that sob story, liar, don't preach to the choir You ain't never even had to reach in the fire to dig deep Nobody ever handed me sh- in life, not even a flyer Wouldn't even take sh- into consideration Obliterate anyone in the way I think I see why a lot of rappers get on these features And try to show out on a track with me But it'd actually have to be A f- blow-out to get me to retire Tell these new artists that kings never die I know sh- has changed in this age, f- a Twitter page Did it just say I've been upstaged? Why am I online? It's driving me crazy I'm ridin' shotgun tryna get a gauge On what's hot, but I'm not one to conform But as days pass in this s- And opinions sway, I can hear 'em say If I stay passionate maybe I can stage a miraculous Comeback, as if I went away But detractors just say (so much) for the renegade Someone's gonna make me blow my composure Here I go again, center stage, and I feel like I'm in a cage They so want a champion to fall It's no wonder why I laugh at 'em 'Cause why can't we win 'em all? So f- what these cynics say! It just goes to show that when my back's against the wall And I'm under attack again, that I'll act as if I'm 'posed to With this pent-up rage, 'cause all these plaques in my office On the floor stacked against the door Are they just metaphors for the odds of me comin' back again? 'Cause all the accomplishments, accolades, awards And trophies just don't mean jack anymore If I'm here today and gone tomorrow, and I'm not gonna be Here to stay Even when I'm gone When I close my eyes Through the passage of time I want it, I'm comin' to get it (kings never die) So you son of a b- don't duck You're gonna get Riddick Bowe'd Critics'll end up in critical Think your sh- is dope, all you're gonna get is smoked And I ain't stopping 'til I'm on top again All alone and on a throne, like a token of respect Or a homage poem, or an ode I've been owed Tossed in the air by my own arm And launched so hard it broke my collarbone And when it's my time to go I'm still not leaving, stop for no one, I don't know But I've been told, an obstacle that blocks your road, ya Knock it over, time to go for the pot of gold, 'cause They say kings never die Just ask Jam Master Jay They just grow wings and they fly So, hands up, reach for the sky! Try to hold on and prolong these moments 'Cause in a blink of an eye They'll be over So you're tryna secure your legacy like Shakur And ensure nobody's ever gonna be what you were So before you're leavin' this Earth You want people to feel the fury of a pure evil cerebral, berserk Deacon of words, syllable genius at work Plus, I'm thinkin' that they're mistakin' my kindness for weakness, kill 'em with meanness I went from powdered milk and Farina To flippin' burgers on the grill for some peanuts At Gilbert's to arenas, call me Gilbert Arenas, still appeal to the dreamers I made it to the silverscreen but Rocky's still what the theme is Khalil on the beat, 'cause makin' the beat Ain't the same feelin' to me as killin' the beat is Or fulfillin' to me is what fillin' a seat is It's that sound-bombing, Thirstin Howl Common, underground, Diamond D, Outsidaz Stomach growl, throbbin' hunger, out-rhymin' everyone God, just give me one shot, I swear that I won't let you down I'ma be around forever-and-a-day, even in the ground You ain't never ever gonna hear 'em say I ain't Here to stay Even when I'm gone When I close my eyes Through the passage of time Kings never die Kings never die