album cover
Basement Tape
Hip-Hop
Basement Tape was released on June 24, 2026 by Soundwaves as a part of the album Keep It Real
album cover
Release DateJune 24, 2026
LabelSoundwaves
LanguageEnglish
Melodicness
Acousticness
Valence
Danceability
Energy
BPM87

Credits

PERFORMING ARTISTS
Lil Dada
Lil Dada
Solo, Vocals
COMPOSITION & LYRICS
Lil Dada
Lil Dada
Songwriter
PRODUCTION & ENGINEERING
Lil Dada
Lil Dada
Producer

Lyrics

I came up two floors under the laundromat
Rent money in a sock and a dream in a paperback
Mom said, "Move smart, keep your head in the book"
But the block had a lesson in every look
Old man on the stoop with a chessboard grin
Told me, "Kid, watch the ones who pretend to win"
So I wrote on receipt backs, rode the 6 train home
With a pocket full of heat and a phone with no tone
Corner store lights on a bruise-colored wall
Ramen in the pot when the power would fall
I learned how to flip pain into a clean little line
How to make a hard life sound one more time
And every night I heard that echo in me
From the basement steps to the cracked marquee
If I fall, I fall in rhythm
If I rise, I rise with it
Basement tape, basement tape
Spin it back, let it shake
Basement tape, basement tape
We were broke, still made cake
Basement tape, basement tape
Keep it raw, keep it brave
Basement tape, basement tape
That's the sound that made me
My cousin cut corners, my brother cut ties
My best friend left with a new pair of lies
He came back once with a scar on his chin
Said, "The same old room don't let the same man in"
I saw moms at the window, hands full of stress
Saw kids in the hall with their chest out pressed
Tryin' not to fold when the rent came due
Tryin' not to quit when the whole thing moved
So I packed every truth in a fourteen-bar frame
Put the block in the bars, put the loss in the name
Now the kids at the park nod slow when I pass
Like they know these words were built to last
And every night I heard that echo in me
From the basement steps to the cracked marquee
If I fall, I fall in rhythm
If I rise, I rise with it
Basement tape, basement tape
Spin it back, let it shake
Basement tape, basement tape
We were broke, still made cake
Basement tape, basement tape
Keep it raw, keep it brave
Basement tape, basement tape
That's the sound that made me
Now the city keeps movin'
But I still hear that first drum hit
That first drum hit that first fit
All the names on the wall, all the nights we stayed
In a room full of smoke and a million shades
I don't need gold, I don't need fame
Just that old school pulse in my bloodstream
If the roof caves in, I ride under rain
Turn the damage to a chant, turn the hurt to a name
Basement tape, basement tape
Spin it back, let it shake
Basement tape, basement tape
We were broke, still made cake
Basement tape, basement tape
Keep it raw, keep it brave
Basement tape, basement tape
That's the sound that made me
Written by: Lil Dada
instagramSharePathic_arrow_out􀆄 copy􀐅􀋲

Loading...