EMPIRE STATE - JJ T. SICHI: Song Lyrics, Music Videos & Concerts

EMPIRE STATE

Hip-Hop/Rap

EMPIRE STATE was released on June 29, 2026 by SICHI's EFFECT as a part of the album EMPIRE STATE - EP

Song Details

AlbumEMPIRE STATE - EP

Release DateJune 29, 2026

LabelSICHI's EFFECT

LanguageEnglish

Melodicness

Acousticness

Valence

Danceability

Energy

BPM86

OVERVIEW

LYRICS

Music Video

Music Video

Credits

PERFORMING ARTISTS

JJ T. SICHI

Vocals

COMPOSITION & LYRICS

JJ T. SICHI

Songwriter

PRODUCTION & ENGINEERING

JJ T. SICHI

Producer

Jarell

Co-Producer

Lyrics

Yeah

Sometimes you gotta leave home to find home

Know what I mean?

Ayy

Zish

Yeah

I remember seventeen, pressure on my back heavy

Final exam season, whole world felt deadly

Walked through the gate confident, feeling all ready

Then they asked for my ID, man, my stomach wasn't steady

Forgot it at the crib, wasn't tryna cheat

But they chased me from the room, felt defeat in my feet

Everybody kept writing while I walked through the heat

Had me questioning myself, every night I couldn't sleep

Stayed silent for a while, kept the pain in my chest

Smiling on the outside, but inside a mess

Every setback taught lessons I ain't fully digest

But the struggle made me stronger, now I'm giving my best

I was staring out the window thinking life ain't fair

Dreams bigger than the city, but my mind full of fear

Everybody got opinions, everybody gotta share

But nobody really sees what you carrying there

So I started writing verses just to cope with the weight

Putting feelings on paper, tryna heal from the hate

Told myself if opportunity ever open the gate

I'ma run through that thing, I ain't relying on fate

I gotta leave the 'Ville for a minute, my friend

Need some distance from the noise while I build to the end

Tryna make an empire, put my name in the wind

Lost some people that I love, but they lessons still live

And I'm pushing through the pain, yeah, I'm carrying scars

Looking up at the heavens while I'm reaching for stars

Told my family I'ma make it no matter how hard

I was built for this journey, I was made for these bars

Then the years kept moving, life changes pace

Three years later, grief came and looked me in the face

Auntie passed away, left a silence in her place

Couldn't understand why God had to make that exchange

Still remember seeing earth cover somebody I love

Trying hard to stay composed while emotions erupted

Couldn't get the picture out, every memory stuck with

Every night I closed my eyes, man, the trauma was rushing

Then Gramps followed after, another pillar was gone

Felt the family getting tested, tryna stay strong

Their wisdom still echoes every time I write songs

Like they telling me to keep moving, the road gets long

See, I learned from they patience, I learned from they grace

Learned you gotta keep standing when life changes shape

Learned the value of family and the love that they gave

Now I carry those lessons every step that I take

Some nights PTSD had me losing control

Memories replaying like a movie on a roll

Music became therapy, started healing my soul

Every beat was another brick helping we build a home

Started making music back in 2018

Tryna find peace in places pain had been seen

Every verse became a mirror of the things that I dream

Every track another chapter of the man I become

I gotta leave the 'Ville for a minute, my friend

Need some distance from the noise while I build to the end

Tryna make an empire, put my name in the wind

Lost some people that I love, but they lessons still live

And I'm pushing through the pain, yeah, I'm carrying scars

Looking up at the heavens while I'm reaching for stars

Told my family I'ma make it no matter how hard

I was built for this journey, I was made for these bars

Told my parents don't worry, I'ma figure it out

Told my brothers and my sisters what this mission's about

If I disappear a little, ain't no reason to doubt

I'm just trying to protect what I'm becoming right now

Had to step away from people that could pull me below

When you vulnerable, some people don't want growth, they want control

I was tryna stay focused while protecting my soul

'Cause a rotten influence can turn a dream into smoke

My buddy Kyra always cooking up the sound

Building instrumentals every time I was down

Real ones don't need capes, they just stay around

Helping you stay afloat when you feel like you drown

And Mr. Chama always saying that he looks up to me

Funny thing is I'm admiring the things that I see

Guess respect moves both ways when it's genuine and free

That's the kind of energy that everybody should be

Now I'm looking at the future through a different lens

Every loss became a lesson, every fall a friend

Every setback was preparing me to rise again

Now the empire in my head is finally taking shape

I ain't saying that I'm healed, I still fight some days

Still got shadows from the past tryna cloud my way

But I learned storms don't last, they eventually break

And a man finds himself when he embraces the pain

From the 'Ville to wherever destiny calls

For Auntie, for Gramps, for the family, for the dream

For every night I thought I wouldn't make it

I'm still here, still building, still writing, still believing

Zish, yeah

I'm gone

Written by: JJ T. SICHI

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