Keep Dreamin' - Danny!

Before D. Swain there was Daniel

A scrawny kid in sandals

Handled his Yamaha with ease

He didn’t need a manual

Example: samples were hurt

Trampled into the dirt

Only thing older than records he’d flip

Maybe his flannel shirts

But, but, but…"yo Danny how’d your shit turn out so phat

And, and, and… ain't never heard drum patterns sound like that"

He envied his MPC

It deserved credit, and not he For all he’d ever have to do Was whatever it asked him to At two in the morning, yawning

Cookin’up beats without warning

Throw a little horn in, Pete Rock would be proud

But will +They Reminisce Over You+?

So he did a freestyle, freeform

D is reborn, no more late nights and cheap porn for him

Drum kits, come spit

On my tracks you dumb shit

No takers, no one was takin’him serious

Here he is makin’this heat, older heads were just leery it’s

Apparent, starin’at his figure, figured if he gets slimmer

Then these dreams gon’have to be his dinner

Bon appetit, nigga

Came in the game with a frame of mind that

Anything he’d spit, they would say «rewind that»

Sign of the times

He’s combinin’his rhymes with his sound designs

It sounds divine

But initially it was a mixed reaction

People tried to tell him «don't commit to rappin'»

But he stayed with it, played with it They hated it, so he took the negativity

And built a barricade with it Marinate, bitches

Vindication was an indication of his innovation, he told you so Not neo-soul, not soul nouveau

But a whole new show, starring him

Flipped the script, and he’ll flip it again

My man

Keep dreamin', 'cause life’s too short for second guessin'

I keep steam in my locomotive destined for success

Yes… and I don’t care what you (or you) or you may have to say

I’ma live my dreams and do things my way

So keep dreamin’and if they try to bring you down

Just keep believin', what goes around will come around

(Who, me?) Yes… and I don’t care who you are

Long as you reach for the stars

And keep them dreams in a jar

The world is ours

Need a light?

Right

I write because the beat’s tight

Retire twenty times a year

Because it keeps my teeth white

But I need to lighten up Think of the hope that I give these kids

Think of the dope shit I did, shit

Got a little dose of exposure, s’posed to Pave the way for these babies who

Say «Yo D, I wanna be like you»

Show them it’s cool, to be yourself

Nigga had no help, picturin’a Grammy on the shelf

Was my inspiration, dying to go To the show, now I’ve been two times in a row

Man, talk about perks

Opportunist’s hoppin’out the woodworks, I Dap 'em up and keep it movin'

Deep down inside they jealous cause D. Swain just keep improvin'

Old rappers just don’t know what time to quit

So they sit

On they ass, complain and bitch

Too much pride to give me props

So they cop

Out and call me Carolina’s Kanye West

I’m not vexed

I brush it off 'cause I’m the best

Thing to come out of S.C. since Jesse Jackson

«Let's retract our statements once he makes it big

Say we loved him way back when

Yo D. Swain, how’d you make that Grammy list?»

I tell 'em