Released: August 30, 2019

Songwriter: Joell Ortiz

Producer: J.U.S.T.I.C.E. League

[Intro]
And the Grammy goes to
Open up that envelope
No, not those envelopes
My envelopes got a bag in 'em
J.U.S.T.I.C.E League

[Verse 1]
I don't need your awards, that's not what I look towards
I don't want a reward for any song I record
I ain't gotta look back to know that I'm movin' forward
I ain't tryna compete, buy things that I can't afford
I'm just doin' me, rhyming beautifully like the bluest sea
I mean, musically I'm like truancy
You gon' learn today there's no schoolin' me
All my rap classmates know not to fool with me
Check my rap sheet, two or three eulogies
Lock me up, lose the key for everything I do to beats
For those who wouldn't sign me, I ain't losin' sleep
I put the past behind me like we drew up a sweep
Came up rough, I know what to do with defeats
I turn all of those to motivational musical speech
Oh, and by the way, guess what I'm doin' to eat?
Yup, rappin', who cares about the snappin'
Of the pictures and the carpets and the fake hands clappin'
And the "should've been me's" in all the afterparties acting
Like you having a good time, but you guzzling down 'yac and
Tryna be accepted by people who tryna do the same
I'm just tryna hit the booth with flames
Plus I suck at being corny so I don't play them music games
All the politics is stupid lame
If you ain't Billy Danze then I don't cosign the shit y'all do for fame
A lot of y'all don't know who I'm talkin' about
'Cause you ain't from where they'll mop you up when you walk out the house
We have nothing in common 'cept our love for rhyming
No nominee but y'all know what category I'm in
I don't think any rapper could do me any harm
With this word designing, like a lineman, I defend my arm
But if you wanna step, then bring it on
And catch this hook, not the type that make you sing along

[Chorus]
I may not ever win a Grammy
But I'm takin' care of me and my family, and that's a win to me
(Okay, let me open this up
And the rap album of the year goes to)
I may not ever win a Grammy
But I'm takin' care of me and my family, and that's a win to me
(Make some noise for 'em, woo
Alright, yeah)

[Verse 2]
How so? I grew up in a single parent household
Pick up the house phone, it's no dial tone
When the cable wasn't out though
I would watch Tom and Jerry on the floor near a mouse hole
Intro to my life, but the outro
Much different, see them credits rolling down slow?
I'd like to thank God, I owe this to you
Thank Dennis for introducing me to the booth
I escaped holding nines in the projects
Now I'm a artist working on my ninth project
Somebody tell 9th Wonder I'm the object
Of rap discussion, why I ain't get the Grammy nod yet?
Lot of politicking and some bottom kissing
I ain't got the time, I'm renovating my mama kitchen
Did her bathroom since we ain't have a pot to piss in
No more lobby pitching, this is honest living
Just left the hospital, seeing a fan that was in a car collision
And met another one with a heart condition
We had a lot of laughs, keepin' optimistic
Before I left, we took pics, I told the doctors, "Get in"
This real world, not a 'Gram post
Life turned into the story that my hands wrote
Man, I'm 'bout to world tour for the third time
All because of how crazy I make these words rhyme
Sold out shows, they cheering for me
I can't believe that everyone here is for me
Last stop Moscow, minus twenty degrees
I'ma fly in from the snow and land on a beach
Relax in some water that's clear as can be
I went from airing beef to airing these beats
If there ever was a day they was sharing a seat
I'm sure I wouldn't have a problem preparing a speech

[Chorus]
I may not ever win a Grammy
But I'm takin' care of me and my family, and that's a win to me
(Okay, let me open this up
And the rap album of the year goes to)
I may not ever win a Grammy
But I'm takin' care of me and my family, and that's a win to me
(Make some noise for 'em, woo
Alright, yeah)

Joell Ortiz

Joell Ortiz is a Brooklyn-based rapper of Puerto Rican descent, who was born on July 6, 1980.

His first big break came in March 2004, as a feature in The Source’s “unsigned hype column”; the second was winning the 2004 EA Sports Battle, which scored him a deal with Jermaine Dupri’s So So Def Records. This success was short-lived, as Dupri voided the contract to sign rapper Sonny, which produced beef between Joell and Jermaine.

Joell’s first major studio release was the 2007 The Bodega Chronicles