I see you. I see the streets you walk every day, the weight you carry on your shoulders, and the way the world tries to tell you that you don’t have choices. But let me tell you something straight: you do. You have a chance, and you have a path.

Life in the ghetto can feel like a trap—loud, crowded, filled with people hustling just to survive. It can seem like the only way out is to fall into the same cycle everyone else is stuck in. But there’s more. You’ve got talent, energy, and fire in your chest. If you aim that fire in the right direction, it will light up a way forward.

The songs I wrote came from the same kind of struggle. They’re not just words, they’re proof. Proof that you can take the pain, the anger, the fights, and the hunger—and turn them into something powerful. When you rap, when you write, when you grind, you’re showing the world that your story matters. That you matter.

Here’s the truth: it’s possible to get out. Start with one step. School, job training, a side hustle, music, a skill—anything that builds you, not breaks you. Find mentors who believe in you. Cut loose the ones who drag you down. Build discipline in the small things—wake up on time, write every day, train your body, keep your mind sharp. Every small win is another brick in the bridge that carries you out.

And remember—your past doesn’t decide your future. Your choices do. You might stumble. You might fall. But every time you get back up, you prove the system wrong. You prove the doubters wrong. You prove to yourself that you are stronger than your environment.

Hold onto the vision: your own apartment, money in your pocket, respect you earned, and peace in your heart. That life is waiting. It’s not easy. But it’s real. And you can get there.

Stay hungry. Stay sharp. Don’t waste your shot. I believe in you kid.

—Mike