Las Cartas Sobre la Mesa

The time has come to clear up doubts
To speak clearly, to call things by their name
To lay the cards on the table

Well, I'm going to tell a true story
I had a fan before the Facebook era long ago
He managed to find my email to contact me
He added me on Microsoft Messenger, can you imagine?
He talked a lot, almost non-stop
I started calling him the human machine gun but with affection, truth be told
He got excited because he admired me, it was something normal
I grew fond of the kid and started treating him like a brother

He sent me lyrics and songs, they were a mess
Common in someone who had just started
I taught him what I knew about metrics and rap and he was very happy
He started putting it into practice, the kid
He came to Madrid with his parents to visit a relative
I opened the doors of my house and my studio without hesitation
We took photos on the web, they're there, you can find them
Like the songs he dedicated to me out of pure fan love
Days, months, years passed and he did well
He had money and a studio he could afford
A couple of his songs in particular took off
On the internet, he rose and began to change
I was a controversial MC, signed with Universal
I garnered more hatred than sympathies in rap
And that boy who defended me in forums months ago
Denied that I was his main influence
He showed me his songs with pride, invited me to give my opinion
You have freshness, the rhythm is not bad
He must have thought that it would all be praise and nothing else
But out of respect and friendship, I told him the truth
There's a lack of variety in the themes, you're going to please the purist
And your sexist lyrics make me sick
He didn't like what he heard and started to distance himself
He's just a kid, I thought, I won't hold it against him
He'll mature

You can try to deceive others
You can lie to yourself, but not to me
I know very well who you really are
Poor boy, fame hasn't brought you happiness
You can smile, pretend to not care what others think
What a sad irony to live a defensive life
And so every day, and so every day

He deleted me from his contacts because it didn't suit him
Because I didn't say what he wanted to hear like most did
Because his image mattered more than friendship
And my image wasn't good among rap purists
Time passed, I came out scalded from Universal
Because there was only crap there and I wasn't going to swallow it
He entered, the tables turned
Coincidence?
His contract was better, we can't deny that
But it's ironic, he fought to please a group
Losing people who treated him well along the way
And only managed to be repudiated and persecuted
So to those who sswwp, what a cruel fate
Shortly after we coincided on the web, he was in bad shape, had faced some setbacks
He was successful but the rejection from the rap scene burned him and in his actions
And in every lyric, it reflected (well)
I was no longer indignant with him, he was alone and needed an ally
No hard feelings, I of course extended my hand
I thought that experience would have taught him something
I approached the most hated rapper in the area
Knowing I was putting myself in the spotlight
And I care more about being true to myself
And the people around me than what the majority will say
I invited him to collaborate on a song and music video
For the LP I planned to release that year
There were several artists involved, we agreed
And on the day of filming, he left us all hanging
I changed the dates, what could I do?
Now I know I was too lenient perhaps
At the time, I justified his actions, fame came to him early
He'll mature

You can try to deceive others
You can lie to yourself, but not to me
I know very well who you really are
Poor boy, fame hasn't brought you happiness
You can smile, pretend to not care what others think
What a sad irony to live a defensive life
And so every day, and so every day

He invited me to collaborate on his next project
I immediately got to work, working hard
Super pro to deliver everything on time without delay
I gave it my all to write an amazing lyric
I took charge of producing the beat for the feature
And another song where I added a chorus
My surprise was huge when I saw
That in the credits on the back cover, my name wasn't there
I don't make things up, everyone knows what's going on
This can be verified
Although some people try to deny the obvious
If I had known, I wouldn't have allowed it
But I found out later after the album had been released
Meanwhile, when the label had already finalized the tracklist
The kid came up with a big hit
With the voice of a great diva to provide melody
And lyrics that would reach many people, and I said yes
His producer said no, if someone doesn't pay up
But we didn't listen, we already had the artist
I believed in the idea and worked non-stop
Because I knew the potential that could be developed
Upon hearing the result, the multinational understood it was the best track and wanted to bet on it
And the fat Jew who didn't want to get involved before
Managed the kid
And they left me out without batting an eye
And not only that, that hyena of a producer-uh-
Tried to steal the author's rights
To pay a musician who works for him in the shadows
Because it's a scam and they have no idea what a C major is
A Hip-Hop medium asked me how I knew
That rapper and why I collaborated with him
I told the truth, I didn't justify, I didn't deny
Like Judas, something he did to me in the past
Then I received an accusatory email from him
Who the f* cares if I admired you before or not?
With an inflated ego and renouncing the past
He tested my patience, poorly advised by his surroundings
Despite everything, I tried to be elegant, I swallowed the dirty laundry and moved on
I distanced myself knowing the vultures would tear him apart
And not because he's a kid, he lacks personality

You can try to deceive others
You can lie to yourself, but not to me
I know very well who you really are
Poor boy, fame hasn't brought you happiness
You can smile, pretend to not care what others think
What a sad irony to live a defensive life
And so every day, and so every day

Years have passed without me acknowledging anything about your rap
And a friend showed me your diss track, what a shame
Normally, that sh*t doesn't bother me
But I wasn't having a good day, I'm sorry for you, kid
I warned you there would be consequences, here they come
My word carries weight, I won't back down
Do you want silence pacts? I have nothing to hide
Deny everything because you've seen you shouldn't mess with me
Take responsibility, you got yourself into this storm all by yourself
You set the mechanism of this machine in motion
Now cry because the steamroller is behind you
Finding out about you was unappetizing, I promise
Your 3 only themes saturate the dead
But I'm a professional, I always remember that
Even to destroy an a** and give a lesson
Don't be surprised by these things happening to you, in your lyrics
You're almost always disrespecting others
With your repetitive voice, you spread negativity
They call it karma but it's logic, you get what you give
Explaining all day must be exhausting, repeating
I don't care what others say
But you say it so many times that it must matter to you
Basic psychology, and you bore the sofas (you'll see)
Your beef is sh*t in the musical aspect
If you don't know, don't try it, why sing?
It's cringeworthy to listen to you, and your backup singer isn't any better
What she does with her mouth, I don't call singing
You throw the stone and hide behind falsehood
And the clumsy explanations you give
Just listen to an interview of yours to see
Your cowardice, you don't even defend your pseudo-truth

You can try to deceive others
You can lie to yourself, but not to me
I know very well who you really are
Poor boy, fame hasn't brought you happiness
You can smile, pretend to not care what others think
What a sad irony to live a defensive life
And so every day, and so every day

I end with something you've never done
Self-criticism and asking for forgiveness for doing wrong
Knowing that the elegant thing would have been to stay silent
I was cruel to choose to explode
I was tired of enduring doubts about me
Of questions and I wanted to elaborate
Although I know all this shouldn't matter to me
And that doing so is a sign of weakness (I know)
Anyway, writing this lyric was cathartic
Even if it's heavy like swimming across the Atlantic
And I accept that there's something of a sadistic Me in this text
And even Machiavellian, I know the morbid is media
I can't finish without apologizing to your fans
Because they don't know who you are and think you're special
And I understand that this brutal attack hurts them
I'm sorry for them, not for you, you deserve this and more

Well!
I am Santaflow!
On guitar and bass, Santaflow
On keyboards, rhythm, and production, Santaflow
On vocals, choruses, and lyrics, Santaflow
I never hide from what I write
And you know where I live
This is RED from Magnos Enterprises
My damn company
And you?
Come back for more