Rating:
  Release Date: February 14, 2006
  Website: Visual Website
  Label: Community Service

Visual “Figured It Out” Album Review
I had one of those weeks last week. You know, where you’re just lazy and unmotivated. Early Monday morning, I couldn’t get out of bed. I didn’t want to go to work. Shit, once I got there, I just stared vacantly at my computer, waiting for lunch to come around. I didn’t even want to write any reviews, and could think about anything but the next weekend. Sometimes, things just don’t seem worth it. Worth the struggle, worth the hard work, or worth the time I invest.

Sometimes, my job seems like it doesn’t make a difference. Sometimes, it doesn’t seem like anybody reads my articles or peeps my website. Sometimes, it seems like nobody cares. And from time to time, this makes me not care either. Monday was definitely one of those times.

On my way home that day, I stopped by the mailbox to see who was hollering at me. Unfortunately, there were just a couple bills, a few advertisements, and a big manila envelope postmarked from Chicago. I checked it out to find a copy of a new underground release entitled “Figured It Out,” by a Chicago-based rapper named Visual. With the same lackadaisical attitude I had all day, I threw the disc into the CD player in my bedroom and didn’t even press play. I just laid there on my bed staring at the ceiling.

Next thing I knew, it was six a.m. Although I don’t recall setting my alarm, it was blaring, and the album being played was the Visual album I had received just the day before. Although still half asleep, I picked up a couple things he was saying . something about “focusing on my mission,” “I found what I am,” and “look in the mirror, be proud.” Something about the album’s first verse energized me. I jumped up, showered and shaved, and got all geared up while bumping “Figured It Out.”

All of a sudden, I felt great. Visual’s lyrics were very motivational, and made me want to get out and accomplish something. His inspirational lyrics, positive street narratives, and get up anthems inspired me, and somehow fueled me through the week. I ended up listening to the album all the way to and from work each day, as well as on my computer while I was there.

Motivational Hip-Hop
The whole experience made me think about success and failure among hip-hoppers. Do you know that around 30% of the hip-hop generation consists of high school dropouts? In some areas, the rate is closer to 70%. As you probably know, most of these cats end up either dead or in jail, often as a result of gang violence and illegal activities. And the crazy thing about that is that many are highly intelligent and capable, they just lack the self-esteem, motivation or inspiration to get out and try to accomplish anything.

Visual’s “Figured It Out” seems aimed at this section of our generation. Although the album contains several in-your-face descriptions of the negativity and struggle surrounding urban life in America, centered on one of the nation’s biggest, richest and hence poorest cities, Visual manages to maintain an amazing positive outlook without glorifying or attempting to commercialize his situation as other street rappers often do. Instead, his words speak to the minds of the hip-hop generation, challenging the youth to work hard, sacrifice and stay the path in order to overcome the negativity surrounding them and prosper in the present and future.

Visual is, without a doubt, an intelligent and talented lyricist. But as corny as this may sound, what I really like about him is that he seems like a good and decent human being who cares about the people and situations around him. His words serve to motivate and inspire, something very few rappers do nowadays. This is the type of hip-hop the youth should be listening to.

So next time you’re having one of those weeks, or just need a little motivation or inspiration, pick up a copy of his album. Bump it for a week. I guarantee it will have you moving. I have listed some of my favorite lyrics below. Stay up!

Intro
Real recognize real, man I never been fake
I’m that kid from back then, ya’ll remember my face
I ain’t never have shit, man, humble beginnings
The bottom of the bottom, all ya’ll fuckas is finished
Every word that I spit lays down like a brick
This is my crib right here, my foundation and shit
Look I found what I am, and I am what I found
And ya’ll should all do the same, look in the mirror, be proud

See it’s real simple, understand my philosophy
I’mma do everything, it’s the shit that you ought to be
I’mma do what I want, I’mma feel how I feel
I’mma tell you how it is, c’mon people I’m real
I’m that thing that I do, all of this type of skill
It’s the way that I move; it’s the way that I build
This is revolution, this is change
Here go a piece of my heart and a piece of my brain

Come On .
My whole movement is I keep on moving it
I’m for the people and my music will be proving it
No image, man, I’m a real artist
Ya’ll really wanna see things? Then be a part of this
I’mma take ya’ll everywhere that I’ve seen or know
Where I been, where I’m at, and where I mean to go
You will cry, you will laugh, you’ll be pissed at me
But in the end your boy here will make history

Come on . come roll with me
I’m the realest dude you know, I’m from the streets
And I do know drama, and I do know beef
But I never sold crack, and I hold no heat
Yet I’m so gangsta . so hood
Angelic demon so evil and good
And I’m so pimp but I ain’t got hoes
And I dropped outta college but I make my own dough

I do not follow; my heart’s not hollow
I’m good and bad, soy buen y malo
Man the game’s all in me, I chase the dough
Main reason homeboy’s cause I been so broke
What I do is for those that don’t judge
Or at least those that don’t judge like they’re dumb
Be open minded, man, you can’t be blinded
Don’t be a hater and don’t be one sided
Cause I’m true to myself, you should be true to you
If you like it, raise it up; if you don’t then forget you

Come on . come roll with me
I’m what this what this whole damn game right here’s been missing
I got a lot to show, I started out at the bottom
If these fake dudes front, under pressure I got ‘em
I’m a real rebel, I move at all levels
I move with God but still listen to the devil

Everything
I’mma constantly switch it and be realistic
Cause this life ain’t all about one decision
And this life definitely ain’t about just one mission
Pay attention, it’s simple man, ain’t shit mystic
Gotta do, gotta move, gotta do more than listen

Alpha omega, my life my death
Up and down, all around, from my first to last breath
I came from the sun so I can’t even melt
Been through hell but there’s things that I ain’t even felt
From the coldest city you know, man I’m half froze
My soul’s suspended in heaven but my halo’s broke

O.C.
I’m right here, where everything be poppin’
Win, lose, move is the only option
Knowledge of self is the only doctrine
That we gained from them spots we got in
My teenage years, I drank 800 beers
Shed no tears and didn’t listen to my peers
On my own shit since day one
I’m a leader, I’m as raw as they come

Yes ya’ll best believe my aim got more nice
I don’t own a damn diamond, but got more ice
Than any man running through my veins
Think cold blooded when ya’ll say my name
My family tree got leaves with drugs and gangs
And a whole lot more where I was raised
My environment’s what I started the fire with
While ya’ll dealt with snakes I fought Leviathan
Opened up my mind and let out the violence
Aimed at your brain and enjoyed the silence

DOPE: My Drug Story
Man, I still live the struggle
Cause five-o watches me and haters wanna rumble
But that’s how it goes when you’re a beast in the jungle
But it really don’t matter, I pay bills off my hustle
Forget Kerry Wood, man, I pitch in the hood
Pimps in Logan, Humboldt Park, I’m all good
And I’ll slang to rich kids as long as they ain’t shook
And stay real to themselves just like any man should
I’ll take it worldwide, I got it, come look
Travel the world and make money off the books
I just wanna cook, cut, pack and push
Til I know every addict and I got them hooked

Blessed
Change the brainwaves, I ain’t no slave to the game
Gangstas that don’t need guns, they know what I’m saying
And nah, we ain’t equal man we’re not the same
Cause no matter what you are, I see lots of lames

Every Day Thang
Man you won’t believe the shit I see
All these inner-city visions they be messing with me
With no dreams all my nightmares turn to tears
Over the years I lost best friends and close peers
Time spent differently, but things done changed
I just kept listening, and stuck to my ways

Beautiful Woman
Beautiful woman I feel the love when you see me
You raised me perfect, you let me be me
We used to laugh then and we still laugh now
And I can’t explain the feeling when I see you smile
There ain’t a thing in the world I couldn’t do for you
I turn the sun into moon and stay true to you
So when it’s night out, you could stare at the stars
And dream as you see ‘em, feel the love in your heart

Impossible is Nothing
What don’t kill you make you stronger
Impossible is nothing
Be strong, move along
Impossible is nothing
Excuses are for losers
Impossible is nothing
Real talk, real action
Impossible is nothing

Smashing obstacles, stimulate the optical
Relax, lean and laugh at impossible
That’s what I do, so I can do what I choose
I’m all about freedom and refusing to lose
Used to have the blues, man I cracked it in two
Realize this pain right here I can use
So I did it, man I raised up my spirit
Spread it to my people and destroyed the limits

By the Crib
We got dudes on the corner smoking marijuana
Looking at your daughter, trying to get up on her
But that’s just them dudes, then we got hustlas
Bad muthafuckas that move and don’t trust ya
They all about dough and some slang everything
Some cats will slang music, some cats will slang cane
But that ain’t it, blue collar get dollars too
I see dudes on the block with fits, socks and shoes
We got ballers in the mall and ballers on the court
Both of them play the game, both of them play the sport
We got crooks on the street and good dudes in court
This is by my crib, and I know it ain’t far from yours

Blues from Chicago (Eye on Tomorrow)
It’s the blues from Chicago come feel my sorrow
But don’t ever feel stuck, keep an eye on tomorrow
It’s a place where they beg, steal, kill and borrow
So we gotta maintain and keep our eye on tomorrow

I was young, all the dudes were dumb
Cause I would see their gun and think ‘what the fuck?’
Where they thinking, these fools got guns around a kid
And back then I realized it’s fucked up how we live
The same shit my brothers were doing when I was a baby
Thinking back they gotta be part of the reason I’m crazy

It’s a trip how these are all of my memories
But if I hate my memories, I’ll be my very own enemy
And nah man, I can’t have that
I gotta persevere, man I must have that
Like I was nineteen, homie, living on my own
I literally had no type of home
Had to call my sister and see what’s up
She was kind enough to tell me ‘bring all of your stuff’
So the next couple years, I went from futon to couch
Friend’s house, sister’s house, brother’s house, I’m out
Finally got my own place with a couple of friends
Had to start slanging weed to meet a couple of ends
To this day nobody knew, but now they will know
When they hear me on the song and I’m spilling my soul

I stay focused on winning and moving on up
Now I’m focused and I’m winning and I’m moving on up
I realized the blues is something that’s inside of you
But the blues is something you don’t need with you

Loyalty
Loyalty, it’s a thing of the past
I guess that’s why I feel like I live in the past
Cause no matter what I stay true to my people
Cause it ain’t about hanging with you just cause I need you
It’s about being true, down all day
When times are rough, okay you’re great
Say a word; at worst, I’m a phone call away
You’re true to me I’m true to you, man . loyalty

And naw, not everything ends up messed up
Some people actually believe in themselves enough
To make up for bullshit and when they do mess up
They look right in the mirror and say ‘I messed up’
That’s loyalty .

Ya Know
I hug the struggle, I am the hustle
That’s gangster, fuck the guns and muscle
I don’t need no yesman I just need some brethren
To run around town and teach fools some lessons
As soon as we a fetus the world’s trying to feed us
A bunch of bullshit, trying to tell us they don’t need us
But it’s all good, all of us know better
There’s a war on the way to peace and cheddar
So all my homies just keep your head up
And if you get knocked down, brush it off and get up

Relax
Cool out, let down the window
Let your mind move slow, like you’re puffing on dro
Zoning, and my eyes are just roaming
All these beautiful women barely wearing no clothing
Now forget about your bills and forget about your stress
And forget about the BS, now just focus on your steps

Ya’ll are Losin’
I ain’t never a bitch, I ain’t never gon’ snitch
One thing cops taught me, I ain’t never gon’ quit
Not in this life, you gotta hustle till the day that you crumble
Sometimes there’s no options, just gotta rumble
Win some, lose some, losses will make you humble
Winning will give you confidence, but cockiness is trouble
Everybody on the field waiting to watch you stumble
All my linebackers gung ho waiting to watch you fumble

The Only Way
Lately, it’s been twice as crazy
To the point I wanted to ask God to come save me
But I got focused and I recognized
And my mind is in tune with the way this life flies
Twists and turns, and plays games with your eyes
Man, self realization is the ultimate prize

Dreamer
For real, whoever got it, I need five hundred dollars
For this lady by my crib that’s behind on rent
She bought groceries, paid bills, and most the money is spent
But she got two kids, man, she’s living check to check
Oh yeah, I can’t forget this shorty I know
Man he’s been looking depressed lately; why? I don’t really know
I think cause his pops is gone and he’s young but feeling old
I’mma go hang with him, ya know, show him the ropes

I figure there’s enough of us to help out
Her, him and them that need to be helped out
Like this one female, she’s dreaming about college
She’s beautiful, smart, and passionate about dollars
She wants to get into marketing and advertisement
Open up home businesses, start enterprising
The thing is she needs like 30 Gs from me and you
I figure between all of us, it’s the least we could do
To help someone reach her dreams and better the situation

Figured It Out
All the bullshit I been through put me here
It all made me strong throughout these years
Roaches, rats, dudes popping them gats
Fuck it, I killed the roaches and dodged the gats
To strong for that, I couldn’t slow down
I saw the future, I got people to hold down

I was born into the trap, had to get out of that
Had to figure it out with no instructions or map
Had to move through the maze and maneuver through cracks
Had to act real grown since I was a young man
Imagine not eating for a few days at a time
Imagine not giving a damn about a rhyme
Imagine tripping, thinking I’m gonna die
Then one day it hits you right in front of your eyes
The pieces to the puzzle are beginning to click
You want the best out of life, you gotta go through shit
Man I started at the bottom; young, Hispanic and broke
Amongst drugs, guns, five-o, people and folks
It was all around me, so I tweaked off them drugs
I even sold a little weed, but I ain’t let it mess me up
I was ten when I held my first and last gun
My two oldest brothers clowning, acting dumb

Man I seen a lot and I done my dirt
But even when I get grimy, man I know what I’m worth
I ain’t never sold crack, and I’m proud of that
I ain’t never stabbed a back and that’s what makes me a man
Seen too much, don’t want a gun, don’t got a gun
I put it in God’s hands if I die by one
Man we all go through shit, but we ain’t all thugs
But we some strong muthafuckas, so please stand up
Used to be broke, so I started hustling
Used to just rap, now I’m saying something