This week’s underground hip-hop quotable is Kats’ Rich Dad Poor Dad, from his new album “I Can Levitate” – which is you should download for FREE if you haven’t already. The beat is by UK producer Jonesy, and the title is pretty much self-explanatory – as Kats drops verses about fatherhood through the eyes of a rich dad, a poor dad, and his own pops. Possibly my favorite track on the new album. Click below to listen to Kats’ Rich Dad Poor Dad:

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And be sure to follow along with the lyrics after the break.

[Verse 1]
The poor dad sparks a splif on the fire escape/
Just got home, worked a double shift, he’s tired today/
The baby’s crying, it’s late/
No time to relax/
Ate his lunch on the run, never got to sit back/
And enjoy/
So his little boy plays with his toys/
In his room by himself, and he makes too much noise/
So he snaps at him, ‘Hey keep it down in there!/
You’re getting grounded if I hear another sound in there!’/
He’s exhausted, all he does is sit around in his chair/
A blank stare, lets his sorrows drown in his beer/
His feet hurt, hands swollen from manual labor/
It’s okay, one day it’ll be from handling paper/
That’s what he tells himself, but in his heart he doubts it/
Doesn’t have the heart to say it out loud/
So many dreams deferred, he prefers no sleep/
And hopes his boy can find a better way to be/

[Chorus]
Rich dad, poor dad/
Take a bud and a scotch, now switch and pour that/
A do nothing know it all/
And a dude who knows so and so/
A huge bankroll to go and blow/
You know how the story goes/
The rich dad plays the market, the poor dad says ‘Mark it’ when he bowls/
It’s all just a game though/
We complain to the refs, sure, but in the end have to play ball/

[Verse 2]
The rich dad had a power lunch that lasted too long/
Downed a couple martinis that were a little too strong/
So by the time he got home/
He was a little bit drunk/
The driver opened his door, retrieved his bag from the trunk/
And off he goes, leftovers cold in the fridge/
Wife at some social function, nanny watching the kids/
He lights a Cuban as he takes in the view/
From his balcony, finally nothing to do/
He should talk to his boy, tell him about some grown things/
How he should own things/
But then the phone rings/
Back to business, stocks moving ‘round the clock/
One has gone through the roof, another’s down a lot/
So much as stake, he takes another sip of his drink/
A deep breath, not even a minute to think/
The nanny tucks in the boy, daddy is bound to run/
Hoping one day he’ll find time to be proud of his son/

[Chorus]
Rich dad, poor dad/
Take a bud and a scotch, now switch and pour that/
A do nothing know it all/
And a dude who knows so and so/
A huge bankroll to go and blow/
You know how the story goes/
The rich dad plays the market, the poor dad says ‘Mark it’ when he bowls/
It’s all just a game though/
We complain to the refs, sure, but in the end have to play ball/

[Verse 3]
What I learned from my dad, I learned without him teaching/
Without him talking or preaching/
I was just watching, his speeches/
Had no effect on me really/
I didn’t do what he said/
I did what he did instead/
The good and the bad/
How could it be that as hard as I tried/
To be so wildly different, I ended up the same guy/
So I can try to pretend like I get to chose/
What type of dad I’ll be, but we know the truth/
Same as I had, and I had one so I’m thankful for that/
And wouldn’t trade time spent for a bank full of cash/
The ups and downs, good shit, forgettable stuff/
No cash to speak of, so I’ll settle for love/
Nobody’s perfect, mistakes were made/
But almost nothing is worth a dad being taken away/
A rich dad or a poor dad, as long as he stays/
Is what most kids need today, and need it always/

[Chorus]
Rich dad, poor dad/
Take a bud and a scotch, now switch and pour that/
A do nothing know it all/
And a dude who knows so and so/
A huge bankroll to go and blow/
You know how the story goes/
The rich dad plays the market, the poor dad says ‘Mark it’ when he bowls/
It’s all just a game though/
We complain to the refs, sure, but in the end have to play ball/