The Pillars Lyrics

This is my monologue

Hot like a Molotov

It is with marvelous pleasure I give you this project

Outline the topics yeah

All in the grander scheme, exploring the urbanite theme

Picture the setting and picture the scene

This is a personal album, all of the things about me, are not what they seem

This is what sets the stage, presenting a story of coming-of-age

They call me Lil N8, and plenty of names

I wanna tell you about me and the things I became

Don't be confused, I'm not here to lecture

I'm far and away from being called a professor

However though, hope that my homies can take away something from this

Think about shit, this is a project that's more social theory than I can admit

I'mma commit, I wanna know if it's all in my head or it's all in my spirit

Or there's a force at play, getting my critical thinking today

This is a character study my way about myself you know okay

You know that theory about the identity and the environment eh

Can people be shaped and defined by the place

The place that they live, walk, breathe, talk, work, that is the case, I'm at it today

I'm diving right in I be strapped by the waist

I wanna be clear with the life I portray

I wanna discover myself, I'm coming to terms with myself

I have to be brave, I have to confront the realities so I can move on excel, propel

My life going forward is well, little boy N8N8rising is out of his shell

Urban environment treating him well, Montreal baby I'm under your spell

I'm trying to examine you I am the lab rat of this here cell

How to define who I am, how do we add up the qualities

How do we add up the subtleties all of the nuances all of the oddities

How do we add up my hobbies ambitions reflections and all my philosophies

All of my personal thoughts, personal traits, I show them with honesty

Let me just run through the concept, let me just run through the context

This ain't a thing in a book, this is abstract but this is my nonsense

I call them my pillars, it's sort of my trigger, it's part of a bigger

Notion of things, collective of spheres of interest drawing my figure

They give me a purpose, they make me a person

I'm molded and shaped by my pillars and that is for certain

They give me a reason to stand on my feet with no burden

I came here to live, I came here to thrive, I came here to grow

I will grow along with the pillars in time

I got them when I moved to Montreal I got to thank you for that

I feel I'm complete, I feel like I'm fine

But what are my pillars you ask, what kind of cultural capital has this urban environment helped me foster

Well I'll tell you right now

There's food, travel, technology, memes can't forget about memes, video games, movies, music, other pop culture type shit

Minimalism, Asian culture

Because I'm slowly becoming connected to my roots being surrounded by all this wonderful cultural diversity and tolerance that the urban environment encompasses

Alright fuck this, I'll see you in the next song let's see what I wanna talk about

Sometimes it's hard to put our finger on it

But part of us knows that where we live, the places in which we spend our time

Play a part in shaping who we are

A particular Winston Churchill quote is often cited

We shape our buildings; thereafter they shape us

And the point it makes of buildings can equally be made of cities, neighborhoods or places

As we shape our local area through physical changes and social activities

So we collectively define its identity

In turn, as stage sets for life, hubs for community and activity

These places piece together our own individual, and communal identities

But what role does, or can, this people-place relationship play

Can engaging with the identity of place help it or us