“Beat the Odds” by Lil Tjay
As of this writing, Lil Tjay, the 21 year old from the Bronx who is considered to be one of the top up-and-coming rappers in the industry, is in the hospital. He is recovering fromĀ seven gunshot woundsĀ he suffered a couple of months earlier, in which some dude, who was with his homeys, attempted to rob him.Ā
At the time Tjay was also rolling with his own companions, at least one of whom was also strapped and ended up getting shot in the process.Ā Additionally, the robber himself suffered gunshot wounds. But, as wild as that story may sound, luckily at the end of the dayĀ no one lost their life.
“Beat the Odds”
It is that incident which is said to serve as the inspiration behindĀ “Beat the Odds”, the first track Tjay has dropped since the attempted robbery/murder took place.Ā In fact, on the cover art you will see that he seems to be recording this song while still very much a patient in a hospital.
The Lyrics
But the lyrics themselves arenāt specifically about the shooting and only seem toĀ directly reference itĀ once.Ā Instead, they are multi-subjected and more or less read like standard mainstream-rap braggadocio.Ā But they do place a special emphasis on gun violence.
Of course having grown up in the Bronx, the vocalist has by all means witnessedĀ and even engaged inĀ enough acts of violence himself.Ā But the fact of the matter is that successful rappers have like a special target on their backs.Ā That implicitly seems to be in part what Lil Tjay is referring to, i.e. how certain āpeople want to kill himā, apparently without any justification.
Besides being engaged in gun violence, another threat rappers seem to face is the prospect of incarceration.Ā This is a reality which the vocalist also acknowledges in the chorus, how the govvie is ātrying to bring him down”.Ā So itās like what heās saying is yes, he has āmillies in his bank accountā and all that type of stuff, but still, life is far from gravy.
Song’s Thesis Sentiment
The above brings us to the thesis sentiment.Ā Lil Tjay has ābeat the oddsā, i.e. stood strong, and may we even say prospered in the face of multiple challenges like those mentioned above, due to the fact that, as implied, heās simply not the type to give up.Ā For instance, he remembers his grandmother instructing him ādonāt let her downā. To him, it is such a mentality of perseverance that gives him the confidence to endure in both the music and street game, which are kinda like one in the same to many rappers.
Indeed being a music star is the type of profession we all dream of, and we know, based on songs from artists of various genres, that you must possess a strong drive in order to reach and maintain such a standard.Ā But being a rapper is different, as your life is perpetually at physical peril, which is something that Lil Tjay was recently reminded of the hard way.Ā And yes, all things considered maybe his approach in this song is a bit cocky.Ā But he is assuring the world that he has no intention of going out as a victim.
Credits for “Beat the Odds”
Lil Tjay co-wroteĀ “Beat the Odds”Ā in addition to acting as the trackās music video director.Ā The other credited writers of this song are its producers, Desirez Beats, KBeaZy and KXVI.
When was “Beat the Odds” released?
This track, which is from a Lil Tjayās album titledĀ “Strictly4MyFans”, was released on 26 August 2022 through Columbia Records, whom the rapper has been signed to since 2018 (i.e. since the onset of his discography).
I feel like cryin’ right now, I thank God for givin’ him another chance. Lil that is a true definition of a goatā¤ā¤
Get well soon as I made a song about myself and the trouble I went through
Did Sunflower Bean cover this on Headful of Sugar?