Ramen King (Vol I Preview)

Lyrics

Used to be a carton of Kools was the mint.
A book of stamps, a sure bet.
But the smoke cleared out around '04.
And something else walked through the door.
Something new. Something... warm.

Came down from the top, maybe 2016.
The budget got cut, you know the scene.
Trays got lighter. The scoop got mean.
Stomach starts talkin' that real low, hungry keen.
So the bank moved.
From the yard to the commissary line.
And the dollar got a new design.
Square, plastic-wrapped, says Maruchan on the sign.
Yeah. That's the new dollar. And it's mine.

They call you the Ramen King.
Got a hundred bricks stacked under your spring.
Ain't about the shank, ain't about the ink.
It's the flavor packet and the hot water from the sink.
A man's worth is what a man can eat.
Two bricks of chicken, one of spicy beef.
Welcome to the new Wall Street.

Your laundry's done for a Picante Chicken.
A new tattoo? That's a whole week's pickin's.
Protection costs a case, no kickin'.
Seen a man with two hundred bricks... man, that dude was livin'.
Like a king.
Got your fish packs for the protein trade.
Mackerel in foil, a debt gets paid.
Got your honey buns for the sugar parade.
A whole damn ecosystem we made.

Some PhD named Gibson-Light came through here once.
Took notes on a clipboard for a couple months.
Said it was 'axiology' in a state of flux.
Called it a 'survival-based monetary crux.'
He wrote that hunger is the house.
And hunger always wins.
People kill over this stuff, man.
Where does his story even begin?
We just call it not starving.

So you count your bankroll before you sleep.
A stack of dehydrated promises to keep.
Chicken. Shrimp. Lime Chili.
The Federal Reserve. In a block. For fifty cents.
Don't get it twisted.