I did this one for my older brother Tenz who passed away several years back.. he was and always will be my greatest musical and life influence. Rest in Peace. Tenz Forever.
Kensho Kuma- Letter to Tenz
And the truth is, none of us have accepted that you gone
We miss you..
Verse 1:
Aye brother Tenz, it’s like you never left/
I still feel the energy with me in every step/
ugh lookin’ back, I should’ve met my death/
instead of you my friend, you’ll always get respect/
yeah Tibetan warlord, you was my mentor/
the time that we spent together it just meant more/
We was 19 or 20, ‘member being really poor/
livin’ up in Section 8, we would go steal from stores/
You would take the groceries, cook and feed the whole crew/
all my positive characteristics’ what I owe you/
use to study your mannerisms and try to copy you/
eventually became the person that I am because of you/
I wasn’t shit back then, we all knew it/
you always did encourage me to keep doing music/
you would tell me I was getting better, I felt stupid/
I could never measure up to freestyles that you did/
Saw you as royalty, worthy of a golden crown/
taught me not to double cross the people that hold you down/
had folks in Chengdu, all the way to Oakland town/
all of us still think about you Tenz, I hope you proud/
And the truth is.. and the truth is..
Verse 2:
Reek’s doing fine, he calmed down a little bit/
I’m still teaching kids ugh though I’m kinda sick of it/
didn’t marry Petra but accept it for what it is/
you should hear me now bro, everyone acknowledge it/
Akua blew up, she rockin’ in them stadiums/
but I lost Meta, and there’s no way of replacing him/
Ali had a baby girl, I’m sure she beautiful/
never felt Sasha, almost slapped him at your funeral/
Mario is goin’ through it but you know he strong/
I know that you are lookin’ over us from way beyond/
the death of your physical could never break these bonds/
I’m hella pissed at higher power like you did me wrong/
You showed me my first gun, bought me the same knife/
twenty hits of XXXXXXX we dropped in the same night/
epitomized a husaluh, business man and chemist/
no matter what we needed always found a way to get it/
You would travel ’round the whole globe and set up shop/
respected like a demigod, on every block/
Imma do my best to carry on the legacy you left/
’til I see you up in heaven and we get to reconnect yeah/
Rest in Peace
Tenzin forever