A client recently booked a session at the studio I run with my colleague, and the experience left a lasting impact on me. He was around my age, same skin color, and cared a lot about his music just like I did. However, he came two hours late, high on a ton of drugs, and did even more during the session. When it was time to pay, he said he didn’t have the full amount. He acted like he was broke, but I knew the money he had wasn’t for me—it was to help feed his addiction. I wanted to tell him he was better than that, but I don't think he would have listened to me in the state he was in. After that experience, I knew I wanted to write about it. That was the first time I had ever had an encounter like that. I wasn’t sure where it would fit, but when I started working on this song, the story naturally found its place.

​

As artists, how can we figure out what we hope for and live in it if all our energy is wasted on things that pull us further away from our path? We have to stay focused on the goal and not give in to the temptations that lead us astray. It’s okay to have fun, but when fun becomes a lifestyle, that’s when things get dangerous. "h.o.p.e" stands for hustle on, push everytime and that means refusing to let distractions take control. It’s about staying locked in and pushing through every single time.