redveil is stepping fully into his grown-man era with sankofa, his new album landing December 4, 2025, and the track 5th “or so i” is that moment where the 21-year-old prodigy stops knocking on the door and just walks through it like he owns the place.
This track is redveil doing what he does best, but sharper: dusty drums that knock like old Dilla, warm Rhodes chords floating underneath, and a bassline that slides in your chest and stays there. It’s the kind of song that feels like scrolling through your notes app at 4 a.m., every bar a confession you didn’t plan on saying out loud.
sankofa—the title itself pulled from the Akan symbol that means “go back and get it”—is redveil looking over everything he’s built since he was 16 dropping heat out of his Maryland bedroom. This isn’t the hungry-kid energy of Niagara or learn 2 swim anymore; it’s calmer, wiser, but still restless. Early looks at the 12-track list show features kept close (Sam Truth, ZekeUltra, maybe a low-key JPEGMAFIA co-sign), production mostly handled in-house with a couple surprises, and a clear arc: childhood memories bleeding into present-day pressure, all wrapped in that soul-sampled haze he’s made his signature.
At an age when most artists are still figuring out their sound, redveil is already refining a legacy. “or so i” is the proof he’s not just one of the best young rappers out; he’s becoming one of the best storytellers, period.
Dive into the or so i lyrics below and unpack its raw narrative. Don’t miss the rest of sankofa for more of redveil’s coming-of-age in real time.
Lyrics of or so i by redveil
[Intro]
I (I), I (I), I
Yeah, Yeah, Yeah, Yeah, Yeah, Yeah
Uh, My First Language Live Comfortable Inside The Fabric
Of Church Pews, I Been Firsthand To The Magic
I Grew Up And Took The Wheel As Soon As I Could Grab It
And Tried To Go Straight To God, But Got Stuck In Traffic
The Pastor Reach His Hand Out Asking For My Scraps
The Glimmer Of His Watch Blind Me At The Red Light
His Cardboard Sign Say, “Don’t Rob The Lord”
The Light Turn Green, I Peel Off And Don’t Think Twice (Twice)
Don’t Know If We’ll Ever Lock Eyes Again, But I Don’t Panic
I Could Never Grieve What I Left Behind On Purpose
You Put Gps In The Rear View And End Up Stranded
Abandon All Theatrics So I Can End Up Candid
Left Me With A Big Ol’ Gash And A Big Ol’ Bandage
Swerving Through The Lanes, I’m Clean, It Ain’t No Damage
Finding My Own Way, Ain’t Nothin’ I Can’t Manage (Manage)
Or So I Thought, Or So I Thought
Or So I
Or So I, Yeah
Or So I
So I, So I, So I
I (I), I (I), I (I)
So I [Verse 2]
Spent The Last Five Years Parked Up In The Shoulder
Living In The Cold And Sleeping In The Backseat
I Gave Up On Ignoring The Pungent Odor
Of Greed And Contradiction That Lived In The Asphalt Of Those Streets
My Family Tree Enjoy The Smell, Don’t Think They’ll Ever Change
They Still At The Intersection And I Didn’t Understand
But If You Keep Making Four Right Turns Every Single Day
That Could Turn Any Worthless Ass Block Into Sacred Land
Meanwhile, I Sit Freezing, Living Without An Anchor
I Value Freedom Over Remembering The Sun’s Face
If The Police Pull Me Over And Ask Me, “Who’s My Maker?”
It’s Me, I’m Kittitian Jesus, Get The Fuck Out My Way
From Everything I Gathered, God A Poster Child For 12
So I’d Rather Die Here Instead Of Being Surveilled
Can’t Control Me, I Know Everything, It’s Fuck Y’all Spell
I’m Planted Right Here From Right Now Til’ My Heart Fail [Chorus]
Or So I Thought (I, I, I), Damn
I’m On My Way Home
I’m On My Way Home (I, I)
I’m On My Way Home
I’m On My Way Home (I, I)
[Outro]
On My Way (I), On My Way (I), On My Way (I)
On My Way (I), On My Way (I), On My Way (I)
On My Way (I), On My Way (I), On My
Way (I), On My Way (I), On My Way (I), On My Way (I)
On My Way (I), On My Way (I), On My Way (I), I
Da-da, Hmm
