Millkzy challenges the masses to put themselves in the shoes of two people from different social classes in “aseverancesickness.” Over a minimalist, jazzy hip-hop beat, the Dallas-based rapper employs a storytelling cadence to shed light on a man who seems to have it all and one who’s losing hope day by day. He asks the listener who they’d rather be in this scenario, presuming that they’d go with the person who has more financial stability. Although the one who’s in the dumps seems to be in a worse predicament, Millkzy states that choosing him would be better because he has heart, a hunger to succeed, and dreams.
From there, the musician reveals that he resonates with the second man.
He spits “I used to be them/A man who came from nothing, picking pieces up/Called hope to seek more loving/You would rather be a man who has the very most to lose/I’ll tell you that it is the poor man you should choose.”
He then wrestles with having the role of a narrator. He’s angry and frustrated. Not just for the characters in his stories, but at himself for having to even tell others.
He’s watched people pick what looks good on the surface while dismissing those who are trying. He knows what it feels like to be the man no one would dare choose.
Before he gets into the chorus, he breaks down the cons of choosing the more successful individual over the one who’s trying. In summary, Millkzy believes choosing the person with drive is essential because anyone who has it all can get it snatched away in the blink of an eye. One of the realest moments in the song is when he admits how upset he is with the way people make choices.
He raps, “Why would they choose a man / Because of his status, never, his mindset?”
He says this because society usually picks the person who looks successful on the outside, not the one with a strong heart or real experience. The moral of the story here is that what matters most is your determination rather than what’s in your pocket.
In the second verse, he reiterates how important it is not to be hung up on the idea of gravitating toward accepting the ones who are financially secure. He emphasizes with the listener, asking them once again to think about who they’d rather be in the story he’s telling.
“Would you choose the man who got all of the dreams? / Or would you choose the man who got nothing but dreaming?”
Overall, Millkzy’s single “aseverancesickness” forces us to think. We always praise the one who has already made it, but what about the one who never gave up?