Song Introduction
Joyner Lucas, the Massachusetts-born rapper renowned for his storytelling prowess and controversial social commentary, has released "Reconsider" as part of his highly anticipated project "ADHD 2 Reloaded." Released on April 10, 2026, this track showcases Lucas's signature dual-perspective narrative style that first brought him viral fame with "I'm Not Racist" in 2017. The song arrives as Lucas continues to build his reputation as one of hip-hop's most fearless voices, unafraid to tackle uncomfortable truths about relationships, parenting, and personal responsibility.
"Reconsider" exemplifies Lucas's artistic approach: presenting both sides of a painful conflict with unflinching honesty. The track addresses the devastating cycle of broken families, parental alienation, and the weaponization of children in relationship disputes. Through two distinct verses—one addressing a mother withholding access from a willing father, and another confronting a deadbeat dad who abandoned his responsibilities—Lucas creates a nuanced examination of how adult conflicts irreparably harm the most vulnerable parties. The song's raw emotional intensity and moral complexity demonstrate why Lucas remains a vital voice in contemporary hip-hop.
Lyrics
[Intro]
Yeah
I know you goin' through a lot, you probably don't wanna talk about this, but
I'm just tryna understand a couple things, I just wanna
I just wanna gain some perspective if you don't mind
[Verse 1]
Look, I know it ain't my business, but I need to know your compass
What made you have a baby by a nigga you don't fuck with?
I know you in your feelings, treating anger like some comfort
Now you out here being spiteful with the nigga that you stuck with
Fuck it, I'm just wondering why you need it all
He wanna be a dad, but you won't let him be involved
I picture me being in his place, that shit'd have me misplaced
Contemplating my mistakes to beat it raw
I hate a woman that be weaponizing children knowing this'll be the price
Now you all up on the 'Gram using sympathy for likes
Cock-blocking every chance like he ain't never needed rights
I know some real fuck niggas that you ain't never seen in life
He just wanna make it right, you take him back to court
You said you want child support, but not dad support
Said you can raise him on your own and now you lack support
So your kid wonder how come he ain't got a dad no more
I hope you heal all your unsolved trauma and heavy wounds
Shit that got you mad while bumping 'em petty tunes
Plotting your revenge like using a stepping stool
To push him over the edge and blocking his every move
You mad 'cause he got a new chick
And you'll be damned if he bring that baby 'round a new bitch
You said he left you out to dry, went and got some new shit
Now ain't no way to keep it cordial and be on some cool shit
So you hit him where it hurts, but you don't get that a nigga gon' be a nigga
Like a woman is a gun and a trigger gon' be a trigger
And no matter how you feel 'bout the shit that had made you bitter
Know your child needs a father, just something to reconsider
[Break]
Yo, listen, bitch, it's not that serious
Stop calling my line, stop hitting me, like, you doing too much
I told you, you don't wanna be my bitch, you don't wanna let me fuck, that's fine
But I don't want nothing to do with the baby and I don't want nothing to do with you, alright?
If you don't want to be my bitch, then I don't wanna be the father
So cool off that, bye
[Verse 2]
Look, I gotta tell you how it is, bruh, that shit ain't 'bout to slide
What made you make a baby just to leave it out to dry?
You call yourself a man, but you've been living out a lie
Now your child gotta suffer 'cause his pops got no pride
I hate a fuck nigga tryna hide, avoid the shit that really needed you
Abandoning your seeds just 'cause she don't wanna be with you
You say the only way you'll be around is if she sleep with you
Concerned about your needs instead of doing what you need to do
And I don't care what the past be
'Cause if I'ma keep it G, I think you need your ass beat
Yeah, I think you need a wake-up call, something you've been waiting for
'Cause bitch niggas like you could never dad me
Plus your baby mama cool, she don't never trip
She working two or three jobs like it's effortless
She put that life before her own, turned a house into a home
Handled business all alone, shit you never did
You never calling on no birthdays, holiday check ins
Got a new bitch saying her new kids your step kids
Couldn't buy your child shoes, but went and bought a necklace
Shitting on your BM and treat her like some next bitch
But I ain't too surprised, I done seen too many bitches in these niggas
Acting like some hoes 'cause you ain't fit to see the picture
I hope one day you see that your problem is being bitter
'Cause your child needs a father, just something to reconsider, nigga
Lyrics Meaning
Intro - Seeking Understanding
The song opens with a deceptively calm tone—Lucas acknowledges the sensitivity of the topic while insisting on the need for perspective. This framing device establishes the song's central mission: not to condemn, but to understand and ultimately persuade both parties to "reconsider" their positions for the sake of the child caught in the middle.
Verse 1 - The Mother's Perspective
The first verse addresses a mother who has weaponized her child against a father who wants to be present. Lucas challenges her contradictory choices: having a baby with someone she now despises, using the child as emotional leverage, and performing victimhood on social media for validation. The devastating line "You said you want child support, but not dad support" encapsulates the hypocrisy Lucas identifies—demanding financial contribution while denying emotional connection.
The verse explores the psychology of parental alienation: the mother's unresolved trauma ("unsolved trauma and heavy wounds"), her use of anger as comfort, and her inability to separate her feelings about the relationship from her child's need for a father. The imagery of "plotting your revenge like using a stepping stool" suggests that her attempts to hurt the father ultimately elevate her own pain while pushing him further away.
The conclusion of this verse delivers the song's central thesis: biological imperatives transcend personal grievances. "A nigga gon' be a nigga / Like a woman is a gun and a trigger gon' be a trigger" acknowledges that people are who they are—but the child still needs both parents regardless of adult conflicts.
Break - The Deadbeat's Excuse
The spoken-word break serves as a bridge between perspectives, presenting the exact mentality Lucas will dismantle in the second verse. The man's crude reduction of fatherhood to sexual access ("If you don't want to be my bitch, then I don't wanna be the father") represents the toxic transactional view of parenting that Lucas condemns. This interlude makes the subsequent critique more powerful by giving voice to the very attitude being challenged.
Verse 2 - The Father's Reckoning
The second verse pivots to address a different archetype: the absent father who abandoned his responsibilities. Lucas's tone shifts from disappointed to enraged: "What made you make a baby just to leave it out to dry?" The verse systematically dismantles the father's excuses, exposing his prioritization of ego over obligation.
Lucas highlights the mother's sacrifice—working multiple jobs, creating a home alone, never complaining—while contrasting it with the father's neglect: missing birthdays, buying jewelry instead of shoes for his child, treating the mother like disposable trash. The line "Acting like some hoes 'cause you ain't fit to see the picture" reframes the insult typically hurled at women back onto men who fail to comprehend their own responsibilities.
The verse ends with the same plea as the first: "your child needs a father, just something to reconsider." This parallel structure reinforces that regardless of which side of the conflict someone occupies, the child's needs must take precedence.
Conclusion
"Reconsider" is Joyner Lucas at his most socially engaged and morally urgent. The song refuses the easy narrative of villain and victim, instead presenting a complex ecosystem of hurt where both parents bear responsibility for a child's suffering. By addressing both mothers who weaponize children and fathers who abandon them, Lucas demonstrates that the breakdown of family structures harms everyone—but most devastatingly, the innocent children caught in the crossfire.
The track's power lies in its refusal to let anyone off the hook. The mother must reconsider her spite; the father must reconsider his absence; and society must reconsider how it enables and excuses these destructive patterns. Lucas's storytelling prowess—his ability to inhabit different perspectives while maintaining moral clarity—elevates this beyond a simple message song into a genuine work of social commentary.
In an era where discussions of family breakdown often devolve into partisan talking points, "Reconsider" offers something more valuable: a human-centered plea for accountability. Lucas understands that healing begins with acknowledgment, and that the first step toward repairing broken families is for adults to recognize how their unresolved pain becomes their children's inheritance. The song doesn't promise easy solutions, but it demands that we start the conversation—and that alone makes it essential listening.
