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The Rootprint: A Mixtape for the Misunderstood

  • Writer: facethyfear
    facethyfear
  • May 27
  • 3 min read


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FaceThyFear Presents

The Rootprint: A Mixtape for the Misunderstood

Written by Malcolm Pannell

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What is this about:

This isn’t just an article. This is a mixtape. A sermon. A mirror. A spiritual lesson plan for those of us who didn’t grow up perfect, who lost our way, relapsed, lied, hustled, overdosed, got back up, and kept going. The Rootprint is my story—remixed into nine soul tracks. Each one is a lesson I had to live. This is for the ones in rehab wondering, “What happens after I get out?” This is for those who think it ends after you quit. Nah—it begins. Sobriety isn’t silence. It’s sound. It’s music. This right here? This is what it sounds like when a man heals.





🎧

Intro — “I’m As They Get”



“I’m as they get.”

Not a tagline. A testimony. I just finished all 12 steps. And if I’m being honest, Step 4 almost broke me. That’s when I had to stop pointing fingers and start pointing the pen at myself.

They thought I would change up when I sobered up—but I got realer than ever. I didn’t go soft—I found steel in my spirit. And somewhere in the wreckage of my old life, God handed me a seed.





💽

Tracklist Turned Lessons






1. STEP 4 REAL



Lesson: Freedom requires confession.

I didn’t want to write that inventory. I fought it. But when I finally put the pen to the pain, I got free. Real recovery ain’t pretty—it’s real.


From the conversation:


“That’s when I had to take off the mask and look straight in the mirror—no filters, no angles, just me vs. me.”





2. SAVANNAH SOIL



Lesson: You can’t grow if you don’t root.

I didn’t move to Savannah to run—I moved to root. To bury the old me in silence. And trust me: the soil down here? It’s spiritual.


From the conversation:


“I didn’t move to escape my past—I moved to bury it and grow from it.”





3. LET LOVE FIND YOU



Lesson: Wholeness attracts love—chasing it repels it.

I was chasing women, praise, pleasure, approval. Now I let love come to me. Because I love me now.


From the conversation:


“Let love find you. Don’t chase it.”





4. BREAKING CHAINS



Lesson: Your healing is someone else’s freedom.

Every time I choose sobriety, I kill an old curse. This ain’t just about me. My future kids, my family, even strangers—they gon’ be blessed because I stayed clean.


“I broke chains they thought were jewelry.”





5. SEEKING



Lesson: You find God when you stop running.

When the dope stopped numbing me, the prayers started flowing. I didn’t find peace in perfection—I found it in pursuit.





6. GET REALER



Lesson: Sobriety sharpens your soul.

They thought I’d turn into someone else. I did—I turned into me. Clearer, louder, sharper. You can’t dilute someone who’s finally undiluted.


“I didn’t get soft—I got solid.”





7. GRILLZ & GROWTH



Lesson: Your roots can shine too.

I still got the swag—I just plant now. I flex with flowers, feed people with my hands. I’m still Zone 4, I just garden now instead of gamble my life.


“I still shine—just different now. My gold is in the garden.”





8. ’BOUT THOU FEAR



Lesson: What you fear, you worship.

Fear was my god for years. I bowed to cravings, I served the bottle. Now I serve the Most High. And fear don’t even speak to me unless I call it out.


“FTF means facing that beast… I serve something higher now—and fear bows to me.”





9. DIVINE DAWN



Lesson: Every dark night ends—if you keep walking.

This is the sunrise. Every day I wake up sober is a new morning. Some nights are long—but the dawn always comes.


“God didn’t just wake me up—He reprogrammed my dawn.”





🔊

Outro — Breaking Barriers Subliminally



This ain’t just recovery—it’s art. It’s design. It’s a legacy in motion. We took mixtape inspiration, real tears, Savannah soil, and Zone 4 rhythm and turned it into a Rootprint.


Each track is a life lesson. Each lesson is a sermon. Each word is a reminder: you don’t have to chase healing—it’s already looking for you.

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From the Author:


“I want this to help the ones in recovery. The ones in rehab wondering what life gon’ be like. I want them to know: it don’t end at sober. That’s where it starts. Don’t just FaceThyFear—plant it. Feed it. And let your life bloom like a mixtape the world wasn’t ready for.”



© 2025 FaceThyFear (FTF). All rights reserved.

Written by Malcolm Pannell.

Artwork, lessons, and content are original intellectual property of FaceThyFear (FTF) and may not be reproduced, copied, or distributed without written permission.

This work is protected under U.S. and international copyright laws.



This mixtape-article is a spiritual and creative publication by FTF. Inspired by lived experience. Built from recovery. Rooted in truth.









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