"Struggle, The" Soundtrack Lyrics

"The Struggle (Original Motion Picture Soundtrack)" – Album Guide to Tracks and Key Scenes

Overview

What does the grind actually sound like — not the stadium dream, the process? The Struggle answers with a boots-on-concrete hip-hop documentary and a companion soundtrack that moves like a night in the lab: hooks being hammered, tempers flaring, confidence returning on the count-off. It’s a small film with a big mixtape heart.

The movie follows several unsigned rap artists and groups across a multi-year push to “make it,” staging the usual rites — studio marathons, open-mic auditions, hustled showcases — while the album corrals the scene’s voices into a tight, 15-track compilation. R&B singer Kia Jeffries threads multiple cuts through the narrative; old-school DNA pops up via a Doug E. Fresh feature; and underground affiliates round it out with street-level flex and grind-anthem choruses.

Genres & themes in phases — rugged East-Coast hip-hop = daily hustle; R&B hooks = hope and second winds; posse joints = community over ego; motivational skits/bridges = “back to the booth” resolve.

How It Was Made

Shot as a shoestring, three-year chronicle by co-directors Carl June and Luis Libran, the film leans on real sessions, real auditions, and real disappointments — then releases an official soundtrack through indie imprint Big Fuddez Records in 2009. The CD’s metadata even foregrounds the filmmakers’ names as producers, underscoring the doc-plus-album concept. Fifteen tracks, one disc; the liner copy sells the thesis bluntly: “some made it, some didn’t — all endured the struggle.”

Tracks & Scenes

“Obsession” (Kia Jeffries)

Where it plays:

Early studio sequence: scratch vocals under fluorescent lights, talkback mic crackles, then the real take — her melismatic ad-libs slice through chatter as the room suddenly listens.

Why it matters:

Sets the record’s polish bar. Jeffries’ R&B sheen offsets the rougher cipher energy elsewhere, giving the film a radio-ready north star.

“Notice This” (Kia Jeffries)

Where it plays:

Cutaways to flyers, text blasts, and last-minute outfit changes before a showcase; the hook doubles as a mantra for artists begging the room to actually look up.

Why it matters:

Turns pre-stage jitters into momentum; the chorus is pure proof-of-life.

“Let’s Get It (feat. Doug E. Fresh)” (Various)

Where it plays:

Open-mic montage: low ceilings, hot mics, a promoter with a stopwatch. The beatbox legend’s presence lands like a benediction — you hear heads in the crowd snap to attention.

Why it matters:

A lineage handshake. Old-school craft nudges new voices forward and gives the doc a history line.

“Everybody” (J-Bone)

Where it plays:

Van rides and stairwell rehearsals before doors — lyrics scribbled on phone screens, call-and-response worked out in whispers.

Why it matters:

Posse-cut spirit without the bloat; it sells the movie’s “we, not me” micro-scene vibe.

“Street Credit” (G-Rex)

Where it plays:

Night exterior b-roll — corner stoops, a quiet handshake, then the camera slides past a poster for tomorrow’s bill. The bassline hums like sodium lights.

Why it matters:

Texture cue: it’s the city as character, not backdrop.

“Not That Serious” (F. Dot)

Where it plays:

Inside the booth during a tense punch-in; the title becomes a joke the crew repeats to defuse a perfection spiral.

Why it matters:

Shows the social glue that keeps sessions from imploding. Laugh, breathe, go again.

“True Story” (Dramadeus)

Where it plays:

Voiceover montage — b/w stills of family, a clipped phone call with a day-job boss, then back to the DAW as the snare finally locks.

Why it matters:

Mission statement cut; the title is literal.

“Virgin” (Kia Jeffries)

Where it plays:

Quiet late-night pass as the engineer rides faders. The song’s intimacy reframes the bravado outside the booth.

Why it matters:

Gives the film a reflective pocket — ambition has a tender underbelly.

“Take a Chance” / “I Promise” / “Be Right There” (Various)

Where they play:

End-run montage of little wins — a booked date, a cleaner take, a handshake that might be a deal. Hooks cut quickly, as if the film refuses to jinx anything.

Why they matter:

Optimism in three acts: try, commit, show up.

Notes & Trivia

• The film was shot over roughly three years and cut as a bare-knuckle chronicle of unsigned rap artists and two rap groups trying to break through.
• The official soundtrack (1 CD, 15 tracks) was released by indie label Big Fuddez Records in 2009; UPC commonly listed as 0634479770210.
• Kia Jeffries anchors multiple cuts (“Obsession,” “Notice This,” “Virgin”), effectively becoming the album’s melodic spine.
• A Doug E. Fresh feature appears on “Let’s Get It,” linking the project to hip-hop’s beatbox lineage.
• Some editions/retail blurbs highlight appearances by underground names including Cappadonna (Wu-Tang Clan affiliate) on a Rome-led track.

Music–Story Links

• R&B hooks act as narrative breathers: whenever the grind turns joyless, a Jeffries chorus pulls feeling back into focus.
• Feature verses (Doug E. Fresh) serve as mentoring moments — lineage shows up in the music, not just in talking-head clips.
• Street-level instrumentals (“Street Credit”) are cut to location shots; the city is scored as a living collaborator.
• Posse/glue songs (“Everybody”) underscore that career momentum is a group project — managers, DJs, engineers, friends.

Reception & Quotes

This is grassroots cinema; the album landed in indie retail and on digital storefronts rather than charts, finding its audience the way the artists do — hand-to-hand and link-by-link. Fans of process-documentaries tend to file it under “unpolished, honest,” with the soundtrack praised for sequencing studio-real tracks rather than label gloss.

“Long nights in the studio… a true perspective on what it takes to make it.” — release blurb

Interesting Facts

• The CD credits the film’s co-directors (Carl June & Luis Libran) as producers of the soundtrack — rare but logical for a doc-plus-album package.
• Retail metadata frequently lists 15 tracks and a single-disc configuration; several listings reproduce the full track set in the description.
• Jeffries’ “Obsession” circulated digitally with a 2008 date stamp, predating the 2009 physical soundtrack.
• Several store listings cross-promoted the movie DVD alongside the CD, treating the OST as an extension of the doc’s “artist-in-the-making” pitch.
• The project’s logline — “few people believe in your vision; welcome to the struggle” — doubles as the album’s unifying theme.

Technical Info

• Title: The Struggle — Original Motion Picture Soundtrack
• Year: 2009 (soundtrack) / 2008 (film production/release window)
• Type: Songs compilation tied to documentary feature
• Film Directors: Carl June; Luis Libran
• Soundtrack Producers (credited): Carl June; Luis Libran
• Label: Big Fuddez Records (a.k.a. BFud / BIG Fuddez Records)
• Format: 1×CD; 15 tracks; UPC 0634479770210
• Selected notable placements (album/film): Kia Jeffries — “Obsession,” “Notice This,” “Virgin”; Doug E. Fresh feature — “Let’s Get It”; J-Bone — “Everybody”; G-Rex — “Street Credit”; F. Dot — “Not That Serious”; Dramadeus — “True Story”; plus closing-run optimism cuts “Take a Chance,” “I Promise,” “Be Right There.”
• Availability: Physical CD via indie retailers/resellers; digital tracks on major platforms (artist pages/compilations).

Questions & Answers

Is this a score album or a various-artists compilation?

It’s a various-artists hip-hop/R&B compilation — a companion to the documentary film.

Who directed the movie?

Carl June and Luis Libran, whose names also appear in soundtrack metadata as producers.

How many tracks are on the CD?

Fifteen, commonly listed in retail metadata and seller descriptions.

Is Doug E. Fresh really on the album?

Yes — he’s featured on “Let’s Get It,” the set’s clearest old-school cameo.

Where can I find Kia Jeffries’ songs from the OST?

They appear on the CD and also as digital releases on major platforms under her artist pages.

Key Contributors

Sources: retail listings and soundtrack metadata; artist/track pages on major platforms; film product pages and synopses.

November, 27th 2025