Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu has a strange way of following you outside the gym.
You finish training, take off the gi, get in the car — and the rounds keep going in your head. The mistakes. The small wins. The things you almost hit but didn’t.
For most of us, jiu-jitsu doesn’t stop when class ends.
It becomes part of how you think.
That’s why The Gift Rap 2 stands out.
This isn’t music made by someone looking at jiu-jitsu from the outside. It’s created by someone who has spent years on the mats, competing, teaching, losing, winning, and going through the same mental cycles every long-term grappler knows.
Lear “Learycal” Kirkland is a Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu black belt, and this album feels exactly like something that could only come from that perspective.
Instead of trying to explain jiu-jitsu or sell an image of it, The Gift Rap 2 documents the lived experience — the grind, the mindset shifts, and those quiet moments after training when everything suddenly feels clearer.
A Black Belt Perspective That Actually Matters
Lear has been training Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu for 11 years and received his black belt in January 2024 under Bill Konkel. He trains and teaches at Voyage Jiu Jitsu in Saint Clair Shores, Michigan, and remains an active competitor.
Outside the academy, he’s also the co-owner of For The Art BJJ, a jiu-jitsu apparel and sportswear brand founded in 2024.
That background matters.
In jiu-jitsu, credibility isn’t something you claim — it’s something that builds slowly. A black belt doesn’t just represent technical skill.
It represents years of failure, repetition, ego checks, and learning how to think long-term.
The Gift Rap 2 is Lear’s second BJJ-focused album, following The Gift Rap: Volume 1, released in December 2021. This sequel wasn’t planned as a marketing move. It happened because the first album actually connected with grapplers.
“This is actually my second BJJ rap album,” Lear explains.
“After the first one came out, a lot of people told me how much they enjoyed it and kept asking if there would be another one. I wanted to challenge myself and also give people more music that’s made specifically for grapplers.”
Why The Gift Rap 2?
The title immediately tells you where this project lives — right between Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu and hip-hop culture.
“The Gift Wrap is a common control position in BJJ,” Lear says.
“Switching ‘Wrap’ for ‘Rap’ felt like a clever crossover between jiu-jitsu culture and hip-hop culture.”
But it’s not just wordplay.
“To me, The Gift Rap is my unique way of giving back to the BJJ community,” he adds.
“I’ve received so many benefits from being involved in the culture that it only felt right to contribute something back.”
That idea — contribution, not promotion — runs through the entire album.
Instead of putting himself on a pedestal, Lear focused on experiences most grapplers recognize immediately.
Music Built Around the Real Rhythm of Jiu-Jitsu
Music already plays a huge role in jiu-jitsu.
Warm-ups. Competition prep. Walkouts. Training clips. Social media edits.
What grapplers put on while warming up before class or walking into competition.
And yet, very little music is made specifically for grapplers.
Lear saw that gap and stepped into it.
One of the standout tracks, “Run It Back,” came straight out of a tough competition loss.
“It was one of those losses that sticks with you,” he explains.
“I was frustrated and disappointed right after, but I decided to take those thoughts and feelings and turn them into something productive.”
The song is about mindset — staying humble, staying hungry, and using losses as feedback instead of letting them define you.
“Losses aren’t fun,” Lear says,
“but if you approach them the right way, they can become some of the best tools for growth.”
Another key track, “Post Tap Clarity,” captures something almost every long-term practitioner knows.
That feeling after a hard session when your body is wrecked, but your mind is sharp.
“It’s that feeling after training where you’re driving home physically exhausted but mentally stimulated,” Lear explains.
“You’re replaying every detail of a roll and breaking things down.”
Instead of anchoring songs to very specific personal moments, Lear wrote from a shared perspective — which is why the album feels relatable whether you’re a white belt or a black belt.
Competition, Humor, and Self-Awareness
The Gift Rap 2 doesn’t take itself too seriously — just like good jiu-jitsu shouldn’t.
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“Double Gold” captures the confidence and chaos of competition day, framing tournament success like a fast, clean heist for medals.
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“Keep It Playful” hits on one of the most universal BJJ experiences: agreeing to roll light and realizing 30 seconds later that nobody is actually rolling light.
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“Walk Out” was written specifically as a walkout track for superfights or MMA bouts — aggressive, focused, and built to flip the switch.
Together, the tracks reflect what jiu-jitsu actually feels like: intense, obsessive, competitive — but also self-aware and, at times, playful.
More Than an Album — A Cultural Snapshot
What makes The Gift Rap 2 work is that it doesn’t try to explain jiu-jitsu to outsiders.
It assumes the listener already understands the culture.
As Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu keeps growing worldwide, projects like this help document what the lifestyle actually feels like, not just how it looks on social media.
Lear’s work outside music follows the same idea. Through For The Art BJJ, he focuses on building things for the community, not selling an image of it. Both projects feel aligned in purpose.
Who This Album Is Really For
The Gift Rap 2 isn’t for everyone — and that’s why it works.
If you’ve ever:
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sat in your car after training replaying rounds in your head
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lost a match and quietly adjusted your goals
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struggled to balance humility with ambition
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trained for years without external validation
this album will resonate.
It doesn’t exaggerate the jiu-jitsu experience.
It reflects it.
Where to Listen & Follow
The Gift Rap 2 is available on major streaming platforms:
Spotify (Album):
https://open.spotify.com/album/0qpwZjubnhwug2o7Dqu6bR
Apple Music (Album):
https://music.apple.com/us/album/the-gift-rap-2/1864817287
Follow Lear “Learycal” Kirkland:
https://www.instagram.com/kinglearycal/
For The Art BJJ:
https://www.instagram.com/fortheartbjj/
Lear Kirkland
“Learycal”
