Homeless man raps about his struggle on subway, goes viral, becomes rap star

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A video of homeless man Joseph "So Low Red Line" Lane delivering a heartfelt freestyle on an underground CTA platform in Chicago has racked up over 2 million views in less than 48 hours, leading to interviews on Fox News and a potential record deal.

Fellow musician passer-by Cordell "Co-Still" Hunter shot a video of the man at Jackson station and posted it on Facebook alongside the caption "Homeless man on subway!!!!!!! If he calls me tomorrow im signing him."

Pacing the platform, Lane spits: "Tired of being broke and being poor, rapping and wanting more, standing down in here in the subway when I should be on tour.

"Living in Englewood when I should stay by Lake Shore, every day I be fighting and I don't know what it's for."

Only making about $40 a day and sleeping rough, So Low Red Line (named after the subway line he raps on) talks about trying to get out of the hood and make a name for himself.

"Before I'm giving in, I'll be standing down here rhyming, ain't no ladder down here but I'm still climbing… But me I'm trying to make it in this life I'm living in, get us out the hood, get us some dividends."

It seems he might get his wish, with Hunter championing him after his video went viral, helping him set up a GoFundMe page and joining him for an interview on local Fox TV news.

"When I saw him I was like I have to do something to help this dude get out of this situation," Hunter told the station.

Lane added: "I've been homeless for a long time and I just want to get a home for my kids, I want my babies to grow up and be proud of their father. I don't want them to look at me and be like my daddy performed on the subway all his life and he didn't make nothing."

Such is the success of the video (2,330,901 views at time of writing) a record deal now surely beckons.

The song he performs in the video will be on iTunes by the end of the week, with Lane hoping it is his ticket out.

"This is a serious situation for me, it's either do or die. If I don't make it right now, it will probably be really bad for me. If I do make it, it will be like God came down and blessed me," he said.