realm's word

Ever had problems understanding what these Rappers are saying? In reality, nobody actually knows the meaning of what they’re saying and that rule extends to those actually using the language.

‘Ebonics’ might be a term that most would not recognise or some might remember from the Big L (RIP) album – but it strikes me that most people certainly don’t know what it means. Cue the Wiki search... You done?

So, now you’ve Wikipedia’d ‘Ebonics’ and I don’t need to explain what it means. My personal concern is that somewhere, most likely in the 1970’s when people evolved Ebonics into Jive talk, the water became so muddied that words got lost in translation.

In order to partially clear this issue up, this is the first instalment of a lyrical translation of a famous Rap track by West Coast Crip gang members Dr. Dre and Snoop Dogg from Dr. Dre’s ‘The Chronic’ album:

Black text is the original lyric, Red Text is the translation of previous line or paragraph

One, two, three and to the fo
One, two, three, Four
Snoop doggy dogg and dr. dre are at the do
Cordazar Calvin Broadus and Andre Young are at the door
Ready to make an entrance, so back on up
Stand aside as we’re about to walk through said door
[cuase you know we bout had to rip shit up]
[by now you should be aware that we will cause a scene]

Snoop Dogg:

Gimme the microphone first, so I can bust like a bubble
Please allow me to commence, I’m raring to go
Compton and long beach together, now you know you in trouble
He’s from Compton and I’m from Long Beach
Aint nothin but a g thang, baaaaabay!
Please excuse our baby like ways, but being Gangster’s is all we’ve ever known
Two loc’d out gs so were craaaaazay!
As do most Crip Gang members, we are wearing Loc sunglasses, which means we are mentally unhinged
Death row is the label that paaaaays me!
We’re signed to the Death Row record label
Unfadable, so please dont try to fade this [hell yeah]
Please do not switch this song off, nor indeed kill me (I concur)

But, uh, back to the lecture at hand
Perfection is perfected, so Im a let em understand
From a young gs perspective
What was my point before? Oh dear, I digress, to date I’ve had an important life lesson
Let me tell you, practise makes perfect
I learnt that as a child

And before me dig out a bitch I have ta find a contraceptive
You never know she could be earnin her man,
And learnin her man, and at the same time burnin her man
It is imperative that one should practise safe sex
There are ladies who try to take advantage of men
These ladies appeal to a gentleman’s’ ego, all the while hoping to mislead and ultimately conceive a child
Now you know I aint wit that shit, lieutenant
Aint no pussy good enough to get burnt while Im up in it
I agree, I too am against ladies who do such things
I’d be disappointed if any ladies I know did that to me
Now thats realer than real-deal holyfield
And now all you hookas and hos know how I feel
You’re quite correct in your opinions on this occasion
And all you ladies listening, I think I’ve voiced my concerns, but to confirm
Well if its good enough to get broke off a proper chunk
Ill take a small piece of some of that funky stuff
You know, as opposed to finding a lady of such ill intent
I would prefer to participate in the consumption of illegal narcotics

Its like this and like that and like this and uh
Its like that and like this and like that and uh
Its like this and like that and like this and uh
Dre, creep to the mic like a phantom
We cannot think of a chorus to what is admittedly, a strange subject of song
We cannot think of a chorus to what is admittedly, a strange subject of song
We cannot think of a chorus to what is admittedly, a strange subject of song
Andre, stop being shy, it’s easy, have a go

Dr Dre:

Well Im peepin, and Im creepin, and Im creep-in
I’m spying in preparation for a drive-by shooting
But I damn near got caught, cause my beeper kept beepin
That was close! My victim almost saw me, I shall switch my Pager to vibrate mode
Now its time for me to make my impression felt
Now’s as good a time as any to make my move
So sit back, relax, and strap on your seatbelt
Car safety is of the utmost importance to me, please buckle up - did you know that even if my passengers dont ear i belt, i can get points?
You never been on a ride like this befo
I’m willing to bet that you have never been on such a metaphorical ‘journey’
With a producer who can rap and control the maestro
I can multi task
At the same time with the dope rhyme that I kick
On one hand, I am able to speak in rhyme form
You know, and I know, I flow some ol funky shit
All whilst maintaining a funk like disposition
To add to my collection, the selection
I select music from a wide repertoire
Symbolizes dope, take a toke, but dont choke
My repertoire tends to be narcotic driven, but don’t let that surprise you
If ya do, ya have no clue
If you are surprised by this, please see the previous verse where my colleague mention the narcotic side of things
O what me and my homey snoop dogg came to do
Both of us enjoy music and narcotics, we see them as our calling

Its like this and like that and like this and uh
Its like that and like this and like that and uh
Its like this, and we aint got no love for those
So jus chill, til the next episode
We cannot think of a chorus to what is admittedly, a strange subject of song
We cannot think of a chorus to what is admittedly, a strange subject of song
We cannot think of a chorus and we dislike various individual people
The song is almost finished, feel free to relax


Snoop:

Fallin back on that ass with a hellified gangsta lean
I shall take a seat for this verse, similar to a car with custom suspension
Gettin funky on the mic like a old batch o collard greens
Much like green vegetables which are past their ‘use by’ date, I shall now make an awful aroma on the microphone
Its the capital s, oh yes, the fresh n double o p
I am able to casually spell out my stage name with whimsical basic rhymes
D o double g y d o double g ya see
I told you I could rhyme my stage name, that’s why I chose it
Showin much flex when its time to wreck a mic
I can really show my abilities when I want to
Pimpin hos and clockin a grip like my name was dolomite
I run a human traffic empire and I’m a big man, a superhuman if you will much like Dolomite,
Yeah, and it dont quit
Did you think I was a quitter, let it be known, I’m not.
I think they in a mood for some mothafuckin g shit
The audience are clearly in need of being taught more about us Gangsters

So dre. [what up dogg? ]
So, Andre.. (you rang, Calvin?)
We gotta give em what dey want [whats that, g? ]
People want things (I don’t follow you?)
We gotta break em off somethin [hell yeah]
We’ve not made much sense as of yet, we’re merely talking around the point (so we are)
And its gotta be bumpin [city of compton!]
Let’s tell them more (yes, more about my home town of Compton)

Its where it takes place so Im a ask your attention
Geographically, Compton is a vibrant place
Mobbin like a mothafucka but I aint lynchin
I’m part of a local group of misfits with the Oedipus complex, but we do not participate in drive-by shooting
Droppin the funky shit thats makin the sucka niggaz mumble
Once again, back to my abilities as a musician, I do enjoy funk
When Im on the mic, its like a cookie, they all crumble
When I perform, people around me seem to fall over
Try to get close, and your assll get smacked
If you get cheeky, I shall bend you over and smack your bottom
My mothafuckin homie doggy dogg has my back
My friend Calvin who too has the Oedipus complex is also a masseuse, which is a plus
Never let me slip, cause if I slip, then Im slippin
Calvin never lets my back go untended, he takes massage oils wherever we go
But if I got my nina, then you know Im straight trippin
As a precautionary measure, I bring my gun with me, as the USA allows such things legally
And Im a continue to put the rap down, put the mack down
I intend to carrying on with my music career for the foreseeable future
And if your bitches talk shit, I have ta put the smack down
I’ll be most displeased if people don’t like my music as I work so hard on it
Yeah, and ya dont stop
This is a grey area for me, not much I can say after that previous comment
I told you Im just like a clock when I tick and I tock
Life goes on, much like time
But Im never off, always on, til the break dawn
I’m an insomniac
C o m p t o n, and the city they call long beach
To remind you, I’m from Compton and Calvin is from Long Beach, both of which are in Los Angeles, California
Puttin the strength together
Between us, we have twice the muscle power
Like my homey D.O.C., no one can do it better
I have a friend called Tracy Lynn Curry, if I was named that, I took would change my name to D.O.C., he once made a record called ‘No one can do it better’

Like this, that and this and uh
Its like that and like this and like that and uh
Its like this, and we aint got no love for those
So jus chill, til the next episode
We cannot think of a chorus to what is admittedly, a strange subject of song
We cannot think of a chorus to what is admittedly, a strange subject of song
We cannot think of a chorus and we dislike various individual people
The song is almost finished, feel free to relax