Xxxtentacion, born in Plantation, Florida in 1998 on 23 January, was a famous rapper.
He died on 18 June 2018.
His real name was Jahsen Dwayne Ricardo Onfroy.
Xxx was raised by his grandmother at the age of six; he had almost killed a man because he abused his mom.
His carreer began on Twitter and Sound Cloud (he had about 300k followers).
He lived his life breaking the law, and this behavior gave him an unmistakable air of authenticity. In 2014 he published his first video but received only negative comments, he didn't give up and began to publish many songs, until in 2015 he published Look At Me and he got a great success.
His music style is a mixture of hip pop and emo.
But on 18 june 2018, at the exit of a bike shop, he got hit by gunshots of weapon fire, he moved to the hospital and a few hours later they announced his death.
We have decided to tell his story because in recent times all media have talked a lot about his death and we have been really impressed about his life's story beacuse it is very difficult an troubled, his story fully represents what rap is and many stories of famous rappers resemble his story, which we would also like to try.
Glossary RAPPER: a person who performs a rap music. UNMISTAKBLE: not able to be mistaken for anything else, very distinctive. PUBLISH: prepare and issue (a book, journal or a piece of music) for public sale. HOSPITAL: an istitution providing medical and surgical treatment and nursing care for sick or injured people. SOUND CLOUD: it is a website that allows musician to collaborate, promote and distribute their music. GUN SHOT: a shot fired from a gun, pistol or a rifle. HIP POP: a style of popular music of American black and hispanic origin, featuring rap with an electronic backing.
Daniel Hernandez was born on May 8, 1996 in Brooklyn. He is an american rapper and he is professionally known as 6ix9ine or Tekashi69. He is known for his power screaming technique in some of his songs.
6ix9ine became famous thanks to his debut single "GUMMO" in 2017. His first album was Day69 and he entered in the Top Ten for his first time with his song "FEFE" featured with Nicki Minaj. 6ix9ine was born to a Mexican mother and a Puerto Rican father and raised by both until the age of 13 and then he grew up alongside his brother.
When 6ix9ine was young he had various jobs and sold marijuana to help his family financially. He had trouble with the law, for example he was accused of a sexual contact with a 13-years-old girl. In our opinion 6ix9ine is a strange person but at the same time he has made a career and has become very famous. His first apparition in Italy was at Number1's club and we went to see him and we liked it so much. We appreciate that he does a lot of donations to help poor people. We have chosen him because of those things and his popularity. His appearence is unconventional, he has tattoos of the number 69 in different parts of his body and has a tattoo of an evil clown and a spiderweb on his face. He bought a mouth guard composed by diamonds. He spends a lot of money for jewerly and diamonds watches and he likes showing he has a lot of money. His behaviour is very strange because sometimes he makes music videos without his clothes on and sometimes his dances are ridiculous but the most strange thing of him is that he has a multicolour haircut. Our favourite song is "FEFE" because of the music sound and because this is a collaboration with Nicki Minaj. We waited him at Number1 Club and it was awesome. We were in the queue for 2 hours because a huge crowd was there. After that concert the club was shut down to the public because that night some security laws were violated. In our opinion 6ix9ine will become more famous than now and one of the best singers in the 21th century.
Glossary Behaviour: it is the attitude of a person. Controversial: when you use unusual behaviour. Featured: it is when you do a song with another person. Alongside: when you are next to someone. Marijuana: it is a plant used to get high. Law: everyone must respect it to live in a good society. Accused: when you do something wrong. Famous: when you are recognized in the world for something. Appreciate: it is when someone does something good and you like it. Donation: when you give money to poor people. Apparition: when someone comes in one place for the first time. Club: it is a place where you can go to a party.
“See You Again” is a song by US rapper Wiz Khalifa featuring Charlie Puth, published in 2015. The song is the final soundtrack of the movie “Fast & Furious 7”.
Fast & Furious 7 was published in 2015 and is the penultimate of a series of action movies produced in USA, in which the most important elements are racing cars.
The author of the song, Cameron Jibril Thomaz (stage name Wiz Khalifa), was born on 8 September 1987 in Minot (North Dakota) and he is specialized in pop/rap songs.
The song holds the record for the highest rating, exceeding three billions views. It received some awards as the best song in 2015 at the “Hollywood Film Festival” and in 2016 at the “Golden Globe”.
It was written as a tribute to the actor Paul Walker, who died in a car accident in November 2013.
The song is played in the final scene of the film, in which the protagonists Brian (Paul Walker) and Toretto (Vin Diesel) run on two different streets on their own cars representing Brian’s farewell.
The lyrics of the song is about the death of a dear friend, and it gives strength to face the problems of life, giving hope to meet again ...
"It was a long day without you my friend, and I'll tell you everything when I see you again"
We have chosen this phrase, taken from the lyrics of the song, because it makes us realize that we need to give importance to close people because they could leave us at any time.
GLOSSARY Featuring: collaboration between two singers Publish: when a film or a book comes out Soundtrack: song as background music in a film Action Movie: movie with many thrilling scenes Stage Name: an unreal name used by famous characters Rap/Pop: music genre from the street, freestyle-based Exceeding: verb synonymous to overcome Views: number of person that see the video Award: trophy got in a competition Tribute: an action made in honor of a person Car accident: car crash Farewell: last goodbye Split: when people take different way Strength: quality of strong person
Curtis Jackson,
known as 50 Cent, is a hip hop artist and businessman who became famous for his
streetwise raps and rag-to-riches life story.
Curtis
James Jackson III was born on the 6th July in 1975 in South Jamaica in New York. He was raised by a single mother in a broken home
family. His mom worked as a drug dealer and she was shot died by an unknown
suspect when Jackson was only 8 years old; after the death of his mom he moved to
his grandmother’s. He had a boyhood
aspiration to be a boxer, and fought at junior level, but began selling drugs
when he was 12 years old. At the age of 19 an undercover police officer
arrested Jackson for selling four vials of cocaine; three weeks later the apartment
was raided by police where they found crack and heroin. At first he was sentenced
to three-to-nine years, but he went to a bootcamp and got his G.E.D. in prison.
When he got out of prison
he stopped selling drug thanks to a friend and he
started to write his own songs.
He got his first
important contact with the New York hip hop scene when he met Jam Master Jay
from the group Run DMC. Jay was impressed by Jackson’s rapping ability and
produced and album for him, but it never came out. Jackson also made a false
start with the Columbia label, recording an album that was shelved before its release.
That album was “Power of the Dollar”.
In 2000
Jackson was victim of a severe shooting incident that left him with multiple
injuries. He returned to music after his recovery and made several low-budget
recordings with his friends
Lloyd Banks and Tony Yayo, as a crew called G-unit.
In 2003 he became famous thanks to his first song with Eminem and another one whose
title is “Get Rich Or Die Tryin”.
We chose to
write about 50 cent's life because he is a model for all teenagers around the
world today, who deal drugs to earn their living. 50 cent's life, instead, teach
us to follow our dream to become someone important and to be successful.
GLOSSARY
Broken
home: a family in which the parents are divorced or separated.
Drug
Dealer: a person who sells illegal drugs.
Boyhood: it
is a period of a male person's life during which he is a boy.
Undercover:
a work that involves getting confidential or secret information
Raided: past
participle of “to raid”; if the police raid a building they enter it suddenly
and by force in order to look for dangerous criminals or for evidence of
something illegal, such as drugs or weapons.
Sentence: it
is a punishment that people receive after they have been found guilty of a
crime.
Shelved:
put aside; it’s when they decide not to continue a Plan or project, either for
a while or permanently.
Bootcamp: a
centre for young offenders, run in military lines.
G.E.D.:
General Educational Development, the G.E.D. is an educational certificate
awarded in the United States and Canada which certifies that the recipient has
met the minimum requirements necessary to graduate high school.
Tupac Amaru Shakur was born in New York , 16 June 1971 and he died in Las Vegas, 13 September 1996. He was a rapper, activist and actor.
Artist of great success, with over 85 million records sold worldwide, he is considered one of the most influential rappers of all time, despite the short musical career and his disappearance occurred in September 1996 in Las Vegas, when he was hit by four bullets fired from a speeding car. His disappearance was followed by another violent death, Notorious B.I.G’s one. These two disappearances have marked a deep grief in rap history.
Tupac released a large amount of albums (many of them are posthumous) which include “All Eyez on Me” in 1996 and his “Greatest Hits” in 1998, both listed among the best-selling albums of all time in the United States of America. Many of his songs were also focused on the difficult life in the ghetto, on racism and social exclusion, corruption institutions and also clashes with other rappers , alcoholism, drug, prostitution and violence between street gangs.
His attitude, both on and off the music, and his idealism have meant that Tupac was, and remained even after the untimely demise, a benchmark for Black America. The famous magazine Rolling Stone placed Tupac at 86th place in its list of Top 100 artists of all time.
In 1994 Tupac wrote a special song: “My life be like”.
It is a very beautiful song, and above all it is the mirror of a different reality that still exists "on the road" and Tupac is a great artist and a great poet “of the road”. The song is very blunt and blends perfectly on the beat on which he sings in his West Coast style. Listening to him and his entire discography is always an exciting experience, because from his deep and meaningful lyrics you can understand what his crime and on-the-road life was.
Despite all the problems he got - such as racism and marginalization - because of the way he grew up but didn’t choose (he was forced to sell drugs to earn his living), the song talks about how much Tupac liked his life.
Lyrics - “My life be like”
My life be like Ooh Ahh
CHORUS:
It's times like these that make me say,
Lord if you see me please come my way.
Leavin bread crumbs for when I stray
Rely on sacrifice and the price you paid
Feel me like a fingertip
(flow fingertip flow fingertip)
Sometimes I fall I slip
Got a heartfelt desire be more like you
Trying not to quench your fire by the things that i do
I'm on an island by my lonesome stranded
Low key and stayin' candid
Reflectin on the things I try my hand at
Search for the equations to persuasions I'm used to
Findin comfort in the zones of closet bones I get loose to
A mountainous fontaine,
Spinnin and monsoonin
Grinnin its high octane
This worlds out wacky
Rollin down the hills cause lifes a hassle
Encircled by my folly like a moat surround a castle
Stay a float,
Catch a second wind thin is the air I breathe
Teary-eyed nose runnin, wipe the snot on my sleeve
I'm callin on my savior to be all that I need
Please forgive me my behavior had me lost at light speed
CHORUS
The fear of never falling in love
And the tears after losing the feelings
Of what you thought love was
Like the dirt still up under the rug
(My life be like)
Bad characteristics covered in Christ's blood
The joy of new birth and the pain of growing up
The bliss between giving my all and giving up
The highs and lows,
Paths and roads I chose
In the cold I froze
Trying to ease my woes
In this world of sin
Clothes to thin to fend
So to God I send
Words of help to win
In grumblings so deep letters could never express
So the sounds of Ooh Ahh beneath my breath projects
CHORUS
My life be like (Toby Mac)
My life be like ooh aah ooh
Dum dum diddy
Here comes that boy from the capital city
Last up on the Grits new ditty
But eight bars of the truth will do,
uh
I believe there's a pride thats stunning,
And I believe in the kingdom coming
I believe if you seek the truth,
You don't need to look far cuz it's gonna find you
So why, oh why, do I trip and stumble?
And ooh ahh as commitment crumble?
I can't believe that I'm here again?
Glossary
Hip-Hop: the popular subculture of big-city teenagers, which includes rap music, break dancing, and graffiti art to Grumble: to murmur or mutter in discontent Kingdom: a state or government having a king or queen as its head Path: a way or small passage on the ground beaten by human or animal feet: a path through the woods to Catch: to seize or capture, esp. after chasing: The police tried for weeks to catch the thief Ghetto: a section of a city, esp. a thickly populated slum area, in which mostly members of a minority group live Benchmark: a mark made on a measuring device at a known height from which other heights may be calculated Gang: a group or band to Disappear: to cease to exist or be known; pass away Worldwide: throughout the world Untimely Demise: a death for decease occurred before the expected, normal or proper time Blunt: having a thick or dull edge or point
NWA is a rap band. They performed many songs in a gangsta rap style. The band was composed of five famous rappers such as Ice Cube, Dr Dre, Dj Yella, MC Ren and the leader Eazy-E, affectionately called "The Godfather of Gangsta Rap”. All of them were from Compton (California) and operated from 1986 to 1992 when the band broke up because of Eazy-E’s death due AIDS. “Fuck The Police” is a very famous song from the album “Straight Outta Compton”, the only album released by the band. Composed in 1988 it talks about the racist behavior the cops had (and still have) towards black people, the testimonies in rhyme express anger against racism and violence by cops . Because of this song NWA were watched by the police and in Detroit when they performed “Fuck The Police” during a gig the cops stopped the concert and arrested NWA. We have chosen this song because it says in a loud voice what most people think about the police but are afraid to report because of the violence and the repression they could be affected by.
Excerpts from Lyrics - "Fuck The Police"
[Ice Cube]
Fuck the police coming straight from the underground
A young nigga got it bad cause I'm brown
And not the other color so police think
they have the authority to kill a minority
Fuck that shit, cause I ain't the one
for a punk motherfucker with a badge and a gun
to be beating on, and thrown in jail
We can go toe to toe in the middle of a cell
Fucking with me cause I'm a teenager
with a little bit of gold and a pager
Searching my car, looking for the product
Thinking every nigga is selling narcotics
You'd rather see, me in the pen
than me and Lorenzo rolling in a Benz-o
Beat a police out of shape
and when I'm finished, bring the yellow tape
To tape off the scene of the slaughter
Still getting swoll off bread and water
I don't know if they fags or what
Search a nigga down, and grabbing his nuts
And on the other hand, without a gun they can't get none
But don't let it be a black and a white one
Cause they'll slam ya down to the street top
Black police showing out for the white cop
Ice Cube will swarm
on ANY motherfucker in a blue uniform
Just cause I'm from, the CPT
Punk police are afraid of me!
HUH, a young nigga on the warpath
And when I'm finished, it's gonna be a bloodbath
of cops, dying in L.A.
Yo Dre, I got something to say
[cut and scratched 4x] "Fuck the police"
[Dr. Dre]
MC Ren, will you please give your testimony
to the jury about this fucked up incident?
[MC Ren]
Fuck the police and Ren said it with authority
because the niggas on the street is a majority
A gang, is with whoever I'm stepping
and the motherfucking weapon is kept in
a stash box, for the so-called law
Wishing Ren was a nigga that they never saw
Lights start flashing behind me
But they're scared of a nigga so they mace me to blind me
But that shit don't work, I just laugh
because it gives em a hint, not to step in my path
For police, I'm saying, "Fuck you punk!"
Reading my rights and shit, it's all junk
Pulling out a silly club, so you stand
with a fake-assed badge and a gun in your hand
But take off the gun so you can see what's up
And we'll go at it punk, and I'ma fuck you up!
Make you think I'ma kick your ass
but drop your gat, and Ren's gonna blast
I'm sneaky as fuck when it comes to crime
But I'ma smoke 'em now and not next time
Smoke any motherfucker that sweats me
or any asshole, that threatens me
I'm a sniper with a hell of a scope
Taking out a cop or two, they can't cope with me
The motherfucking villain that's mad
With potential, to get bad as fuck
So I'ma turn it around
Put in my clip, yo, and this is the sound
[BOOM, BOOM] Yeah, something like that
but it all depends on the size of the gat
Taking out a police, would make my day
But a nigga like Ren don't give a fuck to say
[cut and scratched 4x] "Fuck the police"
[Dr. Dre]
Eazy-E, won't you step up to the stand
and tell the jury how you feel about this bullshit?
[Eazy-E]
I'm tired of the motherfucking jacking
Sweating my gang, while I'm chilling in the shack, and
shining the light in my face, and for what?
Maybe it's because I kick so much butt
I kick ass - or maybe cause I blast
on a stupid-assed nigga when I'm playing with the trigger
of any Uzi or an AK
Cause the police always got something stupid to say
They put out my picture with silence
Cause my identity by itself causes violence
The E with the criminal behavior
Yeah, I'm a gangsta, but still I got flavor
Without a gun and a badge, what do ya got?
A sucker in a uniform waiting to get shot
by me, or another nigga
And with a gat it don't matter if he's smaller or bigger
([MC Ren:] Size ain't shit, he's from the old school fool)
And as you all know, E's here to rule
Whenever I'm rolling, keep looking in the mirror
And ears on cue, yo, so I can hear a
dumb motherfucker with a gun
And if I'm rolling off the 8, he'll be the one
that I take out, and then get away
While I'm driving off laughing this is what I'll say
[cut and scratched 4x] "Fuck the police"
Fuck the police! [3x]
Glossary To watch: to keep someone or something under close observation Cruelty: behavior or action that causes pain to others Warpath: the path or course taken by American Indians on a warlike expedition Slaughter: a brutal or violent killing (murder) Gang: a group of persons associated for some criminal purpose (terrorist gangs) Sneaky: a person who should not be trusted Gun: a weapon consisting of a metal tube from which bullets are shot by the force of an explosive Dumb: lacking intelligence or good judgment; stupid Hint: an indirect, partly hidden, or helpful suggestion Cop: a police officer
Tupac Shakur wrote "Hit 'Em Up" with collaboration of the Outlawz. This song talks about the rivalry with the enemy Notorious B.I.G. In this song Tupac insults Notorious with bad words.
B.I.G. and Tupac were friends, but when in 1994 at the Quad Recording Studios Tupac suffered an aggression with many shots of firegun, the rapper thought that his friend Notorious was responsible of his aggression, and this is the reason why Tupac wrote this song against Notorious B.I.G.
Hit em’ up is a single, this song was written in 1996 and it is known as one of the most famous dissing of hip-hop.
We think this song is very aggressive, very gangsta, that is what we like about this song.
Lyrics - Hit 'Em Up
First off, fuck your bitch
And the clique you claim
West side when we ride
Come equipped with game
You claim to be a player
But I fucked your wife
We bust on Bad Boys
niggas fuck for Life
Plus Puffy tryin' to see me weak
Hearts I rip
Biggie Smalls and Junior Mafia
Some mark ass bitches
We keep on coming
While we running for your jewels
Steady gunning
Keep on busting at them fools
You know the rules
Little Ceasar go ask you homie
How I'll leave you
Cut your young ass up
See you in pieces
Now be deceased
Little Kim,
Don't fuck around with real G's
Quick to snatch your ugly ass, off the streets
So fuck peace
I'll let them niggas know
It's on for Life
Don't let the west side
Ride the night (ha ha)
Bad Boys murdered on Wax and kill
fuck with me
And get your caps peeled
You know, see
Grab your glocks when you see 2pac
Call the cops when you see 2pac, uh
Who shot me,
But your punks didn't finish
Now you 'bout to feel the wrath of a menace
nigga, I hit 'em up
Glossary
Westside: Tupac is from Harlem, he says the West Coast is where he learned the “game”. Quad Recording Studios: Tupac was there when he was shot. Outlawz: a gangsta rap group. Bad Boys: the record label of Notorious B.I.G. Dissing: a song with the aim of insulting other rappers or groups. 1996: in this year Tupac Shakur was killed. Gangsta: gangsta rap is a musical genre born in Compton, a city in southern Los Angeles County, California, United States.
The song “Changes” by Tupac Shakur is one of his most famous songs.
In this song many subjects about Afro-American injustices are examined: themes like poverty and racism influence the life of African-American deeply, indeed. In the song “Changes”, Tupac gives an inside look at the daily life of an African-American: in the first part of the song Tupac first talks about how some social problems are linked together. He makes a correlation between his skin color and being poor: “I'm tired of bein' poor and even worse I'm black”.
Then he explains how poverty causes crime: “My stomach hurts, so I'm lookin' for a purse to snatch".
Tupac suggests that the African-Americans should work together to solve poverty, racism and violence: “I got love for my brother, but we can never go nowhere unless we share with each other. We gotta start makin' changes”. In these two verses, it could be noticed that Tupac uses the pronoun “we” to represent Afro-American unity. The importance of unity makes it possible to change the ways to deal with these social problems.
In the song Tupac also speaks about Huey Percy Newton: Huey was an Afro-American political activist and revolutionary who, along with Bobby Seale, co-founded the Black Panther Party in 1966The Black Panther Party or BPP was a revolutionary black nationalist and socialist organization active in the United States from 1966 until 1982. Government oppression initially contributed to the growth of the party as killings and arrests of Panthers increased support for the party within the black community. Black Panther Party membership consisted of recent migrants whose families traveled north and west to escape the southern racial regime.
Tupac says then that they aren’t ready to see a black president: in my opinion he was saying that maybe someday in the future this would be a wonderful thing but at that time people should try to focus on the willingness to change because there are many reforms needed in the black community (it sounds strange thinking that the song was released in 1998 and that 11 years later Barack Obama would have become President of the USA).
In some verses Tupac says that it is time for Afro-American people to do some changes from the way they eat to the way they live, becoming independent and successful people, fighting injustices and staying together. Then Tupac speaks about the war on drugs instead of the war of poverty that people are fighting for, he sees in the police a reason to bother him about drugs and not about poverty. A couple of verses further, Tupac talks about the unity for changes that has not happened because there are too many selfish people who are not ready to give up their personal interests.
“Try to show another way, but they stayin' in the dope game”: these verses show that people have a choice but they choose the life of crime instead . I like this song for two reasons: the first one is that I think Tupac is the best rapper ever existed and the second reason is that this songs talks about the everyday reality of black people all around the world. Maybe black people lived bigger and more evident injustices before (in the 50’s or 60’s) but even now they have to do with racism and violence: their life is hard, for sure. They have always suffered a lot and this makes me sad and I feel a little useless because I can’t do much to help them. I hope someday people will not make differences between black and white skin because we are all in this together and we are all the same.
Come on come on
I see no changes wake up in the morning and I ask myself
Is life worth living should I blast myself?
I'm tired of bein' poor and even worse I'm black
My stomach hurts so I'm lookin' for a purse to snatch
Cops give a damn about a negro
Pull the trigger kill a nigga he's a hero
Give the crack to the kids who the hell cares
One less hungry mouth on the welfare
First ship 'em dope and let 'em deal the brothers
Give 'em guns step back watch 'em kill each other
It's time to fight back that's what Huey said
Two shots in the dark now Huey's dead
I got love for my brother but we can never go nowhere
Unless we share with each other
We gotta start makin' changes
Learn to see me as a brother instead of two distant strangers
And that's how it's supposed to be
How can the Devil take a brother if he's close to me?
I'd love to go back to when we played as kids
But things changed, and that's the way it is
That's just the way it is
Things will never be the same
That's just the way it is
Aww yeah
That's just the way it is
Things will never be the same
That's just the way it is
Aww yeah
I see no changes all I see is racist faces
Misplaced hate makes disgrace to races
We under I wonder what it takes to make this
One better place, let's erase the wasted
Take the evil out the people they'll be acting right
'Cause both black and white is smokin' crack tonight
And only time we chill is when we kill each other
It takes skill to be real, time to heal each other
And although it seems heaven sent
We ain't ready, to see a black President, uhh
It ain't a secret don't conceal the fact
The penitentiary’s packed, and it's filled with blacks
But some things will never change
Try to show another way but you stayin' in the dope game
Now tell me what's a mother to do
Bein' real don't appeal to the brother in you
You gotta operate the easy way
"I made a G today" But you made it in a sleazy way
Sellin' crack to the kid. " I gotta get paid"
Well hey, well that's the way it is
That's just the way it is
Things will never be the same
That's just the way it is
Aww yeah
That's just the way it is
Things will never be the same
That's just the way it is
Aww yeah
We gotta make a change
It's time for us as a people to start makin' some changes.
Let's change the way we eat, let's change the way we live
And let's change the way we treat each other.
You see the old way wasn't working so it's on us to do
What we gotta do, to survive.
And still I see no changes can't a brother get a little peace
It's war on the streets and the war in the Middle East
Instead of war on poverty they got a war on drugs
So the police can bother me
And I ain't never did a crime I ain't have to do
But now I'm back with the blacks givin' it back to you
Don't let 'em jack you up, back you up,
Crack you up and pimp smack you up
You gotta learn to hold ya own
They get jealous when they see ya with ya mobile phone
But tell the cops they can't touch this
I don't trust this when they try to rush I bust this
That's the sound of my tool you say it ain't cool
My mama didn't raise no fool
And as long as I stay black I gotta stay strapped
And I never get to lay back
'Cause I always got to worry 'bout the pay backs
Some buck that I roughed up way back
Comin' back after all these years
Rat-a-tat-tat-tat-tat that's the way it is uhh
That's just the way it is
Things will never be the same
That's just the way it is
Aww yeah
That's just the way it is
Things will never be the same
That's just the way it is
Aww yeah
Some things will never change.
Glossary Linked: when something is connected Explains: when you give a reason for something To solve: when you have something to do Noticed: something that can be seen Pronoun: I, you, he/she/it, we , you, they Deal: when you accord something with someone Further: something additional Worth: something that has got a value Erase: to remove something, to delete Snatch: to steal something and to run away Trigger: it is a metal lever that when pulled discharges a gun Dope: street name for marijuana Step back: to return back Close: near to someone Wonder: to ask yourself Chill: when you get relaxed Heal : to get recover from an illness Conceal: hiding from being seen or discovered Penitentiary: it is a prison for big-time criminals convicted of big-time crimes Packed: something filled to capacity, full Sleazy: something low and nasty Jack you up: to lift with a special device Strapped: when you are strong and large, or when you have no more money Buck: slang word for dollar Selfish: when a person is egoist and thinks only about himself Give up: to admit defeat
If you look up in the dictionary you will find that a “lowlife” is a “bad person”, someone of low moral character.
The title of The Weeknd and Future’s song suggests a reference to the word’s meaning, and their lyrics details the activities they consider to be a part of a “lowlife:” drugs, alcohol, strippers, cheating, murder, and spending exorbitant amounts of money.
But this song can also be interpreted as a play, a disapproval and a protest on the term “high life,” generally understood as a luxurious lifestyle afforded to the rich and famous.
I think this song is very beautiful because it concerns about life and the words are interesting for those who understand this kind of music; moreover the soundtrack is relaxing and the videoclip is very well done.
“Low Life” is a song by Future, an American hip hop recording artist, featuring the Canadian singer, songwriter and record producer The Weeknd. It was released on Christmas day 2015, as a gift to their fans.
Excerpts from the lyrics
Cause I'm always repping for that low life
Repping for that low life turn up
Low life, low life, low life
Know I'm repping for that low, low life
Representing, I'm representing, representing
Said I'm repping for that low life
Low life, low life, low life, low life
I'm representing for that low life
Said I'm repping for that low life
I'm repping, that's repping, I'm repping
Low life, low life, low life
Rep, rep, rep, rep, rep, rep, rep
Woo, woo, woo, woo
Yeah
I just took some molly, what else?
Got some bitch from Follies with us
She gonna fuck the squad, what else?
I'm a fuck her broads, what else?
Bitch from Pakistan, what up?
Ferraris and them Lambs, what else?
'Bout to fuck this club, what else?
'Bout to fuck this club, what else?
Glossary
Squad: any small group of persons engaged in a common activity; a team. Molly: Adverse effects of MDMA use include addiction, memory problems, paranoia, difficulty sleeping, teeth grinding, blurred vision, sweating, and a rapid heartbeat. Repping: a representative of a company, as a salesperson.
Welcome to America! The rich country, the powerful world power, where people criticize other people for the skin color, vote inefficient politicians and do war without any reason.
Hey, but we’re in America, don’t they live well here?
This song was very criticized for the irony with which EMINEM talks about subjects like police, racism and the average American man. Eminem is a perfect example of the union between the black culture and the white culture: that’s why our newsroom thinks that the lyrics should be read and understood deeply. Here is the lyrics:
America, hahaha, we love you, how many people are proud to be citizens of this beautiful
Country of ours, the stripes and the stars for the rights that men have died for to protect,
The women and men who have broke their neck's for the freedom of speech the United States
Government has sworn to uphold, or
(You, I want everybody to listen to the words of this song) so we're told...
I never would've dreamed in a million years I'd see,
So many motherfucking people who feel like me, who share the same views
And the same exact beliefs, it's like a fucking army marching in back of me, so many lives I
Touch, so much anger aimed, in no particular direction, just sprays and sprays, and straight
Through your radio waves it plays and plays, 'till it stays stuck in your head for days and
Days, who would of thought, standing in this mirror bleaching my hair, with some peroxide,
Reaching for a t-shirt to wear, that I would catapult to the forefront of rap like this, how
Could I predict my words would have an impact like this, I must've struck a chord, with somebody
Up in the office, cause congress keeps telling me I ain't causing nuthin' but problems, and now
They're saying I'm in trouble with the government, I'm loving it, I shoveled shit all my life,
And now I'm dumping it on...
[Chorus]
White America, I could be one of your kids, white America, little Eric looks just like this,
White America, Erica loves my shit, I go to TRL, look how many hugs I get, white America, I
Could be one of your kids, white America, little Eric looks just like this, white America, Erica
Loves my shit, I go to TRL, look how many hugs I get...
Look at these eyes, baby blue, baby just like yourself, if they were brown, Shady lose, Shady
Sits on the shelf, but Shady's cute, Shady knew, Shady's dimple's would help, make ladies swoon
Baby, {ooh baby}, look at my sales, let's do the math, if I was black, I would've sold half, I
Ain't have to graduate from Lincoln high school to know that, but I could rap, so fuck school,
I'm too cool to go back, gimme the mic, show me where the fucking studio's at, when I was
Underground, no one gave a fuck I was white, no labels wanted to sign me, almost gave up, I was
Like, fuck it, until I met Dre, the only one to look past, gave me a chance, and I lit a fire up
Under his ass, helped him get back to the top, every fan black that I got, was probably his in
Exchange for every white fan that he's got, like damn, we just swapped, sitting back looking at
Shit, wow, I'm like my skin is it starting to work to my benefit now, it's...
[Chorus]
See the problem is, I speak to suburban kids, who otherwise would of never knew these words
Exist, whose mom's probably would of never gave two squirts of piss, 'till I created so much
Motherfucking turbulence, straight out the tube, right into your living room I came, and kids
Flipped when they knew I was produced by Dre, that's all it took, and they were instantly hooked
Right in, and they connected with me too because I looked like them, that's why they put my
Lyrics up under this microscope, searching with a fine tooth comb, it s like this rope, waiting
To choke, tightening around my throat, watching me while I write this, like I don't like this,
Nope, all I hear is, lyrics, lyrics, constant controversy, sponsors working 'round the clock, to
Try to stop my concerts early, surely hip-hop was never a problem in Harlem, only in Boston,
After it bothered the fathers of daughters starting to blossom, so now I'm catching the flack
From these activists when they ragging, acting like I'm the first rapper to smack a bitch, or
Say faggot, shit, just look at me like I'm your closest pal, the poster child, the motherfucking
Spokesman now for...
[Chorus]
So to the parents of America, I am the derringer aimed at little Erica, to attack her
Character, the ringleader of this circus of worthless pawns, sent to lead the march right up to
The steps of congress, and piss on the lawns of the White House, to burn the casket and replace
It with a parental advisory sticker, to spit liquor in the faces of in this democracy of
Hypocrisy, fuck you Ms. Cheney, fuck you Tipper Gore, fuck you with the freest of speech this
Divided states of embarrassment will allow me to have, fuck you, [vocal melody],
He, hahaha, I'm just playing America, you know I love you...
Glossary
Proud: when you are proud you feel satisfaction with yourself (proud=arrogant, sometimes) Citizens: people who live in a country Strips and stars: it is a reference to the American flag Freedom of speech: a situation in which all people can speak freely Sworn: promised Uphold: to support something Believe: for example, I believe in Santa Claus Anger: a strong emotion you feel when you think someone has done you wrong Waves: Eminem means the radio signal Stuck in your head: something fixed in your head Bleaching my hair: make hair lighter, for example make it blonde Ain’t: it is a slang expressions to say “I am not”
Trouble: difficulty Trl: Total Request Live, it is an American TV program Swoon: to faint, to overcome with emotion Give a fuck: not being interested in something Gave a chance: to give an opportunity Suburban: people who doesn’t live in a centre of a city Lyrics: the words of a song Comb: a small plastic or wooden tool you can use to untangle your hair in the morning Choke: when someone suffocates Throat: neck Bothered: when someone is annoyed Faggot: an offensive slang term Pal: friend Derringer: it is a small pistol Worthless: without any value Parental advisory: it’s a sort of parental control on the children’s computer Allow: to consent something
In 2014 he published his first video but received only negative comments, he didn't give up and began to publish many songs, until in 2015 he published Look At Me and he got a great success.
