Topenga Ataata
Kupu Tūpato
Load up the Pro Tools and press three
– Utaina ake Nga Taputapu Pro me te pēhi i te toru
Studio filled with Jack In The Box and Pepsis
– Studio ki Tonu I Te Jack I Roto i Te Pouaka me Te Pepsis
Niggas watchin’ WorldStar videos, not the ESPYs
– E mātakitaki ana a Niggas I Ngā ataata O Te Ao, ehara i te ESPYs
Laughin’ at B. Pumper, stomach turnin’, I get up and proceeded to write somethin’
– Ka kata ahau Ki A B. Pumper, ka huri te kopu, ka whakatika ahau, ka haere ki te tuhi i tētahi mea
Ab-Soul in the corner mumblin’ raps, fumblin’ packs of Black & Milds
– Ab-Wairua i te kokonga mumblin ‘raps, fumblin’ packs o Black &Milds
Crumblin’ kush ’til he cracked a smile
– Crumblin ‘ kush ‘tae noa ki te wa i pakaru ai ia i te ataata
His words legendary, wishin’ I could rhyme like him
– He kōrero ōna kupu, e hiahia ana kia rite taku rerenga ki a ia
Studied his style to define my pen
– I ako i tana kāhua hei tautuhi i taku pene
That was back when the only goal was to get Jay Rock through the door
– I hoki mai i te wā ko Te whāinga anake kia eke A Jay Rock ki te tatau
Warner Brother Records, hope Naim Ali would let us know
– Warner Brother Records, ko te tūmanako Ka whakamōhio mai A Naim Ali ki a mātou
Was excited just to go to them label meetings
– I harikoa ki te haere ki a rātou ngā hui tohu
Wasn’t my record deal, but still, I couldn’t believe it
– Ehara i te mea ko taku kirimana rekoata, engari, kaore au i whakapono
Me and Rock inside the booth hibernatin’
– Ko Ahau me Rock i roto i te booth hibernatin’
It was simple math, if he made it, that mean I made it
– He pāngarau māmā, mēnā i mahia e ia, ko te tikanga I mahia e au
Everything I had was for the team, I remained patient
– Ko nga mea katoa I a au mo te kapa, i noho manawanui tonu ahau
Grindin’ with my brothers, it was us against them, no one above us, bless our hearts
– I te mahi tahi me oku tuakana, ko matou ki a ratou, kahore he tangata i runga ake i a matou, manaakitia o matou ngakau
Use your heart and not your eyes (Baby, just relax your mind)
– Whakamahia tō ngakau, kaua ō kanohi (Baby, just relax your mind)
If you got time, then I got time (Yeah, yeah)
– Ki te whiwhi koe i te wā, ka whiwhi ahau i te wā (Yeah, yeah)
Free your thoughts and watch them fly
– Wewete koutou whakaaro, me te mataara rere ratou
Use your heart and not your eyes (Mm-hmm)
– Whakamahia to ngakau me te kore o your kanohi (Mm-hmm)
My nigga Dave had a champagne Acura
– Ko taku nigga Dave he Acura champagne
A bunch of instrumentals I freestyled in the passenger
– He rōpū o ngā mea whakatangitangi i freestyled in the passenger
That nigga wore several hats, a producer, a manager, director, and DJ
– He maha nga potae i mau i taua nigga, he kaiwhakanao, he kaiwhakahaere, he kaiwhakahaere, he DJ
A hothead squabblin’, Bloods, Pirus, and Keeways
– He hotead squabblin’, Toto, Pirus, me Keeways
For this little thing of ours we called TDE
– Mo tēnei mea iti o tātou I huaina E MĀTOU KO TDE
I watched you take some penitentiary chances to say the least
– I kite ahau i a koe e whai ana i ētahi tūponotanga o te whare herehere ki te kī i te iti rawa
Remember in the county building with MixedByAli
– Kia mahara ki te whare kaute me MixedByAli
We tried to freak the system just to make a couple ends meet
– I whakamātau mātou ki te whakawehi i te pūnaha kia tutuki ai ētahi mutunga
That’s my nigga for shit sure
– Ko taku nigga tēnei e tino mōhio ana
He brought Q over, but Q didn’t rap, but he learned from our inspo
– I kawea mai E Ia A Q, engari Kaore A Q i rap, engari i ako ia i ta maatau inspo
We split Louisiana chicken riverboat specials
– We split Louisiana heihei riverboat motuhake
Sleepin’ next to 02R consoles to be our refuge
– E moe ana i te TAHA O NGĀ papatohu 02R hei wāhi noho mō mātou
He was homeless and I left home
– He kore kāinga ia a ka wehe atu ahau i te kāinga
Q said, “Dot, you won’t be slept on, you the nigga to bet on” (Use your h—)
– Ka mea a Q, “Dot, e kore koe e moe i runga i, koe te nigga ki te bet i runga i “(Whakamahia tou h—)
Top had given us dominion in the home he lived in
– I hoatu e Top ki a mātou te mana i roto i te kāinga i noho ai ia
Hopin’ that we see some millions, God bless our hearts
– Ko te tumanako ka kite tatou i etahi miriona, Ka manaakitia e te Atua o tatou ngakau
Use your heart and not your eyes (Baby, just relax your mind)
– Whakamahia tō ngakau, kaua ō kanohi (Baby, just relax your mind)
If you got time, then I got time (Yeah, yeah)
– Ki te whiwhi koe i te wā, ka whiwhi ahau i te wā (Yeah, yeah)
Free your thoughts and watch them fly
– Wewete koutou whakaaro, me te mataara rere ratou
Use your heart and not your eyes
– Whakamahia to ngakau me te kore o your kanohi
Punch played Phil Jackson in my early practices
– I tākaro a Punch I a Phil Jackson i aku mahi tuatahi
Strategies on how to be great amongst the averages
– Ngā rautaki mō te āhua o te nui i roto i ngā toharite
I picked his brain on what was ordained, highly collaborative
– I tīpakohia e au tōna roro i runga i te mea i whakaritea, he tino mahi tahi
RET pushed the label the same, amongst the savages
– I pēnei anō te pana a RET i te tapanga, i waenganui i ngā tangata mohoao
Moose kept my name in the function that he would run in
– I pupuri a Moose i toku ingoa i roto i te mahi e rere ia i roto i
TEEZ kept the vultures away from me that was comin’
– I pupuri A TEEZ i ngā manu i tawhiti atu i ahau e haere mai ana
Sounwave let me borrow his clothes for shows as a hype man
– Sounwave tukua ahau ki te tono i ona kakahu mō ngā whakaaturanga rite te tangata hype
To cook up in this room ’til the night ends
– Ki te tunu i roto i tenei ruma ‘ki te mutunga o te po
Time flies, I’m carryin’ debates of a top five
– Ka rere te wā, kei te kawe au i ngā tautohetohe o te top five
Buryin’ my opps and allies
– E tanu ana i aku hoa, i aku hoa
But I’d done a half job communicatin’ feelings of being stagnant
– Engari i mahi ahau i te hawhe mahi e whakawhitiwhiti ana i ngā whakaaro o te noho tūpato
Life was gettin’ bigger than just rappin’
– I nui ake te ora i te rappin anake
The business, what I was lackin’
– Ko te pakihi, ko te mea I ngaro i ahau
Top used to record me back when it was poor me
– I whakamahia e Top te tuhi i ahau i te wā i rawakore ai ahau
And now we at the round table for what assures me
– Na inaianei kei te tēpu porohita mātou mō te mea e kī mai ana ki ahau
I guess my motivation was the yearnin’ for independence
– Ki taku whakaaro ko taku hihiri ko te hiahia mo te mana motuhake
Poured everything I had left in the family business
– I ringihia nga mea katoa i mahue I ahau i roto i te pakihi a te whānau
Now it’s about Kendrick, I wanna evolve, place my skillset as a Black exec’
– Na, e pā ana ki A Kendrick, e hiahia ana ahau ki te whanake, ki te whakatakoto i taku pūkenga hei Kaiwhakahaere Pango’
I jog my memory, knowin’ Black Hippy didn’t work ’cause of me
– E jo ana ahau i taku mahara, e mōhio ana’ Kāore a Hippy Pango i mahi ‘i te take o ahau
Creatively, I moved on with new concepts in reach
– Auaha, neke ahau i runga i ki ariā hou i roto i te tae
Top, remember all them sessions we would strategize
– Runga, kia mahara ki a ratou katoa ngā wā e rautaki tatou
To hit the streets, then come back, record three records? Ah
– Ki te patu i nga huarahi, ka hoki mai, ka tuhi i nga rekoata e toru? Ah
To tell the truth, it fucked me up when D-Man passed
– Ki te korero i te pono, fucked reira ahau ake ka haere D-Man
The motive was the condolences, but the pride crashed
– Ko te kaupapa ko te mihi, engari i hinga te whakapehapeha
I had to bypass old mythologies I had
– I tika kia hurihia e au ngā pakiwaitara tawhito i a au
Put my heart on display like it was an iMac
– Me whakaatu taku ngakau me te mea he iMac
To all my young niggas, let me be the demonstration
– Ki aku tamariki katoa, kia waiho ahau hei whakaaturanga
How to conduct differences with a healthy conversation
– Me pehea te whakahaere i nga rereketanga me te whakahaere hauora
If that’s your family, then handle it as such
– Ki te mea ko to koutou utuafare, ka hapai i te reira rite taua
Don’t let the socials gas you up or let emotions be your crutch
– Kaua e tukua ngā pāpori kia whakaoho i a koe kia waiho rānei ngā āhuatanga hei kākahu mōu
Pick up the phone and bust it up before the history is lost
– Tangohia te waea ka pakaru i mua i te ngaro o te hitori
Hand-to-handshake is good when you have a heart-to-heart
– He pai te ringaringa-ki-ringaringa ina whai koe i te ngakau-ki-ngakau
Use your heart and not your eyes (Baby, just relax your mind)
– Whakamahia tō ngakau, kaua ō kanohi (Baby, just relax your mind)
If you got time and I got time (Yeah, yeah)
– Ki te whai wā koe, ā, ka whai wā au (Yeah, yeah)
Free your thoughts and watch them fly
– Wewete koutou whakaaro, me te mataara rere ratou
Use your heart and not your eyes (Mm-hmm)
– Whakamahia to ngakau me te kore o your kanohi (Mm-hmm)
