饒舌翻譯: Kanye West (Ft. KRS-One, Nas & Rakim)

2007年, Nike找來了超級大咖製作一首宣傳歌。除了由我心中最強的製作人DJ Premier操刀編曲，更找來了Rick Rubin（Wiki上面說有參與，但我不確定）一起製作。擔綱饒舌的是兩位80年代的經典--Rakim, KRS-One，還有Nas和Kanye，可說是全明星組合了！（可惜心中另外四位大咖已經上天堂了）。

Classic

Premier主要取樣Carl Douglas的Dance the Kung Fu(1975)，實在是一首光聽Beat就可以爽一整天的好歌啊！

[Hook]
現在, 下一首歌我想要回到...
And now for my next number I'd like to return to the*1

[Nas]
...經典
Classic

[Kanye West]
Uh, uh, - timeless

[Kool G Rap]
現場演出, 只有經典
Live straight classic

[Nas]
...經典
Classic

[Kool G Rap]
現場演出, 只有經典
Live, straight classic

[Kanye West]
Timeless

[Sample]
我想要回到經典...
I'd like to return to the classic

[Rakim]
Kanye West

[Rakim Sample]
我是Rakim, 緊握麥克風的成癮者
"I'm Rakim, the fiend of a microphone

[Verse 1: Rakim]
Uh yea, 你們都準備好迎接20-07了嗎？
Uh yea, is y'all ready for 20-07*2
已經到了創意乾涸的年代
It's now another drought
既然每個人都是殺手, 那為什麼我們還要害怕呢？
Everybody's a killer, why are we bugging out*3
從86年開始就秀給人們看看我有多厲害
Since '86 showin' the crowd what I'm about
直到現在他們還在期待何時會有下一張專輯
And they still wanna know when the album coming out
去問問青少年們, 硬漢, 還有他們的孩子...
Ask the teenagers, OG's and ask the kids
...他們對於經典的定義是什麼
What their definition of classic is
我如此永恆, 所以年紀並不列入計算
Timeless, so age don't count in the booth
只要你的律動永遠浸泡在青春之泉裡
When your flow stay submerged in the fountain of youth
別浪費力氣去質疑事實, 我永遠超越排行榜第一
Ain't no doubting the truth, I'm off the meters
每個人都同意這點, 就算是懷疑論者
Everybody cosigning, even non-believers
既然我是開先鋒者, 那必定是你們的領袖...
Since I came in the door became one of y'alls leaders*4
...穿著全新的Air Force One
In a fresh pair Air Force One sneakers
上城區的, 我們都稱他們Uppies, 當他們穿著AF1
Uptowns, we call em uppies, when they're on divas*5
大概當KRS-One開課時他們都穿著吧
Probably worn when KRS-One teaches*6
Nas會在haters面前引你注目
Nas made you look before the heaters*7
我打賭當Kanye和耶穌走在一起時會讓大家激動
I bet you Kan' had em on when he walked with Jesus*8

[Hook]

[Verse 2: Kanye West]
你沒辦法買到這種超級潮品
You can't buy this Superfly-ness*9
像是光一樣耀眼, 你的王者我...
Like a shine is, your highness
...正表演著, 看看這歌詞有多長吧
Is performing, look how long the line is
我的實力不用多說, 當我做出這寫永恆流傳的音樂時就得證了
It's what happens when you make shit that's timeless
我朋友的實力不用多說, 他們可都是饒舌歌手的指標
It's what happens, these rappers is the pioneers
該如何成為傳奇, 就要像Nas看齊
What do it take to be a legend like Nas is
這遊戲充滿了新手, 而我是如此精美
That's so novice, I'm so polished
所以我確實有權力稍稍驕傲一下
I got a right to be a lil bit snobbish
我上過一點大學
I did a lil bit of college
大概兩學期之後, 我就像Rob Base一樣退學了
Semesters, it took two like Rob Base*10
但我瞭解了饒舌才是我該走的路
To let me figure out this wasn't my place
這節奏太慢, 當你聽的音樂終於跟上我腳步時
The beat's slow, til you listen to my pace*11
因為我實在太猛, 那也同時是證據
Cause I be killing shit, but that's evident
你們都會愛上, 但我早就預料到了
And y'all feeling it, but I expected it
如果這是經典的話, 那一定會永遠流傳
If it's classic, it's gon' last forever then
我會隨著音樂出現在每個你沒去過的地方, 我現在是前所未見之帥
I'm everywhere you never been, and better than I ever been

[Hook]

[Nas Samples - One Love & It Ain't Hard To Tell]
顧好地盤, 搞到最大
Hold the fort down, represent to the fullest
Nas會震撼全場... Nas'll rock well

[Verse 3: Nas]
看看我的毅力, 再看看假饒舌歌手
Perseverance, see the fake hustler rapper
對他們來說, 聽這首歌是很傷自尊的
To them, it hurts to hear this
Oh 你拿到白金唱盤了？那很不錯啊
Oh you went platinum, yeah that's nice
現在讓我看看你再次辦到這件事吧
Now let me see you do the same thing twice
然後是三次, 四次, 再更多次
Three times, four times, then a couple of mo' times
拜託, 你只是上過素人之夜而已, 現在是表演時間了喔
Please, you're Amateur Night, it's Showtime
你只有一輩子能活, 所以活得越精彩越好
It's one life to live, so live it the best you can
這世界其實不差你一人
The world could use one less man
不夠多的空氣, 不夠多的汽車工廠
Not enough air, not enough car factories
生產不夠多的車子、轎車和箱型車
To manufacture new vehicles, sedans and vans*12
當他們製造出你喜歡的好車, 通常口袋卻不夠深
When they do make the whip you like, your chips ain't right
等到你能負擔了, 車也不再重要了
By the time you could afford it, the car ain't important
在我住的這條街上, 它就像把槍械
In the streets I'm in, it's just iron*13
警察時常開火, 在我家附近
Cops keep firing, in my environment
讓你倒在血泊裡, 然後開車回家
Leaving you slumped, then they drive home
離黑人社區遠遠的, 兄弟們都恨不得幹掉他們
Far from the hood, brothers they eager to jump on
我真想成為那座警察死前扶著的牆
I like to be the wall that they toast up on
我想看著他們倒下, 為自己的所作所為感到內疚
I like to see them fall, guilty for doing wrong
我是像是AF1一樣是經典, 又帥又兇的鞋
I'm classic like the Air One's, the hustler shoe
那就是我習慣穿的, yeah
That's what I'm accustomed to, yeah

[Hook: Samples]

[KRS-One Sample]
"當然 - 我們有狂暴大師 KRS-One"
"Of course - we have Blastmaster KRS-One"

[Verse 4: KRS-One]
你們多少人有犯罪思想？
How many of y'all got Criminal Minded*14
你, 你, 你, 你們通通別變蒙蔽了
You, you, you, y'all don't be blinded
我, 我脖子上沒有戴著任何珠寶
Me, I got no jewels on my neck
為什麼？我不需要它們就能得到你的尊敬
Why, I don't need em, I got your respect
KRS-One, 帥了20年
KRS-One, twenty years I rock
我為了JMJ和Scott La Rock奮鬥著
I do it for JMJ and Scott La Rock*15
這就是嘻哈而且我們是個國度
This hip-hop and we's a nation
難道你不想在收音機上多聽到一些KRS-One嗎
Don't you wanna hear more KRS-One on your radio station
不唱也不播放我們是如何呼草的
Instead of broadcasting how we smoke them trees
取而代之的是聽聽更多的地方歌手
On the radio we need to hear more local emcees*16
你在哪裡？拜託, 你在哪？
Where you at?, c'mon where you at
這就是真饒舌和假嘻哈的差別
This is the difference between emceeing and rap
假嘻哈狗嘴吐出的韻腳, 僅是一些非法的假叛逆詞彙
Rappers spit rhymes that are mostly illegal
真饒舌吐出的韻腳是用來提升他們的兄弟
Emcees spit rhymes to uplift their people
和平, 愛, 團結, 玩得開心
Peace, Love, Unity, havin' fun
這些就是KRS-One所有的歌詞了
These are the lyrics of KRS-One

[Hook]

*1 取樣自De La Soul的Plugin Tunin裡面的第一句

這句又取樣自這個表演

*2 就是2007年，我很怕拆開來會看不懂。（因為自己一開始就看不懂...）

*3 bug out是害怕的意思喔。這句前半段提到大家都是殺手的意思是，很多假饒舌都喜歡裝Gang，說自己是混過的。Rakim只好表示「反正這種攪和咖都能當殺手了，你還要怕喔？」貨真價實的大佬！

*4 Rakim引用自己的第一首單曲"Eric B. is President"裡面的歌詞

"I came in the door, I said it before"

*5 Uptowns是Air Force One以前的綽號，因為住在紐約的人會去上城區「哈林」，當時的籃球聖地，購買鞋子。

*6 KRS-One的綽號之一是Tha Teacher。所以當然給他上課囉！

*7 Nas Made You a Look