6PM In New York – English Lyrics

• By: Drake
• Album: If You're Reading This It's Too Late

Lyrics & Translation

Dive into '6PM In New York' to master the art of rap storytelling and modern idiomatic expression. The song’s dense, conversational flow makes it an excellent study for understanding the nuances of competitive urban American English and wordplay.

[English]

Yeah

Yeah

Oh, you gotta love it, oh, you got, oh, you gotta love it

I heard what circulated, let's get to the bottom of it

I told 1da send me something and I got it covered

Somehow I always rise above it

Why you think I got my head in the clouds on my last album cover?

The game is all mine and I'm mighty possessive

Lil Wayne could not have found him a better successor

Every shot you see 'em take at me, they all contested

Allen Iverson shoe deal, these n- all in question

Last night I went to sleep wanting more

Tryna decide what direction I should go towards

Some nights I wish I could go back in life

Not to change s-, just to feel a couple things twice

28 at midnight, wonder what's next for me

Longevity, wonder how long they'll check for me

Prolly forever if I stay in my zone

I speak on this generation, but can't change it alone

I heard a lil, lil homie talking reckless in Vibe

That's quite a platform you chose, you should've kept it inside

Oh, you tried? It's so childish calling my name on the world stage

You need to act your age and not your girl's age

It gets worse by the annual

My career's like a how-to manual

So I guess it's understandable, man

Oh, you gotta love it, you gotta love it, yeah

I know rappers that call paparazzi to come and get 'em

To show they outfits off, guess they need the attention

I remember when it used to be music that did it

But then again times have changed, man, who are we kiddin'?

I'm managed by my friends that I grew up with

I'd rather give that 15% to people I fuck with

If me and Future hadn't made it with this rappin'

We'd prolly be out in Silicon tryna get our billions on

But here we are, yeah

Lately, I feel the haters eatin' away at my confidence

They scream out my failures and whisper my accomplishments

Alter my messages like we had words

And stories 'bout my life hit the net like a bad serve

Bitter women I'm overtextin' are PMSing crazy this year

With my image

I've been tryna reach the youth so I can save 'em this year

I guess I gotta wait 'til next year

And I heard someone say something that stuck with me a lot

'Bout how we need protection from those protectin' the block

Nobody lookin' out for nobody

Maybe we should try and help somebody

Or be somebody instead of bein' somebody that makes the news

So everybody can tweet about it

And then they start to "R.I.P." about it

And four weeks later nobody even speaks about it

Damn, I just had to say my piece about it

Oh, you gotta love it

But they scared of the truth so back to me showin' out in public

That's a hotter subject

I been whippin' Mercedes and n- try to budget

I gotta make it back to Memphis to check on my cousins

Shout out to Ashley, Tasha, Bianca, Julia, Ericka, Southern America

Part of my heritage, pardon my arrogance

Part in my hair again, that's that comeback flow

Comeback flow, once I start it's apparent

I'm with a girl who ass is so big that's partly embarrassin'

But f- all the blushin' and f- your discussions and f- all the judgement

Your content so aggressive lately, what's irkin' you?

Is gettin' so personal in your verses too

I wanna prove that I'm number one over all these n-

Bein' number two is just being the first to lose

My city dictated music, nobody seein' us

Winter here already, but somehow I'm heatin' up

Been observin' the game and felt like I've seen enough

Let's drop a tape on these niggas, then we'll see what's up

Yeah, boy, you rappin' like you seen it all

You rappin' like the throne should be the three of y'all

"Best I Ever Had" seems like a decade ago

Decadent flow and I still got a decade to go

Oh please, take it ease, where's the love and the peace?

Why you rappin' like you come from the streets?

I got a backyard where money seems to come from the trees

And I'm never ever scared to get some blood on my leaves

Phantom slidin' like the shit just hit a puddle of grease

I cook the beef well done on the double with cheese

Special order for anybody that's comin' for me

You probably flinch if somebody sneeze

You see they got me back talkin' like it's just 40, Oli, and me

Cuttin' all loose ends, I be the barber for free

I'm almost at four minutes goin' off on the beat

Feel like I'm in the Malibu that had the cloth on the seats

Man, oh, you gotta love it, yeah

And on top of that it's getting harder to eat

Rappers downgrading houses, putting cars on the lease

To think labels said they'd have a problem marketing me

And now it's everybody else that's getting hard to believe

But, man, oh, you gotta love it (oh)

Yeah

And head to toe, I'm Prada covered (whoop)

I know your girl well, just not in public

Blame the city, I'm a product of it

Young n- from the city

You gotta love it

Yeah, gotta love it

Yeah

...

Key Vocabulary

Vocabulary	Meanings
circulated /ˈsɜːrkjuleɪtɪd/ B2	verb - to spread or be passed around
possessive /pəˈzesɪv/ C1	adjective - demanding someone's total attention and love
successor /səkˈsesər/ B2	noun - a person or thing that succeeds another
contested /kənˈtestɪd/ B2	adjective - challenged or disputed
longevity /lɔːnˈdʒevəti/ C1	noun - long life or existence
reckless /ˈrekləs/ B2	adjective - without thinking or caring about the consequences
manual /ˈmænjuəl/ B1	noun - a book of instructions
paparazzi /ˌpɑːpəˈrætsi/ B2	noun - photographers who follow celebrities
confidence /ˈkɑːnfɪdəns/ B1	noun - a feeling of self-assurance
accomplishments /əˈkɑːmplɪʃmənts/ B2	noun - things that have been achieved successfully
heritage /ˈherɪtɪdʒ/ B2	noun - valued objects and qualities passed down
arrogance /ˈærəɡəns/ C1	noun - exaggerated sense of one's own importance
aggressive /əˈɡresɪv/ B2	adjective - ready or likely to attack or confront
dictated /ˈdɪkteɪtɪd/ C1	verb - to control or command
decadent /ˈdekədənt/ C2	adjective - luxuriously self-indulgent

Key Grammar Structures

• Lil Wayne could not have found him a better successor

  ➔ Modal perfect (Modal verb + have + past participle)

  ➔ "Could not have found" is used to express a strong opinion about a past possibility or necessity that did not happen.

• Some nights I wish I could go back in life

  ➔ Wish + past tense (Hypothetical desire)

  ➔ "Wish" followed by the past tense indicates a desire for a situation that is currently not real or possible.

• If me and Future hadn't made it with this rappin', We'd prolly be out in Silicon

  ➔ Third Conditional

  ➔ The "If" clause uses past perfect to describe an unreal past condition and result.

• I'd rather give that 15% to people I fuck with

  ➔ Would rather + bare infinitive

  ➔ "Would rather" expresses a preference for one action over another.

• Maybe we should try and help somebody

  ➔ Modal verb 'should' for advice/suggestion

  ➔ "Should" is used here to propose an action or express what is appropriate or desirable.

• Once I start it's apparent

  ➔ Adverbial clause of time (Once + subject + verb)

  ➔ "Once" acts as a conjunction meaning 'as soon as' or 'after'.

• To think labels said they'd have a problem marketing me

  ➔ Infinitive of surprise/reflection

  ➔ The infinitive "To think" introduces a clause of reflection on a past ironic situation.

• I know your girl well, just not in public

  ➔ Adverb of manner (well)

  ➔ "Well" modifies the verb 'know' to describe the depth of the familiarity.