K2 – English Lyrics

• By: KEIJU

Lyrics & Translation

Dive into the world of Japanese Hip-Hop with KEIJU's "K2." This track, a powerful statement on self-reliance and collective ambition, offers a unique opportunity to explore modern Japanese lyrical expression and cultural nuances. Through its compelling rhythm and introspective verses, you'll gain insight into the artist's philosophy of "Never Ignore Trust Ourselves" and discover the rich, vibrant landscape of contemporary Japanese music.

[English]

Everyday, Want ‘ballin’’ on my name

The whole crew stays on the move

We design it all ourselves

Nobody stressing over me

DAMN

Ain’t just me. Better when the whole team’s up

Shining too bright, even when I’m half asleep

Ballin’ daily. Now you wanna be me

We’ve come a long way, we ain’t kids no more

Already learnt what this money can’t teach

Starving for it all, not stopping till I win

Forgive me, I ain’t there yet

They used to say “move first”

Can’t no more, I’m already gone

Up early in the morning, Chasing those strokes that spell out success

Left my umbrella at the dentist Bought a new one at MUJI

Swore I’d never go back, all of us there, February in Hachiōji

Still chasing that back we saw, loyalty deeper than ever

Love for my city. Now they see themselves in me

Another big mountain ahead

Straightening this collar,

Wearing this loss like I drew it

Don’t let ‘em speak on me

Still doing it for the same reason, been moving with my G’s

Everyday, want ‘ballin’’ on my name

The whole crew stays on the move

We design it all ourselves

Nobody stressing over me

DAMN

Ain’t just me. Better when the whole team’s up

Shining too bright, even when I’m half asleep

Ballin’ daily. Now you wanna be me

We’ve come a long way, we ain’t kids no more

Already learnt what this money can’t teach

Starving for it all, not stopping till I win

Forgive me, I ain’t there yet

They used to say “move first”

Can’t no more, I’m already gone

This path ain’t far from a miracle

Everybody rich? I know that ain’t easy

If you got the drive, I’m your back up

Way better than doing nothin'

Started from nothing

Know we all making moves

Still the same since day one outta K-TOWN

Step by step we getting bigger

Shout out my mum for real

Woke up thinking on it all

Anyone tryna stop me? You a sucka

Sick of that messed up shit

Left that place behind, Been telling you, I’m just getting started

Everyday, want ‘ballin’’ on my name

The whole crew stays on the move

We design it all ourselves

Nobody stressing over me

DAMN

Ain’t just me. Better when the whole team’s up

Shining too bright, even when I’m half asleep

Ballin’ daily. Now you wanna be me

We’ve come a long way, we ain’t kids no more

Already learnt what this money can’t teach

Starving for it all, not stopping till I win

Forgive me, I ain’t there yet

They used to say “move first”

Can’t no more, I’m already gone

Key Vocabulary

Vocabulary	Meanings
ballin' /ˈbɔːlɪn/ C1	verb (slang) - to live an extravagant, wealthy lifestyle
crew /kruː/ B1	noun - a group of people working together
move /muːv/ B1	verb - to change position or go to another place noun - an act of changing position
design /dɪˈzaɪn/ B2	verb - to create a plan or drawing for something noun - the plan or drawing produced by a designer
shining /ˈʃaɪ.nɪŋ/ B2	verb (present participle) - to emit light; to be bright adjective - giving off a lot of light; bright
bright /braɪt/ A2	adjective - giving out a lot of light; vivid
starving /ˈstɑːvɪŋ/ B2	verb (present participle) - to suffer from extreme hunger adjective - extremely hungry
win /wɪn/ B1	verb - to achieve victory in a contest or competition noun - a victory; something won
miracle /ˈmɪr.ə.kəl/ B2	noun - an extraordinary event that cannot be explained by natural or scientific laws
drive /draɪv/ B2	verb - to operate a vehicle; to propel forward noun - motivation or ambition; an inner urge to achieve
backup /ˈbæk.ʌp/ B2	noun - a secondary copy of data; a reserve person or thing verb - to make a copy of data; to support or reinforce
step /stɛp/ A2	noun - a movement made by lifting a foot and setting it down again; a stage verb - to move by lifting and setting down the foot
bigger /ˈbɪɡ.ər/ B1	adjective (comparative) - greater in size, amount, or degree
loyalty /ˈlɔɪ.əl.ti/ B2	noun - faithful adherence or devotion to a person, cause, or institution
money /ˈmʌn.i/ A1	noun - currency used as a medium of exchange
teach /tiːtʃ/ A2	verb - to give instruction or education to someone
learn /lɜːn/ A1	verb - to acquire knowledge or skill through study or experience
team /tiːm/ A2	noun - a group of people working together toward a common goal

Key Grammar Structures

• We've come a long way, we ain’t kids no more

  ➔ Present Perfect

  ➔ The verb "'ve come" is the present perfect (have + past participle) showing an action that started in the past and continues to the present.

• Already learnt what this money can’t teach

  ➔ Past participle as adjective & relative clause

  ➔ The past participle "learnt" functions as an adjective describing the subject, followed by a relative clause "what this money can’t teach".

• Starving for it all, not stopping till I win

  ➔ Present participle clause (gerund) & negative infinitive

  ➔ "Starving" and "not stopping" are present participles that create adverbial clauses describing ongoing actions.

• They used to say “move first”

  ➔ "Used to" for past habits

  ➔ "Used to" + base verb expresses a routine or habit that no longer occurs.

• Can't no more, I'm already gone

  ➔ Colloquial double negative & present perfect

  ➔ "Can't no more" uses a double negative for emphasis (non‑standard), while "I'm already gone" is present perfect showing a completed state.

• Shining too bright, even when I’m half asleep

  ➔ Present participle adjective & concessive clause "even when"

  ➔ "Shining" is a present participle used as an adjective describing the subject, and "even when" introduces a concessive clause indicating contrast.

• If you got the drive, I’m your back up

  ➔ Zero conditional (present simple + present simple)

  ➔ "If" + present simple (got) + present simple (I'm) forms a zero conditional that states a general truth or routine result.

• Started from nothing

  ➔ Past participle used as adjective (reduced clause)

  ➔ "Started" is a past participle functioning as an adjective, implying "(We) started" without the subject for brevity.