Little Havana – English Lyrics

• By: Rick Ross, Willie Falcon, The-Dream
• Album: Richer Than I Ever Been (Deluxe)

Lyrics & Translation

Explore the vibrant storytelling and rich lyricism of Rick Ross in "Little Havana," a track that not only showcases his journey to success but also offers a glimpse into Miami's complex history. Dive into the layers of meaning, cultural references, and the personal reflections that make this song a compelling exploration of ambition, loyalty, and the pursuit of wealth.

[English]

(bass music starts)

- Willie! Ah, happy to hear your voice, my brother.

Welcome home. The city's been waiting for you.

- [Willie] Rick, my brother. I wanted to thank you

personally for giving me love, and keeping my name alive

for many years in your music.

- Always wanted to let you know

what you represented in Miami.

True definition of ambition, loyalty and success.

- [Willie] Appreciate those kind words.

I'm a free man today, with my head held high.

- Willie, your life's a movie. Mine as well.

So, we got some more history to make.

- [Willie] With ambition and loyalty comes success,

my brother. That's why my best days are ahead of me.

I am richer than I've ever been.

- Richer than I've ever been (laughs)

(Willie laughs)

- [Willie] God bless you, my brother.

- For life.

♪ You gotta learn to use your mind ♪

♪ To help keep you out of certain situations ♪

♪ Oh ♪

♪ I'ma make it clear as I can for you young niggas ♪

♪ You hear me? ♪

♪ Oh yeah, yeah ♪

♪ Biggest ♪

♪ Maybach Music ♪

♪ Problem was I never was a prodigy ♪

♪ Possibly, my biggest flaw is lack of modesty ♪

♪ Diabolical means, never knew college degrees ♪

♪ Sippin' coffee at a cafe on Collins, capisce? ♪

♪ Niggas soul being sold and still on a leash ♪

♪ Roger Goodell boy, he in a corniche ♪

♪ I was really throwin' money, I really saw Meech ♪

♪ And I let them rappin' niggas get closer to Meek ♪

♪ It ain't about who made the most but let's make a toast ♪

♪ 'Cause a lot of niggas told and kept it on the low ♪

♪ How a self-made nigga never wanna vote? ♪

♪ And before a record label, shit, I wanted coke ♪

♪ I'm talkin' L.A. Reid, the biggest babyface ♪

♪ This for my niggas in the prisons sippin' Gatorade ♪

♪ All these hitters takin' pictures for they babies maid ♪

♪ Her baby mama's in the projects tryna make a way ♪

♪ Niggas lookin' funny when you get the hundreds ♪

♪ I gotta school Adonis, daddy get 'em punished ♪

♪ Because I'm on the streets, they consider me cunning ♪

♪ Hit your bitches in a Tesla the push of a button ♪

♪ If she got up in the coupe then she gotta be fuckin' ♪

♪ Fifty restaurants but a lot of me hungry ♪

♪ These niggas wanna gossip, I just want the dollars ♪

- [Announcer] Right now, they're running about

eighty miles an hour in big season.

Whoa keep it down, Willie.

(helicopter propeller whirrs)

- [Reporter] Who do you consider as your

top competition right now?

- My sister (answers reporter)

- [Announcer] Look at this thing fly!

And now Willie makes a move on them, Willie Falcon.

Two Seahawks are starting to mix it up together.

- The best thing about racing Seahawk, remember? Good luck.

- Thank you.

♪ All black Phantoms going south from Collins ♪

♪ Villains know we killin' so that ain't a problem ♪

♪ I'm gonna stack my money, be a better father ♪

♪ You could pat me down but I got it regardless ♪

♪ Shades that I'm rockin', they gotta be goggles ♪

♪ When we plot to kill 'em, we send a few bottles ♪

♪ Set 'em up like 2Pac, get 'em to rob 'em ♪

♪ I always loved BIG, shit, I did it big ♪

♪ I released Omarion, he began to fizz ♪

♪ Double M the kids, now we back to biz' ♪

♪ Thirty-six a brick, baby, here it is ♪

♪ My niggas in designer but we militant ♪

♪ I got the city on my back and that's just what it is ♪

♪ Two-twenty on the dash, you still can't stop us ♪

♪ I just got back to my girl to the opera ♪

♪ 'Cause Ojek got back, he went and bought a chopper ♪

♪ As if it couldn't get worse, we lost Kobe in a 'copter ♪

♪ Three months later, niggas forget all about you ♪

♪ Always doubt you, now they can't live without you ♪

♪ Did you cry for the man or did you cry for the fame? ♪

♪ Did you pour out for the pain? ♪

♪ I've been around this world so many times, I ♪

♪ Just love and loyalty by any means ♪

♪ I've been around this world so many times ♪

♪ I know to never pray amongst your enemies ♪

♪ I've been around the world too many times now ♪

♪ That new shit just feelin' old to me ♪

♪ And trustin' new niggas been old to me for so long ♪

♪ When the real niggas coming home? ♪

♪ Home ♪

♪ It's been a mean world without you ♪

♪ Yeah, shouldn't I, baby, shouldn't I? ♪

♪ When the real niggas coming home? ♪

♪ Home ♪

♪ It's been a mean world without you ♪

♪ Yeah, shouldn't I, baby, shouldn't I? ♪

♪ Maybach Music ♪

(bird chirping)

(footsteps fading)

Key Vocabulary

Vocabulary	Meanings
ambition /æmˈbɪʃən/ B2	noun - a strong desire to achieve something, typically requiring determination and hard work
loyalty /ˈlɔɪəlti/ B2	noun - faithful allegiance or devotion to a person, group, or cause
success /səkˈsɛs/ B2	noun - the achievement of a desired aim or result
richer /ˈrɪʧər/ B2	adjective - having more wealth or resources than before
brother /ˈbrʌðər/ A2	noun - a male sibling; a close male friend
mind /maɪnd/ B1	noun - the part of a person that thinks, feels, and reasons
love /lʌv/ A1	noun - a deep affection or strong feeling of attachment verb - to feel deep affection for someone or something
money /ˈmʌni/ A2	noun - a medium of exchange in the form of coins or banknotes
street /striːt/ B1	noun - a public road in a city or town
kill /kɪl/ B1	verb - to cause the death of a person or animal
city /ˈsɪti/ A2	noun - a large and permanent human settlement
home /hoʊm/ A1	noun - the place where one lives permanently, especially as a member of a family
world /wɜːrld/ A2	noun - the earth, together with all of its countries, peoples, and natural features
God /ɡɒd/ A1	noun - a supreme being worshipped in monotheistic religions
learn /lɜːrn/ A2	verb - to acquire knowledge or skill through study or experience
use /juːz/ A2	verb - to employ for a purpose; to take advantage of

Key Grammar Structures

• I wanted to thank you personally for giving me love, and keeping my name alive for many years in your music.

  ➔ Past simple + infinitive (wanted to + verb) & gerund after preposition

  ➔ "wanted" shows past intention, followed by the infinitive "to thank". "Keeping" is a gerund that follows the preposition "for".

• I'm a free man today, with my head held high.

  ➔ Present simple (be) + adjective complement & reduced clause with past participle

  ➔ "I'm" is the present simple of "be". "with my head held high" is a reduced clause where "held" is a past participle describing the head.

• Richer than I've ever been (laughs).

  ➔ Comparative adjective + present perfect

  ➔ "Richer" is the comparative form of "rich". "I've ever been" uses the present perfect to refer to all past experiences up to now.

• You gotta learn to use your mind.

  ➔ Modal verb "gotta" (have to) + infinitive

  ➔ "gotta" is informal for "have to". It is followed by the infinitive "to use".

• If she got up in the coupe then she gotta be fuckin'.

  ➔ First conditional (if + present simple) & modal "gotta" + bare infinitive

  ➔ "If" introduces a realistic condition with the present simple "got up". "she gotta be" uses "gotta" followed by the bare infinitive "be".

• Because I'm on the streets, they consider me cunning.

  ➔ Present continuous (I'm on) & passive voice (they consider)

  ➔ "I'm on the streets" uses the present continuous to describe a current situation. "they consider me" is a passive construction where "me" is the object of the verb "consider".

• I've been around this world so many times, I just love and loyalty by any means.

  ➔ Present perfect continuous (have been + -ing)

  ➔ "I've been around" combines "have been" (present perfect) with the gerund "around" to stress repeated experience up to now.

• When the real niggas coming home?

  ➔ Present progressive used for future time clause (when + present progressive)

  ➔ "When" introduces a future reference. The verb "coming" is in the present progressive, which can refer to a planned or imminent future event.

• All black Phantoms going south from Collins.

  ➔ Present participle phrase functioning as a noun phrase (gerund‑participle)

  ➔ "Going" is a present participle that creates a noun‑like phrase "All black Phantoms going south" describing the subject.