Let the Smokers Shine the Coupes – English Lyrics

• By: Pusha T
• Album: It's Almost Dry

Lyrics & Translation

Delve into the intricate world of Pusha T's 'Let the Smokers Shine the Coupes,' a track that masterfully blends sharp lyricism with a critical perspective on the drug trade. Explore the song's complex message, understand Pusha T's role as a storyteller, and examine the impact of his unique artistry on hip-hop culture. Learn how the song utilizes vivid imagery and intricate wordplay to deliver a thought-provoking commentary on the pursuit of success and its consequences.

[English]

P.O.V., kilos in my Maybach

Take Amtrak down south then she flies back

My connect has ponytails tied back

I just hit 6 mil behind Tyvek

They content create, I despise that

I create content then they tries that

Run these jewels, there's rules

I don't buy back

I've topped all these lists

Where's my prize at?

All I see is 60 day stars and 20 year thousandaire

Not enough shoppin', whole lot of browsingaires

My reinvention, I know you thinkin' how's it fair

You stream kings but you never fit a crowd in there

Supreme team, parallels when the powder clears

I seen things that I'm still not even proud to share

You Zeus network niggas, you hear me loud and clear

Get these fifty five hundred a hosting niggas out of here

Sand color Rolls Royce, we like Saudis here

The only Audi here is driven by my au pair

Ghostface with the wrist, bird falconaire

Willy Falcon, trunk full of talcum here

Shotgun wit' ya ex, feels like Malcolm's near

Send a hit though a text, ain't no shoutin' here

Bypass M.I.A., too much crowd in there

I spent summers wit' connects, love that mountain air

P.O.V., kilos in my Maybach

Take Amtrak down south then she flies back

My connect has ponytails tied back

I just hit 6 mil behind Tyvek

They content create, I despise that

I create content then they tries that

Run these jewels, there's rules

I don't buy back

I've topped all these lists

Yeah, OK Where's my prize at?

Call me Mr. Brella how I weather the storm

F40, 3 milly, I peel off like an orange

I got deaf and blind bitches trying to see what it do

Little feature, niggas threaten to sue me

Tell your lawyer to set the fee

LaFerrari doors open up like it's therapy

That number ain't bread to me

That million is crumbs, You niggas is bums

I'm not a tough guy, I'm a Flower Boy, them bees get you stung

Oh, nah, nah, nah, yeah they will buzz for me

You tricky niggas puzzle me

I could never buy a bitch a Birkin cause she fucking me

I got homes I ain't sleep in, the options

My nigga Push keep dirty white moving like mosh pits

They watching

I'm like white bitches the way I pop shit

I need God to play the lead in my biopic

The curse of the zeros

When you become the Devil or the tap dancing negro

I came to terms that I'ma probably outgrow my heroes

Come get with me

P.O.V., kilos in my Maybach

Take Amtrak down south then she flies back

My connect has ponytails tied back

I just hit 6 mil behind Tyvek

They content create, I despise that

I create content then they tries that

Run these jewels, there's rules

I don't buy back

I've topped all these lists

Where's my prize at?

If they had to weigh the operation, call it obese

I mix it like Mahomes, then I tell 'em go deep

The rag top drop, playin' hide and go seek

The Bentley leather match the piping, that's the Motif

Just to think I built a rap career off an oz.

I'm watchin' new niggas rap just to O.D.

If I didn't give you both sides, I wouldn't be me

I was the only one to walk away and really be free

As far as I'm concerned, I do really be he

I can open up my closet with a skeleton key

If I lie to myself, I can sell it to me

I done sung along with rappers I never believed

Came back for the money, that's the Devil in me

Had to hide it from the church, that's the Jekyll in me

I never thought twice what the pressure would be

Cause niggas chains look just like oppression to me

P.O.V., kilos in my Maybach

Take Amtrak down south then she flies back

My connect has ponytails tied back

I just hit 6 mil behind Tyvek

They content create, I despise that

I create content then they tries that

Run these jewels, there's rules

I don't buy back

I've topped all these lists

Where's my prize at?

Key Vocabulary

Vocabulary	Meanings
kilos /ˈkiːloʊz/ B2	noun - Short for kilograms, a unit of mass. In this context, it is street slang often referring to kilograms of illicit drugs, particularly cocaine.
Maybach /ˈmeɪbɑːk/ C1	noun - An ultra-luxury car brand, known for its high price and exclusivity. Its mention signifies extreme wealth and status.
Tyvek /ˈtaɪvɛk/ C1	noun - A brand of synthetic flashspun polyethylene fibers, a material often used for protective packaging. In a drug context, it might imply packaging for illicit goods due to its durability and water resistance.
despise /dɪˈspaɪz/ B2	verb - To feel a strong dislike for someone or something and have a very low opinion of them or it; to scorn.
prize /praɪz/ A2	noun - Something valuable offered or won in a competition, game of chance, or lottery.
thousandaire /ˈθaʊzənˌdɛər/ C1	noun - A person whose wealth is counted in thousands of units of currency, rather than millions or billions. Often used dismissively to refer to someone who isn't as wealthy as they present themselves.
reinvention /ˌriːɪnˈvɛnʃən/ B2	noun - The action or process of changing something so much that it appears to be entirely new, often referring to a transformation of one's career, image, or identity.
powder /ˈpaʊdər/ B2	noun - Fine, dry particles of a substance. In this song's context, it is a common euphemism for illegal drugs, specifically cocaine.
au pair /ˌoʊ ˈpɛər/ B2	noun - A young foreign person who lives with a family in exchange for doing housework and looking after children.
talcum /ˈtælkəm/ C1	noun - A soft mineral, hydrated magnesium silicate, used in powdered form as talc. In drug trafficking, it can be used as a cutting agent to increase the volume of illicit substances.
storm /stɔːrm/ B2	noun - A violent disturbance of the atmosphere with strong winds and usually rain, thunder, lightning, or snow. Metaphorically, a period of difficulty, trouble, or severe disagreement.
crumbs /krʌmz/ B2	noun - Very small pieces of bread, cake, or biscuit. Metaphorically, a very small amount of something, especially money, often implying insignificance.
bums /bʌmz/ B2	noun - An informal and often derogatory term for a lazy or irresponsible person, or a homeless person.
puzzle /ˈpʌzl/ B1	verb - To confuse or bewilder someone.
biopic /ˈbaɪoʊˌpɪk/ B2	noun - A biographical motion picture, a film that portrays the life of a real person or people.
curse /kɜːrs/ B1	noun - A solemn utterance intended to invoke a supernatural power to inflict harm or punishment on someone or something. Also, a cause of great trouble or misfortune.
Devil /ˈdɛvl/ B1	noun - In many religions, the chief evil spirit; Satan. Metaphorically, a personification of evil or a source of temptation.
outgrow /ˌaʊtˈɡroʊ/ B2	verb - To grow too big for something. Also, to lose interest in or stop doing (something) as one grows older or more mature.
obese /oʊˈbiːs/ B2	adjective - Having an excessive amount of body fat, medically classified as overweight to a degree that is bad for health. Used here metaphorically to describe something excessively large or extensive.
oppression /əˈprɛʃən/ C1	noun - Prolonged cruel or unjust treatment or control. In the context of the lyrics, it could refer to the harsh realities and systemic injustices experienced by some communities, perhaps linked to the idea of 'chains'.

Key Grammar Structures

• I've topped all these lists Where's my prize at?

  ➔ Present Perfect + Informal Preposition at the End of a Question

  ➔ The "Present Perfect" ("I've topped") indicates an action completed in the past with a result relevant to the present. The interrogative structure "Where's my prize at?" is common in informal English, where a preposition ("at") is placed at the end of a question, though sometimes considered grammatically non-standard in formal contexts.

• The only Audi here is driven by my au pair

  ➔ Passive Voice

  ➔ The "Passive Voice" is used when the focus is on the action or the recipient of the action ("Audi") rather than the performer of the action ("by my au pair"). The structure is "subject + to be + past participle (+ by agent)."

• I seen things that I'm still not even proud to share

  ➔ Non-standard Simple Past ("seen" for "saw") + Relative Clause

  ➔ In informal or dialectal English, "seen" is sometimes used as the simple past tense of "see" instead of the standard "saw." The phrase "that I'm still not even proud to share" is a "relative clause" modifying "things," providing additional information about them.

• Send a hit though a text, ain't no shoutin' here

  ➔ Imperative + Informal/Colloquial Negative Construction ("ain't no")

  ➔ "Send" is an "imperative verb" giving a command. "Ain't no" is a highly informal and often non-standard contraction of "there isn't any" or "there is no," used for emphasis or to reflect a specific dialect (e.g., AAVE).

• If they had to weigh the operation, call it obese

  ➔ Second Conditional (Hypothetical) + Imperative Result

  ➔ This sentence combines a "second conditional" (unreal or hypothetical situation in the present/future: "If they had to weigh") with an "imperative" consequence ("call it obese"). It implies that if such a hypothetical situation were to occur, then this would be the suggested action.

• I mix it like Mahomes, then I tell 'em go deep

  ➔ Simile + Causative Verb

  ➔ A "simile" uses "like" or "as" to compare two different things ("like Mahomes," comparing his mixing to the American football player Patrick Mahomes' deep passes). "Tell 'em go deep" uses the "causative verb" "tell" to mean "cause/instruct them to go deep."

• I done sung along with rappers I never believed

  ➔ AAVE Perfective "done" + Non-standard Past Participle ("sung" for "sang")

  ➔ In African American Vernacular English (AAVE), "done" can function as an auxiliary verb (often before a past participle) to emphasize the completion or intensity of an action. Additionally, "sung" is used here as the simple past tense of "sing," instead of the standard "sang."

• As far as I'm concerned, I do really be he

  ➔ AAVE Habitual/Aspectual "be" (emphatic "do be") + Idiomatic Phrase ("As far as I'm concerned")

  ➔ In African American Vernacular English (AAVE), the verb "be" can be used to indicate habitual, repeated, or continuous actions/states. Here, "do be" is an emphatic form of this "habitual be," stressing a consistent characteristic or truth. "As far as I'm concerned" is an "idiomatic phrase" meaning "in my opinion" or "from my perspective."