Shook Ones, Pt. II – English Lyrics

• By: Mobb Deep

Lyrics & Translation

Dive into the raw and authentic world of 90s East Coast hip-hop with Mobb Deep's "Shook Ones, Pt. II." This track is a masterclass in vivid storytelling and powerful lyricism, offering a glimpse into the realities of street life in Queensbridge. Learning from this song, you can pick up on gritty slang, metaphorical expressions of defiance and survival, and the nuanced flow that defines classic hardcore rap. Its iconic beat and unflinching narrative make it a special piece for understanding the cultural and linguistic landscape of an influential era in hip-hop history.

[English]

(stove clicking)

- Yo,

Don, we gotta get this loot up.

Word up son.

♪ Yeah, to all the killers the hundred dollar billers ♪

♪ For real, who ain't got no feelings ♪

♪ Check it out now ♪

♪ I got you stuck off the realness ♪

♪ We be the infamous, you heard of us ♪

♪ Official Queensbridge murderers ♪

♪ The Mobb comes equipped for warfare ♪

♪ Beware of my crime family who got 'nough shots to share ♪

♪ For all those, who wanna profile and pose ♪

♪ Rock you in your face, stab your brain with your nose bone ♪

♪ You all alone in these streets, cousin ♪

♪ Every man for they self in this land we be gunning ♪

♪ And keep them shook crews running, like they supposed to ♪

♪ They come around but they never come close to ♪

♪ I can see it inside your face, you're in the wrong place ♪

♪ Cowards like you just get their whole body laced up ♪

♪ With bullet holes and such ♪

♪ Speak the wrong words, man, and you will get touched ♪

♪ You can put your whole army against my team and ♪

♪ I guarantee you it'll be your very last time breathing ♪

♪ Your simple words just don't move me ♪

♪ You're minor, we're major ♪

♪ You're all up in the game and don't deserve to be a player ♪

♪ Don't make me have to call your name out ♪

♪ Your crew is featherweight ♪

♪ My gunshots will make you levitate ♪

♪ I'm only nineteen but my mind is older ♪

♪ And when the things get for real ♪

♪ My warm heart turns cold ♪

♪ Another deceased, another story gets told ♪

♪ It ain't nothing really, ayo Dun, spark the Philly ♪

♪ So I can get my mind off these yellow back ♪

♪ Why they still alive, I don't know, go figure ♪

♪ Meanwhile, back in Queens, the realness and foundation ♪

♪ If I die, I couldn't choose a better location ♪

♪ When the slugs penetrate, you feel a burning sensation ♪

♪ Getting closer to God in a tight situation ♪

♪ Now, take these words home and think it through ♪

♪ Or the next rhyme I write might be about you ♪

♪ Son they shook ♪

♪ 'Cause ain't no such thing as halfway crooks ♪

♪ Scared to death and scared to look, they shook ♪

♪ 'Cause ain't no such thing as halfway crooks ♪

♪ Scared to death and scared to look ♪

♪ Living the life that of diamonds and guns ♪

♪ There's numerous ways you can choose to earn funds ♪

♪ Some brothers get shot, locked down and turn nuns ♪

♪ Cowardly hearts and straight up shook ones, shook ones ♪

♪ He ain't a crook, son ♪

♪ He's just a shook one ♪

♪ For every rhyme I write it's twenty-five to life ♪

♪ Yo, it's a must, in gats we trust, safeguarding my life ♪

♪ Ain't no time for hesitation ♪

♪ That only leads to incarceration ♪

♪ You don't know me, there's no relation ♪

♪ Queensbridge and we don't play, I don't got time ♪

♪ For your petty thinking mind, son, I'm bigger than those ♪

♪ Claiming that you pack heat but you're scared to hold ♪

♪ And once the smoke clears ♪

♪ You'll be left with one in your dome ♪

♪ Thirteen years in the projects, my mentality is what, kid ♪

♪ You talk a good one but you don't want it ♪

♪ Sometimes I wonder, "Do I deserve to live ♪

♪ Or am I gonna burn in Hell for all the things I did?" ♪

♪ No time to dwell on that 'cause my brain reacts ♪

♪ Front if you want, kid, lay on your back ♪

♪ I don't fake jax, kid, you know I bring it to you live ♪

♪ Stay in a child's place, kid, you outta line ♪

♪ Criminal minds thirsty for recognition ♪

♪ I'm sipping, E and J got my mind flipping ♪

♪ I'm bugging, digging my ways out of holes by hustling ♪

♪ Get that loot, kid, you know my function ♪

♪ 'Cause long as I'm alive I'm a live illegal ♪

♪ And once I get on I'm a put on all my people ♪

♪ React quick, spit lyrics like MACs, I hit your dome up ♪

♪ When I roll up, don't be caught sleeping ♪

♪ 'Cause I'm creeping ♪

♪ Son, they shook ♪

♪ 'Cause ain't no such things as halfway crooks ♪

♪ Scared to death and scared to look, they shook ♪

♪ 'Cause ain't no such thing as halfway crooks ♪

♪ Scared to death, scared to look, they shook ♪

♪ 'Cause ain't no such thing as halfway crooks ♪

♪ Scared to death, scared to look, they shook ♪

♪ 'Cause ain't no such thing as halfway crooks ♪

♪ Living the life that of diamonds and guns ♪

♪ There's numerous ways you can choose to earn funds ♪

♪ Some get shot, locked down and turn nuns ♪

- I don't know man, it came from the roof, yo.

- Who was it, yo.

- Who did that son?

- It came from the roof, yo.

- Let's go get them, they're there right now man.

- Man, come on, yo.

- Word to my mother.

(cross talking)

- Chill, close the door.

- We gone do this shit right.

Key Vocabulary

Vocabulary	Meanings
run /rʌn/ A1	verb - to move quickly on foot
kill /kɪl/ A2	verb - to cause the death of a person, animal, or plant
crime /kraɪm/ B1	noun - an action or omission that constitutes an offense that may be prosecuted by the state and is punishable by law
warfare /ˈwɔːrfeər/ B2	noun - engagement in or the activities involved in war or conflict
streets /striːts/ A1	noun - a public road in a city or town
gun /ɡʌn/ A2	noun - a weapon incorporating a metal tube from which bullets, shells, or other missiles are fired by explosive force, typically making a loud, sharp noise
mind /maɪnd/ A2	noun - the element of a person that enables them to be aware of the world and their experiences, to think, and to feel; the faculty of consciousness
heart /hɑːrt/ A2	noun - a hollow muscular organ that pumps the blood through the circulatory system by rhythmic contraction and dilation. In vertebrates there may be one or more hearts.
death /deθ/ B1	noun - the action or fact of dying or being killed; the end of the life of a person or organism
life /laɪf/ A1	noun - the condition that distinguishes animals and plants from inorganic matter, including the capacity for growth, reproduction, functional activity, and continual change preceding death
time /taɪm/ A1	noun - the indefinite continued progress of existence and events in the past, present, and future regarded as a whole
smoke /smoʊk/ A2	noun - a visible suspension of carbon or other particles in air, typically one emitted from a burning substance
live /lɪv/ A1	verb - to remain alive
scared /skerd/ A2	adjective - afraid; frightened
crook /krʊk/ B1	noun - a dishonest person
burn /bɜːrn/ A2	verb - be damaged or destroyed by fire

Key Grammar Structures

• I got you stuck off the realness

  ➔ Non-standard verb conjugation/colloquialism (got + pronoun + adjective/prepositional phrase)

  ➔ Here, "got you stuck off" means "made you addicted to" or "hooked on." "Got" is used colloquially to mean "caused to be."

• The Mobb comes equipped for warfare

  ➔ Subject-verb agreement (The Mobb - singular collective noun taking singular verb form)

  ➔ "The Mobb" refers to the group, so it is treated as a singular unit, thus "comes" is used instead of "come."

• Every man for they self in this land we be gunning

  ➔ Incorrect pronoun agreement (should be 'himself'). Colloquial use of 'be' + -ing for emphasis/habitual action.

  ➔ 'Every man' is singular, so the reflexive pronoun should be 'himself'. 'Be gunning' is non-standard but emphasises the constant action of using guns.

• I'm only nineteen but my mind is older

  ➔ Contrast using "but" (conjunction)

  ➔ The conjunction "but" connects two contrasting ideas: the speaker's young age and their mature mindset.

• Another deceased, another story gets told

  ➔ Passive voice ("gets told"). Parallel structure (another + noun, another + noun)

  ➔ "Gets told" is a passive form of "is told." The parallel structure emphasizes the repetitive nature of violence and storytelling.

• Why they still alive, I don't know, go figure

  ➔ Ellipsis (omission of 'are' - "Why are they..."). Imperative "go figure" as a rhetorical device.

  ➔ The auxiliary verb "are" is omitted for brevity. "Go figure" is an idiom expressing bewilderment, suggesting the speaker finds it inexplicable why these people are still alive.