The Aroma – English Lyrics

• By: Fat Joe, Jadakiss, Stove God Cooks

Lyrics & Translation

Explore the nuances of modern New York street slang and complex lyrical storytelling with 'The Aroma.' This track is a masterclass in metaphor and flow, perfect for those wanting to understand the cultural vernacular and rhythm of contemporary East Coast Hip-Hop.

[English]

If you play with Joe, Perna, any of these

Spanish niggas coming up in this game

You niggas is getting handed to you

All the way in Rome, I can still smell

It (All the way in Rome, I can smell it)

Out in Miami coast, we can still smell

It (Out in Miami coast, I can smell it)

We out in Dubai, I can smell it (Smell it)

Kilos out the plastic, I can still smell it (I can still smell it)

Glass pipes burning, I can still smell it (I can still smell it)

I still smell it (Woo)

If it was cooked in my kitchen, it call it by my name

Most of these rappers say they shit like mine (Yeah, uh, uh, uh)

But it do not feel the same, no

Ooh-la-la-la, it's what the fiends scream

This MJ and Prince, the supreme team (Huh)

Indoor pools filled with green

Fiends dancing in line like a soul train

I hustle like a pastor's plate, we taking offers

Your bitch took the master bait, she can't come off of us

This the life that we chose to make, pies that we chose to bake

Life with no parole, time that we chose to take (On my mama)

Handing out turkey, surrounded by all the killers

And all the corner boys got gifted the chinchillas (Uh)

You had to be there, that's word to Al B. Square

It's foul how I rob the whole gym, no referee there

Marty supreme how I peddle that dope

True story, made a hundred million off of the stove

All the way in Rome, I can still smell

It (All the way in Rome, I can smell it)

Out in Miami coast, we can still smell

It (Out in Miami coast, I can smell it)

We out in Dubai, I can smell it (Smell it)

Kilos out the plastic, I can still smell it (I can still smell it)

Glass pipes burning, I can still smell it (I can still smell it)

I still smell it (Woo)

If it was cooked in my kitchen, it call it by my name

Most of these rappers say they shit like mine (But)

But it do not feel the same, no

I don't really think you would do it, you gotta show me

When niggas lose track of the time, throw 'em a Rollie

In case we gotta commit a crime, go get a stolie

A OG, I'm more like Juan than Annanobi

B.I.G., Frank Matthews, a splash of Kobe

Bruce Lee, Muhammad Ali, half shinobi

I been obliterating shit for years

Is this about a verse or is this about a career?

Ask around, they tell you I'm the career repo

New York love me like when Mitch hit a pair of free throws

I was selling dope when they used to call it p-blo

Rap, I'm just happy I ain't catch a RICO

Hear it, then you hear it again and it hit you more

The flow sick, but you wouldn't know 'cause of Hippolause

Before we used to go to the table, we hit the stores

Get the stamps, Carvel spoons, go get the straws

Summa cum laude, diploma

Know me, I get excited off the aroma

Toma

All the way in Rome, I can still smell

It (All the way in Rome, I can smell it)

Out in Miami coast, we can still smell

It (Out in Miami coast, I can smell it)

We out in Dubai, I can smell it (Smell it)

Kilos out the plastic, I can still smell it (I can still smell it)

Glass pipes burning, I can still smell it (I can still smell it)

I still smell it (Woo)

If it was cooked in my kitchen, it call it by my name

Most of these rappers say they shit like mine

But it do not feel the same, no

...

Key Vocabulary

Vocabulary	Meanings
aroma /əˈroʊmə/ B2	noun - a distinctive, typically pleasant smell
kilos /ˈkiːloʊz/ A2	noun - kilograms; often used colloquially to refer to kilograms of illegal drugs
supreme /suːˈpriːm/ C1	adjective - highest in rank or authority; supreme quality
hustle /ˈhʌsəl/ B2	verb - to obtain something through forceful or illegal action; to work energetically
parole /pəˈroʊl/ C1	noun - the release of a prisoner temporarily or permanently before the completion of a sentence
foul /faʊl/ B2	adjective - wicked or immoral; offensive to the senses
peddle /ˈpɛdəl/ C1	verb - to sell goods, especially illegally
dope /doʊp/ C2	noun - illegal drugs, especially heroin or marijuana
obliterating /əˈblɪtəˌreɪtɪŋ/ C2	verb - to destroy utterly; wipe out
verse /vɜːrs/ B2	noun - a section of a song or poem
career /kəˈrɪər/ A2	noun - an occupation undertaken for a significant period of a person's life
diploma /dɪˈploʊmə/ B1	noun - a certificate issued by a college or university

Key Grammar Structures

• You niggas is getting handed to you

  ➔ Passive Voice (Present Continuous)

  ➔ The phrase "is getting handed" describes an action being received by the subject rather than performed by them.

• If it was cooked in my kitchen, it call it by my name

  ➔ First/Zero Conditional Hybrid (Real conditional)

  ➔ The use of "If" introduces a condition that, if met, leads to a specific result in the present.

• Most of these rappers say they shit like mine

  ➔ Ellipsis (Omission of 'is')

  ➔ The speaker omits the verb "is" between "they shit" and "like mine" for rhythmic flow, which is common in AAVE/Hip-hop.

• Fiends dancing in line like a soul train

  ➔ Participial Phrase (Describing subject state)

  ➔ The participle "dancing" functions to describe the ongoing action of the "fiends" within the clause.

• I hustle like a pastor's plate, we taking offers

  ➔ Simile and Present Continuous

  ➔ The speaker uses "like" to make a comparison (simile) and "taking" to describe an ongoing business activity.

• Time that we chose to take

  ➔ Relative Clause with infinitive

  ➔ The clause "that we chose to take" functions as an adjective phrase modifying "time".

• You had to be there

  ➔ Past Modals of Obligation/Necessity

  ➔ "Had to" expresses a requirement or a condition that was necessary in the past.

• I don't really think you would do it

  ➔ Second Conditional (Hypothetical mood)

  ➔ The use of "would" implies a hypothetical situation or a lack of expectation about the subject's future actions.