Cartel Swag – English Lyrics

• By: Kevin Gates

Lyrics & Translation

Dive into the raw and authentic world of Kevin Gates with "Cartel Swag"! This song is a masterclass in modern hip-hop storytelling, offering a unique opportunity to connect with English through its vivid lyrics about personal growth, resilience, and the unfiltered realities of street life. Learn compelling vocabulary and idiomatic expressions while experiencing the powerful emotional depth that makes Kevin Gates' music so special.

[English]

Sometimes when you compromise who you are to appease others

You slowly feel yourself beginnin' to die inside

It's been an amazing journey (an amazing journey)

And I suffered (I suffered)

Now I'm all the way up (all the way up)

All the way up (all the way up)

I'm all the way up

This is my testimony

Al-ḥamdu l-illāhi rabbi l-ʿālamīn

You don't take a chance, you ain't got a chance, you makin' a plan to lose (ooh)

Don't need a security blanket or safety harness, abandoned school

Took an advance and paid it back and made an advance and moved

I know how to stand and greet a man whenever he walk in the room

Unlimited bands come on command, ain't changin' my attitude (uh-uh)

Lil' Ton, you know that I love you forever, could never be mad at you (for real)

You ain't wanna win, as bad as I want you to win, I had to school you

Tan FN inside the bag, I bought you to blast and shoot (boom)

King B, I bought you a chain, they makin' it rain on you (rain on you)

I know that you gotta go hard

When they talked about you, I prayed for you (prayed for you)

I had my heart scarred by the woman that I used to call my mama (I did)

Know if I fuck with you, I'm goin' to war with God behind you (today)

I vented to you on whom I was talkin' about on "Fly Again" (Fly Again)

My wing got bruised, healin' my wounds, I done got fly again (fly again)

Now all you hoes a thing of the past, I could supply ten (yeah)

Metric ton loads comin' in from the island (shoot)

That bitch you with, she flawed as hell, focused on ass shots (for what?)

The bitch I'm with, with the cartel, focused on stash spots (ooh)

A lot of diamonds, I'm 'bout divin', BreadWinner chain glisten (boom)

Chicago jail, went straight to the cell with all of the gang members (gang members)

Now my auntie off Green Street

She one of them gang members (gang members, auntie get it)

Mama Duck, I love you to death, you one of them gang members (gang members)

You know when you're a real nigga

You ain't gon' never really get the respect you deserve out here

But for y'all, I rock a lot of pretty feathers

Ta-ta-tatted real bad with a cartel swag

Pants hangin' off my ass and I know you see me watchin'

I'm not worried about your man, tell your dude, "Back, back"

Shawty bad, ass fat, hol' up, can I take you shopping?

Tatted real bad with a cartel swag

Pants hangin' off my ass and I know you see me watchin'

Tatted real bad with a cartel swag

Tell your dude, "Back, back," and I know you see me watchin'

Seen you starin' at me (why?)

But you afraid to be for me

Makin' your parents happy (why not?)

Made 'em believe, Major League

Check my batting average

I worked my way to bricks from crumbs

You know that ain't average

I took the diamonds out of my teeth

But my earrings is dancin' (bling-blaow, bling-blaow)

I cut off my hoes, I got a new thang

And that bitch make me happy (I love you)

And I know she see me watchin' (I love you)

Loft chillin' on the carpet (yeah)

Finished prayer, I went to talkin'

Funny how we do the same things

I was just sayin' the same thing

Heard about how your last boyfriend did you but he was buster

You was into athletes back then, you needed a hustler

I was fat as hell, I got in shape, I'm flexin' my muscles

I'm the world's sexiest gangsta, that won't ever change (won't ever change)

I'm up a rank, I'm a sex symbol, I can't be restrained (can't be restrained)

Only the generals gon' understand (only the generals' gon' understand)

I suffer from king's disease

Everybody got a problem with me just bein' me

I'm tryna find out when the lion cared about the opinion of sheeps

I wanna welcome y'all to the Only the Generals gon' understand

For those of y'all that don't know me

Fun fact about Kevin Gates

I talk to myself (I do)

All geniuses talk to themselves

Ta-ta-tatted real bad with a cartel swag

Pants hangin' off my ass, and I know you see me watchin' (yeah)

I ain't worried 'bout your man, tell your dude, "Back, back"

Shawty bad, ass fat, baby, can I take you shopping?

I said I'm tatted real bad with a cartel swag

Pants hangin' off my ass and I know you see me watchin'

I'm tatted real bad with a cartel swag

Tell your dude, "Back, back," and I know you see me watchin'

I don't know why I got this fetish for

I like to pleasure whores in the fitting room of designer stores (true indeed)

In public while we shopping, I'ma touch all on your body, Lord

I want you, I can't hide it, if you with me, don't need no bodyguard

Took you in the dressing room

Told you, "Get on your knees, put your hands behind your back"

I spit in your mouth and put the dick dead in your face, you heard? (Man, real life)

Now stick your tongue out while I pull your hair, ayy

Bae, can I take you shopping?

You know why, you know why I get this fetish for

To pleasure whores in the fitting room of the designer stores (true indeed)

I bust your ass in Saks, you remember that? (True indeed)

I know you see me watchin' (watchin')

...

Key Vocabulary

Vocabulary	Meanings
compromise /ˈkɒmprəmaɪz/ B2	verb - to reach an agreement where each side makes concessions.
journey /ˈdʒɜːrni/ A2	noun - an act of traveling from one place to another.
suffer /ˈsʌfər/ B1	verb - to experience pain or distress.
chance /tʃɑːns/ A2	noun - a possibility of something happening.
abandoned /əˈbændənd/ B2	adjective - having been deserted or left.
advance /ədˈvɑːns/ B1	noun - a sum of money given before it is earned. verb - to move forward.
attitude /ˈætɪtjuːd/ B2	noun - a settled way of thinking or feeling about something.
win /wɪn/ A2	verb - to achieve victory.
blast /blæst/ B1	verb - to explode or fire a weapon.
pray /preɪ/ A2	verb - to make a request to God.
scarred /skɑːrd/ B1	adjective - marked with scars.
bruised /bruːzd/ B1	adjective - having discolored skin from a blow.
supply /səˈplaɪ/ B1	verb - to provide something needed.
diamond /ˈdaɪəmənd/ B1	noun - a precious stone.
gang /ɡæŋ/ B1	noun - a group of criminals.
respect /rɪˈspekt/ B1	noun - a feeling of admiration.
feather /ˈfeðər/ A2	noun - a light, soft covering of birds.
fetish /ˈfetiʃ/ C1	noun - a strong, unusual sexual interest.

Key Grammar Structures

• Sometimes when you compromise who you are to appease others

  ➔ Conditional Clause (When)

  ➔ Uses 'when' to introduce a conditional clause, indicating a scenario that can trigger an action or consequence.

• You don't take a chance, you ain't got a chance, you makin' a plan to lose (ooh)

  ➔ Negative constructions (don't, ain't) and present continuous (makin')

  ➔ Uses contractions like "don't" and "ain't" (non-standard) to create a negative tone. "Makin'" is a contracted form of "making", used in the present continuous tense to express an action happening now or around now.

• Took an advance and paid it back and made an advance and moved

  ➔ Past Simple Tense (Took, paid, made, moved)

  ➔ The repeated use of the past simple tense indicates a sequence of completed actions in the past.

• I know how to stand and greet a man whenever he walk in the room

  ➔ Infinitive Verb with 'to' (to stand, to greet)

  ➔ Uses the infinitive form of the verbs, preceded by 'to', to express ability or knowledge.

• Unlimited bands come on command, ain't changin' my attitude (uh-uh)

  ➔ Contraction (ain't) and present continuous (changin')

  ➔ Similar to previous example, using "ain't" (non-standard) and "changin'" (contracted) to form a more casual style.

• I had my heart scarred by the woman that I used to call my mama (I did)

  ➔ Passive voice (was scarred), Relative clause (that I used to call)

  ➔ Uses passive voice 'was scarred' to emphasize the experience. 'That I used to call my mama' is a relative clause modifying "the woman", providing additional information about the woman.

• I vented to you on whom I was talkin' about on "Fly Again" (Fly Again)

  ➔ Prepositional Phrase (to you, on whom), Relative Pronoun (whom)

  ➔ Uses prepositional phrases like "to you" and "on whom", with "whom" as a relative pronoun referring to the person he vented to. "On whom I was talking about" clarifies the subject of the venting.

• I'm the world's sexiest gangsta, that won't ever change (won't ever change)

  ➔ Future tense with 'won't' and future emphatic (won't ever change)

  ➔ Uses "won't" (will not) to express a future action that will not happen, and the repetition emphasizes his certainty.

• I wanna welcome y'all to the Only the Generals gon' understand

  ➔ Contraction (wanna), contraction of "going to" (gon')

  ➔ Uses the casual contraction "wanna" (want to) and the informal contraction "gon'" (going to).

• I don't know why I got this fetish for

  ➔ Present Simple Negative (don't know), Prepositional Phrase (for)

  ➔ Uses the negative form "don't know" and the preposition "for" to introduce the object of the fetish.