OK – English Lyrics

• By: Kanye West, Don Toliver
• Album: BULLY - DELUXE

Lyrics & Translation

Dive into the modern slang and rhythmic cadence of contemporary hip-hop with 'OK'. This song is an excellent study in how repetitive, punchy phrases are used in American music to establish rhythm and attitude, making it a perfect tool for understanding current North American urban dialect.

[English]

Don't you, don't you

Don't you, don't you

Don't you, don't you

Don't you, don't you

...

Young rich nigga got trapper ting

Bad lil' bitches wanna lick on me

Movin' like a YM when I was sixteen

Smokin' that weed and trappin' out houses

Back of the 'Lac and I'm higher than a mountain

Drank codeine, got it comin' out a fountain

What you finna do for that allowance?

Bags on the floor, bags on the floor countin'

I'm goin' through, finna call my accountant

Run it through a trap? I doubt it

You wanna get money? I'm 'bout it

Okay, yeah, o-okay, o-o-okay, I drag you in the street

Okay, yeah, okay, uh, okay, okay, I just ride on that beat

Okay, yeah, o-okay, okay, okay, I drag you in the street

Okay, yeah, o-okay, okay, okay, I just ride on that beat

Okay, yeah, o-okay, okay, okay, I drag you in the street

Okay, yeah, o-okay, okay, okay, I just ride on that beat

Let me see where we at tonight

...

We could bring this back to life

Thought that I couldn't, you should be embarrassed

Their egos is threatened, they really should cherish

Too many excuses, I don't wanna hear it

Don't call it a patio, bitch, it's a terrace

We finna make us a killin', that's word to my deads

They try to paint me as a villain and color me bad

I noticed the jealousy peakin', I thought we was past this

This type of exposure's indecent, these niggas is classless

I bet on myself when the labels thought I was a bad risk

The money that I had invested is doin' gymnastics

This what we need

This type of engine don't run off of greed

Their music ain't big as my songs that had leaked

They need some assistance or call the police

F all the talkin', the talkin' is cheap

How many cars? Why they call it a fleet?

Livin' the stars and the comets and meteors

I do not care if you comment on me

...

Don't you, don't you

Don't you, don't you

Don't you, don't you

Don't you, don't you

Don't you, don't you

Don't you, don't you

...

Key Vocabulary

Vocabulary	Meanings
trapper /ˈtræpər/ B2	noun - a person who sells illegal drugs or engages in street-level illicit trade
mountain /ˈmaʊntɪn/ A1	noun - a large natural elevation of the earth's surface
allowance /əˈlaʊəns/ B2	noun - a sum of money paid regularly to a person
accountant /əˈkaʊntənt/ B1	noun - a person whose job is to keep or inspect financial accounts
embarrassed /ɪmˈbærəst/ B1	adjective - feeling ashamed or self-conscious
cherish /ˈtʃɛrɪʃ/ C1	verb - to protect and care for someone or something lovingly
terrace /ˈtɛrəs/ B2	noun - a level paved area or platform next to a building
villain /ˈvɪlən/ B2	noun - a character whose evil actions are important to the plot
jealousy /ˈdʒɛləsi/ B2	noun - the feeling of being jealous
exposure /ɪkˈspoʊʒər/ B2	noun - the state of being revealed or made public
indecent /ɪnˈdiːsnt/ C1	adjective - not appropriate or socially acceptable
classless /ˈklæsləs/ C1	adjective - lacking social refinement or manners
invested /ɪnˈvɛstɪd/ B2	verb - allocated money in the expectation of profit
gymnastics /dʒɪmˈnæstɪks/ B1	noun - exercises developing or displaying physical agility
greed /ɡriːd/ B2	noun - intense and selfish desire for something
assistance /əˈsɪstəns/ B1	noun - the action of helping someone with a job or task
fleet /fliːt/ B2	noun - a group of vehicles operated by one company
comets /ˈkɒmɪts/ B2	noun - celestial objects consisting of a nucleus of ice and dust

Key Grammar Structures

• Young rich nigga got trapper ting

  ➔ Informal use of the present perfect (omitted auxiliary verb)

  ➔ In African American Vernacular English (AAVE), "got" replaces "has got," indicating possession.

• What you finna do for that allowance?

  ➔ Future intention using the semi-modal "finna"

  ➔ "Finna" is a contraction of "fixing to," meaning "going to" or "about to."

• I just ride on that beat

  ➔ Adverbial use of "just" to emphasize the action

  ➔ "Just" here acts as a limiter, implying that the action is simple, effortless, or the only thing being done.

• Thought that I couldn't, you should be embarrassed

  ➔ Elliptical clause and modal verb of obligation/advice

  ➔ "Couldn't" is an elliptical construction for "couldn't do it." "Should be" expresses an expectation.

• We finna make us a killin'

  ➔ Colloquial use of the reflexive pronoun as an indirect object

  ➔ Using "us" instead of "for ourselves" is common in casual speech to emphasize personal benefit.

• I noticed the jealousy peakin'

  ➔ Gerund phrase following a verb of perception

  ➔ Verbs like "notice" can be followed by an object and the -ing form to describe an ongoing action being perceived.

• I bet on myself when the labels thought I was a bad risk

  ➔ Past continuous vs. simple past contrast

  ➔ "Thought" (simple past) describes the label's past state of mind, setting the scene for the action of betting.

• This type of engine don't run off of greed

  ➔ Non-standard subject-verb agreement (singular noun with "don't")

  ➔ In many dialects, "don't" is used as a universal negative auxiliary regardless of whether the subject is singular or plural.