Week 6: WHIP
After two weeks of a creative
block, I was able to find inspiration to record, mix and master my third
track, WHIP.
The term "whip" had
been used as reference to when the steering wheel was first put into use in automobiles, it was called the
"whip". The whip was also what was used to control the horses on a
stagecoach, hence the analogy. Many years later, various American hip hop artists noticed that the
Mercedes-Benz logo resembled a steering wheel. They then proceeded to use the
old term "whip" to describe any Mercedes-Benz
vehicle. The term has now been generalised to classify any expensive automobile
(or for any vehicle that is).
Continuing off the themes of
being poor through my music (Confessions of a broke rapper), acquiring a Car or
“Whip”, has been one of my many struggles of being an upcoming artist. A lot of
people have associated rappers with material things such as nice clothes, the
latest cars and lavish living space because of the mainstream music played on
Mai FM. However, this is not the case in the New-Zealand market. And if anyone
tries to flex and say they do, it’s not money of their own (probably borrowed
from their parent’s savings accounts or used as an incentive to sign to record
labels). It’s hard to make a living off strictly music in New-Zealand. Not
impossible, but also not suggested.
“I just pulled up in a Whip, that
is not mine” sings throughout the hooks, on a repetitive, but also fun way of
saying, I’ve arrived at the event in a car that I do not own.
“Rolling round in my homies
4 door// 99 model, beer bottles on the floor // No
it’s not stolen, we just use it when we go to score// Man is so poor//
that he use a fork as a handle for the door//”.
In these first three to four
bars, I am talking about times when I’ve cruised around in my friend’s car, a
white Toyota bomb that looks stolen, because of our suspicious behaviour and
poor maintenance. We use this car to get to our studio and drinking sessions.
This could also be seen as a mock to my friend’s car.
“But at Least He Doesn’t Walk//When
he Got a Whip //doesn’t catch public transport//when
he take a trip// and I’m kind of sick of driving// in
my new balance kicks// as I kick dust// tag my card on the bus//for the two
fifty spent//I aint got no sense//just a get ya money mind-set//when I’m broke
and bummy// I’ve got to stop smoking cigarettes//I’ll be driving haters up the
wall// but when I pull up in the whip//
The rest of the verse, is almost taking back the comment
I made about my mates ride. However, I do admire that he has a car and doesn’t
have to worry about catching public transport when getting anywhere. I am at a
point now, where I really want to get a car, so I can stop depending on my
family, friends or the trains and buses to get me to places. I want to leave
the old, exiting a parking lot with anything that has four wheels and
runs on gas lol.

hey Jonah,
ReplyDeleteJust wanted to say I know all about the creative block, especially with painting, and being stuck can really suck but I'm glad that you got back into it and created this funky asssssss song!!! It all seems real effortless when you post a new song, but I imagined it took you a while playing around with the verses and chorus shifting things round (skrrt), I think that the end result definitely gives off wavy vibes (much like your previous songs 'Bianca', 'Vibe wit me' and 'thought you would get it' - all probs my favs). Also Its good that you have a sense of realness in your songs, and not just the hype and bragging that a lot of rappers do nowadays which is ridiculous, but instead all the songs i've listened to explore life, struggle and culture! One of my fav rappers is called Loyle Carner who's from the Uk, but raps about the same time of stuff so maybe you should check him out sometime. I also think it's awesome how much motivation and drive you have to creating a music profile for yourself in New Zealand and I hope you make it big! Much respect!