The What by The Notorious B.I.G Lyrics Meaning – Unveiling the Raw Edge of 90s Brooklyn Hip-Hop

Lyrics

I used to get feels on a bitch
Now I throw shields on the dick
To stop me from that HIV shit
And niggaz know they soft like a Twinkie filling
Playin the villian
Prepare for this rap killin
Biggie Smalls is the illest
Your style is played out, like Arnold wondered
“What you talkin bout Willis?”
The thrill is gone, the black Frank White
is here to excite and
throw dick to dykes
Bitches I like em brainless
Guns I like em stainless steel
I want the fuckin Fortune like the Wheel
I squeeze gats till my clips is empty
Don’t tempt me [T-H-O-D Man]
You don’t want to fuck with Biggie

Here I am, I’ll be damned if this ain’t some shit
Come to spread the butter lyrics over hominy grit
It’s the low killer death trap, yes I’m a jet black ninja
Comin where you rest at, surrender
Step inside the ring, youse the number one contender
Lookin cold booty like your pussy in December
Nigga stop bitchin, button up ya lip and
From Method all you gettin is a can of ass-whippin
Hey, I’ll be kickin, you son, you doin all the yappin
Actin as if it can’t happen
You front and got me mad enough to touch somethin
Yo I’m from Shaolin, Island, and ain’t afraid to bust somethin
So what cha want nigga, ya punk nigga
I got a six-shooter and a horse named Trigger
It’s real, ninety-four, rugged raw
Kickin down your god damn door [and it goes a lil somethin like this]

Fuck the world, don’t ask me for shit
And everything you get ya gotta work hard for it
Honies shake your hips, ya don’t stop
And niggaz pack the clips, keep on

Verse two, comin with that Olde E brew
Meth-tical, puttin niggaz back in I.C.U.
I’m lifted troop, you can bring yours wack ass crew
I got connections, I’ll get that ass stuck like glue, huh
No question, I be comin down and shit
Yo I gets rugged as a motherfuckin carpet get
And niggaz love it, not in the physical form but in the mental
I spark and they cells get warm
I’m not a gentle, man, I’m a Method, Man!
Baby accept it, utmost respect it
[Assume the position] Stop look and listen
I spit on your grave then I grab my Charles Dickens

Welcome to my center
Honies feel it deep in they placenta
Cold as the pole in the winter
Far from the inventor, but I got this rap shit sewed
And when my Mac unloads
I’m guaranteed another video
Ready to die, why I act that way?
Pop Duke left Mom Duke
The faggot took the back way
So instead of makin hoes suck my dick up
I used to do stick-up
Cause hoes is irritatin like the hic-CUPS
Excuse me, flows just grow through me
Like trees to branches
Cliffs to avalanches
It’s the praying mantis
Deep like the mind of Farrakhan
A motherfuckin rap phenomenon, plus

I make it hot [Nigga won’t even stand next to you]
Nigga touch me you better bust me
tree times in the head
Or motherfucker’s dead, ya thought so

Fuck the world, don’t ask me for shit
And everything you get ya gotta work hard for it
Honies shake your hips, ya don’t stop
And niggaz pack the clips, keep on

Fuck the world, don’t ask me for shit
And everything you get ya gotta work hard for it
Honies shake your hips, ya don’t stop
And niggaz pack the clips, keep on

The visceral, raw, and lyrical tapestry that The Notorious B.I.G. weaves in ‘The What’ captures the very essence of 90s Brooklyn hip-hop. Released in 1994 as a part of his seminal album ‘Ready to Die,’ Biggie, alongside Wu-Tang Clan’s Method Man, delivers verses that are steeped with gritty realism, dark humor, and a brazen confrontation with the perils of street life.

Diving into ‘The What’, one finds an intricate web of emotion and bravado, a testament to Biggie’s unparalleled storytelling prowess. The song is a powerful narrative that juxtaposes the struggle of the streets with the intoxicating lure of success, and through its verses, the listener is granted a glimpse into an epoch of rap that shaped its future formidably.

Layers of Protection: Going Beyond Shields and Steel

Opening the track, Biggie’s lyrics ‘I used to get feels on a bitch / Now I throw shields on the dick’ serve as a blunt metaphor for the rapper’s increasing caution in both his personal and professional worlds. The ‘shields’ are more than contraception; they symbolize a defense mechanism against a life that’s constantly threatening to infect his ascendancy with ‘that HIV shit’, an allegory for danger and betrayal.

Similarly, ‘Guns I like em stainless steel’ declares Biggie’s readiness for combat – stainless steel doesn’t tarnish or rust, denoting how preparedness and resilience are his tools for survival. These elements illustrate how Biggie navigates a world fraught with pitfalls and how he armors himself against its corrosiveness.

Rap’s Duel of Titans: Biggie and Method Man’s Lyrical Joust

Featuring Method Man, ‘The What’ is a rare collaboration in an era marred by coastal rivalries, showcasing a kinship between East Coast titans. These two lyrical savants take the listener on a journey of vivid imagery and prowess, ‘Step inside the ring, youse the number one contender,’ as if challenging any doubters to a verbal sparring match that can only yield one winner: hip-hop itself.

The exchange between Method Man’s inimitable cadence and Biggie’s baritone offers a tapestry of contrast that underlines the track’s essence as a celebration of raw talent in a pre-gentrified New York hip-hop scene.

The Mantra of Survival: Hard Work as the Hip-Hop Cornerstone

Echoing through the chorus is a theme as old as time yet freshly pressed into the hip-hop ethos: ‘Fuck the world, don’t ask me for shit / And everything you get ya gotta work hard for it.’ Striking a chord with the harsh realities of hustling, Biggie encapsulates the drive and determination necessary to climb out of the depths of poverty and disenfranchisement.

It’s a line that sticks, as much for its blunt force as for its grander reflection on the American Dream turned on its head – a dream that doesn’t just involve hard work, but also a gritty struggle for recognition in the face of systemic obstacles and street warfare.

The Hidden Meaning: A Glimpse into Hip-Hop’s Heart

At its core, ‘The What’ is an anthem of defiance, Biggie and Method Man’s proclamation of sovereignty over their narratives. ‘I’m not a gentle, man, I’m a Method, Man!’ Method Man declares, emphasizing the departure from societal norms and the taking up of one’s own code – a code shaped by the streets and individual will.

This defiance is also echoed in Biggie’s deeper reflections on life and death, ‘Ready to die, why I act that way?’ hinting at the nihilism that pervaded his artistry, driven by his past struggles and brushes with mortality. The song folds layers of meaning into each verse, stitching together a mosaic of 90s hip-hop culture and the existential fabric of its creators.

Unforgettable Lines: The Signature Mark of Biggie Smalls

The Notorious B.I.G.’s lyrical genius is displayed with punchlines that land with the weight of a heavyweight’s blow; ‘Your style is played out, like Arnold wondered / ‘What you talkin’ bout Willis?” presents Biggie’s knack for delivering a line that is timelessly clever, instantly memorable and evocative of a cultural moment.

Moreover, ‘Deep like the mind of Farrakhan / A motherfuckin rap phenomenon, plus’ not only grounds Biggie’s artistry in intellectual depth but brands him as a rap event in and of himself – a phenom that transcended his context to impact the world stage. Each line penned by Biggie becomes a memorable echo of an era when hip-hop lyrics were as impactful as any cultural commentary or philosophical inquiry.