Future, the Atlanta based rapper, signed with Epic Records in 2011 & launched his debut album in 2012. He is recognized as a pioneering artist who blended vocal effects & melodies with trap music. Although his style is influenced by mumble rap, Future’s eclectic lyrics have garnered him critical acclaim. They blend themes of urban sub-culture with common literary devices to spell out stories for the listeners.
The kno the meaning lyrics are no different from his customary style of voicing personal struggles & errors while pointing out social injustices. His kno the meaning lyrics are an expression about hustling through an intense international tour. How DJ Esco got imprisoned during the Monster & Honest tour in Dubai for 56 long nights. He was charged with Marijuana possession.
The “kno the meaning lyrics” delved into this aspect of punishments fitting the crime & the wrongs that duty-bound & honest authority figures may do, due to a lack of meaning. To understand more about the “kno the meaning” lyrics & interpretations, read on.
What Does the Title mean
The meaning of kno the meaning lyrics is exactly like its title. In fact, the kno the meaning lyrics are a deep dive into this phrase. It is about making informed decisions within context & realizing how rules & people can be indifferent to the real meaning. In a sense, kno the meaning lyrics may appear gangster, but they tell a story of personal struggles. Herein, the real meaning refers to symbolic death due to the seizure of a person’s livelihood.
What does the Intro mean
My uncle Ronnie used to wash cars
My uncle Wayne was a kingpin, you know what I’m saying?
My uncle Don, that nigga used to rob banks and shit, rest in peace
My granddaddy was a boss, he was a kingpin, you heard?
Future talks about his family & clarifies that his roots are from the streets. He lets the listener understand that he knows about the honest living of washing cars & the hustling of kingpins. It is not merely about the high-risk gangster life, but also about the struggles of honest hard labor. By talking about his bank robber Uncle, he hints at the risk to life by saying RIP.
What does the chorus mean
Got the game from them old niggas
You gotta know where I’m from to get to know a nigga
I skipped class to smoke weed
Hidin’ from the police
This Chorus has three explicit layers. On one hand, Future confesses that he got the “game” of street smarts from his family & his hip hop idols. Then again, he isn’t committing crimes on the streets, but expressing himself as an artist. It implies that knowing the game does not mean that one has to play the game.
I spent time overseas, hangin‘ out in England
And I got the squad on my mind and I mean this
Do a little time out the country, I need this
56 nights, gotta know the real meanin‘
The second layer of the real meaning may be about letting the audience know law enforcement abroad never realize the choices people make to escape a life of crime. Only to get jailed unjustly i.e. the possession of 15 grams of Marijuana by Dj Esco got him incarcerated in Dubai for 56 nights. The third layer is a reference to his Monster mixtape. Future informs the listeners about the real meaning behind that mixtape.
Interlude 1 – What does it mean
Dropped Monster tape and had to go to Europe
In this line, Future explicitly refers to his Monster tape & his Europe tour that ended in Dubai, cut short of their Abu Dhabi performance. In various interviews, DJ Esco cited discrimination by authorities & hand-checking of their baggage.
Verse 1 – What does it mean
Best thing I ever did was fall out of love
‘Sco came to me, said, “They think you washed up”
“You need to go back in, show these niggas who the one“
Life events never happen in isolation. Now Future tries to connect another strand of his life i.e. his love life. The first line is a wordplay of having a falling out with his feelings of love towards his fiancée of that time, Ciara. They broke up in 2014, with rumors of his infidelity, but he moved on from love to focus on his work.
We going back in as soon as we get off tour
He had my hard drive on him when he caught the case
When they took him in custody they took my life away
His words imply that Esco convinced him to perform more, but the Dubai arrest also included the confiscation of his hard drive i.e. hard work. In an instant, they took his supportive friend and his life’s work i.e. his life.
Interlude 2 – What does it mean
People didn’t even understand that
My hard drives that I recorded all my music on
For two years straight was on this…
Future carries on to say, people failed to understand that all his work for 2 straight years got imprisoned with that hard drive.
Was on this one hard drive that Esco had
And he was locked up with it
So I had to record new music
That’s when I did Beast Mode
2 years of his creative output got locked up with Esco. He had to redo the entire process. He did it with greater vigor in Beast Mode.
Verse 2 – – What does it mean
Brown paper bag, we gettin‘ back to the paper
Gettin’ back to the basics
Everything I did, it was premeditated
I just knew there’d come a time when I finally did make it
Future steps back in this verse and introspects on the entire chain of events. He does this reflection while drinking alone after the tour. The lines imply that he no longer has any drinking buddied How he lost his life in a metaphorical sense and recovered from it. He reminisces on a similar incident of his life i.e. the imprisonment of a fellow rapper Doe B from the same label that signed him. Doe B was charged and incarcerated for a bank robbery. He recalls that time & quotes a self-assurance of sticking to the music and making money the right way.
And some niggas started hatin‘
I ain’t never had no problem with these niggas
I’ve been about my guala from the dodo
Got an R&B chick layin‘ on me, no photo
Got a combo in the condo doin‘ some real life porno
He further states that even when he grew in life, lifestyle & status, Future continued to show love to friends & acquaintances. He stuck to the basics in a premeditated fashion, knowing well that eventually, people around him would hate him. In a few subtle lines, he refers to the Atlanta rapper OG Maco. Future recalls how OG called him out with hate & says that he won’t hate anyone, even if others hate him.
What does the bridge mean
And I ain’t worried about nothin‘ in the world, keep that badass bitch
These niggas ain’t none of my worries, damn that shit
There’s so much more I gotta endure
I just had my baby, gotta go on tour (Fuck that shit)
The bridge reinforces his focus to overcome hardships of life & disregard all the hate.
Verse 3 – – What does it mean
I ain’t holding this back, I ain’t holding this
The music way ahead of its time and I notice this
Get back in the studio, give ’em what they was missing
This verse captures an evolution in Future’s approach. How he gains awareness that he knows the game of surviving the streets & reinventing it.
They didn’t know I knew the game and I know how to reinvent it
They ain’t know me in the projects, they just know me from rhymin‘
My hard work finally catching up with perfect timin‘
This verse is sung with a message of hope that maybe others could hustle and learn to overcome the bad choices in the hood.
Interlude 3 – What does it mean
You know what I’m saying
I could take a hundred dollar slab
And goddamn make three hundred off that bitch, you dig?
These lines are a pat on the back i.e. Future congratulating himself on hustling & business.
What does the outro mean
Everything in the streets
It prepared me for everything that I’m going through right now
The good and the bad, you know what I’m saying?
Future concludes by showing gratitude to the streets for giving him the right skills. He is thankful to the streets for defining him the way he is.
Can’t let none of this shit get to me
I go harder ’cause I know where I was at
And I know where I wanna go
If it wasn’t for the streets, he would not be prepared for this life.
Conclusion
The “kno the meaning lyrics” is a window into the hustling mindset of Future. Despite all the references, it carries a strong message to make the right choices & avoid the bad ones. It includes some boasting words to add some authenticity to it.
