Oni – Say Cheese

repreZent vous propose d’accompagner votre week-end ensoleillé de l’excellente « mixtape » d’Oni, Say Cheese. On met mixtape entre guillemets tant le travail fourni tant au niveau des textes que des instrus méritent plus que cette dénomination. Pour ceux qui ne connaîtraient pas encore Oni, on ne vous laisse pas d’autre choix que d’écouter sa tape puis d’aller le voir en live avec son groupe Tweek (actuellement en tournée, les dates en fin d’article).
Et le petit plus repreZent du jour va faire plaisir à tous ceux qui n’ont pas l’anglais comme langue maternelle, mais qui aiment savoir de quoi parle un rappeur. En effet, Oni a eu la gentillesse de nous faire parvenir l’intégralité de ses textes afin que l’on puisse suivre et mieux comprendre! Le tout est coupé mesure par mesure, histoire de pouvoir faire un petit karaoké à la maison! Et cerise sur le gâteau, une petite description des morceaux vous est également proposée. Voilà si avec tout ça vous ne comprenez pas de quoi parle Oni dans ses textes alors on ne peut plus rien pour vous…

Oni – Say Cheese

1. Intro
Dans son intro, Oni vient tout simplement se présenter et nous parler de son parcours qui l’a amené jusqu’ici, l’influence de son frère, ses débuts avant internet, son choix de rapper en anglais, etc…

Hey yo, for those who do not know, me O.n.i’s the name / 10 years in the game and y’all can still call me ONI / And i’ve been here prior 2000 / Back then when people started browsin’…

On the web but i ain’t no Peter Parker / No one made it rain so i didn’t wear a parka / Where i come from rap was in the darkness / to see my brother do it motivated me to start this.

And ever since i’ve been spittin’ / cookin up my rhymes without being in the kitchen / And since then, I’ve been a fiend to the game / hours spent with a pen but wasn’t in it for the gain.

But that’s another issue / that I’ma wipe off like tears with a tissue/ So let me cry my river / we all want change i know it starts in the mirror

Cause that’s what I reflect / that’s what I project and motherfuckers know I’m dead / Serious with my delirious poems / my delivery’s grown, I don’t deliver off the dome

And that’s what I’m a do think my shit and spit hard / and that’s what gets to you, my titanium bars / So I’ma run this shit like a marathon / cause no I don’t sprint in the land of the Matterhorn.

I make it meaningful, I make it matter more / cause I do paint pictures like a metaphor / And I do paint pictures of my life / picture it through my rhymes cause that’s what I meant before

Get it? Plus you know it’s goin down / and people seein me will be people who will frown / Cause they goin be like who the hell is this kid / rappin in a language that most people don’t get

But fuck it cause I’ma speak my mind / say what I got to say and no you ain’t gotta pay for it / Just savour it and you can say i’m your favorite / and that’s the cocky me comin up when the flame is lit.

2. I feel
Comme son titre l’indique, dans ce morceau Oni nous parle de ce qu’il ressentait au départ de son projet.

Sometimes I gotta put my two cents in / pardon me if I seem sensitive / but if that’s how I feel then i gotta be sincere / cause i’m burning from the inside, insense

And since I’ve been friends with this pen / fall back I need space to make sense / for that I take my sins / I take my life and I’m mixing all that

So all ya haters eat shit / my flows gone better wave and beat it / Iike Mike Jackson told you / I’m standing on my own two when you stay seated

See kid, I’m runnin with tweek / and y’all can’t catch us like coyote hears beep beep / ugh we make tracks for the peeps / while other rappers write their lives in tweets tweets

Chorus

I feel
Yeah I feel good
So I’ma keep rappin
Don’t worry bout nothin
Don worry bout all that yapping no…

My lifestyle’s trying to shut me up / put my mind in a box without wishing me luck / should I be tempted for a fist full of bucks / cause if this is a test then I’ll be pissin in cups

Cause you know that nothin holds me back / from cleaning out my closet with a folding bag / unless I choose to unless I need it / but I’d be right back with the coldest raps

Man you know this rap shit’s a part of me / that’s till I die eventhough it may be hard to see / or hard to get, whatever you prefer / cause whatever occurs music is my heartbeat

So don’t stop the rythm / this is king kong rap they won’t know what hit em / and my flows cold better wear mittens / better make way cause I may aim if you dissin.

3. Wanna be like ft. Epik:
Ici nous allons laisser Oni vous expliquer ce qu’il a voulu dire dans cette track : « C’est un morceau sur le fait d’être rappeur en suisse et d’avoir comme influences principales le rap ricains et français. Je parle du fait que le talent est présent, mais que l’identité n’est pas affirmée; on prend souvent les mêmes discours et la même perspective que ce qu’il se fait en France et aux USA… genre des discours de boss, de dealers, de gars qui se font un paquet d’argent et de meufs, etc.. alors qu’il suffirait de relater ce qui se passe ici, même si ça peut paraître banal tout en y ajoutant notre propre perspective ce qui, à mon avis, rendrait le discours intéressant. Par exemple, tu prends un gars comme M.A.M. qui nous parle des Pâquis et de la Migros dans ces morceaux et au final, ça devient cool parce que tu sais que c’est réel donc tu t’identifies. »

Welcome to my town / them rappers insecure so they open up their mouth / swallow anything, everything they can find / on the streets, thinkin’ on the beats they will shine / hopin’ that we will buyin their lies

And they don’t realize / the quest for style is covering their eyes / they end up laggin cause they’re rappers in disguise / they end up lacking what’s vital to my eyes / the truth to who you are in your bars when you’re rhyming

And you know we live in cheese land / so you know I can’t rap about street gangs / I know it might seem trivial to you / but that’s what we go through where I live where the beats bang / where MCs be feasting over overseas sounds

So i’m so over these clowns / cause they wanna be what they oversee now / on tv or the Internet / thinkin that’s the way to generate more interest / I guess they’re scared of their inner self

—————chorus—————-

But who am I to speak / who am I to judge what’s comin out your teeth / I’m sorry playboy I’m just sayin what I see / and I’m swimming in the deep just trying to reach the beach / oops, I meant the shore so that I can grab a seat

And enjoy the scenery / what I’m sayin is this is more than me / more than we I do it cause I owe it / I do it cause hip hop’s the reason that Im flowin / the reason that I’m leading my life as you know it

So don’t rap what they rap / rap what you live, or what you wanna give / and fuck their feelings if it don’t appeal to them / I’m tired of all these cats with no feeling in the pen / so when you do hear em, don’t believe where they’ve been, no

Cause I wanna be like me / in the midst of the rap game don’t wanna be a sheep / And I am influenced by what I hear and see / but that won’t determine what’s written on the sheet / cause I am driven and I’m livin what I speak of

4. Thinking out loud
Ici Oni nous parle de sa situation de rappeur/musicien qui doit conjuguer avec un emploi à plein temps et une perspective de vie de couple… tout en ayant toujours cette aspiration de pouvoir gagner sa vie en faisant de la musique.

I’ve been thinkin bout rap for a minute / like, will it one day bring back my dinner / and will it push away all the cats that I’ve been with / cause I wanna be paid for whatever spitting

And that’s what I’m tryin to do / with 6 others dudes yeah tweek is the crew bitch / so just move back / i put my raps in the fridge so I can make these cool tracks

So we can tour / back and forth the country packing for what’s due / and I be dreaming bout this / ignorance is a bliss and some would call me a fool

Fuck y’all shut your mouth when I’m talkin / a record deal is a star that I’m stalking / and I’m still young, I’m a tall kid / a tall kid with a dream in his pocket

Chorus
I don’t know where this will lead me
I don’t know what to say
Cause I can’t stop doin it (2x)
And that’s how I feel today

Some say I’m cocky and some I’m crazy / cause I’m still rappin even in my late twenties / and I’m still dreaming of a way, seeking for that day / I know that it’s coming but I guess it’s runnin late

And I know what y’all thinkin / it’s a young boy’s dream and I know that it’s sinking / I’m in a suit all week / But my day job gives me the food I need

Plus my girl might get tired of this / and I won’t blame her cause success is what I’m trying to kiss / but don’t get wrong I wanna family life / but that’s how I feel on this song

And my chances are slim / cause who’s finna market Swiss rap to begin with / a million fish in a pond / like crabs in the bucket but I’m still reppin strong

Chorus

Sometimes I think I’m out of my mind / when I feel how i feel when I’m writing these rhymes / and I know how this is gonna end / I’ll probably have to give up the dreams of a kid…but for now

I’ll keep doin this shit / I feel like a captain in a big sinking ship / kinda crazy yeah I know it is / but that’s how it feels with a love like this

And most people don’t get what passion really is / they think we’re just kids with dreams full of silliness / fuck it, I don’t mind it much / I just don’t listen like my phone is out of touch

Cause I know why I do it / it’s nothin but love sort of, kinda like Cupid / and I spit on the beat so it’s kinda like humid / don’t you know that it’s nothing but music.

5. No Use feat Luthor
Ici Oni ajoute une petite touche fictive à sa réalité pour nous parler de sa relation de couple qui dure depuis 10 ans.

Been gone for a minute / I said i’d be back, now i’m waiting right here / for you…

Hey how’s it going baby / I love your style, I’ve been thinkin bout you lately / I’ve been thinkin bout that time / when us two together didn’t rhyme

It was one sweet day / when I think back it was one sweet way / to get to know you, to get to know us / and when I see you now I know its no crush

And you know I can’t lie / you turn me on when I see your smile / when I see your eyes wink at me Hun / that’s what I like and I’m a sucker for your ugh

Yeah you know what that is / you know what I love little games in the mix / I want you back and no one but you / cause now I know that there

————–Chorus—————–

You were five when I met you / six when you met me I guess it was meant to / be that way cause that’s what they say / but whatever the case that’s what I would tell to

Anyone who be askin bout us / askin us how we did it and is it all luck / I was caught in the moment / cause all I want now is to wake up in the morning

With you and to share my time with a true / woman who can make me feel brand new / come back and I’ll hold you close / I’ll even let you hold the remote control

We’ve been on and off / I was more off than on cause I was often on that bullshit but now I know that / so I won’t let you go baby if you come back

6. Friendzone
Ce morceau parle d’un pote à Oni tel qu’on en a tous un, le mec qui branchent plein de meufs mais qui finit toujours par devenir leur meilleur pote.

Couldn’t help noticing this girl / walking by my side, lookin so fly / walking Lil fast, had to follow her strides / couldn’t mouth the words to simply say hi and…

How you doin something like that / couldn’t think of anything to make her look back / couldn’t think of anything, I just said stop / now wait, what do I say now.

Hold up! my name is ONI / I think that you and I should do what you would like to / you can tell me round a drink / I can buy you one we can spend time quick /

If that’s cool with you / I would like to know you cause I would like to show you / who i can be in your life / your next next man / but don’t wanna end up in the …

Chorus
Friendzone, friendzone
Don’t wanna be in the the the friendzone…

So we go round town for a beverage / walking down the street, my swagger so average / cause I’m a Lil bit nervous / looking at her like I’m behind the curtains

So we get to this nice place / thinkin of a way to break the ice, wait! / tell me bout your interests / what do you like and what does your mind crave…

For… My door is open wide for / whatever you like and therefore / she tells me that she likes it when / she meets new people she can bond with

Well i can be that man / if you let me be that can be part of the plan / and I can be more than a hand you can hold on to when everything goes wrong / but I don’t wanna end up in the….

Chorus

So far so good / we’ve been talking for hours, need to buy her flowers / to remember this first date / round a few drinks like I follow what my thirst say

And I ain’t looking for that third base / but I came to sooth you like I’m first aid / so what do you say / give me your digits and I swear no dirty games

Dont you know how hard it is / to find someone true between easy and hard to kiss / specially when they’re hard to miss / you know the type right

The type of girl who can make you loose your way / and end up not knowing what you should say / cause you wanna be a gentleman / but you dont wanna end up in the….

8. Mic Check
Un ptit ego-trip pour la route!

Cocky boy back at it / time for dumb shit no backpacking / such a bad addict, spazmatic / this is Swiss swag man no pants saggin

No gat clappin only backstabin / bitches wanna see me stop rappin ain’t happenin / sorry motherfuckers no half steppin / I’m fully reppin my crew so that’s what I’ma do

Cause we chilled out like we cool / some say we stupid hot like we fools / talk is chief like we rule / while some of y’all rappers make me snooze

I go by the name of ONI / watch for them foes while bitches wanne hold me / right after my shows / but I know these hoes and their feelings are phony

So I’m so passed that / Epik pass that weed then I’m gonna spazz out / on the beat, yeah you know what I mean / no time for breaks like I don’t drink tea

Fresh like mint leaves / swagger so sober even when I’m tipsy / haha let me laugh for a minute / I can’t see y’all like too low is the fitted

And the style is so denim / Nike shoes on feet tappin to the rythm / so man who we kiddin / cause if we’re lions then all y’all kittens

Hit me one time / if I was really cocky then I’d fuck a co sign / I’m just kiddin man I wanna get signed / but I wanna do it on my time with my own rhymes

Is that too much to ask / or should I be beggin to be kissin your ass / and I ain’t alone in this bitch / i got six other guys man with me in the mix

It’s tweek baby me baby sweet like your bitch (2x)

Is this a mic check / I ain’t done with this shit like I haven’t flushed yet / I got more bars to spit / more flows to piss and more shows to miss…man

And I got a wrist band / cause I write so much I could write for ten bands / and I rhyme so much I can make your chick dance / I can make your chick bounce and pounce on to this jam

9. What Up feat Epik
Et un deuxième ego-trip pour la route, mais cette fois avec Epik!

Who’s got a mic so I can make the beat wet / cause I spit on it every time it’s recess / been honest man so you know I mean well / on the track, but not the one you derail

Get it? So respect my demeanor / or get no love like a set with Serena / or Venus…man I’m finna rest with a reefer / rep with my feet up, been real since a foetus

And no matter how you flow nice / back in swiss land rap biz gets you no ice / so get mine from freezer / Put it round my neck, what the heck, fuck a reason

And some say we bananas / we do this rap shit with a fist full of Xanax / haha no pills in my diet / we hot, if you wet then you dryin

Yeah that’s right mofuckers / and if your mom’s hot watch out for mofuckers / what a stupid line to say / I treat rap like grafiti cause it’s soothing when you spray

With Epik we link up when it’s needed / and that’s what’s up like look up the ceiling / we cook up the feeling and serve it on a platter / so why don’t you gather for the feeding

10. Run
Morceau préféré d’Oni, il s’adresse aux personnes qui ne comprennent pas qu’il puisse explorer d’autres horizons musicaux que les traditionnels rap-jazz-soul. Il nous dit qu’il est là pour s’amuser à l’instar d’un gamin dans un terrain de jeu.

Just another day man when I lay down / rhymes on the sheet, spray rounds on the beat / the sound is so deep space, bounce on your feet / we just a bunch of kids so lets meet in a playground

It’s nothing but a game / I hunt down haters so you’re nothin but a pray / to me make way for tweek any day of the week / man we treat you like food for the day

Cause I swallow your hate / shit mine on a verse so you can smell what I say / and I’m still new to this bitch / but ambition so big, my future is afraid

But no tales from the pavement / Cause I rep the lifestyle that made me / so respect my sincerity / as if I’m spitting after sips of henessy

Chorus
Na na na na na na
Y’all can’t catch me
Bitch you better run,
Run run bitch you better run
Y’all can’t touch me
cause I’m just having fun

Man I love it when I piss you off / when you can’t figure out what kind of shit I’m on / now why don’t you ask your crystal ball / but I doubt that he’ll answer like he missed a call

Rappers so sad / rappers hate change, rappers so mad / they don’t like it when you spit your age / but I’m not fifteen, I can’t flow so whack

I can’t rap about the same things / on the same beats like we did in the basement / what a shame if I did / but that’s where I came from that’s where I’ve been

So flush if you don’t like my shit / or just duck if you don’t catch my drift / awe, didn’t you know that I don’t like a bitch / a female dog… You know how they is

Chorus

It’s nothing but fun / I can switch style cause I do what I want / told you I’m a kid in a playpen / discover new shit like fire for the cavemen

So I can make an r&b song / even though I can’t sing, I’ll sing when the beats on / just to get under your skin / just to make your mood swing on a seesaw

You got nothing on me / I don’t owe you nothin cause we ain’t homies / so phony I can see it with my eyes closed / talk a lot of shit….I call you asshole

Flow so ice cold / got it from the Swiss alps, up where the wine flows / drink up let loose of what your mind knows / let the dice roll.

11. One for the road
Après son morceau un peu clash, Oni n’oublie pas les gens qui le soutienne depuis le début, ce titre est donc pour eux.

This goes out to all those supporting us from day one / to all those who basically embrace what / we spit to put flavors in your taste bud / wave up sky’s the limit so we can raise the

Roof a little higher before we retire / for the music fiends then i guess we suppliers / and thats a hustle these days / at best it repays so we looking for buyers…

Plus account’s into minus / and we super hot but I guess that I’m biased / but I guess it’s a mess when you aspire / to be a headliner so we could use guidance

To me it’s all about making music / and making smash hits why not if it’s amusing / and if i get a mill, man I might flash it / why well cause I like fly shit

Can’t you see what’s obvious / I’m just trying to tell my day job adios / been dreamin bout this shit since a snotty nose / I’ve been dreaming of a life that I hardly know

Except for what i see on tv or the radios / but the truth is I wanna make amazing shows / spit amazin flow and I wanna make enough / money man I don’t need to make amazing dough

But I won’t say no to that / it’s like icing on the cake or what i would call a shoulder tap / a few perks for no bogus rap / now don’t you get lost, cause no road is mapped

And a rap career’s like a gamble, no procter / but these rhymes are so soothing, no doctor / lyrics run through mind, no prompter / cause I came to be me, no mobster

So let me give a shout out / to all y’all out there, the reason that I’m out here / rappin my heart out as if I’m being scouted / so that’s why I put my money where my mouth is

And I wanna let you know / after every show I get closer to the goal / after every show you get closer to my soul / closer to the road life far away from home

But i guess it’s all about perfect rhyming / and some would say it’s all about perfect timing / in that case, man I wanna wear a Swiss watch / so pardon me if I stare at my wrist a lot

I can’t risk to stop when I feel weak / I’m running with tweek and you know we can’t miss the spot / so I’m just out here breaking bread / crutches by my side should you wish me to break a leg.

12. On my own
Morceau plus profond pour terminer qui parle de l’absence, du décès de son grand-père qui a eu une très grande influence sur son amour pour la musique ainsi que de sa relation avec son père.

How do you say goodbye to all those you cherish cherish / when they go, they leave memories that you embelish / thinkin bout those moments, the ones you should have relished / I guess it’s the past now but eyes are turning redish

And my eyes are turning wet, cause my mind can’t help it / Your absence is a void that no presence can replenish / so i can say that I miss you / I keep thinkin bout the time that i miss used

I guess it’s hard to say goodbye / even harder to let go, teary eyes and wet noses / and that’s why I sing this song / when I think of my mom and how she felt when I left home

But surely that’s just the way it is / and suddenly you realize how sweet a fragrance was / and suddenly it makes me think about the way we live / and the way we give

Chorus

I hate it when you leave
I hate it when you go
I hate to feel alone
When it’s crowded round me
So I’m kinda on my own

I came to see you on the morning in december / I ended up mourning you in December / man, that wasn’t part of the plan / I had a lot to share with a drink in our hand

I wasn’t ready for you to go / I guess you weren’t neither otherwise you would’ve known / otherwise you would’ve told us like the wise man you were / it took time I know for me to finally find my words

To say how much I miss you, to say how much I’m grateful / I hope I smiled enough when you were looking over my craddle / to the kindest man I’ve known, see how much I’ve grown / I miss hearin you sing over that saxophone

You’d make me listen to Coltrane / and it would light up my day in the middle of cold rains / I wish I never had to write this verse / but now I know what time is worth

Chorus

It’s funny how things change now that I am this age / i’m feeling kinda old and I know that it’s a bit strange / cause I’m only 26 / And i’m livin on my own while my pops is in a big plane

Comin back and forth to visit / and everytime he leaves I can’t help it but to miss him / and I can tell that he misses us / I can tell cause I can feel it through his kiss & hugs

So many things that we don’t say / so many things that my pride wouldn’t display / I know this shit is kinda stupid but / give time to tuck in my pride and I will do it

Cause I know that no one stays around forever / no one stays for good so better tell em what you feel / better tell em what you deal with regardless of the weather / better late than never cause you never know.

Tweek en concert:
Sa 16.04.2011 Melting Pot Night, Aubonne, www.facebook.com/mpnfestival
Sa 07.05.2011 Salle des Fêtes (1ère partie de Shaka Ponk), Thonex, www.thonex.ch/culture
Sa 21.05.2011 Le Lux, Le Locle, www.lelux-concerts.ch
Sa 11.06.2011 Art & Life, Sion, www.artandlife.ch
Ve 17.06.2011 Festival de la Terre, Lausanne, www.festivaldelaterre.ch
Sa 18.06.2011 Red Pigs Festival, Payerne, www.redpigsfestival.ch
Ve 08.07.2011 Festicheyres, Cheyres, www.festicheyres.ch