Adams released two albums under the stage name Dre Dog: The New Jim Jones in 1993 and I Hate You With a Passion in 1995. I Hate You With a Passion peaked at #79 on the Billboard Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums chart and #3 on the Billboard Heatseekers chart. In 1998, Adams changed his then current stage name to Andre Nickatina, and released the albums Cocaine Raps and Raven in My Eyes, which were released independently under Dogday Records. Unlike his albums released under the name Dre Dog, Cocaine Raps had deeper production values. Raven in My Eyes was noted for emphasizing "sequencers and keyboards that buzz and whine" over live instrumentation, as reviewed by Todd S. Inoue of the news magazine Metroactive. That year, he founded his own record label, Fillmoe Coleman. Nickatina explained in an interview with Strivin magazine that his name change was "for the better" and that he raps because he feels that he is talented enough to do so but not for the sake of popularity.
Soon afterwards, his following three albums, Tears of a Clown (1999), Daiquiri Factory: Cocaine Raps, Vol. 2 and These R the Tales (both 2000) made him more well-known in the West Coast underground rap scene. Mosi Reeves of the San Francisco Bay Guardian noted Nickatina's popularity at a CD release party for another underground Bay Area rapper, Smoov-E; Reeves called Nickatina "a quick-witted rapper who spits as hard as Kurupt does". A combo CD/movie project, Conversation with a Devil, followed in 2003. Charlie Amter, a music critic for SF Weekly, regarded the film as a knockoff of the classic gangster movie Scarface. Nate Denver for the SF Bay Guardian praised the album, though. Another album, The Gift followed in 2005, when the newspaper SF Weekly named Nickatina the "Best Local Hip Hop Legend" of that year. In 2008, he released A Tale of Two Andres with Mac Dre. Although they released only two songs together, they were close friends and the album was a tribute to his memory.
Ayo For Yayo
Andre Nickatina Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Yeah, listen to the story I'm about to tell
Another tale about that yayo
Little girl once innocent and sweet
14 introduced to the street
Started from weed, big smoke outs
Before you could exhale, blunt in your mouth
Now you need something else to do
A new high to try, a new place to go
Introduced to the yay to the yo
House full of girls, old and young
Plate on the table takin' one on ones
Use dollar bills just to snort the lines
You see the big girls do it so of
Course it's fine
Cocaine enforced on your mind
Now blow, then they blow in ya time
I used to go ayo for yayo
Walk around with yayo, all in my nasal
I must have been craze yo
Ayo for yayo
Walk around with yayo, all in my nasal
I must have been craze yo
Choppin' and coppin' the kicks
Supplying people with they fix
Where you fit?
On Fillmore Street is where you sit
Don't go in the house 'til you move a zip
Worked a day and night shift
To stay awake, a nigga might sniff
Not too much 'cause you might slip
Instead of 28, you cookin' 26
Keep a gat and a pack in the sock
Take a couple of toots, then its back to the block
Back to the service out the sack
Experimenting with that soft, wonder 'bout that crack, huh?
One try, another try without a doubt
Papered out, always at the powder house
Day time, night time, nigga powdered out
Could've been a papered-up powerhouse
Ayo for yayo
Walk around with yayo, all in my nasal
I must have been craze yo
Ayo for yayo
Walk around with yayo, all in my nasal
I must have been craze yo
Like you and I, super high, like superfly
One more line, one more rhyme like Peruvian fine
I can keep you down, and get you high
You like to blow? Like Boston George?
You want some more, for you and your whores?
I kick off wars, and get behind walls
And corporate doors, executive nose sore
Rich man high, eight balls and quarters
They call me, placing they orders
Bring me across the border, buyin' the cake
Before I'm sold, they take a taste
Snortin' habit, not worth affordin'
Some use me, strictly out of boredom
I hooked people before man, I warned them
I took many people out before them
Doing my job, connected wit the mob
Got President Bush, Whitney, and Bob
Many others all walks of life have one on ones with me every night
I used to go ayo for yayo
Walk around with yayo, all in my nasal
I must have been craze yo
Ayo for yayo
Walk around with yayo, all in my nasal
I must have been craze yo
Ayo for yayo
Walk around with yayo, all in my nasal
I must have been craze yo
Ayo for yayo
Walk around with yayo, all in my nasal
I must have been craze yo
The song "Ayo" by Andre Nickatina is a vivid description of the detrimental effects of drug addiction, specifically cocaine addiction. The lyrics speak of a young girl who is introduced to the drug and becomes addicted, spiraling into a life of prostitution and drug dealing. The chorus repeats the phrase "Ayo for yayo" which is a street slang term for asking for cocaine. The lyrics describe the destructive nature of the drug, how it can take over one's life and lead to desperate measures to obtain and use the drug.
The lyrics also touch on the supply chain of cocaine, from the drug dealers who traffic it to the rich and powerful who use it. Andre Nickatina describes himself as a drug supplier and talks about his connections to the mob, implying that the drug trade is not only prevalent but also deeply ingrained in society. Despite the dark subject matter, the song is not glorifying drug use, but rather highlighting the dangers and consequences of addiction.
Line by Line Meaning
Yeah
An exclamation to introduce the upcoming story
Listen to the story I'm about to tell
A request to listen up as Andre shares his experience
Another tale about that yayo
The story will involve the drug Yayo
Little girl once innocent and sweet
The subject of the story was once a young, innocent girl
14 introduced to the street
She was introduced to the street life at a young age
Started from weed, big smoke outs
Her drug use started with smoking weed
Before you could exhale, blunt in your mouth
She smoked weed frequently and consistently
Sham, Nay, blew you blew
She was introduced to the drug Yayo by Sham and Nay
Now you need something else to do
The subject needed something stronger to satisfy her
A new high to try, a new place to go
She ventured into harder drugs and new dangerous environments
Introduced to the yay to the yo
She was introduced to cocaine
House full of girls, old and young
She spent time in a house with girls of all ages
Plate on the table takin' one on ones
They used dollar bills to take lines of Yayo
Use dollar bills just to snort the lines
They used dollar bills to snort cocaine
You see the big girls do it so of / Course it's fine
She justified her drug use based on what the 'big girls' were doing
Cocaine enforced on your mind
Cocaine took over her thoughts and decisions
Now blow, then they blow in ya time
She started to snort cocaine regularly with others
I used to go ayo for yayo
Andre used to do drugs, specifically Yayo
Walk around with yayo, all in my nasal
He frequently used cocaine and had it in his system
I must have been craze yo
He realizes how insane it was to use drugs so heavily
Choppin' and coppin' the kicks
He was involved in the process of buying and cutting drugs
Supplying people with they fix
He was providing people with drugs
Where you fit?
He asks the listener where they stand on the drug use spectrum
On Fillmore Street is where you sit
Fillmore Street was known for drug activity
Don't go in the house 'til you move a zip
Don't enter a house until you bought drugs from it
Worked a day and night shift
He would work long hours, day and night
To stay awake, a nigga might sniff
He used cocaine to stay awake during long shifts
Not too much 'cause you might slip
He had to be careful not to use too much cocaine and get addicted
Instead of 28, you cookin' 26
Instead of cooking up 28 grams, he only has 26
Keep a gat and a pack in the sock
He always has a gun and drugs on him
Take a couple of toots, then its back to the block
He would take a few snorts of cocaine before going back to selling drugs
Back to the service out the sack
He returns to selling cocaine
Experimenting with that soft, wonder 'bout that crack, huh?
He wonders about crack cocaine and experiments with it
One try, another try without a doubt
He continues to try crack cocaine without hesitation
Papered out, always at the powder house
He was always around drugs and had money from selling them
Day time, night time, nigga powdered out
He used cocaine regularly, whether it was day or night
Could've been a papered-up powerhouse
He could have had a lot of money and power from selling drugs
Like you and I, super high, like superfly
He compares himself and other drug users to the cool character Superfly
One more line, one more rhyme like Peruvian fine
He compares cocaine to good quality Peruvian drugs
I can keep you down, and get you high
He can control someone's drug use and the effects of the drug
You like to blow? Like Boston George?
He asks if someone likes to use cocaine, like the infamous drug trafficker Boston George
You want some more, for you and your whores?
He questions if someone wants more cocaine for themselves and their prostitutes
I kick off wars, and get behind walls
He is willing to go to war and do illegal activities for drugs
And corporate doors, executive nose sore
Even executives and wealthy people get addicted to drugs
Rich man high, eight balls and quarters
Wealthy people use cocaine in large amounts
They call me, placing they orders
People request drugs from Andre
Bring me across the border, buyin' the cake
He is willing to bring drugs across the border to make more money
Before I'm sold, they take a taste
Buyers often request a sample before purchasing drugs
Snortin' habit, not worth affordin'
A cocaine habit is not financially affordable in the long run
Some use me, strictly out of boredom
Some people use drugs just because they're bored
I hooked people before man, I warned them
Andre admits to getting people hooked on drugs and says he warned them about the dangers
I took many people out before them
He has seen many people die or suffer from drug addiction before he did
Doing my job, connected wit the mob
He was involved in drug trafficking and was connected to a criminal organization
Got President Bush, Whitney, and Bob
He may have provided drugs for famous people like President George Bush, Whitney Houston, and Bob Marley
Many others all walks of life have one on ones with me every night
He has provided drugs for people from all backgrounds and walks of life
Lyrics © O/B/O APRA AMCOS
Written by: ANDRE LAMOND ADAMS
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
49erKing510
2023 & it’s still a Song To Blast after you get off work 😅🎉🎶
Hector Mendoza
Ayoo
Rebecca Nicole
May or may not be doing a blast to it as well
SirDabzMcGee
This was my song in HS. Graduated 09' we would play this after school in the car w/ a blunt and everyone rapping/singing
Suplex City
Same man!!! Simpler times...
n b
@Suplex City 07 and the sentence just took me back
Alex Friedman
This was like middle school man.... Like 2002 or 2003. Good times. Shit was sooo much more simple back then in the early 2000's before social media and stuff. Much much better times.
Jovanni Sanchez
Incoming Class of 25’ my older brother in his mid 20’s once played this on our way to wash a car since we detail and I help him out on weekends. When I heard this the beat, flow, guitar in the back, and good lyrics this was a must in my playlist. Still play this from time to time.
Teresa Cherry
That's the year I should have graduated
nick brown
It's crazy how some artists almost become lost in time. When I was about 13-20 and heavy into the hip hop blogs, Andre Nickatina was always guy brought up in top 10s of people who had a different taste