B2K was an American R&B music group from Los Angeles, California with Omari… Read Full Bio ↴B2K was an American R&B music group from Los Angeles, California with Omarion, Lil' Fizz, Raz-B and J-Boog as its members. Founded and managed by music producer Chris Stokes, they were active from 2001 until 2004 and released two albums, 2001's B2K and 2002's Pandemonium!. They also featured in the film You Got Served as a breakdancing crew, and several songs by the group were featured on the film's soundtrack album. In 2008 there were talks of a reunion, and a new song titled 'Body Up' leaked onto the internet featuring all the members except Omarion, but these rumours have never been confirmed.

Even though they were newcomers to the industry, their first LP, 2002's B2K, became an instant hit. Their second (and final) regular studio album, Pandemonium!, was released in December of the same year, and garned the US #1 hit single "Bump, Bump, Bump" and "Girlfriend". The group was featured regularly on the covers of teen magazines such as Right On! and Word Up, and released a Christmas album in-between their regular two albums entitled Santa Hooked Me Up.

In addition to that, they were featured on the soundtrack album for MGM's film Barbershop and headlined The Scream Tour, their third, in 2003. Marques Houston, Jhene, Mario and Nick Cannon were also performers on The Scream Tour.

Those who were against the california-based boy band often claimed that their music is too mainstream, thus resulting in the boy band garnering nicknames such as, "B2Gay" and "B2Fugly."

In January 2004, Chris Stokes announced that the group had broken up. Three of the members claimed financial mishandling by Stokes' management company, TUG (The Ultimate Group); the fourth member, Omarion, claimed the allegations were untrue.

In the midst of the breakup, Screen Gems's You Got Served, a film starring the members of the group and Omarion's half-brother Marques Houston as breakdancers, went into general release on January 30, 2004, and hitting number one at the box office, earned more money than any other film that opened during a Super Bowl weekend. A number of the group's songs were featured on the film's soundtrack album.

Ante Up
B2K Lyrics

Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴

Take minks off, take things off
Take chains off, take rings off
Bracelets is yapped, Fame came off
Ante up, everything off

Fool, what you want? We stifflin' fools
Fool, what you want? Your life or your jewels?
The rules, back 'em down, next thing, clap 'em down

Respect mine, we Brooklyn bound now

Brownsville, home of the brave
Put in work in the street like a slave
Keep a rugged dress code, always in this stress mode
That shit will send you to your grave, so?

You think, I don't know that? Blow
Nigga hold that, blow, nigga hold that, blow,
Nigga hold that
From the street cousin, you know the drill
I'm nine hundred and ninety nine thou short of a mil

Ante up, yap that fool
Ante up, kidnap that fool
It's the perfect timin', you see the man shinin'
Get up off them God damn diamonds

Ante up, oh, yap that fool, oh
Ante up, oh, kidnap that fool
Get him, get him, hit him, hit him
Yap him, zap him, yap him, zap him

Them thugs you know, ain't friendly
Them jewels you rock, make 'em envy
You thinkin' it's all good, you creep through a small hood
Goons comin' up outta a cut for your goods and they all should

Ante up, yap that fool
You want big money, kidnap that fool
If you up in the club, back out your pistol money
Catch them fools at the bar for that Crystal money

The '87 stick up kids, what you niggas sayin'?
Get the fuck up, out that 740 shorty, I ain't playin'
It's flash that thing time, bang, bang time
Ante up, nigga, it's game time

Hand over the ring, take over the chain
Gimme the fuckin' watch before I pop one in your brain
Stop playin' these childish games with me
Representin' 1-7-1-8, dangerously, nigga

Ante up, yap that fool
Ante up, kidnap that fool
It's the perfect timin', you see the man shinin'
Get up off them God damn diamonds

Ante up, oh, yap that fool, oh
Ante up, oh, kidnap that fool
Get him, get him, hit him, hit him
Yap him, zap him, yap him, zap him

I'm a, street regulator, true player hater
Get back down, make your ass a mac spray hater
Things that we need, money, clothes, weed indeed
Hats, food, booze, essentials, credentials

Code of the streets, owners who creep
Slow when you sleep, holdin' the heat
Put holes in your jeep, respect the streets
It's the Lil' Fame

Yeah, nigga dance, gave you a chance
'Cause I blazed your man, I'm in the wrong
He said he was strong
I had reason to believe he had some shit up his sleeve all along

So, fuck you, your honor, check my persona
I'm strong enough for old gold and marijuana
I'm a do what I wanna, quiet as kept
Raise hell, til I was tired of stress, yes Lord

Ante up, yap that fool
Ante up, kidnap that fool
It's the perfect timin', you see the man shinin'
Get up off them God damn diamonds

Ante up, oh, yap that fool, oh
Ante up, oh, kidnap that fool
Get him, get him, hit him, hit him
Yap him, zap him, yap him, zap him

The fuck, the fuck, the fuck
Nigga, what the fuck, what the fuck, what the fuck?

What?
First family, first family, Brooklyn, yeah

Overall Meaning

In B2K's song Ante Up, the lyrics talk about robbing and stealing. The hook encourages people to take off their expensive valuables, such as minks, rings, chains, and bracelets, before getting robbed. The song seems to be talking about a robbery in which the artist and his teammates are attempting to intimidate and rob their victim. The song includes many threats and boasts about the group's toughness and skill as robbers. The song establishes a rugged, street-smart persona for the artist.

The lyrics of the song are designed to be strong and menacing, but the beat is upbeat and catchy, creating an interesting contrast. The song is also heavily influenced by hip-hop and rap music's roots in New York City, from Brownsville, Brooklyn, to be specific. The song reinforces the stereotype of Brooklyn as a hard, dangerous place, where violence and theft are common.

Line by Line Meaning

Take minks off, take things off
Remove all your valuables, clothing, and accessories

Take chains off, take rings off
Remove all your jewelry

Bracelets is yapped, Fame came off
Even your bracelets are removed and your fame can't protect you

Ante up, everything off
Put all your possessions in a pile and prepare to hand them over

Fool, what you want? We stifflin' fools
What do you want from us? We're overpowering you

Fool, what you want? Your life or your jewels?
We're giving you a choice between your life and your jewels

The rules, back 'em down, next thing, clap 'em down
If the rules are violated, we'll back you down and then shoot you

Respect mine, we Brooklyn bound now
We demand respect and we're from Brooklyn

Brownsville, home of the brave
Brownsville is a tough and dangerous neighborhood

Put in work in the street like a slave
Work hard in the streets to make money

Keep a rugged dress code, always in this stress mode
Maintain a tough clothing style and live in constant stress

That shit will send you to your grave, so?
Living like that can lead to an early death, but so what?

You think, I don't know that? Blow
You think I'm ignorant? Stop talking and act

Nigga hold that, blow, nigga hold that, blow,
Shut up and take the hit

Nigga hold that
Stop complaining and submit

From the street cousin, you know the drill
We're from the street and you should know by now how it works

I'm nine hundred and ninety nine thou short of a mil
I'm almost a millionaire but not quite there yet

Ante up, yap that fool
Put more pressure on the victim to turn over their possessions

Ante up, kidnap that fool
If necessary, resort to kidnapping to get what we want

It's the perfect timin', you see the man shinin'
We've chosen the right moment to strike because we see that the target has valuable possessions

Get up off them God damn diamonds
Give us your diamond jewelry

You want big money, kidnap that fool
If we want a lot of money, we might have to resort to kidnapping

If you up in the club, back out your pistol money
Bring a lot of money with you to the club to protect yourself

Catch them fools at the bar for that Crystal money
Trick the victim into buying expensive drinks and then take their money and jewels

Them thugs you know, ain't friendly
The people we associate with are dangerous and not to be trusted

Them jewels you rock, make 'em envy
Your jewelry makes others want to take it from you

You thinkin' it's all good, you creep through a small hood
You feel safe and walk through the wrong neighborhood

Goons comin' up outta a cut for your goods and they all should
Thugs suddenly appear from nowhere to rob you

Get him, get him, hit him, hit him
Grab him and beat him

Yap him, zap him, yap him, zap him
Verbally intimidate him and use a stun gun if necessary

I'm a, street regulator, true player hater
I am an enforcer of street justice and someone who hates those who try to play me

Get back down, make your ass a mac spray hater
Back down and realize that I'm not someone to mess with, or else you'll get hurt

Things that we need, money, clothes, weed indeed
Things that we desire include money, stylish clothes, and marijuana

Hats, food, booze, essentials, credentials
We also want hats, food, alcohol, basic necessities, and fame

Code of the streets, owners who creep
The street code and people who live by it

Slow when you sleep, holdin' the heat
Be careful when sleeping and always carry a firearm

Put holes in your jeep, respect the streets
We're willing to shoot and you should respect the rules of the street

It's the Lil' Fame
This is Lil' Fame speaking

Yeah, nigga dance, gave you a chance
You could have avoided this situation, but you didn't

'Cause I blazed your man, I'm in the wrong
It's your fault that your friend was shot because of your actions

He said he was strong
Your friend thought he was tough

I had reason to believe he had some shit up his sleeve all along
I suspected that he had a weapon or other advantage all along

So, fuck you, your honor, check my persona
The law and authority mean nothing to me, just look at my attitude

I'm strong enough for old gold and marijuana
I'm tough enough to handle anything, including old-fashioned jewelry and drugs

I'm a do what I wanna, quiet as kept
I'll do what I want and keep it a secret

Raise hell, til I was tired of stress, yes Lord
I'll cause chaos until I'm sick of the stress it brings

The fuck, the fuck, the fuck
An expression of frustration or anger

Nigga, what the fuck, what the fuck, what the fuck?
What's going on here?

First family, first family, Brooklyn, yeah
Referring to the top people from Brooklyn

Lyrics © Universal Music Publishing Group
Written by: D. PITTMAN, ERIC GEORGE MURRAY, JAMAL GERARD GRINNAGE, ANTHONY CORNELIUS HAMILTON, WILL C. SOLOMON, JEANINE MARIE SMITH

Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind

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