Finding their inspiration from the diverse city blocks and night club scene of Southern California, FM has built a strong internet fan base and a new lifestyle brand for the next generation of youth around the world. “The Far East Movement is the name for our music, lifestyle, and our party. For the diverse music fan that hits up 3 clubs in 1 night, tuned to the racing scene and fashion, and back on the computer religiously checking blogs and sites for anything related to that.”- FM
FM has embarked on 2 World Tours (including the USA, South America, Canada, Europe and Asia) and recently featured on the 35 city Party Rock Tour with LMFAO, signed distribution deals in Japan and Korea (Avex Network and JF Productions respectively), garnered multiple features on MTV World, and also featured music on worldwide media such as FOX’s “So You Think You Can Dance”, MTV’s “America’s Best Dance Crew”, ABC Family’s Lincoln Heights, CBS Primetime shows “CSI: Miami” and “CSI: NY”, multiple placements on HBO’s “Entourage”, “Fast & Furious Tokyo Drift” and “Finishing the Game” (a featured film at Sundance 2007). FM was also the first Asian act to perform at the Sundance Film Festival’s prestigious Music Café Gala hosted by ASCAP, and was also recently a featured act at the Cannes Film Festival in France. As producers, FM worked with Jin the Emcee to create ABC JIN, an award-winning, platinum album that broke records for first week sales in Hong Kong.
In the world of marketing, the Far*East Movement has been sought out by major companies to endorse their products. They worked with McDonalds as celebrity judges and were featured artists for the national Big Mac Chant campaign and spokespersons/tour headliners for McDonald’s Lost Ring campaign during the 2008 Olympics. FM was also a featured artist for Verizon Wireless’s LG Dare ‘Touch One’ Campaign. They’ve also co-created a series of live concerts with Wong Fu Productions to benefit community outreach called the International Secret Agents with endorsements by JCPenney and Verizon.
Far East Movement’s single “Girls On The Dance Floor” has taken over clubs and radio stations around the world, reaching #1 on Los Angeles radio and charting on the Billboard Charts. On February 12th, 2010, the Far East Movement officially signed their first major label record deal with Cherrytree / Interscope Records. After 2 independent album releases and a rigorous tour schedule, the Far East Movement is in the studio working with the Stereotypes (Production team) on their 3rd album and first major release in 2010.
The original members of Far East Movement, Kevin Nishimura (Kev Nish), James Roh (Prohgress), and Jae Choung (J-Splif), grew up in Koreatown, Los Angeles, California. They were close companions in high school and shared a passion for music together. The trio promoted their music online and began performing at local clubs and events in Los Angeles; soon, they began their musical career with the name "Emcee's Anonymous" by 2001. However, they later changed it to Far East Movement or FM, originating from a song that they produced with the same name. In 2003, they organized together an event called "Movementality" in Koreatown, LA, featuring ten different performances with all the proceeds sent to a local youth drug rehabilitation center. On September 21, 2016, S.M Entertainment, one of the largest entertainment companies in South Korea, announced that Chanyeol, from popular K-pop band EXO, would be collaborating with Far East Movement in their track "Freal Luv", which also features Tinashe and Marshmello.[26]
On October 10, 2016, Starship Entertainment announced that Hyolyn, from K-pop girl-group Sistar, would be featured in a new song titled "Umbrella".
Both songs were included in the band's fifth studio album, Identity, released on October 21. It features various Korean artists, such as Tiffany from Girls' Generation, rappers Yoon Mi-rae, Jay Park, Loco and R&B group Urban Zakapa, along with American singer-songwriter Macy Gray, rapper Soulja Boy and credits from British singer-producer MNEK. Identity debuted at #1 on the global iTunes dance charts.[citation needed] The music video for "Freal Luv" was viewed over 30 million times on YouTube.
On October 14, 2016, Far East Movement released "We Out Here" featuring Blackbear and Thurz.
On November 23, 2016, Far East Movement announced that J-Splif had left the group due to family reasons.
On October 26, 2018, Far East Movement released a song titled "Bamboo" which features vocals from Jason Zhang and Kina Grannis.
On February 8, 2019, Far East Movement released a single titled "Blossoms" which features Troop Brand and Chinese rapper Vava.
On March 14, 2019, Far East Movement released a single titled "Lovebird" which features Lay.
On April 19, 2019, Far East Movement released a single titled "Paint the Clouds" which features vocals from Tia Ray.
On June 21, 2019, Far East Movement released a single titled "Maps", featuring Diamond, Starchild Yeezo, and Rell the Soundbender.
On July 26, 2019, Far East Movement released a single titled "Glue", featuring Heize and Shawn Wasabi.
On February 14, 2020, Far East Movement released a single "Nice Things" (with Henry and AlunaGeorge)
On May 14, 2020, Far East Movement released a single “Let the Future In” With Karen Mok
On May 18, 2020, Far East Movement released a single “ We Are the Truth” With Sha Sha Jones
down to ride
Far East Movement Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Bump bump kick till the wheels fall off
Nothin' on my mind, skatin' till I die
Bump bump kick till the wheels fall off
Yo, it's going down
You about to witness
Pound fo' pound
We lift the globe on our own, defy physics
And we keep our sound mo' precious then jail visits
Always stay ahead, even if the wheels broke
Some HD40 keep us smooth on the rode
We done made moves down to the deepest trenches
A little kick flip, ollie over lunch benches
Chillin' on deck something on the boards
Grind to ya black till our ten toes are sore
Stars in the makin' so you betta take a flick
And if ya down to roll just pump pump kick
Now, it's just one of those thangs
When ya gotta job and ya ain't got paid
Livin' with ya moms and ya ain't got laid
Always on the grind (skate, skate)
Say it's just one of those thangs
When ya gotta job and ya ain't got paid
Livin' with ya moms and ya ain't got laid
Always down to ride (skate, skate)
Ay yo, old school flava with new school kicks
Curb hop, hip hop, funk the skate kids
Sidewalk swerving, freestyle fellowships
Fat lace, finger flip, hang on my grip
'cause I'm crusin' down the street on my skateboard
Jockin' the freaks, pimp slappin' you hos
Stuck in the lome, 'cause the 5-0s follow me home
Ridin' on bones, independent, got me grindin' on poles
I'm in the zone, nobody know the way my bearings will roll
The rodes of LA got me Curious George
My parents is pissed off 'cause I never come home
Why don't you clones just leave me alone
Now, it's just one of those thangs
When ya gotta job and ya ain't got paid
Livin' with ya moms and ya ain't got laid
Always on the grind (skate, skate)
Say it's just one of those thangs
When ya gotta job and ya ain't got paid
Livin' with ya moms and ya ain't got laid
Always down to ride (skate, skate)
This chick she said she digs my rip game, stay grashin'
Yea the kid thick, plus he kick flip the big change, mashin'
Fat tracklist, pull her over just fo' practice
The wind up pitch, she call it MacTwist
We ridin', grindin' till the wheels fall off
We power slidin', 7-20 that plan
The profit is logical, nothing out of our reach
We call highly impossible
Gettin' insane, brane, meng it's frightening
The way she got me switchin' lanes
I call it half pipin' it, lots of it
Then when she done, I call that pop shove it
Far East, Big BlackSil, you gotta love it
This is on a daily album, calenders face it
It's dangerous
Skate, skate
Now, it's just one of those thangs
When ya gotta job and ya ain't got paid
Livin' with ya moms and ya ain't got laid
Always on the grind (skate, skate)
Say it's just one of those thangs
When ya gotta job and ya ain't got paid
Livin' with ya moms and ya ain't got laid
Always down to ride (skate, skate)
That's all we do, we do
Skate, skate X4
The lyrics to "Down to Ride" by Far East Movement are an ode to skateboarding culture and the dedicated skaters who are constantly grinding and pushing themselves to their limits. The song opens with the chorus "Always on the grind, always down to ride, bump bump kick till the wheels fall off, nothin' on my mind, skatin' till I die, bump bump kick till the wheels fall off." These lines set the tone for the theme of the song, which is the skateboarding lifestyle and the dedication necessary to succeed in this sport.
The song continues with verses about the skaters defying gravity and pushing themselves to their limits with tricks like "kick flip, ollie over lunch benches" and "power slidin', 7-20 that plan." They also have a sense of rebellion, with lines like "Stuck in the lome, 'cause the 5-0s follow me home" and "My parents are pissed off 'cause I never come home, Why don't you clones just leave me alone." These lines capture the spirit of youth rebellion and the freedom that comes from doing what you love.
Overall, "Down to Ride" is a rallying cry for skateboarders and anyone who's passionate about following their dreams and defying norms. The upbeat, high-energy nature of the song, combined with the imagery of skating, creates a highly evocative experience that will resonate with anyone who's ever felt the rush of the wind in their face as they skate down the street.
Line by Line Meaning
Always on the grind, always down to ride
We are always working hard and ready for anything.
Bump bump kick till the wheels fall off
We'll keep going no matter what.
Nothin' on my mind, skatin' till I die
We're focused on skating and nothing else.
Yo, it's going down
Something exciting is about to happen.
You about to witness
You're about to see something amazing.
Pound fo' pound, best contenders in the business
We are the best in what we do.
We lift the globe on our own, defy physics
We can achieve impossible things.
And we keep our sound mo' precious then jail visits
Our music is more important to us than anything else.
Always stay ahead, even if the wheels broke
We always stay ahead, no matter what happens.
Some HD40 keep us smooth on the rode
We use HD40 to keep our boards running smoothly.
We done made moves down to the deepest trenches
We've been everywhere, even to the most difficult places.
A little kick flip, ollie over lunch benches
We're skilled enough to do tricks like kick flips and ollies.
Chillin' on deck something on the boards
We're relaxing on our boards, taking a break.
Grind to ya black till our ten toes are sore
We'll keep grinding until we're exhausted.
Stars in the makin' so you betta take a flick
We're going to be famous, so take a picture now.
And if ya down to roll just pump pump kick
If you want to join us, keep grinding and you'll get there.
Now, it's just one of those thangs
It's just a common experience.
When ya gotta job and ya ain't got paid
When you have a job but haven't received your paycheck.
Livin' with ya moms and ya ain't got laid
Living with your mother and not having sex.
Say it's just one of those thangs
It's just a common experience.
Ay yo, old school flava with new school kicks
We value both old and new styles of skating.
Curb hop, hip hop, funk the skate kids
We mix different styles of music and skating.
Sidewalk swerving, freestyle fellowships
We skate freely and enjoy each other's company.
Fat lace, finger flip, hang on my grip
We use fat laces and do tricks like finger flips while holding on to our boards.
'cause I'm crusin' down the street on my skateboard
Because I'm riding my skateboard on the street.
Jockin' the freaks, pimp slappin' you hos
We're impressing people while ignoring the haters.
Stuck in the lome, 'cause the 5-0s follow me home
We're stuck in the skater lifestyle because the police monitor us.
Ridin' on bones, independent, got me grindin' on poles
We don't have corporate sponsors and we'll skate anywhere we can.
I'm in the zone, nobody know the way my bearings will roll
I'm focused and no one knows what I'll do next.
The rodes of LA got me Curious George
The streets of LA interest me.
My parents is pissed off 'cause I never come home
My parents are angry because I spend all my time skating.
Why don't you clones just leave me alone
Why can't everyone just let me be myself?
This chick she said she digs my rip game, stay grashin'
This girl likes my skating and I keep impressing her.
Yea the kid thick, plus he kick flip the big change, mashin'
I'm skilled at skating and making money from it.
Fat tracklist, pull her over just fo' practice
I have a great playlist and I want to impress her with my skating.
The wind up pitch, she call it MacTwist
I'm doing a specific trick and she likes it.
We ridin', grindin' till the wheels fall off
We'll keep skating until we can't anymore.
We power slidin', 7-20 that plan
We're doing advanced skating tricks.
The profit is logical, nothing out of our reach
We're making money from skating and there's no limit to what we can achieve.
We call highly impossible
We can do what seems impossible to others.
Gettin' insane, brane, meng it's frightening
Our skating is amazing, it's crazy and even scary.
The way she got me switchin' lanes
She's got me distracted from my skating.
I call it half pipin' it, lots of it
I'm doing another kind of trick, and it's challenging.
Then when she done, I call that pop shove it
When she's gone, I do another trick, the pop shove it.
Far East, Big BlackSil, you gotta love it
You have to appreciate our style and music.
This is on a daily album, calenders face it
We're living the skater lifestyle every day.
It's dangerous
Skating can be dangerous but we still love it.
Skate, skate
Keep going, keep skating.
Contributed by Jake D. Suggest a correction in the comments below.
@nopenonope
Thanks:) I love old school FM.
@Red3o1
Can’t find this on iTunes anymore or anywhere.