Heltah Skeltah first appeared on Smif-N-Wessun's album Dah Shinin' in 1995, appearing on the tracks "Wontime (LP Version)", "Cession at da Doghillee (LP Version)" and "Let's Git It On". Later in 1995, they grouped up with fellow Boot Camp members O.G.C. to form The Fab 5 (another nod to The Beatles), and released a surprise hit single, "Leflaur Leflah Eshkoshka". Out of The Fab 5 members, Rock and Ruck received the most amount of attention, due to their notable charisma and chemistry. The duo released their anticipated debut Nocturnal in June 1996, which included "Leflah", as well as the singles "Operation Lock Down" and "Therapy". The album sold over 250,000 copies in the United States, and has become a classic in the underground hip hop scene because of its grimy, basement sound and strong lyrics.
The duo released a group album with the Boot Camp Clik in 1997, then followed in 1998 with their second effort Magnum Force. The album's lead single, "I Ain't Havin' That" (sampled from the A Tribe Called Quest track "Hot Sex"), became a Hot 100 hit. Despite the single's success, most critics slammed the album due to its lighter content. Ruck and Rock seemed disillusioned with their lack of sales, and split in 2000. Rock began having problems with Duck Down Records, and split with the label, signing to DJ Lethal's Lethal Records. He planned to release an album titled Planet Rock, but the label folded and the album disappeared. Sean Price stuck with the Boot Camp for their second group effort The Chosen Few in 2002.
Heltah Skeltah reunited in 2005, making appearances on Sean Price's solo album Monkey Barz and Smif-N-Wessun's Reloaded album. The duo continued work with the Boot Camp for their third group effort The Last Stand, released in July 2006. According to both members, they are also currently working on another Heltah Skeltah album, tentatively titled D.I.R.T., an acronym for Da Incredible Rap Team. Rock is also planning to release his solo debut, tentatively titled Monstah Music, sometime in 2007. In 2007, Heltah Skeltah will appear on Chinga Chang Records March 5th Release The "Official Joints" compilation, a collection of previously unreleased songs by NYC rappers.
Undastand
Heltah Skeltah Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Heltah Skeltah only mean war, undastand
The war's with everything outside your door, undastand
He be are-O, I be are-you, undastand
It can happen to you
Heltah Skeltah start stormin'
Ya up for dreamin' it's mornin', I'm warnin'
A warrant, for the arrest of a militant menace
Who serve heads like tennis with words that diminish
Bust the scrimmage, I call the high post play
Dish off to the center fo' da quick lay
Slay, anybody come in my lane
Gets blown out the frame by the Flipster and lames, look
Who is this gettin' swift with this pugilist
Equipped with the lyrical gift to flip scripts
People duck sick (what?) don't want to touch with that ruff [shit]
That Ruck kick, break boys bones like Roy Jones
Decoys roam, but they can't mess with my people
Hey you stepped to the Ruckus recognize that I be lethal
My gats spits at wack [niggaz] blacks get, tactics
Make it hard for any infiltrator to attack this
Undastand
Heltah Skeltah only mean war, undastand
The war's with everything outside your door, undastand
I be are-O, he be are-you, undastand
It can happen to you
Undastand
Heltah Skeltah only mean war, undastand
The war's with everything outside your door, undastand
He be are-O, I be are-you, undastand
It can happen to you
I really think I oughta tell ya, before I have to belt ya
I make [shit] so hot boy the heat might even swelter
Or melt ya, I nailed ya, [nigga] tried to yell but he felt the
Shell now in hell wondering who's Heltah Skeltah
Sparsky and Dutch, Ruck and, Rock see
We gets buckWILD on your block and harass the cops
No diggy, my head's hot, scream loud and clear
Watch the red dot, move a muscle boy you bed' not
See the last two figures they can't describe me
Military Punisher Rock M.P.
Watch, the, nine millimeter brain better
You won't be beefin' and your heart won't be beatin' either
Either you're real or I hate you I break you
Like glass the bullet brings it to dat ass
Bastard, you talk faster, my gun buck faster
I jet, faster the next L sparked
Undastand
Heltah Skeltah only mean war, undastand
The war's with everything outside your door, undastand
He be are-O, I be are-you, undastand
It can happen to you
Undastand in the midst of utter confusion I got sumpin' for stars
Frontin' in cars and bars when I lace you with my gym star
Recognize real never the rap that's rungy
But my (pow) make yo' [shit] snap like bungee
Once we, unite, like I'm Martin Luther
I'm startin' to shoot the people messin' wit my future
So who's the, wiggy that want to test me and address me
Just to try an impress me them people come and stress me
Undastand, to be the man ain't even the plan
But stand in my way and get crushed under sand
So guard your backs, or matter fact guard your naps on
Down til we you, click your heels times and ahh
I'm at the door bringin' war to your town
It's the Rock, now you gotta Get Away like Bobby Brown
I get down, punk gets pounded like fractions
Worlds get blown when Ruck and Rock start overreactin'
Undastand
Heltah Skeltah only mean war, undastand
The war's with everything outside your door, undastand
He be are-O, I be are-you, undastand
It can happen to you
Undastand
Heltah Skeltah only mean war, undastand
The war's with everything outside your door, undastand
I be are-O, he be are-you, undastand
It can happen to you
Undastand, or you catch the back hand or the Timberland
Undastand, undastand or your catch the back hand or the Timberland
Undastand, or you catch the back hand
Timberland, or the back hand if you don't undastand
Undastand, undastand, undastand... Heltah Skeltah
(Undastand) Original Gunn Clapazz
(Undastand) Cocoa Brovaz a.k.a. Smif-N-Wessun
(Undastand) Representativez forever representin'
(Undastand) Duck Down Entaprisez, niggaz set to recognize this
(Undastand) Return of the B.D.I.
The song "Undastand" by Heltah Skeltah is an aggressive hip-hop track that centers around the idea of war. From the very start of the song, the lyrics make it clear that Heltah Skeltah only mean war and that war is with everything outside your door. The lyrics include a lot of wordplay and rhyming, but the main message is about being prepared for anything and not letting anyone get in your way.
The song talks about the rappers, Ruck and Rock, being militant menaces and serving heads like tennis with their words that diminish. They call themselves the Original Gunn Clapazz and the Cocoa Brovaz a.k.a. Smif-N-Wessun. They warn people that they shouldn't step to Ruckus because he is lethal, and his gats spit at wack [niggaz] blacks get tactics that make it hard for any infiltrator to attack this. The lyrics also talk about how they get buckWILD on your block and harass the cops and move a muscle boy, and your heart won't be beatin' either.
Overall, the song is a warning to anyone who gets in Heltah Skeltah's way. It's a call to arms and a declaration of their strength and readiness for anything. They're not afraid to take on anyone who opposes them and have no problem using their words and guns to do so.
Line by Line Meaning
Heltah Skeltah only mean war, undastand
Heltah Skeltah is all about war, you better understand that
The war's with everything outside your door, undastand
They're at war with everything around you, you better understand that
He be are-O, I be are-you, undastand
He is R-O and I am R-U, you better understand what that means
It can happen to you
You could be in their line of fire too
Heltah Skeltah start stormin'
When Heltah Skeltah shows up, things get crazy
Ya up for dreamin' it's mornin', I'm warnin'
Don't get too comfortable, because they're coming and it won't be pleasant
People who jeal my name ring bells like a doorman
People who are envious of me are easy to spot
A warrant, for the arrest of a militant menace
A warrant has been issued for an aggressive troublemaker
Who serve heads like tennis with words that diminish
This person hits hard with their words and can make others feel inferior
Bust the scrimmage, I call the high post play
They're taking control and calling the shots
Dish off to the center fo' da quick lay
They're passing the ball to the center for an easy score
Slay, anybody come in my lane
Anyone who gets in their way is in trouble
Gets blown out the frame by the Flipster and lames, look
They'll take anyone down, no matter who they are
Who is this gettin' swift with this pugilist
Who is this person fighting with such speed and skill
Equipped with the lyrical gift to flip scripts
They have a talent for turning the tables with their words
People duck sick (what?) don't want to touch with that ruff [shit]
People don't want to deal with the harsh reality of their situation
That Ruck kick, break boys bones like Roy Jones
Their power is like a boxing champion, breaking bones with every hit
Decoys roam, but they can't mess with my people
They see through fake people and will protect their own
Hey you stepped to the Ruckus recognize that I be lethal
Don't mess with them, they have the power to take you down
My gats spits at wack [niggaz] blacks get, tactics
They'll shoot at anyone who's weak or threatening them
Make it hard for any infiltrator to attack this
They're not easily fooled and won't let anyone attack them
I really think I oughta tell ya, before I have to belt ya
They're warning you before they have to take action
I make [shit] so hot boy the heat might even swelter
They bring the heat and things get extremely intense
Or melt ya, I nailed ya, [nigga] tried to yell but he felt the
They'll take you down, and you won't be able to fight back
Shell now in hell wondering who's Heltah Skeltah
Anyone who messes with them will regret it and wonder who they're dealing with
Sparsky and Dutch, Ruck and, Rock see
They are united and ready to take on anyone
We gets buckWILD on your block and harass the cops
They'll bring chaos to your neighborhood and police won't be able to stop them
No diggy, my head's hot, scream loud and clear
They're focused and ready to make their presence known
Watch the red dot, move a muscle boy you bed' not
They're not messing around and they mean business
See the last two figures they can't describe me
They're beyond description and can't be underestimated
Military Punisher Rock M.P.
They're a force to be reckoned with
You won't be beefin' and your heart won't be beatin' either
They'll take you down and leave you lifeless
Either you're real or I hate you I break you
They don't tolerate fakeness and they'll take you down if you're not real
Like glass the bullet brings it to dat ass
Their bullets hit hard and they'll bring you down
Bastard, you talk faster, my gun buck faster
They'll beat you with their words and their gun will take you down even faster
I jet, faster the next L sparked
They move quick and won't be caught off guard
Undastand in the midst of utter confusion I got sumpin' for stars
They have a solution for those who are lost in the chaos
Frontin' in cars and bars when I lace you with my gym star
Don't underestimate me, I'll take you down with my gun
Recognize real never the rap that's rungy
They know what's real and won't settle for anything less
But my (pow) make yo' [shit] snap like bungee
Their bullets pack a punch and will take you down hard
Once we, unite, like I'm Martin Luther
When they come together, they're a powerful force like Martin Luther
I'm startin' to shoot the people messin' wit my future
They won't tolerate anyone who threatens their future
So who's the, wiggy that want to test me and address me
Who wants to mess with them and face the consequences
Just to try an impress me them people come and stress me
People who try to impress them end up just stressing them out
To be the man ain't even the plan
Their goal isn't to be the best, it's to protect their own
But stand in my way and get crushed under sand
If you get in their way, you'll regret it
So guard your backs, or matter fact guard your naps on
Be on guard and protect yourself, because they're coming for you
Down til we you, click your heels times and ahh
They won't stop until they've taken you down
I'm at the door bringin' war to your town
They're coming for you and they're bringing war
It's the Rock, now you gotta Get Away like Bobby Brown
They're not to be messed with and you better run
I get down, punk gets pounded like fractions
They'll beat you down like a fraction and leave you broken
Worlds get blown when Ruck and Rock start overreactin'
Things get crazy when they start reacting to threats
Undastand, or you catch the back hand or the Timberland
You better understand or you'll get hit hard
Heltah Skeltah
This is Heltah Skeltah
(Undastand) Original Gunn Clapazz
This is Original Gunn Clapazz, understand
(Undastand) Cocoa Brovaz a.k.a. Smif-N-Wessun
This is Cocoa Brovaz, also known as Smif-N-Wessun, understand
(Undastand) Representativez forever representin'
We're always representing, understand
(Undastand) Duck Down Entaprisez, niggaz set to recognize this
Duck Down Enterprises, understand that we're here and ready to take on anything
(Undastand) Return of the B.D.I.
This is the return of the B.D.I., understand that we're back and ready to fight
Lyrics © Royalty Network
Written by: J. BUSH, P. HENDRICKS, S. PRICE
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
Sean Faunce
on gettin ass gettin ass
yw
Sean Faunce
on gettin ass gettin ass
aight aight girl I aint doin nothin ether, maybe we could do somethin ya meen,
come through i got the trees ya know, i got the fat bootleg joint ye know what im sayin, new jackie chan joint
I got it on video tape yee know what im sayin? come through
ya never know what could happen ya know what im sayin it might get a little physical ya know
i think im ready to make that move ya know what im sayin like whyyy cant wee go alll the wayy