1) [1] a UK hi… Read Full Bio ↴There are three musical projects by the name of Kano --
1) [1] a UK hip hop / grime rapper
2) [2] a classic italo-disco project.
3) [3] a Japanese singer who covers Vocaloid songs.
[1] In his early teens Kano attended Langdon Comprehensive School in East Ham, Newham, where his mother still works. Kano was a promising footballer, representing Chelsea F.C., Junior Hammers and Norwich City by the age of thirteen, but in the end he abandoned his sporting ambitions in favour of a musical career. His cousin Jonathan Fortune plays for Charlton Athletic.
His first track was "Boys Love Girls". Kano first became known on the UK grime scene for his work with his original group, N.A.S.T.Y Crew (Natural Artistic Sounds Touching You). From this springboard he was signed as a solo artist and began work on his debut solo album.
He is signed to 679 Recordings and is a label mate of The Streets. He was also a key member in East London’s N.A.S.T.Y. Crew. However, since being signed to 679 recordings, he has now left N.A.S.T.Y Crew, and took Demon and Ghetto with him.
Home Sweet Home was a great critical success, from across the British press, most notably The Independent and The Observer, two creditable UK based newspapers. Many artists in the UK and US have expressed positive views of the album, including Busta Rhymes, Nas, RZA, Jay-Z, Andre 3000 and Chuck D of Public Enemy.
Towards the end of 2005, Kano also released a mixtape, Beats & Bars, which is currently only available at his concerts.
London Town was released on September 10, 2007, which included hit single, "This Is The Girl", featuring Craig David. London Town includes tracks featuring Gorillaz member Damon Albarn formerly of Blur, Kate Nash, Craig David, Vybz Kartel and Leo The Lion.
Kano is also releasing a special Deluxe Limited Edition that includes a DVD featuring a interview with Kano, This Is The Girl video and acoustic studio footage with Craig David.
Kano has now left 679 recordings.
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[2] Kano was a post-disco music project formed in 1979 by Italian-based producers/musicians Luciano Ninzatti, Stefano Pulga and Matteo Bonsanto. They were early producers of a style of Italian dance music called Italo-disco, a blend of 1970s disco and funk with the addition of synthesizers.
Kano's sound was first heard on radio stations and in dance clubs around the world with their debut hit single, 1980's "I'm Ready", from their self-titled debut album (which also included the minor hits, "It's a War" and the instrumental track "Cosmic Voyager"). The b-side of "I'm Ready", "Holly Dolly" used the same essential production elements. "I'm Ready" also peaked at #21 on the Black Singles chart. "It's a War" was also a big hit on the Hot Dance Music/Club Play chart in the U.S., reaching #2 for five weeks.
The project went on to record two other albums, including 1981's "New York Cake" (which included the minor hits "Don't Try to Stop Me", and "Can't Hold Back") and 1983's "Another Life" (including the title track and "I Need Love") which introduced West Indian-born singer Glen White. Their last song was 1985's "This Is the Night".
"I'm Ready" was later used as a sample on a few songs, such as Gigolo Tony's 1986 hit "Hokie Pokie" and Rofo's 1987 hit "Flashlight In A Disconight". The most well-known use of it as a sample is on Tag Team's 1993 hit, "Whoomp! (There It Is)". "Another Life" was remixed by Master Blaster featuring in their 2003 album "We Love Italo Disco". "Another Life" was also sampled in the 2005 track "Discopolis" by Lifelike & Kris Menace. "Ikeya Seki" was sampled by the French electro house artist Kavinsky for his track "Grand Canyon", which appeared on his 2007 EP, 1986.
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[3]Romanized name of the utaite 鹿乃, for a full biography, check that page.
How We Livin
Kano Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
I jus awanna ask 1 question hear me out..
How we Livin'?
My east side niggas how we livin?
How we Livin'?
My bullet proof west how we livin?
How we Livin?
How we Livin?
My niggas dwn south how we livin?
How we livin? How we livin? My niggas how we livin?
Sinning, coz dats the onli way we fink we're winnning.
Killing, coz dats the onli language people listen to.
Slingin, coz that's all you can manage wen you've been into Prison
Forbidden to listen, good riddens to bad rubbish we dnt know how 2 forgive we hold grudges,and we dnt how 2
Receive we throw punches and we dnt kno how to belive..
That there's too much drama,I feel like walking road with two straps and armour,all we care about is
Funds and garms,guns and arms.
The best chik on you're arm,the best watch on you're wrist,you best watch you're wrist coz them boys are,best cop you're
Blist coz dem boys are,best tint you're whip like them boys cars.
But I dnt wanna be cocking it bak and everywhere I go watching my bak,I jus wanna hop on a track do my
Thing not put on an act,I dnt eevn wanna put on bling,fuck up go to jail get put on a wing,got my own mind
Neva been put on a string,coz I jus wanna be the best,I dnt wanna do shows and be in a vest..
Live life to the fullest coz life can be taken away.
Be careful with bullets coz bullets can easily spray.
If he's ready to pull it you better be ready to react
If its duck,buck or say FUCK and get back.
Coz there's too much war,some need a strap jus to go to the corner store,but is it worth the stress
Baking in a vest,wen head shots can take in him the vest,take the bigger steps then you soon can take the
Bigger cheque,coz wen a gun goes off in you're head you will be heading for a closed coffin,I'm dreading that my
Times up soon might die with the 9's up soon,or do suttin dumb and get picked out of the line up soon,coz I'm
In two minds and I kno wots wrong and I know wots right,and I kno I'm strong and I dnt jus say this shit wen I write!..
Live life to the fullest coz life can be taken away.
Be careful with bullets coz bullets can easily spray.
If he's ready to pull it you better be ready to react
If its duck,buck or say FUCK and get back.
How we Livin'?
My east side niggas how we livin?
How we Livin'?
My bullet proof west how we livin?
How we Livin?
My niggas up north how we livin?
How we Livin?
My niggas dwn souf how we livin?
Live life to the fullest coz life can be taken away.
Be careful with bullets coz bullets can easily spray.
If he's ready to pull it you better be ready to react
If its duck,buck or say FUCK and get back.
The lyrics of the song "How We Livin?" by Kano are a reflection on the current state of urban life in inner-city London. The song is an introspection on the negative societal behaviors that have become normalized in these areas, such as sinning, killing, and slinging drugs. The chorus serves as a rhetorical question posed to Kano's fellow east side, bulletproof west, up north, and down south niggas, asking them how they are living in the current climate of urban life.
The first verse delves into the way society has conditioned young men to believe that sinning and killing are the only ways to win. It highlights the fact that these behaviors are a language people listen to, and slinging drugs is often the only way to make a living for individuals who have a criminal record or have been to prison. The passage touches on the idea that forgiveness is a foreign concept in these environments and emphasizes the inability to believe that there is too much drama.
The second verse deals with the chase for materialistic objects like funds, guns, luxury clothing, and jewelry, something that seems to be of more value than human life. The lyrics then shift to the fear of death and the need for individuals to carry guns for protection. The artist believes that it's not worth the stress of having to carry a gun around because when gun violence-strikes the danger is around every corner. The verse ends with a commentary on the tough choices faced by individuals in such communities, being aware of what is right and wrong but with the added stress of incredible consequences that can result from their actions.
Overall, the song can be interpreted as a rallying call to increase awareness about the damaging effects of these societal norms and to start a conversation to find solutions that address them from their root causing rather than perpetuating these harmful behaviors.
Line by Line Meaning
I got a long intro and nutin to say
I have nothing to say, but I want to ask my people a question.
How we Livin'?
How are we doing today?
Sinning, coz dats the onli way we fink we're winnning.
We do bad things because we think it makes us look cool and tough.
Killing, coz dats the onli language people listen to.
We think the only way to get people to pay attention to us is to hurt or kill others.
Slingin, coz that's all you can manage wen you've been into Prison
We sell drugs because we feel like it's the only way we can make money after getting out of prison.
Forbidden to listen, good riddens to bad rubbish we dnt know how 2 forgive we hold grudges,and we dnt how 2 Receive we throw punches and we dnt kno how to belive..
We refuse to listen to others and hold a grudge against those who have wronged us. We can only express our emotions through violence and do not know how to trust and believe in others.
That there's too much drama,I feel like walking road with two straps and armour,all we care about is Funds and garms,guns and arms.
There is too much drama in our lives, and we feel like we need to carry weapons to protect ourselves. We only care about making money and showing off our possessions, including guns.
The best chik on you're arm,the best watch on you're wrist,you best watch you're wrist coz them boys are,best cop you're Blist coz dem boys are,best tint you're whip like them boys cars.
We are obsessed with having the best-looking partner, watch, and car, and we must always be aware of potential thieves. We even go as far as altering the appearance of our cars to match what we think is trendy.
But I dnt wanna be cocking it bak and everywhere I go watching my bak,I jus wanna hop on a track do my Thing not put on an act
I do not want to be in constant fear and danger, always checking my surroundings. I want to focus on making music and not having to fake my behavior to fit in.
Live life to the fullest coz life can be taken away.
We should appreciate every moment because we never know when it could be our last.
Be careful with bullets coz bullets can easily spray.
We must acknowledge and take precautions of the danger of guns because they can hurt innocent people, not just our intended target.
If he's ready to pull it you better be ready to react If its duck,buck or say FUCK and get back.
We must be quick to react and defend ourselves if someone is threatening us with a gun, either by taking cover or retaliating.
Coz there's too much war,some need a strap jus to go to the corner store,but is it worth the stress Baking in a vest,
There is too much violence in our community, and some feel like they need to carry guns with them just to run errands. However, the stress and danger of wearing a bulletproof vest can make one question if it is even worth it.
wen head shots can take in him the vest,take the bigger steps then you soon can take the Bigger cheque,
Even if someone is wearing a bulletproof vest, they can still be vulnerable to a shot in the head. To succeed and achieve more significant accomplishments, one must focus on taking bigger steps forward.
coz wen a gun goes off in you're head you will be heading for a closed coffin,I'm dreading that my Times up soon might die with the 9's up soon,or do suttin dumb and get picked out of the line up soon,coz I'm In two minds and I kno wots wrong and I know wots right,and I kno I'm strong and I dnt jus say this shit wen I write!..
If someone gets shot in the head, they will likely die, and their funeral will follow. Kano is dreading the possibility that he will die soon, either from someone else's gun or leaving a life of crime. He is conflicted between what he knows is right and wrong and claims to be truthful in his lyrics.
Lyrics © OBO APRA/AMCOS
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
No Comment
Such a big tune from back in the day. Needed too in a time of everyone in the scene on a skengman hype, reminded me of when so solid dominated garage on the flip side and turned the garage scene from a gal ting to a war ting, this tune back in the day (even though it was short lived) made people flip opinions and/or at least take 5 seconds to think. I remember grime selectors throwing this down after more fire tunes just to fuck with the crowd back in the day, but I'm rambling, RT this tune has always been a sit back and bun one, fucking love it!
BIIIIIGMAN
very underrated song
Barry Sears
Still on a playlist
Lukey P Persona
Didn’t appreciate this at the time, looking back, this was truly a lot
MHuuudhĀarŔ~ẠŘhhhMmmÊz
*Touching*!_