Having spent the majority of the early part of his career behind the control board and not the mic, Kid Ink crafting his production skills working with multi-platinum artists like Sean “Diddy” Combs and Sean Kingston as well Yung Berg and Nipsey Hussle. Production came natural for Kid Ink, "I started making the beats because I already had several artists trying the rap thing out, so I thought I would be more useful supplying the production." But sitting behind the board was not enough for Kid Ink. Just a few short years ago, Kid Ink picked up the mic and a new contender in the Hip-Hop game was born.
Honing his skills as a songwriter creating hooks for his beats, Kid Ink stepped up his lyrical repertoire with full length and completed songs.
2010 was a breakout year in the young rapper’s career. Teaming up with world-renowned DJ ill Will and DJ Rockstar’s newly formed Tha Alumni Music Group; Kid Ink became more focused in his grind and began working on the underground hit, Crash Landing Mixtape. His hard work paid off and the music industry began to take notice. Within 10 days of its release, Crash Landing garnered critical acclaim, a position at the top of Datpiff.com’s ‘Top Mixtapes of the Week’ section and amassed an astonishing 50 thousand downloads.
After Crash Landings’ debut, national and international request to perform rolled in. Kid Ink has toured the states with stops in Los Angeles, Minneapolis, Denver, Kansas City and Buffalo; and internationally in Toronto, Canada, Zurich, Switzerland, Melbourne, Australia and Krasnador, Russia.
Solidifying himself as a real MC, Kid Ink garnered career-defining features from Hip-Hop and R&B stars including Young Money's Gudda Gudda, Roscoe Dash, Sterling Simms, Bei Maejor, Meek Mill and many more. Kid Ink’s uncompromising work ethic would not allow him to rest on his more than impressive laurels; there needed to be a ‘visual’ movement to showcase his innovative style and unique persona.
Lensed by Director Alex Nazari, Kid Ink released an astounding 8 cutting-edge music videos in 2010 alone. Tearing the Net to shreds, to date his now 26 released videos have garnered a very impressive 50 plus million views.
2011 continued to be phenomenal for the young MC. Having released his (free to the public) sophomore album Daydreamer on June 21st via the internet, the lyrical juggernaut accumulated over 150 thousand downloads in its first week. Fans went ballistic over the album that featured all original production from the likes of The Runners, Lex Luger, Jahlil Beats, Cardiak & Tha Bizness as well as major features from the Cory Gunz, Meek Mill, Ray J, Sean Kingston, Dorrough, Bei Maejor and more.
Bucking the norm of waiting for a major label deal to kick off his career, the rapper has taken his fate in to his own hands and crafted an internet campaign that rivals many of the acts resting high on the Billboard charts. With videos under his belt including Internet sensations “Lowkey Poppin,” “Please” and “Cali Dreamin,’” Kid Ink is definitely rockin’ to his own beat.
Kid Ink continued his 2011 tear by releasing “Wheels Up,” yet another all original Mixtape on October 10th to an overwhelming response. Once again outdoing the numbers his previous project accumulated. Following the release of “Wheels Up,” Ink has been on a mini “Wheels Up” tour including stops in the Bay Area, Denmark, New York, Boston, Toronto, Denver & Chicago to name a few, performing to packed crowds of 600-2,000.
Ink started 2012 red hot as the first single “Time Of Your Life” off his debut album “Up & Away” was picked up in early January by radio & the first week this song was released on iTunes it sold a staggering 20k copies. “Time Of Your Life” peaked at #32 on the Rythmic Radio Charts with 750+ spins a week and has reached an audience of over 100 million selling 160k + singles Independently. In addition, the official video for “Time Of Your Life” has reached over 12 million views on Youtube and was added to regular rotation on MTV Jams and MTV2. Following the success of “Time Of Your Life” and the follow up single “Drippin,” Ink launched his Indie album “Up & Away” in June to commercial success with 20k albums sold the 1st week in the US reaching top 20 on Billboard charts (All Albums) and #2 that week in Hip-Hop/Rap. Immediately following the success of “Up & Away” Ink toured the US, selling out shows throughout the Country including 6 Summer Jam concerts, followed by a headlining “Up & Away” UK Tour that included 25 shows in 35 days – selling out 18 of the shows. “Up & Away” has sold well over 50k albums to date (US) & over 70k worldwide.
After the immediate sales success of “Up & Away,” Ink found himself in a bidding war with all the major labels. Ink decided to cap off his career defining 2012 with another Mixtape in November of 2012 titled “Rocketshipshawty” which has done well over 600k downloads online, followed by 6 videos off the project. Starting off the New Year in 2012 Ink decided to sign a major label deal with RCA Records. On January 3rd, 2013 Ink announced his signing and launched his debut Major Label single “Bad Ass” feat MMG heavyweights Wale & Meek Mill.
His Internet game is just as tight as his rap game. His website, www.kidinkmusic.com gets between 90,000 and 150,000 hits a month, his Facebook page has over a 500,000 Likes, his Twitter game is continually growing with 300k plus Followers, Instagram over 260k follows and via HotNewHipHop.com Kid Ink has a staggering 13 million + digital downloads.
Hold It Down
Kid Ink Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Hope you can hold it down till I'm on my way
Girl I'll give you the world but until the day
Hope you can hold it down until I'm on my way
Girl I'm tryna get to you as fast as I can but until
I get there, can you hold it down girl, hold it down, hold it down, hold it
(Till I'm on my way) hold it down girl
I can see it in your mad eyes, now I'm looking like a bad guy (guy)
A little change in my pocket don't change my heart, you should slow down
Hit a break and park
'Cause you lookin' at me in the wrong way
Don't waste time and throw it all away
So soon, pent-house rooms, high heeled shoes, girl its not an excuse
But I got shit to do like a plumma (plumber)
See you when the sun up, this summa (summer)
I know that times are hard and you might need a break
Hope you can hold it down till I'm on my way
Girl I'll give you the world but until the day
Hope you can hold it down until I'm on my way
Girl I'm tryna get to you as fast as I can but until
I get there, can you hold it down girl, hold it down, hold it down, hold it
(Till I'm on my way) hold it down girl
I am on my way
Heads strong
I hold my weight
With the flow, I hold my own
And on my back I hold my state
Can't help but eat these rappers 'cause they shit-list on my plate
Killing shit
They can't see me till I see the pearly gates
Look, Haters used the ammo that gon' turn me into Rambo
Turn the beat on and the heat on
Watch me murder shit at random
Man First the haters doubt me based on the shit they know about me
I'm the one
Now they feel me in they stomach like an outie
I ain't never made excuses
I just went and made a movement
The flow gotta be crazy
Being broke mean you losin'
Nowadays niggas ain't real
I stay away from illusions
Now I'm in the position to make a million making music
And I will because I'm ill
And there ain't no cure for poppin' pills
And I got drive, you ain't not no wheels
Holla at girls if you got my skills
Look, all these niggas pissed
They could feel it in their bladder
But I've learned that my opinion is the only one that matters
I know that times are hard and you might need a break
Hope you can hold it down till I'm on my way
Girl I'll give you the world but until the day
Hope you can hold it down until I'm on my way
Girl I'm tryna get to you as fast as I can but until
I get there, can you hold it down girl, hold it down, hold it down, hold it
(Till I'm on my way) hold it down girl
In Kid Ink's song 'Hold It Down', the rapper talks about being away from his significant other while he is out chasing his dreams, but assures her that he will provide for her soon. He acknowledges that times are hard and that she might need a break, but he hopes that she can hold it down until he is on his way back to her. Kid Ink asks his girl to be patient and hold it down for him until he is able to give her the world she deserves. He acknowledges that he is out chasing paper, but promises to return as soon as possible.
The lyrics are a testament to the sacrifices people make when they are pursuing their dreams. It shows the hard work and determination it takes to build a successful career, often at the expense of relationships and personal lives. However, it also acknowledges the importance of having someone who loves and supports you while you are on this journey.
Overall, the song is a reminder to not take loved ones for granted and to appreciate the ones who hold it down for you when times are tough.
Line by Line Meaning
I know that times are hard and you might need a break
I understand that life can be tough, and you may need some time to yourself.
Hope you can hold it down till I'm on my way
I hope you can handle everything until I'm able to be there with you.
Girl I'll give you the world but until the day
I want to give you everything you deserve, but until then,
Hope you can hold it down until I'm on my way
I hope you can manage things until I can be there with you.
Girl I'm tryna get to you as fast as I can but until
I'm doing everything I can to get to you as quickly as possible, but until
I get there, can you hold it down girl, hold it down, hold it down, hold it
Can you please handle things for me until I can be there with you?
I'm out here, tryna get paper, map-sized, hold me down like I'm getting baptized
I'm working hard to make money, so please support me like you would if I were being baptized.
I can see it in your mad eyes, now I'm looking like a bad guy (guy)
I can tell you're upset with me, and now I feel like the bad guy.
A little change in my pocket don't change my heart, you should slow down
Having some money doesn't change who I am as a person. You should relax.
Hit a break and park
Take a break and relax for a bit.
'Cause you lookin' at me in the wrong way
Because you're giving me attitude for no reason.
Don't waste time and throw it all away
Don't ruin things for us by being upset without cause.
So soon, pent-house rooms, high heeled shoes, girl its not an excuse
Don't think that just because I have some nice things, that means I'm not putting in effort elsewhere.
But I got shit to do like a plumma (plumber)
I have things I need to take care of, like a plumber has to fix pipes.
See you when the sun up, this summa (summer)
I'll be with you as soon as I can, hopefully this summer.
I am on my way
I'm coming to meet you soon.
Heads strong
I have a strong will and determination.
I hold my weight
I take responsibility for my actions and my life.
With the flow, I hold my own
I can handle whatever comes my way and make the best of it.
And on my back I hold my state
I take pride in where I come from and the state I represent.
Can't help but eat these rappers 'cause they shit-list on my plate
I can't help but devour other rappers because of their low quality music.
Killing shit
I'm dominating the rap game.
They can't see me till I see the pearly gates
I'll continue on top until I pass away.
Haters used the ammo that gon' turn me into Rambo
My haters give me the motivation to keep pushing and be stronger, like Rambo.
Turn the beat on and the heat on
When the music comes on, I bring the fire and energy.
Watch me murder shit at random
I'll continue to dominate other rappers without warning.
Man First the haters doubt me based on the shit they know about me
At first, my haters doubt me because of what they think they know about me without really knowing me.
I'm the one
I'm the best in the rap game.
Now they feel me in they stomach like an outie
Now my haters can feel the impact of my success and feel sick about it.
I ain't never made excuses
I've never made excuses for my actions, always taking responsibility.
I just went and made a movement
I took action and made a difference, creating a movement.
The flow gotta be crazy
My music is unique and insane with its own style and flow.
Being broke mean you losin'
If you're not making money, you're considered losing in the rap game.
Nowadays niggas ain't real
Today's rappers aren't true to themselves, and are fake.
I stay away from illusions
I stay away from those fake rappers and remain true to myself.
Now I'm in the position to make a million making music
My music has brought me financial success and I can make millions from it.
And I will because I'm ill
I'll continue to make great music because of my great talent.
And there ain't no cure for poppin' pills
I use drugs to cope with my problems and there's no way to cure it.
And I got drive, you ain't not no wheels
I have a strong motivation to succeed, but you don't have what it takes to do the same.
Holla at girls if you got my skills
If you have the same talent and skills as me, you can get girls like I do.
Look, all these niggas pissed
All these other rappers are upset and jealous of my success.
They could feel it in their bladder
They're so upset they can feel it in their bladder.
But I've learned that my opinion is the only one that matters
I've realized that I need to focus on my own opinions, instead of paying attention to what others say about me.
Contributed by Aaron O. Suggest a correction in the comments below.
Matt Thornton
This song and album needs to be put on Spotify.
Lazaro
I remember listening to this song everyday walking home from school on my ipod 4, crazy how old it sounds now. So nostalgic.
Ryan Smart
Kid ink is one of those rare universal rappers/artists
Trust U.S
Best song ...why cant there be more songs like this? like an amazing singer and amazing rapper
DolphinDivingChamp
Such a banger, too bad this song never made it big
Danny Dan
Been a fan since day one still holding it down for Kid Ink
C018Y 5VLGVD0
They needa put this on Apple Music!
Lazaro
This was my shit like 4 years ago man. The nostalgia🤦🏻♂️💯
Matt Jordan
Song goes hard, love it!
human
Love this song and every other one by him