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.
Tuna Roll
Kid Ink Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Money on my mind I can feel it in my cuticle
Fuck the 9 to 5 wasn't made for a cubicle
Niggas know I'm raw-tuna roll
You know what it is, Kid Ink up in this bitch
Hear that errr smell the scent, bitch I'm on, all in
One hit'll leave a nigga's nose twitchin' like Bewitched
Alumni we the illest, sicker than Contagion
All up in your hood like my niggas work at Kragen
Know that L.A. is the city but it look like we from Asia
Say I don't be in my city? Who the fuck is you fugazin'
It go Peter picked them peppers, nigga, I just picked them hoes out
Swimmin' in the money, how I'm livin', boathouse
I dont need a floaty cause im sittin' on a cloud
Tell the world kiss my ass head up look at me now bitch!
Back on immense, stack on stack im rackin' it in
Swear that they ain't fuckin' with me, talkin' all that abstinence
Money 'round, I'm in the center like a centerfold
Yeah these niggas know I'm raw tuna roll
Batter up, I'm outta here
Find me in the cut like aloe vera
Im the man in this bitch you just Tyler Perry
See me throwin' money in the sky til' I'm outta air
Sorry your honor but I had to kill 'em
Niggas think they hard but they softer than pillows
And I'm high off a pill in the buildin' like dealers
Pissin' off the tenants give a fuck bout your feelings
Okay, snapback, hatback
Smokin' on that loud pack
Blow it to the ceilin', look like bombs over Baghdad
Bitch I'm worth a milli, even more before the taxes
Im the realest on the atlas you can go and ask the masses
Hold up, have a taste
You ain't gotta go to outer space
You can see the stars baby, welcome to the show
Yeah these niggas know im raw, tuna roll!
In Kid Ink's song Tuna Roll, he talks about his focus on money and success, with lyrics like "Money on my mind I can feel it in my cuticle," and how he doesn't want to be restricted to a standard 9-5 job. He asserts his rawness and power with lines like "Niggas know I'm raw-tuna roll" and describes his smoking habits and how they affect him. Ink also references his group, Alumni, and their influence and presence in various neighborhoods. He cites his worth and success in the industry with lyrics like "Bitch I'm worth a milli, even more before the taxes," and "Im the realest on the atlas you can go and ask the masses." Throughout the song, Ink proclaims his dominance and success while also acknowledging the impact of his environment and habits.
Line by Line Meaning
Business as usual
Everything is going as usual, as expected.
Money on my mind I can feel it in my cuticle
I'm thinking so much about money that I feel it in my cuticle (the skin around my nails).
Fuck the 9 to 5 wasn't made for a cubicle
I don't like the idea of a 9 to 5 job where I have to sit in a cubicle all day.
Niggas know I'm raw-tuna roll
People know that I'm really good (raw) just like a tuna roll.
You know what it is, Kid Ink up in this bitch
You already know who I am, it's Kid Ink here.
Hear that errr smell the scent, bitch I'm on, all in
You can hear the noise (errr) and smell the scent of my smoking, I'm all in and completely committed.
One hit'll leave a nigga's nose twitchin' like Bewitched
One hit of my smoking will make a someone's nose twich like it happened on the TV show Bewitched.
So what I'm smokin on, I swear to God I'm floatin' in a drift
I'm so high from smoking that I feel like I'm floating in the air.
Alumni we the illest, sicker than Contagion
Our group, Alumni, is the best and sickest, even more than Contagion, which is a really bad disease.
All up in your hood like my niggas work at Kragen
We're everywhere in your neighborhood, just like the employees of Kragen (a chain of auto parts stores).
Know that L.A. is the city but it look like we from Asia
Even though we're from L.A., it looks like we're from Asia, because of our style, culture, and attitude.
Say I don't be in my city? Who the fuck is you fugazin'
If someone says that I'm not in my own city, they must be fucking kidding (fugazin').
It go Peter picked them peppers, nigga, I just picked them hoes out
The Peter Piper tongue twister is easy, but what I do is even easier, I just pick the girls that I want.
Swimmin' in the money, how I'm livin', boathouse
I'm swimming in money, that's how I live and I even have a boathouse (a place to park my boat).
I dont need a floaty cause im sittin' on a cloud
I don't need a floaty (an inflatable device to float on water) because I'm sitting on a cloud, I'm so happy and high.
Tell the world kiss my ass head up look at me now bitch!
I don't care what the world thinks, I'm proud and successful, look at me now, bitch!
Back on immense, stack on stack im rackin' it in
I'm back on getting a lot of money, I'm stacking one stack on top of another, I'm making a lot (racking it in).
Swear that they ain't fuckin' with me, talkin' all that abstinence
I swear that they (other rappers) can't compete with me, they talk a lot but can't do anything (like people who practice abstinence).
Money 'round, I'm in the center like a centerfold
Money is all around me, I'm in the center just like a centerfold (a model on the center pages of a magazine).
Yeah these niggas know I'm raw tuna roll
These guys (my fans, other rappers, etc.) know that I'm really good, just like a tuna roll.
Batter up, I'm outta here
I'm going to leave now, like a baseball player who's finished his turn at bat.
Find me in the cut like aloe vera
You can find me hiding (in the cut) like aloe vera (a medicinal plant that soothes skin).
Im the man in this bitch you just Tyler Perry
I'm the boss in this place, you're just Tyler Perry (a filmmaker and actor who often plays in his own movies).
See me throwin' money in the sky til' I'm outta air
You can see me throwing money in the air until I'm out of breath (outta air).
Sorry your honor but I had to kill 'em
Sorry to say this to you, sir, but I had to kill them (beat them in a rap battle).
Niggas think they hard but they softer than pillows
These guys (other rappers) think they're tough, but they're actually soft like pillows.
And I'm high off a pill in the buildin' like dealers
I'm high from a pill that I took inside the building (where drugs are sold) just like drug dealers.
Pissin' off the tenants give a fuck bout your feelings
I'm making the residents really angry (pissing them off) and I don't care about their feelings.
Okay, snapback, hatback
Now, let's change the subject and talk about snapback hats worn backwards.
Smokin' on that loud pack
Let's smoke on this really strong and powerful weed.
Blow it to the ceilin', look like bombs over Baghdad
When we smoke, the smoke rises up to the ceiling and looks like bombs exploding over Baghdad (a city in Iraq).
Bitch I'm worth a milli, even more before the taxes
I'm worth millions of dollars, and even more before I pay my taxes.
Im the realest on the atlas you can go and ask the masses
I'm the real and truest person on this earth, you can go ask anyone in the masses (crowd).
Hold up, have a taste
Wait a minute, try this and have a taste.
You ain't gotta go to outer space
You don't have to go to outer space (get really high), just try this weed.
You can see the stars baby, welcome to the show
You can see the stars (get really high) just by smoking this, welcome to my life and my world.
Yeah these niggas know im raw, tuna roll!
These guys (other rappers, my fans, etc.) know that I'm really good, just like a tuna roll.
Lyrics © Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC
Written by: Brian Collins
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
itsamar 99
Business as usual
Money on my mind I can feel it in my cuticle
Fuck the 9 to 5 wasn't made for a cubicle
Niggas know I'm raw-tuna roll
You know what it is, Kid Ink up in this bitch
Hear that errr smell the scent, bitch I'm on, all in
One hit'll leave a nigga's nose twitchin' like Bewitched
So what I'm smokin on, I swear to God I'm floatin' in a drift
Alumni we the illest, sicker than Contagion
All up in your hood like my niggas work at Kragen
Know that L.A. is the city but it look like we from Asia
Say I don't be in my city? Who the fuck is you fugazin'
It go Peter picked them peppers, nigga, I just picked them hoes out
Swimmin' in the money, how I'm livin', boathouse
I dont need a floaty cause im sittin' on a cloud
Tell the world kiss my ass head up look at me now bitch!
Back on immense, stack on stack im rackin' it in
Swear that they ain't fuckin' with me, talkin' all that abstinence
Money 'round, I'm in the center like a centerfold
Yeah these niggas know I'm raw tuna roll
Batter up, I'm outta here
Find me in the cut like aloe vera
Im the man in this bitch you just Tyler Perry
See me throwin' money in the sky til' I'm outta air
Sorry your honor but I had to kill 'em
Niggas think they hard but they softer than pillows
And I'm high off a pill in the buildin' like dealers
Pissin' off the tenants give a fuck bout your feelings
Okay, snapback, hatback
Smokin' on that loud pack
Blow it to the ceilin', look like bombs over Baghdad
Bitch I'm worth a milli, even more before the taxes
Im the realest on the atlas you can go and ask the masses
Hold up, have a taste
You ain't gotta go to outer space
You can see the stars baby, welcome to the show
Yeah these niggas know im raw, tuna roll!
midnightshadow
Why is kid ink not mainstream, he should be highly recognised world wide.
eweline3q
When i'm listening this song I can feel the beats in my blood!! KID YOU ARE A GENIUS!!!!! Keeps your swagg!!!
Tor Mcintosh
10 yrs later I’m still Vybin like I just heard this
Steven Lyons
Yuh
prince49
Thumbs up to whoever handles this man's production. I honestly believe he deserves mainstream recognition. Regardless of his content, he makes straight BANGERS
Kobrie
I don't know what it is about this guy, I just love his music!
BMWAGONF31
Kid Ink deserves to be more recognized then he is atm
YooAdrianIGotUsATv
2023 and this shit still slaps
James Thompson
beat goes hard as fuck
Meriam T
This beat owns so damn hard