Ewart Everton Brown (born 31 March 1968), better known by his stage name of… Read Full Bio ↴Ewart Everton Brown (born 31 March 1968), better known by his stage name of Mad Cobra or simply Cobra is a Jamaican reggae musician.

He was born in Kingston, Jamaica, raised in the parish of St. Mary and relocated back to the place of his birth during his teenage years. He began performing under his stage name, taken from a character in the G.I. Joe comic books, while still in his teens. He honed his talents on several local sound systems before entering the studio. His first single, 1989's "Respect Woman", was produced by his uncle, Tuff Gong engineer Delroy "Spiderman" Thompson. His next single, "Na Go Work", featured Tricia McKay, giving him his first hit, and bringing him to the attention of producers Captain Sinbad and Carl Nelson. Together they released a string of hit dancehall singles, including "Shoot to Kill", "Merciless Bad Boy", and "Ze Taurus", which featured tough, gangsta rap-style lyrics in keeping with the current trends of that time.

In 1990, Cobra began working with producer Donovan Germain and songwriter Dave Kelly on the Penthouse Records label. This partnership spawned a series of major hits in Jamaica, including "Yush", "Gundelero", "Bad Boy Talk", and "Feeling Lonely" (with Beres Hammond). He released his first full-length album in 1991, entitled Bad Boy Talk, and over the next year worked with several different producers on yet more hit tracks ("O.P.P" with King Jammy, "Tek Him" with Bobby Digital, "Be Patient" with Sly & Robbie). In 1991 and 1992, Mad Cobra broke into the UK Reggae charts with five number one hits, bringing with it a backlash over concerns about the anti-gay sentiments of tracks such as "Crucifixion".

In the wake of his British success, Mad Cobra signed a deal in America with Columbia Records. His next LP was entitled Hard to Wet, Easy to Dry, and featured "Flex", a single which interpolated elements of The Temptations' "Just My Imagination". It was a smash hit, topping the US Rap Singles chart, hitting #7 on the R&B chart, and peaking at #13 on the Billboard Hot 100. The success of the single propelled the album to #125 on the Billboard Top 200, but the follow-up, "Legacy", failed to chart, and for the next several years Cobra's hit-making remained primarily in Jamaica with songs such as 1993's "Mek Noise" and "Matti Haffie Move". Around this time, Cobra became involved in rivalries with fellow reggae artists Ninjaman and Buju Banton. He also made a guest appearance on rap group Run-D.M.C.'s "What's Next" on their album Down with the King.

In 1994, Cobra returned with Venom, again recording with King Jammy. Jamaican hit singles from the 1994-1995 period included "Length and Bend", "Fat and Buff", and "Selassie I Rules", now adopting "conscious" lyrics. In 1996, Columbia Records released Milkman in the US market. The album peaked at #12 on Billboard's Top Reggae Albums chart and featured a minor hit, "Big Long John", which charted briefly on the US Dance and R&B Singles charts. In 1998, a track with Mr. Vegas entitled "Guns High" charted in some countries in Europe, and a number of re-releases of his Jamaican material were issued on VP. Further albums were issued in 2001 (Cobra) and 2004 (Words of Warning). Most recently, Cobra was heard on "Cobrastyle", a single from Teddybears' 2006 album, Soft Machine.

On the night of May 11, 2010, Mad Cobra was shot three times in the upper body near his home in Braeton, only a day after another dancehall artist, Oneil Edwards of the group Voice Mail, was also shot in Duhaney Park. He was carried to the Spanish Town Hospital for treatment. It was later ascertained that the vehicle Mad Cobra was traveling in had shone its light on a group of men and this had angered them. When Mad Cobra came out to appease the men, he was shot. He was released from hospital later that week. On the following Monday night, his house was shot up by unknown assailants but no one was injured during the incident.

Di Baddest
Mad Cobra Lyrics

Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴

Well you don know
Mr. Mad Cobra, Mr. Helter Skelter...
Well!
Badman we no take fist inna
Face!!!
We no set fi no gal prisoner
Cocky wid di gal we no push lip inna
Leg fi open and tek stick inna

Shot!! Yeah we buss we no fling foot inna
Badman face no gal cyaan poop inna
Gal a fia! Gal a fia! Gal a fi a! Gal a fi a
Gal a fi open and tek jook inna
Yeh! See we war run no comfy inna
Lately we no bush da cum feed inner
Weh we have a car mek yellow theme dro
weh we drink before we kill you, rum fi inna
Yeah!

Di baddest set a people de bout yah we!
Di baddest set a people de bout yah we!
So tell dem wannabe fool de no pree
And non a dem fool dem no bad like we!
Di baddest set a people de bout yah we!
Di baddest set a people de bout yah we!'
So tell dem wannabe fool de no pree
and non a dem fool dem no bad like we!

If them never know somebody remind em
We build di biggest and di baddest set a ryme dem
di hottest! and di hottest! and di hottest! and di hottest!
and di hottest set a gal we have a wine dem
and if a machine we have we own a bind dem
1 tall a spin barrel long 9 dem
Cah we no response which walla! which walla!
Which walla walla walla! We swear fi join dem
Dem cudda have fatty hard man behind dem
Weh affi run when we rise up di crime dem
Cudda eye back a man a in a more fis busam
Man seal out dem fi blind dem!
Oh we know too response which fussy brakes!
Man we get your funeral picture copy next!
We have di sickest and di madest set a dog bout di place
Man we get we duppy mek!

Di baddest set a people de bout yah we!
Di baddest set a people de bout yah we!'
So tell dem wannabe fool de no pree
and non a dem fool dem no bad like we!
Di baddest set a people de bout yah we!
Di baddest set a people de bout yah we!'
So tell dem wannabe fool de no pree
and non a dem fool dem no bad like we!
Di baddest set a people de bout yah we!
Di baddest set a people de bout yah we!'
So tell dem wannabe fool de no pree
and non a dem fool dem no bad like we!
Di baddest set a people de bout yah we!
Di baddest set a people de bout yah we!
So tell dem wannabe fool de no pree
and non a dem fool dem no bad like we!

Badman we no take fist inna
Face!!!
We no set fi no gal prisoner
Cocky wid di gal we no push lip inna
Leg fi open and tek stick inna
Shot!! Yeah we buss we no fling foot inna
Badman face no gal cyaan poop inna
Gal a fia! Gal a fia! Gal a fi a! Gal a fi a
Gal a fi open and tek jook inna
Yeh! See we war run no comfy inna
Lately we no bush da cum feed inner
Weh we have a car mek yellow theme dro
weh we drink before we kill you, rum fi inna
Yeah!

Di baddest set a people de bout yah we!
Di baddest set a people de bout yah we!'
So tell dem wannabe fool de no pree
and non a dem fool dem no bad like we!
Di baddest set a people de bout yah we!
Di baddest set a people de bout yah we!'

So tell dem wannabe fool de no pree
and non a dem fool dem no bad like we!

Overall Meaning

"Di Baddest" is a song by Jamaican dancehall artist Mad Cobra, which essentially depicts his "badman" identity through the lyrics. The first verse starts with Cobra expressing his disdain for confrontations that involve fists since he is a "badman" who doesn't tolerate blows to his facial region. He further states that he's not the type of person who would hold a woman captive, but rather have consensual sex with them without forcing them to do so. He reinforces his point by saying he doesn't use words to convince women but rather uses his "stick" to penetrate them. Cobra also makes it clear that he wouldn't hesitate to shoot anyone who comes in his way with bullets instead of using his feet, which is not his style.

In the chorus, Mad Cobra reiterates his "badman" position by calling himself and his crew the baddest in the vicinity. He then tries to warn others not to mess with him and his people since they are the ones with the baddest demeanor. Mad Cobra also highlights his fearlessness and how he is always prepared with weapons to attack his enemies. In another verse, Cobra boasts about his lyrical prowess and how he's the best in the business. He also describes how his crew can charm and seduce women with ease and how they have many trained guard dogs to help keep them safe.

Line by Line Meaning

Well you don know
I'm Mad Cobra, also known as Mr. Helter Skelter, and you already know who I am.

Badman we no take fist inna Face!!!
We don't tolerate getting hit in the face, we're badmen after all.

We no set fi no gal prisoner Cocky wid di gal we no push lip inna Leg fi open and tek stick inna Shot!! Yeah we buss we no fling foot inna Badman face no gal cyaan poop inna Gal a fia! Gal a fia! Gal a fi a! Gal a fi a Gal a fi open and tek jook inna Yeh!
We don't trap women, we treat them right. We don't force ourselves on them or try to manipulate them. We will defend ourselves with force and are not afraid to use it. Women should not attempt to deceive us, as we will quickly catch on and respond accordingly.

See we war run no comfy inna Lately we no bush da cum feed inner Weh we have a car mek yellow theme dro weh we drink before we kill you, rum fi inna Yeah!
We're always active and on the move, and we don't waste time with unnecessary things. We have a car with a yellow theme that we use for transportation, and we even drink rum before killing our targets.

Di baddest set a people de bout yah we! Di baddest set a people de bout yah we! So tell dem wannabe fool de no pree And non a dem fool dem no bad like we!
We're the toughest and most dangerous people around, and nobody can match our level of badness. Those who try to act like us are just fools with no real power.

If them never know somebody remind em We build di biggest and di baddest set a ryme dem di hottest! and di hottest! and di hottest! and di hottest! and di hottest set a gal we have a wine dem and if a machine we have we own a bind dem 1 tall a spin barrel long 9 dem Cah we no response which walla! which walla! Which walla walla walla! We swear fi join dem Dem cudda have fatty hard man behind dem Weh affi run when we rise up di crime dem Cudda eye back a man a in a more fis busam Man seal out dem fi blind dem! Oh we know too response which fussy brakes! Man we get your funeral picture copy next! We have di sickest and di madest set a dog bout di place Man we get we duppy mek!
We're not to be messed with. We're skilled at crafting rhymes and know how to have a good time with the hottest women around. We have powerful weapons that we control, and nobody can stop us. If anyone tries to cross us, we'll make sure they regret it. We're too tough to be taken down, and we're not afraid to show it. We're the baddest dogs around, and we'll even make our enemies into our slaves.

Contributed by Tristan O. Suggest a correction in the comments below.

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