He catapulted to the top of the Jamaican charts in 1997 with the dancehall … Read Full Bio ↴He catapulted to the top of the Jamaican charts in 1997 with the dancehall boomshots "Heads High" and "Nike Air", his distinctive vocals fusing melodious singing with precision deejaying (rapping). Since then he has built an international fan base with hit singles like "Pull Up", "Tamale" and "Hot Gal Today" but it is on his latest CD "Constant Spring" that Mr. Vegas' spectacular sing-jay approach and cleverly crafted lyrics dazzle with the intensity of an evening in, well, Las Vegas.

Born Clifford Smith in Kingston, Jamaica, he was given the nickname Mr. Vegas by his cousin for the neon pink shorts he wore on the football field; in addition to his athletic skills Mr. Vegas also demonstrated musical talents early on. However an unfortunate dispute over the ownership of a DAT resulted in Vegas being hit in the jaw with an iron pipe; after the assault Vegas' mouth was wired shut so he was forced to create a unique method of vocalizing through his teeth. That style was first heard on "Nike Air", the song that initially positioned Vegas on the dancehall charts. Characterized by uplifting lyrics aimed (especially) at young women, he followed "Nike Air" with another affirming and very appealing tune "Heads High" which reached number one in Jamaica, hit the British Top Ten and found its way onto several urban stations across America.

Vegas' 1997 debut album "Heads High" (Greensleeves Records) further displayed his captivating vocal capabilities on songs like "Jacket", "Sweet Pineapple" and "Everywhere I Go"; it also earned him a British Mobo Award as Best Reggae artist, while establishing his fan base beyond the Jamaican dancehall.

However Vegas demonstrated even greater versatility on his 2001 sophomore release "Damn Right" (Greensleeves) which featured a stronger R&B and hip-hop flavor on the hits "Girls Time" and "She's A Ho", sensitive singing on the roots rocking "Rise" and a sensational duet with Sean Paul "Hot Gal Today".

With his move to the Los Angeles based independent label Delicious Vinyl Vegas released his third CD "Pull Up". The title track was recorded on Scatta Burrell's wildly popular Coolie Dance riddim, entered the Billboard charts and took Vegas' music into previously uncharted territory. Another single from "Pull Up" "Tamale" also did well, particularly in Europe.

Vegas has just completed his fourth and finest CD so far "Constant Spring" which presents an amalgam of styles including reggaeton productions by the red hot duo Luny/Tunes on the tracks "Johnny" and "Papito" and Latin tinged duets with Don Omar ("Pobre Diablo") and El Medico ("Penicilin"). Another scorching combination "Burnin" features soca sensation Kevin Lyttle. Vegas' long time associate Jamaica's Richard "Shams" Browne produced several tracks including "Million Dollar Baby" and "Slow Wine" while veteran dancehall hit makers Steely and Clevie's Sleepy Dog riddim scampers under Vegas' current Jamaican chart topper, the CDs title track "Constant Spring". Another Jamaican hit that is currently finding popularity throughout Europe is Vegas' self-produced, uncharacteristically contemplative "More Love", his emotive singing lamenting Jamaica's upwardly spiraling crime rate but the song's lyrics are applicable to many troubled territories throughout the world:

"I walk these Kingston streets, everyday a bare a beat/I can't get no sleep all I hear is AKs when they speak/ I walk Spanish town all I hear is people get gunned down, when I look around all I see is bodies on the ground. My shadow's afraid to even walk beside me, my shadow's afraid to even walk this city gun dawg and his friend full the morgue in Kingston city/too many guns in town."

"Crime, violence, war, it affects everyone," Vegas says, "and there is nothing in that song that doesn't relate to what is going on everywhere, especially Kingston. We want this album to be versatile so a Latino person a hip hop person, urban kids or all nationalities will listen to it."

Reflecting the ongoing changes within the music industry, Vegas and his manager Leslie Cooney of the Los Angeles based company Addict Management will be taking a very different approach regarding the release of "Constant Spring": they will not be signing to just one label. "We have found that as an independent artist Vegas can better exploit his appeal in every territory without the expectations and limitations of being signed to one label," says Ms. Cooney. "Instead, we will directly supply his fans with music worldwide and will seek licenses with different labels in their respective territories. Whether by an actual record or digital distribution, if there is a demand for Vegas it can now be met without waiting for the record label machinery to spring into action. We are taking matters in our own hands and Vegas is planning his own future."

And for Mr. Vegas the future appears to be shining even brighter than the flashing neon lights that abound in the Nevada city that is his namesake. www.mr-vegas.com

Kokane
Mr. Vegas Lyrics

Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴

My name is Kokane
I will mess up your brain
If you know all what I know you
Flash me down the drain
Flash me down the drain

I make you high just for a minute
Tell your friends that you hate in it

With lie and live you see that you bin
Sorry that you take me
Up where you love it

You don't feel me
I don't feel you
You make me bigger and better then you
I make you feel good for a minute of two
But after that ajam come with you

Ajam turning the riching before
Turn I put you put you calling a whore
Sella coming and sleep on the floor
And you get subjects how you get some more

My name is Kokane
I will mess up your brain
If you know all what i know you
Flash me down the drain

I get a litle snif here
And a litle snif there
It's a while and mo jest
In the bronx niggas yeah

Ti la la la la la bom bom ti lei

Overall Meaning

In Mr. Vegas's song Kokane, the lyrics tell the story of the titular character and his ability to get people high and mess up their brains. Kokane boasts about his knowledge and how if people knew what he knew, they would want to get rid of him. He then goes on to talk about how he can make people high for a brief period of time, but in the end, they will be left feeling sorry for taking him.

The chorus repeats the message of his name being Kokane and him being able to mess up people's brains. The second verse talks about how people don't understand him and how he makes them better for just a short time before their addiction comes back to haunt them. The final lines of the song are a catchy chorus consisting of Ti la la la la la bom bom ti lei.

The song has a rather strong message against drugs and the damage they can do to people. It also showcases the different ways people get addicted to drugs and their effects on everyone around them. The lyrics indicate that Kokane is not a person but rather represents drugs as a substance that can make people feel high for a brief period of time, but in reality, it will mess up their lives.

Line by Line Meaning

My name is Kokane
Introducing oneself as Kokane

I will mess up your brain
Boasting about the ability to cause mental confusion or damage

If you know all what I know you
Claiming to possess knowledge that could be harmful if known by others

Flash me down the drain
Describing a desire by others to dispose of or forget about Kokane

Flash me down the drain
Repeating the desire to be forgotten or disposed of

I make you high just for a minute
Asserting the ability to provide a short-lived feeling of intoxication or ecstasy

Tell your friends that you hate in it
Suggesting the urge to share the experience with those who are disliked or envied.

With lie and live you see that you bin
Implying that the listener will become hooked or addicted despite knowing the consequences

Sorry that you take me
Apologizing for being an addictive substance

Up where you love it
Pointing to the euphoric state that Kokane can provide

You don't feel me
Invalidating the experiences of those who don't use Kokane

I don't feel you
Rejecting the value system of non-users

You make me bigger and better then you
Claiming superiority over non-users

I make you feel good for a minute of two
Highlighting the brief nature of the pleasure provided by Kokane

But after that ajam come with you
Warning about the negative consequences of long-term use

Ajam turning the riching before
Referring to a hypothetical person who was wealthy but lost everything due to addiction

Turn I put you put you calling a whore
Suggesting that users will do anything to acquire Kokane, even if it requires immoral acts

Sella coming and sleep on the floor
Referring to the aftermath of addiction, including financial hardship

And you get subjects how you get some more
Indicating the obsession and desperation that come with addiction

My name is Kokane
Repeating the name

I will mess up your brain
Repeating the opening claim

If you know all what i know you
Repeating the assertion of possessing dangerous knowledge

Flash me down the drain
Repeating the desire to be forgotten or disposed of

I get a litle snif here
Referring to the method of ingestion (snorting)

And a litle snif there
Repeating the reference to snorting

It's a while and mo jest
Describing the experience of using Kokane as entertaining and a form of amusement

In the bronx niggas yeah
Referencing a particular location where the use of Kokane is prevalent

Ti la la la la la bom bom ti lei
Nonsensical filler repeated throughout the song

Lyrics © Kobalt Music Publishing Ltd., Warner Chappell Music, Inc.
Written by: CLIFFORD SMITH, AYODELE AJAYI, TITIO PENCHEF, ARANEDA PENCHEF

Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind

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