Ashnikko - Sass Pancakes (Lyrical Breakdown)
(I've never before realized that this song has only one verse, no chorus and the hook is just "Pancake" over and over again :D I usually skip to the next song after the verse, though... Because I remember it's just "pancake" after that.)
Sass Pancakes is the name of her first EP as well, and the cover has a picture of a girl, with her head cut open in thick slices, like a stack of pancakes. So, Sass Pancakes are Ash's mind. They're giving us layers, giving us "a piece of their mind", you know?
"Hey, what's that?
Well, those are apple rings, this is pancake batter and that's sausage
Hey, that might be pretty good!
Pretty good? Wait 'til you try it! There's a batch already"
The song starts off with a sample, which is clearly from an old commercial.
Someone on Genius recognized it as being an Aunt Jenima Tv commercial from the 1950s.
1950s was a very... traditional gender role -ish / misogynistic time... Women had done their husband's jobs during WW2 (1930s-1940s) and a lot of men were lost in the war, so now women were "encouraged" to get back in the house, to clean, to cook and to birth more babies to make out for the lives lost. The Baby Boomer generation.
The "batch" she says sounds like "bitch", it's kind of an obvious reference Ash being a "bitch", having a badass attitude, the "piece of mind" they´re gonna give us. "To batter" is to beat someone up.
"Don't compare me to my parents, my choices are my ownCooked 'em up in my cauldron, that's where all my money's blownAnd the potion made me do it, god damn, what was in it?Your rapper boyfriend's tongue and a carton of Popeye's spinach"
Their parents are very religious, Christians, i.e. sex was a complete taboo subject in the household and Ash was not allowed to listen to most kinds of music (only country and SlipKnot - odd choice, but ok), including hiphop, until their aunt slipped them some Lil Kim and later other female hiphop artists. They also resent(ed) their parents for making them move to Europe (see next chapter). They didn't support Ash's music career at first, but do now.
Ash is the biological child of their parents, so they're literally "a cook" between them, of their genes.
But it's also a religious/spiritual reference. Ash is not Christian like their parents, instead they practice witchcraft and other new age spiritualism stuff. So they're not like their parents, and the witch thing explains the cauldron. And at this time they had just gotten a record deal, they were not rich. So witchcraft might have well taken all their money. And drugs, which I'm getting into next.
Ash is the biological child of their parents, so they're literally "a cook" between them, of their genes.
But it's also a religious/spiritual reference. Ash is not Christian like their parents, instead they practice witchcraft and other new age spiritualism stuff. So they're not like their parents, and the witch thing explains the cauldron. And at this time they had just gotten a record deal, they were not rich. So witchcraft might have well taken all their money. And drugs, which I'm getting into next.
"The potion", as in something you cook in a cauldron, like a witch. But also, they were in their late teens, early 20s, living in London alone, with no support network, and fell into a party girl lifestyle, doing a lot of drugs. Weed, pills (uppers, party drugs) and psychedelics, as far as I know. So that's also the "potion -- god damn, what was in it?"
And the personality they inherited / they possess is 1) being a rapper 2) being as loud, obnoxious, boasting and dirty as male rappers & strong, like the animated character Popeye after he eats spinach. Also, their tongue is stronger than the male rappers' because of the spinach. Which can also be a sexual double, would be very on theme with Ash's music. :D
And the personality they inherited / they possess is 1) being a rapper 2) being as loud, obnoxious, boasting and dirty as male rappers & strong, like the animated character Popeye after he eats spinach. Also, their tongue is stronger than the male rappers' because of the spinach. Which can also be a sexual double, would be very on theme with Ash's music. :D
"Repped the borough in the Baltics, I tried to be the nicestLeave me stuck in between with an identity crisis"
When Ash was 13, they and their family (mom, dad, Ash and two younger brothers) moved to Estonia, and a year later to Latvia, for their father's studies. Ash never settled there, not knowing the language or the culture. They were also very shy. At 15, Ashton Nicole Casey developed the alter ego Ashnikko to express their feelings and their sexuality. (The name is obviously a combination of Ashton and Nicole, their first names, but it also makes them sound Japanese and Nikko is also a toy company that was very popular in the 1990s and 2000s and focuses mostly on monster truck toys, which the kid drives using a controller. Ash's music and videos especially have A TON of references to anime. Most of the references are to 1990s/2000s Western children's media, though. Monster trucks are a "boys'" toy, and Ash is genderfluid (uses she/her and they/them pronouns - I'm trying to use "they" when referring to them, but especially on song they have a featuring artist, I'm probably gonna use she/her to differentiate between singular and plural). Also, the nickname Ash is gender neutral. Also, and I just now realized this, and it's probably a coincidence, but the Nikko cars are controlled by a controller, used by a kid. In this case, Ashnikko is the car, music and videos are the controller and Ashton is the kid.
At 18 they moved to London alone, and the rest I already wrote about.
In the lyrics, they're saying they tried to be nice. But nice didn't work. They faced a ton of xenophobia (hatred towards foreigners - they're all white, so it's not racism). Their first recorded song - not an official release, but it's on YouTube - is called Cake Face and it's a diss track about their bully, presumably named Minka.
Also, growing up between cultures like that apparently is a huge identity crisis. I'm all Finnish and live in Finland, I have no personal experience, but my best friend was born in Russia and moved to Finland when he was 5, and has told me how he doesn't know what his cultural identity is. Is he Finnish, or Russian, or [a person from the specific republic of Russia he's from - I'm not sharing the name for his privacy].
They're also literally in between - geographically Great Britain is between USA and Latvia, and also it's an European country, but speaks English, like the US, so it's also culturally (incl. language) a bit closer to US, compared to Latvia.
At 18 they moved to London alone, and the rest I already wrote about.
In the lyrics, they're saying they tried to be nice. But nice didn't work. They faced a ton of xenophobia (hatred towards foreigners - they're all white, so it's not racism). Their first recorded song - not an official release, but it's on YouTube - is called Cake Face and it's a diss track about their bully, presumably named Minka.
Also, growing up between cultures like that apparently is a huge identity crisis. I'm all Finnish and live in Finland, I have no personal experience, but my best friend was born in Russia and moved to Finland when he was 5, and has told me how he doesn't know what his cultural identity is. Is he Finnish, or Russian, or [a person from the specific republic of Russia he's from - I'm not sharing the name for his privacy].
They're also literally in between - geographically Great Britain is between USA and Latvia, and also it's an European country, but speaks English, like the US, so it's also culturally (incl. language) a bit closer to US, compared to Latvia.
"And I might just bite dust, dick around and try to write upA dollar for a date just to compliment my type butYou throw out that slut word, that's so old news"
They've considered giving up (biting the dust), being the one in a relationship (romantic or not) that "pays", that puts in more effort, just to "compliment their type" which can mean their social role as a "woman" (even though they or me don't identify with it, we are still seen as women by society and are expected to fill that social role - they might act out the role of a woman to please the guy) or NOT being part of that role, as they're paying "a dollar for a date", a portion of the cost of a date (and "dicking around", not being a lady, quite literally - Ash could have used a different expression if they wanted to), but instead complimenting their true identity. Or it could be a reference Ash's type in men, which I don't know...
But then, no matter which one of those options it was, he's calling them a slut.
I feel like I'm missing something here, but idk what it is. If someone reads this and knows, let me know.
But then, no matter which one of those options it was, he's calling them a slut.
I feel like I'm missing something here, but idk what it is. If someone reads this and knows, let me know.
"You boys are easier to use than my Velcro shoes"
They said it, not me...
But yes. Yes they are. Boys are very easy to manipulate with compliments and physical attention (hugs, touch). I've done it (accidentally!!!) multiple times. They're so deprived of any positive attention and affection that they just... melt, when you are a decent, nice, loving person towards them. It's a sad part of our society and I'd like to help and fix it. I'm also trying to be more aware of it now, because I'm not a manipulative or evil person. I try to by as open as possible with guys about what kind of feelings I have for them and what I mean with the stuff I say to them. 99% of them appreciate the honesty and forwardness. The rest... they can suck it. Fuck 'em. ;D
But yes. Yes they are. Boys are very easy to manipulate with compliments and physical attention (hugs, touch). I've done it (accidentally!!!) multiple times. They're so deprived of any positive attention and affection that they just... melt, when you are a decent, nice, loving person towards them. It's a sad part of our society and I'd like to help and fix it. I'm also trying to be more aware of it now, because I'm not a manipulative or evil person. I try to by as open as possible with guys about what kind of feelings I have for them and what I mean with the stuff I say to them. 99% of them appreciate the honesty and forwardness. The rest... they can suck it. Fuck 'em. ;D
"So who's coming to chill with me and caterpillar later?Mix something with the shisha to attract you gaters"
Alice in Wonderland, the caterpillar smoking something. In this case, shisha, a waterpipe. Containing weed, I assume. But with something else mixed in.
I always thought the lyrics said "gators", but now I think it's a double.
"Gater", like a gatekeeper, guys who are trying to keep them out of the rap industry for being "a girl". The ones they're "using" or manipulating, this time with drugs.
"Gator", like alligator. Reference to an old SoundCloud song they did, called Krokodil. The beat sounds like the words "krokodil" and in the lyrics, Ash associates them to "slimy fellas".
I always thought the lyrics said "gators", but now I think it's a double.
"Gater", like a gatekeeper, guys who are trying to keep them out of the rap industry for being "a girl". The ones they're "using" or manipulating, this time with drugs.
"Gator", like alligator. Reference to an old SoundCloud song they did, called Krokodil. The beat sounds like the words "krokodil" and in the lyrics, Ash associates them to "slimy fellas".
Gators are also alligator skin shoes, that were a trend in the hiphop fashion of the 1980s.
"You tater tots on my block, don't throw like I thoughtTalking 'bout your third eye like these rap robots"
Tater tots are an American dish of grated potatoes, rolled into nugget shaped things and deep fried. Common in the school cafeteria.
Ash is calling the guys on their block "tater tots", like they're small little cute things, nothing to be taken seriously. "Throwing" can mean to throw punches, or to throw shade (see later). The guys on Ash's block are weak, and their punches (literal or figurative) - Ash barely notices them.
Ash is calling the guys on their block "tater tots", like they're small little cute things, nothing to be taken seriously. "Throwing" can mean to throw punches, or to throw shade (see later). The guys on Ash's block are weak, and their punches (literal or figurative) - Ash barely notices them.
The second bar I find fascinating! Ash is into new age spirituality, but apparently not the Hinduism/Buddhism thing about the third eye. Ash seems to find it pretentious - Ash is talking about real life and real issues, where as in the "rap robots" are talking about their third eye and other not-down-to-earth topics - but so is Ash in their newer songs (i.e, Possession of a Weapon mentions chakras directly), so... Maybe they changed their mind?
"And sorry, I'm done, I'm cocking my gun
Showing off and throwing shade 'cause its fun
So listen my son, hold your tits when you run
Try to keep up and don't cry when it's done"
The first two bars are quite self-explanatory. They're saying they're just running their mouth, not necessarily meaning what they say. Just for funsies. And there's the second meaning for the word 'throw'.
If you're a person who does not have breasts and you need to "hold your tits" when you run - chances are you're very fat.
In the end they're telling that the guys can't be too sensitive if they're trying to keep up with Ash, because Ash can say some pretty nasty shit with that Pop-Eye spinach powered rapper boyfriend tongue of theirs.
If you're a person who does not have breasts and you need to "hold your tits" when you run - chances are you're very fat.
In the end they're telling that the guys can't be too sensitive if they're trying to keep up with Ash, because Ash can say some pretty nasty shit with that Pop-Eye spinach powered rapper boyfriend tongue of theirs.
"I'm sweet, maple syrup on the beat
Force feed you sass pancakes every day of the week
Pancake [x12]"
They just said they're kinda badass and guys may struggle to keep up, and now they're sweet? Haha. But yeah, sweet, maple suryp, pancakes... They go together. But Ash is serving you the sass, the badassery, the pieces of their mind, in the form of sass pancakes. And not only serving, but force feeding them to you. Whether you like it or not. Swallow or choke, the choice is yours.
Comments
Post a Comment