I ride you ride bang
One chopper, one hundred shots bang
Hop out, do you bang
Two chopper, two hundred shots bang
I ride, you ride bang
One chopper, one hundred shots bang
Hop out, do you bang
Two chopper, two hundred shots bang
from Kendrick Lamar – Swimming Pools (Drank) Lyrics on Rap Genius
When he takes shots, he takes them because of his influences: his homies and the m.A.A.d city. Also, the more shots you take, the more you influence someone else to do the same. Thus the cycle continues: since Kendrick or the homie’s doing it, it must be cool, whether it be drinking, shooting someone, or fucking someone.
Being from Compton, gangs were obviously an everyday thing for Kendrick, though he’s not in one himself. Here though he alludes to that lifestyle, mainly playing on the gangbanging theme by continuously saying “bang.” He’s also relating the danger in alcohol abuse to death, by comparing the shots of a chopper (bullets, a chopper is normally a nickname for an AK-47) to shots of liquor (something strong, like vodka):
- “I ride, you ride” — When I drink, you should drink
- “One chopper, one hundred shots, bang” — Brings on the 100 and 200 shots (bullets versus drinks) metaphor. Here, he’s drinking alone
- “Hop out, do you, bang?” — He probably went out with someone and is now asking them if they drink
- “Two chopper, two hundred shots, bang” — If one person takes 100 shots, you can assume that they’re both at it now and perpetuating the cycle
Add in the context the extended version brings, and he may also be taking a moment in his drunken stupor to contemplate the prior events of the evening (getting jacked) and the retaliation that will follow.
In “Hop out, Do you bang?” he references on how it goes down in Compton walking down the streets as a youngster and having gangsters stop their cars and hop out to ask him about which gang he is affiliated to, then Kendrick proceeds to flee from them, hence the 100 shots fired at him by the gang bangers pursuing him.
To help improve the meaning of these lyrics, visit "Swimming Pools (Drank)" by Kendrick Lamar Lyrics and leave a comment on the lyrics box
