The meaning of the song Pharaoh - Black Siemens

Bewilderment is a typical reaction of an uninitiated person whose ears have been touched mysterious lines songs of Black Siemens, in common parlance - “ sk sk sk" or "In Dead Nikes." On the first listen (and the second, too), the lyrics of the song Black Siemens seem like a meaningless jumble of words, in which American youth slang is mixed with randomly placed expressions in Russian.

It must be said that Pharaoh, although he became famous a little more than his other comrades thanks to the wave of hatred and ridicule over his videos, is not alone in his creative direction. The musical and cultural current, on the waves of which Pharaoh splashes, unites experimental music performers throughout Russia, but its origins, of course, go back to Western culture. In particular, to the aesthetics of the Tumblr community, whose users are distinguished by a love of mystery (which is so clearly manifested in the lyrics of the song Black Siemens); following certain trends in clothing and generally turning clothing and household items into a kind of icons, symbols of belonging to the “initiates”; interest in everything experimental and underground; open drug use and self-destructive tendencies

0 Not an hour goes by without teenagers fiddling with Yandex and Google in search of something What are Dead Nikes?? However, the answer to this question is quite simple, the expression " in dead Nikes"taken out of context interesting song. However, before continuing, I would like to recommend you a few more sensible articles, for example, what is called Love Story, what is Cursing, who is Curva, how do Cooneys do, etc.
To study in more detail the origin of the expression "dead Nikes" you should find the source of this phrase. Many young people wonder what is the meaning of these words and who first used this phrase?
The song from which this phrase was borrowed was performed by the popular teenager performer "PHARAON" (Pharaoh). In fact, to date, this song is the most successful in his repertoire, although many will disagree with this statement. Let's try to figure out together what this expression means. What does "with a skunk zip" mean, another mysterious line from the composition " Black Siemens".

What does dead Nike mean?

What does Nike mean?

"Dead Nikes" is a synonym for “killed” sneakers, that is, heavily worn, torn shoes with the soles falling off

The meaning of the expression "dead Nikes"

Soloist Pharaoh is Dead Dynasty, and the Nike company has a model of sneakers called “Dynasty”. English word"Dead" is translated as "dead". This theory is not the main one, but can be considered as an option.

Bewilderment is a typical reaction of an uninitiated person whose ears have been touched by the mysterious lines of the Pharaoh’s song Black Siemens, popularly known as “Skr skr skr” or “In dead Nikes.” On the first listen (and the second, too), the lyrics of the song Black Siemens seem like a meaningless jumble of words, in which American youth slang is mixed with randomly placed expressions in Russian. Well, this obfuscation of the essence is undoubtedly intentional and not accidental, but it is still possible to decipher the meaning of the Black Siemens song and the famous “skr sk sk sk” to a certain depth. This is what I will do below.

Tumblr Aesthetic and the Meaning of Pharaoh's Songs

It must be said that Pharaoh, although he became famous a little more than his other comrades thanks to the wave of hatred and ridicule over his videos, is not alone in his creative direction. The musical and cultural current, on the waves of which Pharaoh splashes, unites experimental music performers throughout Russia, but its origins, of course, go back to Western culture. In particular, to the aesthetics of the Tumblr community, whose users are distinguished by a love of mystery (which is so clearly manifested in the lyrics of the song Black Siemens); following certain trends in clothing and generally turning clothing and household items into a kind of icons, symbols of belonging to the “initiates”; interest in everything experimental and underground; open drug use (I’ll talk about this a little later) and, finally, a desire for self-destruction. Let's see how this manifested itself in the text of Black Siemens.

Typical Tumblr Community Users

In dead Nikes- white Nike sneakers have long been a hallmark of stylish guys; here it is appropriate to recall, for example, the composition of the Tomsk group “Vhore”, which is called “Boy in Nikes”:

Boy in Nikes, give me likes
Subscribe to my Instagram
Boy in Nikes, give me likes
I will sell my soul for you.

Members of the group "Vhore" sing about the admiration that young girls feel for stylish guys - local celebrities such as Pharaoh. Well, he, in turn, uses the image of “dead” (i.e. killed, old, worn out) Nikes in order to emphasize his belonging to the “chosen ones”, “initiated”.

I'm counting the tags, I'm wearing a black thrasher- with this phrase, Pharaoh makes it clear that he still has a lot of fashionable branded clothing, which the Tumblr crowd values ​​so much. Thrasher is a skatewear brand... in this case This means a sweatshirt with a brand logo. It's interesting how these fragmentary lines create an external portrait of the hero of Pharaoh - just as if a young man posted a photo in a fashionable sweatshirt on his social network page.

This is what a black Thrasher looks like

There are scars on my wrists- a reference to the fashion for self-destruction, which was started by representatives of the emo movement in the legendary 2007, and later picked up by Tumblr users. A photo of a wrist cut with improvised means is as much a part of the image as Nikes, thrashers and a white T-shirt. But all these are just details of appearance, but what lies inside this image? More on this later.

What does “skr skr skr” mean and what does Pharaoh have to do with rap culture?

The music that Pharaoh and his comrades make grew not only and not so much from rap, but from more modern experimental musical movements such as witch house and trap. Yes, yes, these are the same guys who name their tracks with unpronounceable combinations of special characters. To understand what kind of music this is, try listening to Black Ceiling or Powwoww. But what does Pharaoh have to do with rap? Well, he borrowed a lot from rap culture, but most turned mainstream rap techniques inside out.

“Tommy Hilfiger, Volga, smoking session... Ten stylish bitches, but I’m bored with them,” - all this is very similar to quotes from typical rap ballads. And the onomatopoeia itself, “skr skr skr,” so memorable to listeners, was borrowed from fellow rappers from abroad. This short word imitates the sound that the tires of a drifting car make when rubbing against the asphalt. The onomatopoeia skrt was used in their tracks by such artists as Gucci Mane, Chief Keef, Fetty Wap and many others, and Kodak Black even titled one of his compositions this way. But do not rush to accuse Pharaoh of plagiarism - after all, it is already difficult to figure out who first coined this word, and its borrowing rather indicates respect for foreign colleagues. Another hint of commonality of styles and goals is the line “I’m always upset.” This is a reference to the name of the project Sad Boys, created by Swedish rapper Yung Lean. “Sad boys”, that is, sad guys, began to be called all his followers, which to some extent includes Pharaoh.

This is what this symbol actually looks like: “Three green arrows around her neck”

Like more “traditional” representatives of hip-hop culture, young talents prefer to unite in groups. Pharaoh belongs to a group called Dead Dynasty, which he happily mentions several times in Black Siemens: “All friends are bastards, we are always behind the scenes”, “My crew is as beautiful as the Prime Minister”, “Dynasty shines, I I blow up palm trees." The "three green arrows around her neck" is also a reference to the Dead Dynasty symbolism (three green arrows and a skull).

Pharaoh and drugs: what do the slang words mean in the song Black Siemens

Another theme that is inextricably linked with the work of Dead Dynasty and Pharaoh is the use of narcotic substances. We are not talking about hard drugs and the addiction they cause, but mainly about marijuana. “With a skunk zip” our hero appears in the text - here “zip” means a plastic bag with a tight fastener, and “skunk” is a slang name for a cannabis variety. The joint is mentioned a couple of times - “instantly rolled”, “my blunt is furious” (blunt is still the same joint in English). “I blow up palm trees” - that is, I smoke. And finally: “I left stamps, I won’t go back.” Stamps are LSD, and our hero apparently chooses more conventional ways to have fun in the form of his frantic blunt.

"I'm always upset, but my blunt is furious"

Well, let's sum it up? Meaning Pharaoh songs- Black Siemens consists in outlining a certain image of the hero, establishing him as “one of our own”, “dedicated”, “chosen”. His belonging to the party is determined - this is achieved, firstly, by mentioning his crew, and secondly, by quoting foreign performers, which Pharaoh focuses on when creating his own music. Abundance slang expressions, including English, as well as the technique of creating text from disparate short phrases help the author to obscure the meaning of the text in such a way that it becomes as incomprehensible as possible for outsiders, strangers, uninitiated people who do not belong to the party. On the one hand, this caused a wave of hatred and indignation, on the other... it attracted a lot of attention to the performer and the new genre. And if you have any questions - what does “skr skr skr” mean, what is the song Black Siemens about? - this means that Pharaoh’s music has achieved its goal.

The ambiguous expressions associated with street culture and music are understandable only to the “initiated”. Everyone else in Lately wondering what “in dead Nikes” is and why this phrase is so popular today? Taken out of context, it can mean anything. The Pharaoh’s song “Black Siemens” will help you figure this out. The video for it appeared back in 2015, but the track remains popular today. Dead Nikes and a white T-shirt are the words of the chorus that reveal the meaning of the message.

In Pharaoh's slang

Rapper Pharaoh is from Moscow, he has been recording in the studio with his friends since 2013. He was originally part of the Grindhouse team, and then, after releasing two mixtapes, he emerged as a separate artist. His music is more in the genre of witch house and trap. Pharaoh adds a lot of slang expressions to his texts, which not everyone understands. However, the musician borrowed a lot from rap. For example, the “skrt” sound featured in his track “Black Siemens” is used by Gucci Mane, Chief Keef and Fetty Wap. Pharaoh says that this sound was made by Bruce Lee. But it is more reminiscent of the grinding sound of a drifting car.

To recognize the meaning of Pharaoh's songs, you need to delve a little into the history of music. The simple phrase “I'm always upset” also carries with it deep meaning. Sad boys or “sad boys” are the name given to all followers of the Sad Boys project, which includes Pharaoh.

Pharaoh "Dead Nikes"

The song “Black Siemens” is one of the rapper’s most successful. This is partly due to the strange video, which was ridiculed by critics, but loved by connoisseurs of experimental and underground music. In the text short expressions, mixed with English words, confuse and do not make it clear general meaning. Apparently this is exactly what the rapper is trying to achieve. He simultaneously talks about fashion and drugs - favorite topics of foreign performers. But Pharaoh is not a plagiarist; he considers himself a continuator of culture.

Classic rapper phrases like “smoking session” or “with a skunk zip” refer to smoking cannabis. And dead Nikes, which is quite understandable, refer to Nike sneakers.

However, things are not so simple with Nike. The meaning of "in dead Nikes" has acquired new meaning, since Pharaoh is on the Dead Dynasty team. Nike has a model of Dynasty sneakers, and “dead” translates as “dead.”

In addition, there is an opinion that dead Nikes are white sneakers. The fashion for clean design without accents has been popular on the streets and among celebrities for many years. They are like white slippers in which people are buried. Hence the connection between the dead and sneakers. The attribute of the dead man's outfit is not an association with the experimental tracks of Pharaoh.

The simplest explanation of what “in dead Nikes” is has long been familiar to those not privy to the details of the rapper’s lyrics. Worn-out shoes, an old, shabby pair of sneakers look like “killed”. Almost everyone uses this term, but thanks to Pharaoh it was updated.

Perhaps Pharaoh contributed some of his own secret meaning, a personal reference that he never told anyone about. This has not yet been found out. Only one thing is clear: the mention of brands such as Tommy Hilfiger and Thrasher along with Nike suggests that the rapper also connects his music with street fashion for branded items.

Nike

Touching on the topic of Nike Dynasty, we can say that this is a rather original silhouette, which was recently re-released in a Hi-top version. The traditional low-top style features a mesh upper and Air cushioning in the heel. And the Nike Dynasty High basketball shoes, which debuted in the early 1980s, have their own unique look. Featuring a crisp white upper, ankle strap and contrasting Swoosh on the sides. They originally appeared in a combination of leather and mesh, and by 1986 they updated to an all-leather version with perforations.

At the beginning of 2018, the Nike Dynasty Hi ’17 TC came out with square eyelets. They were complemented by the same square laces. Also unique to the release is a Nike Grand Volee inspired outsole and toe panels that extend into the tongue.

When it comes to dead Nikes, it's no surprise that the expression has become a meme. Since the 1980s in musical environment songs dedicated to brands were created. One of the first was Run-DMC with their track “My Adidas”. Whether it was official sponsorship or personal opinion, mentioning a company in songs often led to its “promotion.” Of course, Nike doesn't need Pharaoh's help, but the fact that their shoes are ambiguously interpreted in his songs is quite interesting. By the way, there is another one Russian group, which sings about the brand. Tomsk indie performers, the Vkhore team, have in their repertoire the song “Boy in Nikes”. Although in this case the text is lighter and does not carry a hidden meaning.

Relatives from Lobnya transported the body in their car to save money

“They tried to smuggle a dead Russian woman across the border with Ukraine as if she were alive,” like this. The information was immediately picked up by the media. The Ukrainian side published a photo of the deceased “passenger” and her death certificate, and also opened a murder case. Our side kept a delicate silence. Many even thought - isn’t this a fake? No, not fake. We found the relatives of the deceased traveler and found out the circumstances of what happened.

Photos published by Ukrainian border guards show a clothed woman in the back seat of a car. Her face is hidden, her body is fastened with seat belts - indeed, as if alive. It's like he's sleeping. The driver of the Ford Mondeo, which transported the corpse, admitted that he was her deceased husband. Moreover, he presented a death certificate issued by one of the civil registry offices in the Moscow region. And he admitted that he wanted to pass off the dead woman as alive, since it is very troublesome to formalize the procedure for transporting the deceased to a country with which we are in a protracted quarrel.

Well, the Ukrainian border guards, of course, are great. But a logical question arises: why did they let a suspicious car through at the Russian outpost? We contacted the Nekhoteevka border checkpoint, which is Belgorod region, where one of the employees confirmed in an informal conversation: such an incident actually took place, however real events happened a little differently.

No one passed off the woman’s corpse as a living passenger. Two men said that they were taking their relative to Zaporozhye to bury, and since they had everything Required documents, they were allowed to cross the Russian border without hindrance.

A source in the border control also told us that Ukrainian side, at the Goptovka checkpoint, in the Kharkov region, relatives dead woman they simply wrapped it up. Ukrainian border guards immediately began to find fault with the passengers’ documents. They did not like that the head of the family and his late wife recently received Russian citizenship (their son is a citizen of Ukraine). Then the men in uniform demanded a bribe from those passing through. But the matter did not come to a discussion of the fare fee - the man immediately refused to pay.

Then the indignant bribe-takers began to find fault with the form of transportation of the body and defiantly contacted the police, reporting that at the border two men tried to pass off a dead passenger as a living one. One of the border guards said that now they will inflate this story. The Ford driver quickly turned around and drove back to the Russian border.

As MK managed to find out, the entire unfortunate family is from Lobnya. The deceased, 61-year-old Lyudmila, also lived there. She suffered severely cancer. On October 21, she was discharged from the hospital. The woman spent her last night with her loved ones - her husband, a 63-year-old taxi driver, and her 37-year-old son, and on October 22 she died in her bed.

The last wish of the deceased was the desire to be buried in native land- in Zaporozhye region. On the same day, the husband of the deceased went to the clinic. He managed to get through the paperwork in one day - by the evening the widower had in his hands a certificate from the Lobnensky Department of Internal Affairs confirming that the woman’s death was due to natural causes, as well as a death certificate issued by the Lobnensky Department of the Civil Registry Office.

“If there is a protocol of examination by a police officer and a doctor, then the death certificate is issued without the conclusion of a medical examiner and pathologist. Why do chronically ill people need these conclusions?” Chairman of the Trade Union of Funeral Service Workers Anton Avdeev commented on the situation to MK.

The man did not hand over the body of his late wife to the morgue and turned to local ritualists. They billed the man for transportation - the hearse to Zaporozhye cost 80 thousand rubles. The family could not afford to transport the woman's body to her homeland.

As a result, the father and son carried the mother’s corpse in the father’s Ford Mondeo. They could not, for moral reasons, place the body loved one into the trunk and put him in the back seat, fastening his seat belts.

By the evening of October 23, the car reached the Nekhoteevka border checkpoint in the Belgorod region. The Ford passed the Russian outpost - the border guards checked the documents of the driver (Alexander Vasilyevich, the head of the family, was driving), the passenger (his son Alexander was in the front passenger seat), and also carefully studied all the certificates.

According to Anton Avdeev, border guards should not have limited themselves to just examining documents. They should have called the police and drawn up an inspection report and opened an investigation under Article 244 of the Criminal Code of the Russian Federation. If you doubt the authenticity of the document as part of this check, send the deceased to the Belgorod morgue. And then faxes, requests, explanations...

Most likely, the widower simply persuaded our border guards. By the way, his neighbors consider this family very peculiar. The case when the head of the family, who works as a taxi driver, had his car damaged by unknown persons caused great resonance. A criminal case was initiated, after which an examination was ordered to assess the damage caused. The man did not agree with the amount of compensation, although the wear and tear on the car parts was quite noticeable. And yet he wanted to receive compensation as for damage to a new car.

Let us note that transporting a dead person across the Russian-Ukrainian border is indeed not easy. Not only must the body be in a coffin, and certainly a zinc one (the price of which is off the charts), but a whole bunch of documents must also be attached to it. Firstly, these are the passport details of the deceased, translated into Ukrainian and notarized. Secondly, a certificate from the Russian sanitary epithelial service.

Third and very important condition: Carriers must have a document from the Russian Prosecutor's Office. Fourthly, a document confirming that in the zinc coffin, in addition to the body itself, there are no foreign objects or things. And lastly, border guards must provide a death certificate certified by the official seal. The Russians crossing the border had only the latter. It could take them more than one week to collect the remaining documents. And all this time the body would have to be stored somewhere.

Meanwhile, the costs of preparing and holding funerals in Ukraine have now grown enormously. Although they are an order of magnitude lower than in Russia. In the Zaporozhye region, where the Ford was heading with the deceased, an economy version of the coffin will be offered for 2 and a half thousand hryvnia (75 euros). Basically, this item costs at least 4000 UAH. (123 euros). According to Ukrainian laws, a place in a cemetery is allocated free of charge.

If they want to lay the deceased to rest next to his relatives, a fee of 80 hryvnia (2 and a half euros) is charged every year for a kind of “reservation” of this area. Transporting the body to the cemetery by hearse costs another one and a half to two thousand hryvnia (46-63 euros).