{"id":303416,"date":"2016-01-18T20:00:00","date_gmt":"2016-01-18T20:00:00","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.wdev.rochester.edu\/College\/translation\/threepercent-dev\/2016\/01\/18\/latvian-rap-porzingis-translations-what-deadspin-was-apparently-too-good-for\/"},"modified":"2018-04-16T14:57:26","modified_gmt":"2018-04-16T14:57:26","slug":"latvian-rap-porzingis-translations-what-deadspin-was-apparently-too-good-for","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.rochester.edu\/College\/translation\/threepercent\/2016\/01\/18\/latvian-rap-porzingis-translations-what-deadspin-was-apparently-too-good-for\/","title":{"rendered":"Latvian Rap, Porzi\u0146\u0123is, Translations [&#038; What Deadspin Was Apparently Too Good For]"},"content":{"rendered":"<p><center><txp_image id=\"13432\"\/><\/center><\/p>\n<p>Back in July 2015, <a href=\"http:\/\/deadspin.com\/you-know-what-fine-do-a-kristaps-knickstape-whateve-1716057073\">Deadspin posted an article<\/a> on a rap song by the Latvian group Transleiteris about Latvian-born, New York Knicks player Kristaps Porzi\u0146\u0123is. After the initial ripple of interest across the Internet, and because sometimes I don&#8217;t sleep at night and have hours of free time as a result, it didn&#8217;t take long for me to give into Chad&#8217;s insistence that I must do a translation of the song and it would be the funniest thing ever probably\u2014and that I send the resulting translation back to Deadspin, to kind of shed light on what the song was saying, why it was funny, etc. Which I did, <span class=\"caps\">AND<\/span> NO <span class=\"caps\">ONE<\/span> <span class=\"caps\">BIT<\/span>. Then a few weeks later there was <a href=\"http:\/\/www.sbnation.com\/lookit\/2015\/12\/1\/9833644\/kristaps-porzingis-rap-video-promo-espn-knicks\">another post about the song<\/a>, this time saying <span class=\"caps\">ESPN<\/span> had decided to use it for a promotional commercial, which is <span class=\"caps\">WILD<\/span>, but apparently no one had a real interest in knowing what, exactly, the hell these guys were saying in their rap?<\/p>\n<p>That feeling when you give someone something kind of great, and they ignore it or filter it into the pile of other crazy emails from crazy people, and in the meantime keep outputting more general announcements on the exact thing you&#8217;ve already voluntarily illuminated? <span class=\"caps\">THIS<\/span> IS IT. <\/p>\n<p>Anyway, because I <em>also<\/em> have access to the real world wide web (and because today <a href=\"http:\/\/deadspin.com\/the-world-needed-another-latvian-rap-song-about-kristap-1753588260\">Deadspin posted yet another article on yet <em>another<\/em> Porzi\u0146\u0123is rap song<\/a>) it seemed like the right time to post said rough translation of the song lyrics for the almighty #PORZI\u0145\u0122IS rap. (This latest Porzi\u0146\u0123is song, by <span class=\"caps\">OLAS<\/span>, as far as I can tell, is an answer to the Transleiteris song. Which was an answer\/satire on an <span class=\"caps\">OLAS<\/span> song. Or two, or three <span class=\"caps\">OLAS<\/span> songs.)<\/p>\n<p><iframe loading=\"lazy\" width=\"360\" height=\"300\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/EhhSFKgMhlo\" frameborder=\"0\" allowfullscreen><\/iframe><\/p>\n<p>It turned out that the &#8220;#PORZI\u0145\u0122IS&#8221; lyrics themselves aren\u2019t all that interesting, but what <em>is<\/em> interesting is how layered the \u201cbirth\u201d of the song is, so to speak. (At least, maybe for just me, as a Latvian?) That said, translation and language background aside, I have <em>zero<\/em> rap-lyric qualifications, so this is a &#8220;rough translation&#8221; in full meaning\u2014but not too off the mark. (I welcome input from people with additional information\/background on the song and the two groups of artists involved in this!)<\/p>\n<p>However, I do also want to contextualize how and why I wasted (fascinating) hours of my life delving into this.<\/p>\n<p>The song is, obviously, about Latvian-born Knicks player, Kristaps Porzi\u0146\u0123is. And initially, it really does seem like the song is just a bunch of basketball-related puns and lyrics pieced together among shouts of \u201cKristaps Porzi\u0146\u0123is\u201d to create a tribute to him.<\/p>\n<p>Transleiteris is a Latvian duo known for their translated renderings of popular songs\u2014including Lady Gaga\u2019s \u201cBorn This Way,\u201d Blur\u2019s \u201cSong 2,\u201d Limp Bizkit\u2019s \u201cRollin\u2019,\u201d and even Psy\u2019s \u201cGagnam Style\u201d\u2014into Latvian. According to their Facebook page, their main goal in translating and recording these songs is to contextualize for and bring pop music closer to Latvian listeners. (The sub-goal is to educate Latvians on what\u2019s actually being said in pop music, as the most-listened to music in Latvia tends to come from outside the country, and it\u2019s often doubtful whether, in terms of lyrics, most Latvians even have a good idea of what, exactly, they\u2019re listening to.)<\/p>\n<p>That said, the song \u201c#PORZI\u0145\u0122IS\u201d struck me as a bit of a new direction for Transleiteris (who I haven\u2019t followed at all, but I\u2019m familiar with what they do). It\u2019s a song in Latvian about a Latvian, not a Top 40 hit adapted for Indo-Slavic vocabularies. It\u2019s about an athlete, and one who wound up on a team\u2014and a sport\u2014that people actually have heard about. And watch. Willingly. Then the video started cropping up on Facebook and Twitter in the usual herpes-like manner. Then, as I said, I was persuaded to translate the lyrics. \u201cIt would be awesome\u201d I was told, \u201cit would be hilarious!\u201d And then I spent <strong>five plus hours<\/strong> at my laptop, cycling through 30+ browser tabs of information and Latvian news-entertainment articles, listening to satirical Latvian rap songs via Youtube on loop, and giggling to myself with each new connection drawn in this mini-cyclone that is #PORZI\u0145\u0122IS . . .<\/p>\n<p>Anyway, somewhere remains a five-page Word file of insanity that I hacked out over those hours, but below I give you a rough translation of the lyrics, complete with footnotes and links, which, this long intro aside, seems way easier to deal with.<\/p>\n<p>Enjoy? Or just find more reasons to wonder what\u2019s up with Latvians.<\/p>\n<p>&#8212;&#8212;&#8212;&#8212;&#8212;&#8212;&#8212;&#8212;&#8212;&#8212;&#8212;&#8212;&#8212;&#8212;&#8212;&#8212;&#8212;&#8212;&#8212;&#8212;&#8212;&#8212;&#8212;&#8212;&#8212;&#8212;&#8212;&#8212;&#8212;&#8212;&#8212;<\/p>\n<p><strong>&#8220;#PORZI\u0145\u0122IS&#8221; by Transleiteris<sup id=\"fnrev1109957754569d4293b4f90\" class=\"footnote\"><a href=\"#fn1109957754569d4293b4f90\">1<\/a><\/sup><\/strong><\/p>\n<p>Oh <br \/>\nMy Little Bells<sup id=\"fnrev1255556124569d4293b5185\" class=\"footnote\"><a href=\"#fn1255556124569d4293b5185\">2<\/a><\/sup> are right here in front of you<\/p>\n<p>You ready?<\/p>\n<p>2.16 meters tall<br \/>\n(Kristaps Porzi\u0146\u0123is)<br \/>\nIf you\u2019re looking at him, you\u2019re looking up<br \/>\n(Kristaps Porzi\u0146\u0123is)<br \/>\nWho\u2019s got way more money<sup id=\"fnrev621898973569d4293b54bd\" class=\"footnote\"><a href=\"#fn621898973569d4293b54bd\">3<\/a><\/sup>?<br \/>\n(Kristaps Porzi\u0146\u0123is)<br \/>\nWhose name do we always get wrong?<br \/>\n(Kristaps Porzi\u0146\u0123is)<sup id=\"fnrev304418599569d4293b5527\" class=\"footnote\"><a href=\"#fn304418599569d4293b5527\">4<\/a><\/sup> <\/p>\n<p>I\u2019m pretty short, I\u2019m not that young,<br \/>\nI\u2019m pretty stiff<br \/>\nI come into the club, throw down some cash, <br \/>\nthrow down my skis<sup id=\"fnrev489124322569d4293b5833\" class=\"footnote\"><a href=\"#fn489124322569d4293b5833\">5<\/a><\/sup>, kick off my shoes.<br \/>\nI sit down on a couch, but my feet reek<sup id=\"fnrev178245331569d4293b589b\" class=\"footnote\"><a href=\"#fn178245331569d4293b589b\">6<\/a><\/sup>,<br \/>\nI put my shoes back on and keep partying,<br \/>\nmake my way through, slam[-dunk] one down<sup id=\"fnrev1593342859569d4293b5900\" class=\"footnote\"><a href=\"#fn1593342859569d4293b5900\">7<\/a><\/sup>\u2014<br \/>\njust like Kristaps Porzi\u0146\u0123is<\/p>\n<p>You noticed me<br \/>\nStanding across from you, girl,<br \/>\nYou dig my skis<sup id=\"fnrev1817959117569d4293b5c5f\" class=\"footnote\"><a href=\"#fn1817959117569d4293b5c5f\">8<\/a><\/sup>, you wanna get with me,<br \/>\nYou come my way, but I jump right over you\u2014<br \/>\njust like Kristaps Porzi\u0146\u0123is<\/p>\n<p>I spot the hottest girl in the club<br \/>\nAnd tell her \u201cI\u2019m your destiny.\u201d<br \/>\nBut she says \u201cYou\u2019re not as [sfx] as Kristaps Porzi\u0146\u0123is\u201d<\/p>\n<p>[Kris Kris-]<br \/>\nKristaps<br \/>\n[Po Po]<br \/>\nPorzi\u0146\u0123is<br \/>\n(4x)<\/p>\n<p>I am:<br \/>\nHoney, ice, a masterpiece, a sausage<sup id=\"fnrev1460887400569d4293b6108\" class=\"footnote\"><a href=\"#fn1460887400569d4293b6108\">9<\/a><\/sup> <br \/>\n[Yes, yes, yes]<br \/>\nMeanwhile Kristaps is killing it in the <span class=\"caps\">NBA<\/span><br \/>\n[Yes, yes, yes]<br \/>\nA meaning, a fence, steel, a cookie, darkness<br \/>\n[Yes, yes, yes]<br \/>\nA rarity, age, luxury, pride, a drunk<\/p>\n<p>I don\u2019t want to be a liar or grow old, steeped in booze<br \/>\ndon\u2019t want to be sad or have to fight for [my] choices,<br \/>\nI don\u2019t want to, don\u2019t want to, son\u2014peace.<sup id=\"fnrev1201707042569d4293b638f\" class=\"footnote\"><a href=\"#fn1201707042569d4293b638f\">10<\/a><\/sup><\/p>\n<p>[Kris Kris-]<br \/>\nKristaps<br \/>\n[Po Po]<br \/>\nPorzi\u0146\u0123is<br \/>\n(4x)<br \/>\n&#8212;&#8212;&#8212;&#8212;&#8212;&#8212;&#8212;&#8212;&#8212;&#8212;&#8212;&#8212;&#8212;&#8212;&#8212;&#8212;&#8212;&#8212;&#8212;&#8212;&#8212;&#8212;&#8212;&#8212;&#8212;&#8212;&#8212;&#8212;&#8212;&#8212;&#8212;<\/p>\n<p>\n<\/p>\n<p id=\"fn1109957754569d4293b4f90\" class=\"footnote\"><sup>1<\/sup> In their <a href=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/Transleiteris\">Facebook post<\/a> accompanying the release of their video, Transleiteris wrote: \u201cIt\u2019s with pride and the feeling of a job well done that we present our new and all-original single\u2014dedicated to shooting Latvian star Kristaps Porzi\u0146\u0123is. The song is totally 100% original and any similarities to any other song is, quite frankly, impossible.\u201d (This is a bullshit statement, but stick with me for a bit longer.)<\/p>\n<p id=\"fn1255556124569d4293b5185\" class=\"footnote\"><sup>2<\/sup> A nod to Latvian socially-satirical rap-duo OLAS\u2014\u201colas\u201d means \u201ceggs\u201d, but is slang for \u201cballs.\u201d The diminutive \u201clittle bells\u201d used by Transleiteris (as the name for their \u201crap group\u201d for this video) takes that slang \u201ceggs\u201d one self-depricative notch smaller in size. <\/p>\n<p id=\"fn621898973569d4293b54bd\" class=\"footnote\"><sup>3<\/sup> A (supposedly non-referential) reference to the song \u201cDaudz naudas\u201d (\u201cA Lot of Money\u201d) by <span class=\"caps\">OLAS<\/span>, which is ridiculous. Transleiteris goes so far in its video as to wear similar T-shirts to what <span class=\"caps\">OLAS<\/span> has, changing #DaudzNaudas for #Daudz\u0101kNaudas (meaning: way more money). I want one of these shirts badly.<\/p>\n<p id=\"fn304418599569d4293b5527\" class=\"footnote\"><sup>4<\/sup> This stanza, and the entire song, actually, winds up being referential to <a href=\"http:\/\/www.dziesmas.lv\/d\/Zemgus_Girgensons_-_Olas\/24165\">the song \u201cZemguss Girgensons\u201d by <span class=\"caps\">OLAS<\/span><\/a> (the actual video is <a href=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/watch?v=PYSRbeYswGQ\">here<\/a>), which was released in January 2015 as a sort of tribute to the Latvian <span class=\"caps\">NHL<\/span> player drafted up by the Buffalo Sabres (and which, apparently NO <span class=\"caps\">ONE<\/span> IN <span class=\"caps\">THE<\/span> <span class=\"caps\">WORLD<\/span> noticed except for Latvia [doesn\u2019t matter], the Sabres webmaster [matters even less], and a handful of websites with \u201chockey\u201d in the <span class=\"caps\">URL<\/span> [half of these are probably porn anyway].) The #PORZI\u0145\u0122IS video also apes the Girgensons tribute video, down to props, lighting, and sound effects; neither song takes itself seriously (another <span class=\"caps\">OLAS<\/span> song is titled \u201c#DPM,\u201d which stands for \u201cDz\u012bvoju pie Mammas,\u201d or \u201cI Live with My Mom\u201d) , though but I think it\u2019s pretty clear that the Transleiteris song takes itself even less seriously&#8230;<\/p>\n<p id=\"fn489124322569d4293b5833\" class=\"footnote\"><sup>5<\/sup> Assuming this is another reference to the \u201cZemguss Girgensons\u201d lyrics and Girgensons himself, though I don\u2019t know why they used \u201cskis\u201d instead of \u201cskates.\u201d<\/p>\n<p id=\"fn178245331569d4293b589b\" class=\"footnote\"><sup>6<\/sup> In the Girgensons tribute, these two lines are about how the narrator comes into the club all baller like Girgensons, sits back in a couch, and props his feet up on a table, regardless of who is or isn\u2019t watching him, because he\u2019s on his way to being baller, so there. Transleiteris makes their lyirc more&#8230; realistic.<\/p>\n<p id=\"fn1593342859569d4293b5900\" class=\"footnote\"><sup>7<\/sup> Lots of basketball-related puns for Porzi\u0146\u0123is, as there are many hockey-related puns (and visuals; the one Olas guy \u201cskates\u201d past the girl who approaches him in the club) in the Girgensons video.<\/p>\n<p id=\"fn1817959117569d4293b5c5f\" class=\"footnote\"><sup>8<\/sup> Again, not sure why the skis.<\/p>\n<p id=\"fn1460887400569d4293b6108\" class=\"footnote\"><sup>9<\/sup> This is where I start to lose sight of what\u2019s literal and what\u2019s metaphor. The Girgensons song talks about being calm, smooth, and collected. The Transleiteris tribute to Porzi\u0146\u0123is just sounds like a mash-up of words, though there could be meaning. \u201cI\u2019m honey, ice, a masterpiece, a sausage\u201d could simply mean \u201cI\u2019m sweet, cool, awesome, and good at The Sextimes.\u201d But then I have no idea what the following line is all about. Either way, by \u201csausage\u201d they almost definitely mean \u201cpeen.\u201d<\/p>\n<p id=\"fn1201707042569d4293b638f\" class=\"footnote\"><sup>10<\/sup> And this is where shit seems to get dark. Try as I might, I couldn\u2019t find any real-life references to explain this. I kept hoping I\u2019d find some dark and twisty Porzi\u0146\u0123is past\u2014but he\u2019s just 19 and freaky tall.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Back in July 2015, Deadspin posted an article on a rap song by the Latvian group Transleiteris about Latvian-born, New York Knicks player Kristaps Porzi\u0146\u0123is. After the initial ripple of interest across the Internet, and because sometimes I don&#8217;t sleep at night and have hours of free time as a result, it didn&#8217;t take long [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":166,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[67486],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-303416","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-articles"],"acf":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.rochester.edu\/College\/translation\/threepercent\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/303416","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.rochester.edu\/College\/translation\/threepercent\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.rochester.edu\/College\/translation\/threepercent\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rochester.edu\/College\/translation\/threepercent\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/166"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rochester.edu\/College\/translation\/threepercent\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=303416"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/www.rochester.edu\/College\/translation\/threepercent\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/303416\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":333406,"href":"https:\/\/www.rochester.edu\/College\/translation\/threepercent\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/303416\/revisions\/333406"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.rochester.edu\/College\/translation\/threepercent\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=303416"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rochester.edu\/College\/translation\/threepercent\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=303416"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rochester.edu\/College\/translation\/threepercent\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=303416"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}