Meaning of “F.N” by Lil Tjay

The title of this track apparently stands for two very explicit words (which we can’t put here), and these unprintable phrases make their appearance during the choruses. The “F” stands for a swear word (which begins with the letter “f”. The “N” stands for an unofficial term predominantly used among African Americans to refer to a friend. It starts with the letter “n”. Furthermore this term can also be a derogatory term or ethnic slur used against African Americans. And while they are obviously similar expressions they can also mean different things, even within the context of this song.  For instance, one refers to Lil Tjay’s preference not to deal with most of his male agemates. And the other is actually a moniker given to unsavory individuals, in this case particularly snitches. However, they both allude to the same basic idea which dominates “F.N”, that of the artists not trusting a lot of the dudes he interacts with.

“F.N” is a Warning Track

Indeed “F.N” can read primarily as a warning track. Although Tjay touches on some of the financial challenges he faced coming up as well as his recent ascent to stardom, those are not the main themes. Rather first and foremost you can say that the rapper is bigging up his “gang”, as in the gun-toting homeys he rolls with. And in that regard he is letting the world know that he and his boys aren’t afraid to brandish the gat. And in terms of the addressee, he was obviously a former member of the group that “went fed”, meaning that he had cooperated with law enforcement against his own compatriots. And needless to say Tjay thinks he deserves to die as a result, even ‘promising’ to kill the dude himself.

Transformation

But once again, along a different line Tjay also acknowledges the changes in his life that have occurred since he came up in the rap game. And in terms of his past, he references the struggles his mom had to go through in order to take care of him. And in his newfound success, he has obviously attracted a lot of fake friends who want to capitalize off of his achievements. He also boasts of his ability to attract other dude’s girlfriends since they are “starstruck” by him. Moreover he has captivated the attention of fellow thieves who are drawn to his chain. But he warns them that “one false move and the gang’s going to bust”. What this phrase means is that if anyone does actually try to rob him, his homeys are going to defend him with gunfire.

Main Themes of “F.N”

But all things considered, the main theme of this track is the artist’s dislike of treacherous friends. His partners seem to regularly engage in criminal behavior. And if one of them snitches when the heat is on, that is something that gets Lil Tjay gravely upset. Indeed the secondary theme is the propensity the rapper and his associates have towards gun violence. And along those lines, Tjay doesn’t presents himself as a proactive thug  but more as one who is ready to defend himself, which includes in his estimation dealing with informers.

Quick Facts about “F.N”

• Lil Tjay released “F.N” through Columbia Records on 9 August 2019.
• The track is featured on Lil Tjay’s second EP (which is also entitled “F.N”).
• Music producer MB13 Beatz, who also assisted Lil Tjay in writing the song, produced it.