JE NE PLAISANTE PAS Lyrics in English Kery James

Je Ne Plaisante Pas is Kery James with the safety off. Throughout the track he repeats that he is “à deux doigts” – only a hair’s-breadth – from losing control, resorting to violence, or abandoning France altogether. That tension becomes a metaphor for the daily balancing act faced by people from the banlieues: juggling family loyalty, faith, pride and raw anger while the state, the police and a judgmental society keep pressing on the trigger. The result is a song that feels like walking on a razor’s edge, where every bar is a warning flare saying, “Do not test me.”

Beneath the threats lies a sharp social critique. Kery paints a country where poverty, racism and political hypocrisy push the marginalized toward desperate choices. He references police brutality, under-funded schools, economic injustice and the unhealed wounds of colonial history. Yet he also shows self-awareness: the real battle is inside him, between his better judgment and the rage of a “Demba” that “sleeps” within. The message is clear: society must address these systemic wrongs, or the explosions he describes may no longer be just lyrics. It’s a powerful blend of personal confession and political alarm bell, delivered with the urgency of someone who really isn’t joking.