P's And Q's
by Kano

Album: Home Sweet Home (2004)
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Songfacts®:

  • Kano's breakthrough single, he released "P's and Q's" following a brief stint in local grime group N.A.S.T.Y. Crew (Natural Artistic Sounds Touching You) alongside such artists as D Double E, and Ghetts.
  • The song features rapid-fire bars against a sinuous "when Kano Comes to Town" refrain. "That flow was something I spent God knows how many hours on," Kano recalled to Q magazine in 2020. "I remember Ghetts used to come to my house on a Saturday and we'll get our notebooks out to write lyrics like we were in class or something! It was writing just for writing safe. That never happens now."
  • Though the song didn't chart, it was a huge underground hit in the UK, marking Kano as a rising star.
  • "Mind your Ps and Qs" is an expression meaning be careful to behave well and avoid giving offense. The phrase may derive from an admonition to children learning to read or write to be careful to distinguish between the two tailed letters p and q. Another suggestion is that printers had to be very careful not to confuse the two letters when setting type.

Comments: 1

  • Dapr from LondonP’s and Q’s are ‘Please’ and ‘Thankyou’ [thank-Q]. Kids are told to mind their ps and qs to remind them to use the words please and thank you when requesting or receiving.
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