His debut album, I Am Chipmunk, was released on 12 October 2009. It has produced four top 25 singles included three consecutive top-ten hits and one chart topper. The album was deemed a success after it debuted at number 2 on the UK Albums Chart and reaching platinum sales of over 300,000 copies.
In-line with its record sales, a new platinum edition of the album was released on May 3, 2010 featuring four new songs, including new single Until You Were Gone featuring Dutch singer-songwriter Esmee Denters.
Chip Diddy Chip was released as the first official single from the album on 16 January 2009. The single peaked at number 21 on the UK Singles Chart and marked Chipmunk's breakthrough.
Diamond Rings was released as the second official single on 6 July 2009 and featured vocals from upcoming Scottish R&B singer Emeli Sandé. The single peaked at number 6 in the UK; marking Chipmunk's first Top 10 hit.
"Oopsy Daisy" was released as the third official single on 4 October 2009 and featured vocals from Dayo Olatunji. The single went on to top the UK Singles Chart, marking Chipmunk's first number-one single, but also his second consecutive Top 10 hit. The Oopsy Daisy Songfacts reported that it reached peak position on October 11, 2009, beating The Saturdays in a two-way battle for the top of the charts. Co-incidentally, one line of "Oopsy Daisy" reads "now I feel like Saturdays are weaker."
"Look for Me" featuring vocals from Talay Riley was released as the fourth official single from the album on 28 December 2009. The single marked Chipmunk's third consecutive Top 10 hit when it managed to peak at number 7 in the UK.
"Until You Were Gone" served as the fifth official single to be released, but the first and only single to be released from the Platinum Edition reissue of the album. The single featured vocals from Dutch pop/R&B singer Esmée Denters and was released on 19 April 2010; where it debuted at number 3, marking Chipmunk's fourth consecutive Top 10 hit and his second most successful single behind Oopsy Daisy.
His new album, Transition, is scheduled for release in mid 2011.
Transition
Chipmunk Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Yeah,
Whats he gonna say?
You wanna be like me son get a change of plan,
I don't hardly see my dawgs, get a hand, pick ma fam
Confused, feelin' used, tryin' to rearrange plans,
'Cause I've got a Rolex but no time on my hands,
Made a transition from a boy into a man,
Step one never mix ya business and fam,
Haters say I changed,
But I can't disagree,
'Cause the figures damn Skippy ain't the same in the bank, and I just wanna say thanks,
To those tryin' to pull me down,
I was born to be fly I don't like the ground, so don't tell me stay grounded,
I'm good in my town,
And when I was blue you just went around.
I shouldn't know stress at my age,
Money came around me then everybody changed,
Fools say they know me from ya dawgs,
Stop tryin' to call me by my government name
'Cause it's all chipmunk now,
You can blow after,
It's Chipmunk now,
It's Chipmunk's time,
Chipmunk's in his prime,
And only Chipmunk can take Chipmunk's shine!
I made a transition,
I made a transition.
You can say I made a transition.
I'm feelin' like I found myself but lost my mind,
They wanna take my life I take my time,
I'm hair and flesh but lost my life my privacy went up in the sky,
When I signed I,
Grinned to six figures then I grin teeth airing all the tag alongs like bring me,
I never breaded no one when I was working,
So hate me if you want but don't say I don't deserve it,
Understand the position I played then,
Understand the transition I made then, go and picture me back in the days then,
Look at me now and get mad,
They just wanna get fly although now I'm jet lagged,
Now everybody step back,
I'm on the next ting,
It's not a bless ting,
They're number two,
I'm on some next shit,
First place that's the first base, suicide that's the worst case,
That's when you're whole life time is tryin' to get your dough up,
And then you blow up and blow up,
No escalators, stairs, and I'm still tryin' to step up,
But I think it's tryin' to handle the pressure,
I can't let the game slip away,
When the UK roots for my name,
Shame
It's all Mr. Monk now,
You can blow after,
It's Mr. Monk now,
It's Mr. Monks Time,
Mr. Monks in his prime,
And only Mr. Monk can take Mr. Monk's shine!
'Cause it's all chipmunk now,
You can blow after,
It's Chipmunk now,
It's Chipmunk's time,
Chipmunk's in his prime,
And only Chipmunk can take Chipmunk's shine!
I made a transition,
I made a transition,
You can say I made a transition.
Being successful, that's a gift and a curse,
Being paid or being broke I know what's worse,
And people at the bottom say that,
You forgot your roots but,
That's always the case when you rise from the dirt,
And preparation is the key to elevation,
But them man are too busy hating debating,
If I sound better on some grime shit,
Half of them don't even know what grime is,
It's all timing, even though I blew quicker than your average,
I came through slicker than your average,
'Cause yeah I'm not you're average spitter,
Any tempo or instrumental,
Flows mentors straight jacket worthy, conspiracy they put in to merk me,
If I'm not fire how could you burn me,
Insultin' how could you out me,
I'm so truth how could you doubt me,
Allow me.
'Cause it's all me now,
You can blow after,
It's all me now,
It's all me time,
It's all me in my prime,
And only I can take my shine!
(Yeah, yeah) (yeah, yeah)
(You can say I made a transition) (ha ha ha) (eh)
The song "Transition" by Chipmunk is about the journey from being a boy to a man and the struggles that come with success. Chipmunk talks about the pressures of fame and the sacrifices he had to make in order to achieve success, including creating boundaries between his business and family. He also addresses the negative opinions and attitudes of his haters who accuse him of forgetting his roots or changing for the worse, but Chipmunk remains true to himself and his craft, asserting that he will always take pride in who he is and continue to grow and thrive despite the odds.
Overall, the song conveys a message of personal growth and self-determination. It reminds listeners that life is an ongoing journey of transitions, with both challenges and opportunities for growth along the way. Chipmunk's honest and insightful lyrics touch on themes of loyalty, perseverance, and the importance of staying true to oneself even when faced with adversity.
Line by Line Meaning
You wanna be like me son get a change of plan,
If you want to emulate me, then you need to make some changes because I hardly have time to spend with my friends and family.
I don't hardly see my dawgs, get a hand, pick ma fam
I don't see my friends as much as I used to, so I need to prioritize my family and loved ones.
Confused, feelin' used, tryin' to rearrange plans,
I'm confused and feel used by people, so I'm trying to reorganize my schedule and plans accordingly.
'Cause I've got a Rolex but no time on my hands,
I have a lot of money and a nice watch, but I'm always busy and don't have free time.
Made a transition from a boy into a man,
I've matured and grown up since becoming successful.
Step one never mix ya business and fam,
I've learned that it's important to keep my family and business separate.
Haters say I changed,
Some people don't like the changes that they see in me since I became successful.
But I can't disagree,
I can't deny that I have changed since becoming successful.
'Cause the figures damn Skippy ain't the same in the bank, and I just wanna say thanks,
My financial situation has greatly improved, and I'm grateful for that.
To those tryin' to pull me down,
Some people are trying to bring me down and halt my success.
I was born to be fly I don't like the ground, so don't tell me stay grounded,
I was meant for success and I don't want to be limited, so don't try to hold me back.
I'm good in my town,
I'm well-known and respected in my hometown.
And when I was blue you just went around.
When I was down, some people ignored me and didn't offer support.
I shouldn't know stress at my age,
I shouldn't be experiencing so much stress at my young age.
Money came around me then everybody changed,
When I became wealthy, people around me started acting differently.
Fools say they know me from ya dawgs,
Some people claim to know me through my friends.
Stop tryin' to call me by my government name
Some people try to use my real name instead of my stage name to seem like they know me better.
I'm feelin' like I found myself but lost my mind,
I'm getting to know myself better, but I'm also struggling with my mental health.
They wanna take my life I take my time,
People want to bring me down, but I'm going to take things slowly and not rush into anything.
I'm hair and flesh but lost my life my privacy went up in the sky,
People constantly want to know what's going on with me, so I feel like I've lost my privacy along with my reputation.
When I signed I,
When I signed my record deal,
Grinned to six figures then I grin teeth airing all the tag alongs like bring me,
I've made a lot of money, and I'm happy to flaunt it and cut ties with people who just want to cling to my success.
I never breaded no one when I was working,
I didn't have any money to share when I was still working hard for my success.
So hate me if you want but don't say I don't deserve it,
Some people might be jealous of me, but I worked hard to get where I am and deserve it.
Understand the position I played then,
Understand the challenges I faced earlier in my career.
Understand the transition I made then, go and picture me back in the days then,
Think about my journey and how I've grown since I started.
Look at me now and get mad,
People who doubted me might be upset to see how far I've come.
They just wanna get fly although now I'm jet lagged,
People want to emulate me and share in my success, even when it takes a toll on me.
Now everybody step back,
I'm on top now and people should recognize that.
I'm on the next ting,
I'm focused on the next phase of my career.
It's not a bless ting,
Success isn't always easy and can come with its own challenges.
They're number two,
Other people are trying to follow in my footsteps, but they'll always be behind me.
I'm on some next shit,
I'm trying to do something new and different with my music and career.
First place that's the first base, suicide that's the worst case,
Being in first place is just the beginning, and the worst case scenario is falling off completely.
That's when you're whole life time is tryin' to get your dough up,
When you spend your whole life working to earn a living,
And then you blow up and blow up,
And then finally achieve success and popularity.
No escalators, stairs, and I'm still tryin' to step up,
There are no shortcuts to success, and even though I've made it, I'm still trying to improve and move up.
But I think it's tryin' to handle the pressure,
The pressure of maintaining my success is difficult to handle, but I'm doing my best.
I can't let the game slip away,
I can't relax and let my success slip away from me.
When the UK roots for my name,
People in the UK are proud of my success and want to see me do well.
Shame
It's a shame others can't be happy for me.
Being successful, that's a gift and a curse,
Being successful has its advantages and disadvantages.
Being paid or being broke I know what's worse,
I've experienced both financial success and struggles, and being broke is definitely worse.
And people at the bottom say that,
People who are struggling to succeed say that,
You forgot your roots but,
I've lost touch with my origins but,
That's always the case when you rise from the dirt,
It's difficult to stay connected to your origins when you become successful.
And preparation is the key to elevation,
Being prepared is essential for success.
But them man are too busy hating debating,
Some people are too busy being negative and trying to stop me from succeeding.
If I sound better on some grime shit,
If some of my music sounds better with a grime style,
Half of them don't even know what grime is,
Some people who criticize me don't even understand grime music.
It's all timing, even though I blew quicker than your average,
My success has been helped by good timing and events, even though it happened faster than usual.
I came through slicker than your average,
I've been more creative and clever than most other artists.
'Cause yeah I'm not you're average spitter,
I'm a unique and talented rapper, not like other average rappers.
Any tempo or instrumental,
I can rap over any beat or style of music.
Flows mentors straight jacket worthy, conspiracy they put in to merk me,
My rapping style is so good it's like mental illness, and some people are trying to bring me down.
If I'm not fire how could you burn me,
If I'm not good, then how could I be threatened or destroyed?
Insultin' how could you out me,
It's insulting that people are trying to out me and take away my success.
I'm so truth how could you doubt me,
I'm honest and true, so how could people doubt me?
Allow me.
Let me do my thing and succeed on my own terms.
It's all me now,
I'm in control of my career and success now.
It's all me time,
This is my time to shine and succeed.
It's all me in my prime,
I'm at the top of my game and career right now.
And only I can take my shine!
Others can't take away my shine or success, only I can do that.
Yeah, yeah
Expressing excitement and confidence.
You can say I made a transition
Recognizing that my success has caused changes and a transition in my life.
ha ha ha
Expressing amusement and joy.
eh
Vocalization of agreement or affirmation.
Lyrics © Universal Music Publishing Group, Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC
Written by: JAMAL FYFFE, HARMONY SAMUELS
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind