On January 28, 2014, his first project was released, titled Cilvia Demo. The EP debuted at number 40 on the US Billboard 200 chart and sold 8,500 copies in the United States during its first week of release. On May 5, 2014, XXL revealed Rashad was included in their annual freshman class.
On September 2, 2016, Rashad released his debut studio album, The Sun's Tirade. The Sun's Tirade received critical acclaim from music critics, debuted at number 17 on the US Billboard 200 and sold 19,000 copies its first week.
Nelly
Isaiah Rashad Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
'Cause what these niggas on, was not my favorite song
I'm not no number one
'Cause they gon' do you wrong, and they gon' play you out
Alright, alright, alright
We can't be no number one, but we can be the jam
'Cause what these niggas on, was not my favorite song
I'm not no number one
'Cause they gon' do you wrong, and they gon' play you out
Alright, alright, alright
Back when my brother sold crack and my sister was a real one
Always was a real one
Saw you workin' early, tell me how you feel, huh?
Baby what's your hurry, get it how you live, huh?
Baby what's your name?, I've been goin' through a lot
I can't do this on my own, got no place to go Rashad
And that's a long way
Hey they gon' love you when you hot
They won't miss you when you gone, if you looking for a spot
That's the wrong one
But we can be the jam
'Cause what these niggas on, was not my favorite song
I'm not no number one
'Cause they gon' do you wrong, and they gon' play you out
Alright, alright, alright
We can't be no number one, but we can be the jam
'Cause what these niggas on, was not my favorite song
I'm not no number one
'Cause they gon' do you wrong, and they gon' play you out
Alright, alright, alright
Back when my sister sold hair
Heard you lookin' for the deal huh, get it how you live huh
Damn you caught me splurgin', lookin' for the real ones
If I make it early, get it for the little ones
I can see your pain, hope my voice is helping out
Hope your momma workin' out, she won't even come out the house
Heard she had a surgery, granny died before the drop
I don't like to visit home, I don't like to see the drought
Call me when you steppin' out, I might bring the cup with me
I might play the "Back and Forth", on my '94 Aali
We can split a O or three, this is how it's supposed to be
Like we had a better trial, fuck the jury, fuck with me
We on our own huh, but we can be the jam
'Cause what these niggas on, was not my favorite song
I'm not no number one
'Cause they gon' do you wrong, and they gon' play you out
Alright,
We can't be no number one, but we can be the jam
'Cause what these niggas on, was not my favorite song
I'm not no number one
'Cause they gon' do you wrong, and they gon' play you out
Alright, alright, alright
We can't be no number one, but we can be the jam
'Cause what these niggas on, is not my favorite song
I'm not no number one
'Cause they gon' do you wrong, and they gon' play you out
Alright
In Isaiah Rashad's song Nelly, the lyrics are a reflection on the music industry and the perils of fame. The chorus repeats the line "We can't be no number one, but we can be the jam" which suggests that the singer's goal is not to become the biggest artist in the industry, but rather to make music that is meaningful and honest. The singer also acknowledges that the music that is popular and successful is not necessarily the music that they are drawn to, stating "what these niggas on, was not my favorite song". This line can be interpreted as a critique of mainstream music that often prioritizes commercial success over artistic expression.
In the verse, the singer also reflects on their personal struggles as well as those of their community. They mention their brother's involvement in selling drugs and their sister's business of selling hair, which highlights the economic challenges that many Black Americans face. The singer also expresses empathy for others who are struggling, stating that they hope their music is helping others and asking about the well-being of a friend's mother who is recovering from surgery.
Overall, the lyrics of Nelly are a critique of the music industry and a reminder that creating music with genuine meaning and purpose is more important than chasing commercial success.
Line by Line Meaning
We can't be no number one, but we can be the jam
We may not be at the top, but we can still be great and enjoyable
'Cause what these niggas on, was not my favorite song
I don't agree with what everyone else is doing or saying
I'm not no number one
I don't need to be the best, just happy with myself
'Cause they gon' do you wrong, and they gon' play you out
People will betray you and forget about you if you're not useful to them anymore
Alright, alright, alright
Everything is okay, nothing to worry about
Back when my brother sold crack and my sister was a real one
In the past, my sibling sold drugs while the other was a true and genuine person
Always was a real one
They were always genuine and true to themselves
Saw you workin' early, tell me how you feel, huh?
I noticed you were working hard, how are you doing?
Baby what's your hurry, get it how you live, huh?
Don't rush, live life the way you want to
Baby what's your name?, I've been goin' through a lot
What's your name? I've been struggling lately
I can't do this on my own, got no place to go Rashad
I can't handle this by myself, I need help
And that's a long way
It's a difficult journey ahead
Hey they gon' love you when you hot
People will only care about you when you're popular and successful
They won't miss you when you gone, if you looking for a spot
If you're just looking for a temporary place to fit in, nobody will remember you when you're gone
That's the wrong one
That's not a good way to live and find acceptance
Back when my sister sold hair
In the past, my sister sold hair products
Heard you lookin' for the deal huh, get it how you live huh
I heard you're searching for an opportunity, do what you need to do to survive
Damn you caught me splurgin', lookin' for the real ones
You caught me spending carelessly, searching for genuine people
If I make it early, get it for the little ones
If I become successful soon, I'll help out the younger generation
I can see your pain, hope my voice is helping out
I can tell you're hurting, and I hope my music is making a difference
Hope your momma workin' out, she won't even come out the house
I hope your mother is doing well, even though she's isolated at home
Heard she had a surgery, granny died before the drop
I heard she had surgery, and my grandma passed away before my album release
I don't like to visit home, I don't like to see the drought
I don't enjoy going back home because it's a difficult and bleak environment
Call me when you steppin' out, I might bring the cup with me
Let me know when you're leaving, I might join you with some drinks
I might play the 'Back and Forth', on my '94 Aali
I might play the song 'Back and Forth' by Aaliyah on my old 1994 car radio
We can split a O or three, this is how it's supposed to be
We can share some weed together, this is how life is meant to be enjoyed
Like we had a better trial, fuck the jury, fuck with me
Let's live like we had a better chance in life, forget about other people's opinions and just hang out with me
We on our own huh, but we can be the jam
We're alone, but we can still enjoy ourselves
Lyrics © O/B/O APRA AMCOS
Written by: Isaiah Rashad McClain
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind