In Las Vegas, sisters LeMisha and Irish Grinstead, and their friend Kameelah Williams, were students at the Las Vegas Academy of Performing Arts. Irish, her twin sister Orish, and LeMisha occasionally sang in the lobby of Caesars Palace where they were discovered by actor/comedian Sinbad. He visited their home in order to convince their parents to send the trio to Atlanta for a convention and music competition. Though the girls missed the deadline for entry, Sinbad used his name to get them in.[1] "Sweeta than Suga," as they were then called (Sinbad suggested the name), came in second in the competition. As the convention was nearing a close, they met Michael Bivins (of New Edition and Bell Biv DeVoe) who agreed to work with the sisters. They were briefly joined by their cousin Amelia Childs. After they made their recorded debut on Subway's hit single "This Lil' Game We Play", Amelia dropped out of the group[1] and was replaced by Kameelah Williams. After recording a few demos as a quartet including "Steelo", and "Get It Together", Orish decided to leave the group (even though her vocals appear on the first album). Bivins continued to work with different producers and songwriters to get the right feel for their first album. The reconfigured group was christened "702," which is Las Vegas' area code, a name which bivens suggested. [1]
702 was discovered by Michael Bivins of New Edition and made their recorded debut on Subway's hit single "This Lil' Game We Play". Missy Elliott wrote and co-produced four songs from their first album, No Doubt, including "Steelo". The remix of "Steelo" was the first major solo production credit for Elliott's main collaborator Timbaland. "Steelo" was later used, with altered lyrics, as the theme song to the Nickelodeon television show Cousin Skeeter.
Elliott crafted two more songs for 702, their second album, the top 5 hit "Where My Girls At" and "You Don't Know". No Doubt won a Lady Of Soul Soul Train Award for "Best R&B/Soul or Rap Album Of The Year by A Group Band Or Duo". The group split after the poor sales of their album 'Star' and lack of promotion from Motown.
Kameelah now sings backup for the likes of Faith Evans and Macy Gray. She has been working on her solo project for a while, releasing a number of singles including the duet with Musiq Soulchild “Give It to You” and her recent release “Think About Me”. Irish was the only group member to act, as she co-starred in The Brewster Project in early 2004.
Orish, twin sister of Irish, died of kidney failure on Sunday April 20, 2008 at age 27. She was part of the original lineup (pre-No Doubt) and filled in for Misha during her pregnancy.
Not Gonna
702 Lyrics
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Uh, supa fly
Orish, 702, hot, come on
Oh why, oh why so stupid of me
To take you back so easily
I'm going, going out of my mind
To take you back a second time
Why must you put me through
So much heartache and pain?
Tell me am I insane
To let you do me this way?
I'm not gonna take you back
'cause boy I don't play that
No matter what you say
You treat love like a game
Oh no, oh no how dumb could I be
To think that you loved me (how naive)
These lies all the time
I should have known you weren't mine
Why must you put me through
So much heartache and pain?
Tell me am I insane
To let you do me this way?
I'm not gonna take you back
'cause boy I don't play that
No matter what you say
You treat love like a game
I'm not gonna take you back
'cause boy I don't play that
No matter what you say
You treat love like a game
Oh no, oh no where did you go?
Why did you leave me all alone?
You're spending most of your time
With other tricks on your mind
I've got to find a new guy
See I need a new guy (can't put up with your lies)
(Repeat) Look what you've done to me
You broke my heart
You put a burden on me
I feel so torn apart
I feel so torn apart
I'm not gonna take you back
'cause boy I don't play that
No matter what you say
You treat love like a game
The song "Not Gonna" by 702 is about a woman who is fed up with her partner's repeated betrayal and mistreatment. She is tired of his lies and games, and has decided to move on and find someone new. The lyrics are full of frustration, anger, and disappointment, as she laments her own gullibility in taking him back so many times before.
In the first verse, the singer expresses her desire to find a new guy who is "supa fly" - someone exciting and appealing who will treat her right. She then bemoans her own weakness in forgiving her partner's past mistakes, and resolves not to make the same mistake again. The chorus repeats this sentiment, emphasizing her determination not to take him back and to move on with her life.
The second verse is more direct in its criticism of the partner's behavior. She calls him out for causing her "so much heartache and pain," and questions her own sanity in putting up with it for so long. She accuses him of treating love like a game and lying to her consistently, leading her to realize that he never really loved her in the first place.
Overall, "Not Gonna" is a powerful anthem of self-respect and empowerment, as the singer takes control of her own fate and refuses to let her partner's mistreatment dictate her life.
Line by Line Meaning
I've got to find me a new guy
I need to find a better partner
Uh, supa fly
I want someone cool and attractive
Oh why, oh why so stupid of me
I regret letting you back into my life
To take you back so easily
I made a foolish mistake by forgiving you too soon
I'm going, going out of my mind
I am losing my sanity over this relationship
To take you back a second time
I should have known better than to give you another chance
Why must you put me through
Why do you keep hurting me over and over again?
So much heartache and pain?
You have caused me so much emotional pain
Tell me am I insane
Am I crazy to keep letting you hurt me?
To let you do me this way?
To allow you to treat me so poorly?
I'm not gonna take you back
I will not forgive you again
'cause boy I don't play that
I am not a game to be played with
No matter what you say
I will not listen to your excuses
You treat love like a game
You do not take love seriously and only see it as a game
Oh no, oh no how dumb could I be
I feel foolish for believing you loved me
To think that you loved me (how naive)
I was naive to believe your lies
These lies all the time
You have been lying to me constantly
I should have known you weren't mine
I should have realized you were not committed to me
Oh no, oh no where did you go?
Why did you leave me alone?
Why did you leave me all alone?
You abandoned me when I needed you the most
You're spending most of your time
You are spending all your time with other people
With other tricks on your mind
You have other women on your mind
See I need a new guy (can't put up with your lies)
I need someone who is honest and trustworthy
Look what you've done to me
You have caused me so much pain and suffering
You broke my heart
You have shattered my heart into a million pieces
You put a burden on me
You have made my life more difficult and complicated
I feel so torn apart
I am devastated and broken by your actions
Lyrics © Universal Music Publishing Group
Written by: Chad James Elliott, Melissa A. Elliott, Roderick Wiggins
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind