Georgia native Anthony David has spent his whole life writing songs. Now hi… Read Full Bio ↴Georgia native Anthony David has spent his whole life writing songs. Now his riveting story telling, passionate guitar playing and stirring voice will be featured on his major label debut Acey Deucy and introduce the world to Soulbird Music, a new venture between Universal Republic Records and the multi-Grammy winning artist India.Arie. Anthony David was born in Savannah, Georgia but discovered the spark to ignite his artistic passions in Atlanta. “I had been looking all over the world for the right vibe to cultivate my song writing, explains David, “I found it here in Atlanta’s music and spoken word scene. Atlanta is where my talent and passion grew together. I was able to find artists who connected with me. That had that same passion to create.” David said he did not have to look far or long for an inspiring friendship. “India (.Arie) was the first person I saw when I got out of the car from Savannah,” says David ,“I thought she was cool and we were both doing our music and enjoying the scene that Atlanta gives an artist. There was never a time that we didn’t hang out.” David wrote the song “A Part Of My Life” for Arie’s 7x Grammy nominated album Acoustic Soul and then toured with her in support of that record.

Shortly thereafter he released two independent albums, Three Chords & The Truth and Red Clay Chronicles. Both albums received high critical acclaim, including Atlanta Journal & Constitution’s rave “The best record to come of this city since Usher’s,” and earned David thousands of fans nationwide. It is a combination of songs from those two albums that make up Acey Deucy. David toured relentlessly in support of his independent releases, opening for acts such as Arie and Kem before headlining tours of his own throughout Europe and Japan. “While traveling around the country and Europe playing, I was able to soak up sounds from everywhere I went. I’ve just been able to grow and expand my sound.” David explained. That sound, David refers to as “Millennium Blues” because it “all goes back to the blues. The lyrics, the music, my using everything from acoustic to hip-hop, the story telling...all of it connects through the blues like a bridge.” David feels that his song writing brings a much-needed honesty to today’s music, he explains, “Honesty in music shouldn’t be very rare but it is. Like an MC saying ‘I live the gangster life for real?’ I live the regular life for real, I just make it look and sound good.”

After time on the road, David teamed up with India.Arie once again to co-write and produce “There’s Hope” for Arie’s third Grammy nominated album before heading back out on his own again. And now the circle involving Anthony David and India.Arie begins anew with the first single from Acey Deucy entitled “Words.” The song reveals a musical relationship between Arie and David reminiscent of Marvin Gaye and Tammi Terrell, Roberta Flack and Donnie Hathaway, a super natural chemistry that reminds you of music you’ve never heard before and can’t wait to hear again. “It’s great that ‘Words’ is being compared to music by Roberta Flack and Donnie Hathaway,” says David, “because they are both major influences on both our careers. That says a lot about the nature of our relationship and how well we work together. She heard the short version I wrote and said she had a verse for that song. The verse India wrote and her voice fit perfectly in every way.” “I love Tony’s music for how he speaks from a man’s emotional perspective in relationships and his views on learning about life as a young man of the hip hop generation,” says India.Arie. “He’s a great talent and one of my oldest friends. I have so many memories with him. Not only did he encourage me to start performing professionally, but it was Tony who suggested I use my first and middle name as an artist. There was even a time when he spent his rent money for me to experiment in the studio.” Anthony David explains that the lyrics and music are all from personal experience. “I don’t really know any other way to write. From the general to the specific, my music comes from a very personal place. That place is real life, the good and the bad. You won’t hear a lot of stuff about chilling in VIP. I don’t think a lot of people really relate to that. I don’t know where that (VIP and drinking in the club,) ranks in the importance of everyday people’s lives.” What Anthony David gives music and listeners are songs about love and life told in real voices. On Cheatin Man, David expresses a lot of inward pain and battles with self. “Cheatin Man is about a brother doing self-examination,” he explains, “It’s also about the half hearted excuses people make for what they do. The heart of the song is about judgment and falling short. The man (in the song) hates his father for what he did to his mother, but then he ends up doing the same things.” With the song Red Clay Chronicles, Anthony David turns that spotlight of truth outward, and looks at the state of everyone’s problems today. Red Clay Chronicles paints a musical mural of the “haves” and “have-nots” in a way that lets you know David has experienced life as a “have-not” and doesn’t glorify it. Red Clay Chronicles delivers both the musical goods and a fair share of responsibility for those who are able to help improve “city life.” Besides Arie, David calls on other musicians and singers he’s worked with in Atlanta to help complete the journey. On Lady, Keisha Jackson adds her sultry sound to join David’s blues-enriched voice. The track sounds like a lost recording of a song written for Bobby Womack and Gladys Knight. David discusses his partner for the duet “Keisha is Millie Jackson’s daughter. I knew this record would showcase her talent and show the world what I always heard in her voice. That’s one of the many reasons I am so excited about Acey Deucy. I get to show off all the talent here in Atlanta.” Anthony David’s Acey Deucy is a project focused on real life experience but original and passionate in presentation.

Acey Deucy is a blueprint for how to create great music in different styles, while not being diverse just for the sake of being different. Acey Deucy talks about family and friends on tracks like Kin Folk, relaxing on Smoke One and still drives home the joys and pain that we love to get from our music on tracks like Stop Playing. Acey Deucy gives listeners a little bit of what we’ve been waiting for from modern soul music and surprises us with a quality of original story telling we didn’t know was possible.

The eagerly awaited release of David's new album - As Above So Below - scheduled for release in the US in late March, has caught the imagination of many Neo-Soul fans. His silky voice, coupled with strong lyrics in his songs, have ensured a potentially Grammy award winning conjuction. Standout tracks include the religion/politics challenging "What God Said", a fantastic cover of Tears For Fears' "Rule The World" featuring Boyz II Men's Shawn Stockman, and also "Backstreet" - a song based on what David witnessed in his younger years.

The album, already released in Europe, represents the Neo-Soul genre perfectly. Lyrics with meaning, no studio edits served with a side of incredible vocals, make for an unmissable album.

Stop Playin'
Anthony David Lyrics

Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴

She was in love with you
You knew it from the first day
Thought it was cute the way you played
Your little pimp game
And now it's different
'Cause she just won't leave you alone, yeah

You've got to understand

That women don't like to play
She just can't cut off her emotions
In the same way
Don't be surprised when she's blowin' you up
On the phone, yeah

[Chorus]
Stop playin' games with her heart
You know it's a shame
The way you treated her
Stop playin' games with her heart
Grow up and be a man

You think that just because
You told her from the get go
Now that it's over
She can be like you and let go
But when she laid with you
She broke you off a piece of her spirit

She tried to tell you when you met her
How she was and
And now you're caught up
In this fatal attraction
You can't pretend that in the end
This isn't partly your fault

[Chorus: x2]

This ain't a lesson, this is something
You should already know
Hey, it just comes with maturity
You can't start a fire then get mad
When it grows out of control

[Chorus: x2]

Stop playin' games

Overall Meaning

with her heart is a song by Anthony David that explores the themes of love, manipulation, and emotional responsibility. The first verse introduces the subject of the song - a woman who has fallen in love with the singer, who is not reciprocating her feelings. The singer acknowledges that he initially found her affection endearing and enjoyed playing the "pimp game" but now realizes that this behavior was hurtful. The woman is now pursuing him relentlessly, and the singer admits that he should have been more aware of the emotional consequences of his actions.

In the chorus, the singer implores himself (or possibly an imagined listener) to stop playing games with this woman's heart. He recognizes that his behavior has been shameful and that he needs to grow up and take responsibility for his actions. The second verse expands on these themes, with the singer noting that the woman gave him a part of her spirit when they were intimate. He also suggests that he should have listened more closely to her warnings about her emotional state, implying that he ignored her feelings in favor of his own.

The final verse is a message to the listener - an assertion that emotional maturity is necessary when dealing with the complexities of love. The metaphor of starting a fire and being unable to control it speaks to the inevitable consequences of reckless behavior in relationships.

Overall, Stop Playin' Games with Her Heart is a cautionary tale about the dangers of toying with someone's emotions and the importance of honesty and responsibility in relationships.

Line by Line Meaning

She was in love with you
She had strong feelings for you

You knew it from the first day
You were aware of her feelings towards you ever since you met

Thought it was cute the way you played
You found it amusing that you could manipulate her

Your little pimp game
Your tactics to keep her interested in you

And now it's different
The situation has changed

'Cause she just won't leave you alone, yeah
She won't let go of you even though you've moved on

You've got to understand
You need to comprehend

That women don't like to play
Women don't like to be toyed with

She just can't cut off her emotions
She can't just turn off her feelings

In the same way
Similar to how you can

Don't be surprised when she's blowin' you up
Don't be shocked when she starts constantly contacting you

On the phone, yeah
Through calls, messages, and other forms of communication

Stop playin' games with her heart
Stop manipulating her emotions

You know it's a shame
It's regrettable

The way you treated her
How you acted towards her

Grow up and be a man
Take responsibility for your actions and mature

You think that just because
You assume that

You told her from the get go
You warned her right from the start

Now that it's over
Now that the relationship has ended

She can be like you and let go
She can act like you and move on

But when she laid with you
When you two were intimate

She broke you off a piece of her spirit
She gave you a part of herself

She tried to tell you when you met her
She explained her situation to you when you first got to know her

How she was and
What she was going through

And now you're caught up
You're now in a predicament

In this fatal attraction
In this dangerous attraction

You can't pretend that in the end
You can't deny that eventually

This isn't partly your fault
You share some responsibility for this situation

This ain't a lesson, this is something
This isn't just an educational experience, this is a fact

You should already know
You should be aware of this already

Hey, it just comes with maturity
It's only understood when one is emotionally mature

You can't start a fire then get mad
You can't instigate something and then be angry when things escalate

When it grows out of control
When the situation gets out of hand

Stop playin' games
Stop being manipulative and playing with emotions

Lyrics © BMG Rights Management, Universal Music Publishing Group, Missing Link Music
Written by: ANDRE HARRIS, CARVIN HAGGINS, IVAN BARIAS, TAALIB JOHNSON

Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind

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