The first single from B.o.B's second album is Strange Clouds. It features Lil Wayne and according to the Strange Clouds Songfacts, it "is 3 minutes 47 seconds of bass heavy bragging.". The song was released on October 3, 2011.
The Biz
B.o.B Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Yeah
To all my smokers and my hundred blunt rollers
No no no no I'm talkin bout
Real tokers who ain't never ever sober
Hahaha
Yo, yo, yo, yo
Check me out now. Check me out now
[Verse 1]
Allow me to introduce myself again
Bob's out the office but Bobby Ray is in
Please leave a message wait, let me get a pen
I don't really need it cause I spit it off the lid
And every time I come around I look like I'm a pimp
Really that's the dip because the ? is on my hip
They love me cause I tell 'em what they really wanna hear
Slap her on that booty with a hundred dollar bill
WHAT!?
Nah I'm just playin' man sometimes I kid
Just so that my job doesn't get monotonous
Crumble up the bud, put it in a spliff
Put it in the air like I'm levitating shit
They say, "Bob how you feel about the fame?"
Really ain't famous till Obama know my name
The game's in a drought
It was going down the drain
When I come around man its prolly gon' rain (so what's you sayin'?)
Maybe I'm just sayin' I can switch up the flow
How you can't feel me when I'm rocking this show?
Going over seas to a whole 'nother coast
Come back get a sack full of that like whoa
Yeah I can take you way back like +Whoa+
So listen two me rap sit back like whoa
And every time I rip they be like, "That's dope"
Yeah that's dope
Nitro like colt, my flow lets go
Haha Haha
(What you be done?)
Yeah
(Is that it?)
Hell naw, we ain't done
(Let's do it)
Need to get round two in
[Verse Two]
Oh oh oh
Well the biz, the biz I'm in the music biz
I really couldn't tell you what the main objective is
Cause really that depends
On if you got a hit or just a good song that they never ever spin
And then that depends on the genre that you in
If you're a rock artist or a hip hop blend
That's where I come in
They try to box me in
But I am not a square nor a parallelogram
Yes I got several fans through Japan to Maryland
They try to shoot me down but I never ever land
And no man could never ever walk in my pants
Or live what I've lived
Or be what I am
Damn
I don't give a damn
All up in this booth try to lay this shit down
Yeah, so let me turn it down
We all around it;s a mixtape now
Stay tuned for more
And don't turn the dial
Bloaw
In B.o.B's song The Biz, he speaks to the real tokers who are never sober and introduces himself as Bobby Ray, when Bob is out of the office. He says he doesn't need a pen to write his rhymes because he can spit them off the lid. He is rocking the show and there is no one who can't feel him. He claims he can switch up the flow and take his listeners way back. He talks about the music business and how he is not squared or parallelogram, but people try to box him in. He has fans all over the world from Japan to Maryland and he says no one can walk in his pants or live what he's lived.
The song reflects B.o.B's perspective on the music industry as an artist, the challenges he faces in his career, and his confidence to overcome them. His use of slang, wordplay, and metaphors makes it enjoyable to listen to. As the intro suggests, it is a song for the smokers, and the underlying theme of the song is about staying true to oneself and not conforming to expectations.
Line by Line Meaning
Allow me to introduce myself again
The artist is reintroducing himself under his alias Bobby Ray
Bob's out the office but Bobby Ray is in
The artist is taking on his rap persona
Please leave a message wait, let me get a pen
He's pretending to be an office worker by asking for a pen to take down a message
I don't really need it cause I spit it off the lid
The artist doesn't need to write down anything because he can freestyle on the spot
And every time I come around I look like I'm a pimp
He's wearing fancy clothes and looks like a player
Really that's the dip because the ? is on my hip
He's got a gun on his hip and it's the real reason why he looks like a pimp
They love me cause I tell 'em what they really wanna hear
The artist is saying that his music caters to his audience's taste
Slap her on that booty with a hundred dollar bill
He's joking about giving someone money to slap a girl's butt
Nah I'm just playin' man sometimes I kid
The artist is admitting that he's just joking around and not being serious
Just so that my job doesn't get monotonous
He's making jokes to keep his job entertaining
Crumble up the bud, put it in a spliff
He's talking about using marijuana
Put it in the air like I'm levitating shit
He's referring to smoking marijuana and the feeling it gives him
Maybe I'm just sayin' I can switch up the flow
He's claiming he can change his style of rapping
How you can't feel me when I'm rocking this show?
He's asking the audience why they're not enjoying his performance
Going over seas to a whole 'nother coast
He's touring internationally to perform overseas
Come back get a sack full of that like whoa
He's bringing back a large amount of marijuana from his travels
Well the biz, the biz I'm in the music biz
He's talking about the music industry
I really couldn't tell you what the main objective is
He doesn't understand the main goal of the music industry
Cause really that depends on if you got a hit or just a good song that they never ever spin
He's explaining that the industry is unpredictable and it all depends on whether or not a song becomes a hit
And then that depends on the genre that you in
He's saying that the type of music a musician creates plays a role in their success
If you're a rock artist or a hip hop blend
He's discussing the different genres of music that exist
They try to box me in
The industry tries to force him into a certain genre or style of music
But I am not a square nor a parallelogram
He's saying that he's not easily defined
Yes I got several fans through Japan to Maryland
He has fans all over the world
They try to shoot me down but I never ever land
He's saying that he's been faced with obstacles but never gives up
And no man could never ever walk in my pants
He's saying that no one can understand his experience
Or live what I've lived
He's saying that his experience is unique
Or be what I am
He's saying that he's one of a kind
Stay tuned for more
He's hinting at future musical releases
And don't turn the dial
He doesn't want his fans to miss anything new that he releases
Contributed by Isaac D. Suggest a correction in the comments below.