Bas was born in Paris, France, in 1987, to Sudanese parents. At the age of 8, his family moved to New York City. He attended St. Francis Preparatory School in Queens, New York.
In 2011, Bas released his debut mixtape titled Quarter Water Raised Vol. 1. In 2013, his second mixtape was released entitled, Quarter Water Raised Vol. 2.
In 2013, Bas was featured on J. Cole's "New York Times" along with 50 Cent from Cole's album Born Sinner, and then on DJ Khaled's "Hells Kitchen" from Suffering from Success. He then appeared on the Dreamville compilation mixtape Revenge of the Dreamers. That mixtape was released in celebration of Dreamville's partnership with Interscope Records, resulting in Bas being signed to Interscope. Two weeks prior to the release of his debut album Last Winter, Bas released a free EP titled Two Weeks Notice.
Last Winter was released on April 29, 2014, by Dreamville Records/Interscope Records. The album was a conceptual project that touches on the cold days in New York City recording the album. The album was supported by the single "My Nigga Just Made Bail" produced by GP808 and featured guest appearances by J. Cole. Last Winter would debut at 103 on the Billboard 200 with 3,601 copies sold in its first week.
Following its release, Bas went on a 10-city nationwide tour titled after the album. Bas followed his own "Last Winter" tour by going on a 24-city nationwide and international tour with TDE rapper Ab-Soul. In 2015, Bas supported J. Cole on the '2014 Forest Hills Drive' Tour alongside Omen, Cozz, Jeremih, YG, and Big Sean.
Bas released his second album, Too High to Riot on March 4, 2016. The album also includes guest appearances from his labelmates J. Cole and Cozz, as well as the Hics. The album would debut at 49 on the Billboard 200 chart, selling 10,965 copies in its first week. He also later released a music video for each song on the album. Bas went on tour after the album in June 2016 with Cozz and EarthGang. It included 26 cities in North America and 10 cities in Europe. On January 29, 2017, the documentary highlighting the tour was released on Tidal.
On April 10, 2018, Bas released the one-off single "Pinball II", featuring Correy C. The first single for his third album "Boca Raton" was released on June 19, and featured ASAP Ferg. On August 22, he released the second single "Tribe" featuring J. Cole. Bas released his third album, Milky Way on August 24, 2018. The album debuted at number 35 on the Billboard 200, selling 13,150 album-equivalent units in the first week. Bas announced a 43-city tour to support the album, which began in November 2018 and concluded in February 2019. In late 2018, Bas announced he was working on an album with frequent collaborators, The Hics, the album is due out in late 2021 to early 2022.
Front Desk
Bas Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Riding 'round the town to get my old bitches
You ain't hold me down 'til a nigga came up
Why you want me now? What's the focus? Wait, I know
You was pressing dial and my name came up (right)
I been off it, I been gone for weeks, still smell the set up
I be home all week, so for a week she in stilettos
Call me when you need, only when you- ooh
I been off it, I been gone for weeks, still smell the cedar
Put her on repeat, can't put no pussy on a pedestal
I be home all week, so for a week she in stilettos
Call me when you need, only when you-
Oh you headed out of town with your best friend
I ain't front desk bitch you ain't gotta check in, hey (yeah, yeah)
What do you call that?
I knew you'd come back
I knew you'd come back
I knew you'd come back (back)
What do you call that?
I knew you'd come back
I knew you'd come back
I knew you'd come back
I'm going OT for the week
Double OT for the weekend
Got me a freak and she geeking
She talk a lot when she peaking
Speaking 'bout life, drama and her current affairs
Let's bury it there
I got enough problems, got no worries or care
Spare you an ear
And she think that's me on the internet
She don't know me that's the internet
She just get high off my intellect
I just get high, tell her, "Give me neck"
My mind on this check (you know what I'm saying)
My mind on this check (bitch you know I ain't playing)
My mind on this check (this money is mine)
My mind on this check (that's all on my mind)
Oh you heading out of town with your best friend
I ain't front desk bitch you ain't gotta check in, (hey, yeah, yeah)
What do you call that?
I knew you'd come back
I knew you'd come back
I knew you'd come back (back)
What do you call that?
I knew you'd come back
I knew you'd come back
I knew you'd come back
Lust persists, why pretend?
I can't tell no lie, bitch I'm too poppin' now
Empty bottles, empty promises
I can't tell no lie, bitch I'm too poppin' now
In the song "Front Desk" by Bas, the lyrics reflect on the artist's experiences and interactions with previous romantic partners. He rides around town to reconnect with his old flames, questioning why they suddenly want him now that he has achieved success. He recognizes that they were not there for him when he needed support and affection, and wonders about their motives. The line "You ain't hold me down 'til a nigga came up" expresses his realization that they only show interest in him now that he is successful.
Bas also talks about his detachment from these relationships, mentioning that he has been absent and distant. He mentions how he smells the setup and doesn't want to put any woman on a pedestal just because of physical intimacy. He only wants to be called upon when he is needed, suggesting that he wants a purely casual relationship.
The chorus addresses a specific situation where the person he is addressing is leaving town with their best friend. Bas asserts that he is not the front desk and the person doesn't need to check in with him, emphasizing his lack of interest in controlling or monitoring their actions. However, he also expresses his expectation that they would eventually come back to him, highlighting his self-assurance and understanding of their attraction to him. The repetition of "What do you call that?" emphasizes his curiosity about their intentions and actions.
Overall, "Front Desk" explores Bas's experiences with past relationships, his detachment from emotional connection, and his recognition of his own self-worth and desirability.
Line by Line Meaning
Riding 'round the town to get my old bitches
I'm driving around town to reconnect with my former romantic partners
You ain't hold me down 'til a nigga came up
You didn't support or appreciate me until I became successful
Why you want me now? What's the focus? Wait, I know
Why do you suddenly want me now? What's your intention? Oh, I see
You was pressing dial and my name came up (right)
You were about to call someone and my name appeared on your phone (right)
I been off it, I been gone for weeks, still smell the set up
I've been distant and absent for weeks, but I can still sense a trap or conspiracy
Put her on repeat, can't put no pussy on a pedestal
I keep listening to her, but I won't idolize or prioritize sexual relationships
I be home all week, so for a week she in stilettos
I'll be available at home for the whole week, so she tries to impress me during that time
Call me when you need, only when you- ooh
Contact me only when you're in need, but not for any other reason
I been off it, I been gone for weeks, still smell the cedar
I've been disinterested and absent for weeks, but I can still sense the scent of deception or trickery
Put her on repeat, can't put no pussy on a pedestal
I keep listening to her, but I won't idolize or prioritize sexual relationships
I be home all week, so for a week she in stilettos
I'll be available at home for the whole week, so she tries to impress me during that time
Call me when you need, only when you-
Contact me only when you're in need, but not for any other reason
Oh you headed out of town with your best friend
Oh, you're leaving town with your closest companion
I ain't front desk bitch you ain't gotta check in, hey (yeah, yeah)
I'm not a hotel front desk, so you don't need to inform or report to me, hey (yeah, yeah)
What do you call that?
How do you label or describe that situation?
I knew you'd come back
I expected or anticipated that you would return
What do you call that?
How do you label or describe that situation?
I knew you'd come back
I expected or anticipated that you would return
I knew you'd come back
I expected or anticipated that you would return
I'm going OT for the week
I'm leaving town for the whole week
Double OT for the weekend
Staying out of town for an extended weekend period
Got me a freak and she geeking
I have a sexually adventurous partner and she's getting excited
She talk a lot when she peaking
She talks excessively when she's experiencing intense pleasure
Speaking 'bout life, drama and her current affairs
Engaging in conversations about life, personal issues, and her current situations
Let's bury it there
Let's leave those topics behind and not discuss them further
I got enough problems, got no worries or care
I already have sufficient problems, so I don't have any concerns or cares
Spare you an ear
I'll listen attentively to you and be understanding
And she think that's me on the internet
She believes the persona portrayed on the internet is me
She don't know me that's the internet
She doesn't truly know who I am, that's just the impression created online
She just get high off my intellect
She only gets excited or impressed by my intelligence
I just get high, tell her, 'Give me neck'
I just get intoxicated, telling her to perform oral sex on me
My mind on this check (you know what I'm saying)
I'm focused on this money (you understand what I'm saying)
My mind on this check (bitch you know I ain't playing)
I'm focused on this money (bitch, you know I'm not joking)
My mind on this check (this money is mine)
I'm focused on this money (I claim ownership of this money)
My mind on this check (that's all on my mind)
I'm focused on this money (that's all I'm thinking about)
Oh you heading out of town with your best friend
Oh, you're leaving town with your closest companion
I ain't front desk bitch you ain't gotta check in, (hey, yeah, yeah)
I'm not a hotel front desk, so you don't need to inform or report to me, (hey, yeah, yeah)
What do you call that?
How do you label or describe that situation?
I knew you'd come back
I expected or anticipated that you would return
What do you call that?
How do you label or describe that situation?
I knew you'd come back
I expected or anticipated that you would return
I knew you'd come back
I expected or anticipated that you would return
Lust persists, why pretend?
Desire continues to exist, so why pretend otherwise?
I can't tell no lie, bitch I'm too poppin' now
I won't lie, I'm too successful and popular now
Empty bottles, empty promises
Just empty alcohol bottles and unfulfilled commitments
I can't tell no lie, bitch I'm too poppin' now
I won't lie, I'm too successful and popular now
Lyrics © OLADOTUN OYEBADEJO, Universal Music Publishing Group, KRZWLMUSIC, Kobalt Music Publishing Ltd., Warner Chappell Music, Inc.
Written by: Abbas Hamad, Jermaine Cole, Oladotun Oyebadejo, Ronald Gilmore
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind