Beanie Sigel's name derives from the street in Philadelphia where he was raised, "Sigel Street," and "Beans" is what people used to call him as a child. Beanie also founded the group and label State Property as well as the clothing company.
Sigel's debut LP, The Truth, was released February 28, 2000 on Roc-A-Fella Records. The album received a gold plaque for hits like "The Truth" and "Remember The Days" featuring Eve. His second album The Reason was released in mid-2001. The Reason was lighter material compared to his debut album and introduced the world to his own rap group State Property. Beanie Sigel helped launch the careers of fellow Philly rappers Freeway, Peedi Crakk and the Young Gunz.
Around 2001, Beanie Sigel and Jadakiss of the Ruff Ryders were involved in a beef that stemmed from Jada claiming rappers from Beans' home city of Philly were simply signed because they were a hot fashion among major labels, which to some extent was true at the time. Sigel took offense to this, and they sent several tracks back and forth. Eventually Styles P. (D-Block} and Jay-Z got involved, and Beans even called out DMX, who never responded.
The beef went on even after Russell Simmons, owner at the time of Def Jam (the label which Roc-A-Fella was under and Ruff Ryders was affiliated with through DMX) made the two declare a brief truce and Jay-Z apologized to Jadakiss and bowed out. Disses finally stopped flying after Sigel released a scathing diss track over Jada's "Put Ya Hands Up" beat, recalling when the LOX wore shiny suits in a Bad Boy video, among other things.
Sigel also was involved in directing his first movie State Property, the popular direct-to-video film produced by Roc-A-Films. The State Property clothing line was also created by Sigel.
The third album The B. Coming was released on March 28, 2005 under Dame Dash Music Group and features production from The Neptunes, Just Blaze, and Bink!, among others, with guest appearances by State Property, Redman, Snoop Dogg and usual suspects Cam'ron and Jay-Z. The album was recorded in the weeks between his sentencing and imprisonment and was released after he was locked up; he was released a few months ago.
While he was in jail, it is said none of the State Property members except for Oschino Vazquez came to visit him. He told Dame to pass the word on that State Property was no longer in effect, until after he was released. When the split between Roc-A-Fella owners occured, Dame made it clear that Beanie's intentions were to move State Property to his new Dame Dash Music Group.
However, all members except for, again, Oschino, chose to go with Jay-Z. When questioned, they claimed they were signed by Jay and never needed State Property or Beanie Sigel to make them popular. When he was released from jail, Beans had a few choice words for his friends, claiming "I still love them like brothers...I just don't know if we can make music again."
It was thought that Beans had chosen to sign with Dame; however, this is unclear, as he was present at Jay-Z's I Declare War concert in 2005, and has said he now has his own State Property Records under Jay-Z's Def Jam.
In September, 2005, a jury acquitted him of charges that he nearly shot to death a man on a crowded city street two years ago. In August, Sigel left federal prison after serving nearly a year on a federal weapons charge that stemmed from a 2002 traffic stop in Philadelphia.
Sigel also has fallen behind in child-support payments. He was briefly jailed in November until he paid $27,000 in child support and $2,000 in fines, but seems to be paying off his debts.
With the case behind him, Sigel now plans to "make music, make movies and work on his clothing line," said his attorney, Fortunato N. Perri Jr. The case was the last in a series of criminal charges against Sigel, who has a long arrest record dating back to his days growing up in South Philadelphia.
On Tuesday, January 10, 2006, Sigel was convicted of assault for a fight in 2003. He agreed with the prosecutor's version of events, and was convicted of misdemeanor simple assault. He was immediately sentenced to two years probation plus $180 in court costs.
The charges stem from an argument between Sigel and a man who said the rapper punched him in both eyes, breaking his left eye socket, during a January 2003 argument outside a Chinese restaurant.
Beanie Sigel is the co-creator of "The Playpen", a new animated series with writer/producers, Brian Ash and Myles Reiff. The show follows the misadventures of a group of hard-headed tykes in a maximum security daycare center called, The State Nursery.
Got Nowhere
Beanie Sigel Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
And dog when the crack ain't around, the smokers'll brawl
Streets like a bullet in cancer, it'll swallow you up
or eat you from the inside and hollow you up
And everyday like a test, you know life got rules
and its sorta like checkers and chess
I went to school and took the lessons punk
Know a pawn get kinged, a bishop get juiced
Faggot niggas took the easy route
They either coked out, smoked out, doped out
Niggas took the needle route
And I ain't tryin to take either route
I'm tryin to stop get weeded out
Really, tryin to weed it out
No the flipside we choosin your way
Like gettin fat from losin the weight
or losing that from, usin the weight
I feel like I'm speeding and I'm 'bout to crash
No where to go and I'm gettin there fast
[Chorus]
Ooouu hooouu, got nowhere
Ooouu hooouu, I got nowhere to
Ooouu hooouu, got nowhere
Ooouu hooouu, I got nowhere to run
(man speaking, girl singing throughout)
We in the streets player get your man
There's only two places to go, we either dead or in jail
What the
Ooouu hooouu, I got nowhere
Eh yo I'm caught up in the system where the blind lead the blind
and this artist only speaks on the signs of the time
And I pop pills in purple rain to state my pain
They say I'm just like my father, bold and too cold
But you know that's how a thug ride
I send a kite through a dove in a jail where the thugs cry
I feel your pain when you restrained and your love die
and make your heart hard, the blood in your vein fry
Feel like I'm trapped and I'm blindfolded
But my eyes wide open to see it
Feel like the O'Jay's, climbin those stairways hopin
Heaven's gates wide open for me
Look towards a lie, Sige in direction
Still I spin in every direction, seekin directions
Tryin to balance out the good with the imperfections
Yeah I know I still move with nowhere to go
[Chorus]
It seems like we grind from the bottom
just to make it to the bottom to see faces of the people that I shot
When I get high late night, flow through the bottom
My aunt's house, one of the places that I stopped
See she just died, she got cancer from smokin and drinkin
The same shit that I'm drinkin' and smokin
I can't lie, wish life would just open its handcuffs
and let me go, I feel like I'm doin a bit
I can't slide, so what I'm a rapper?
I can't escape the wrath of the law if I crash up my whip
or get, blast in the jaw
Prick, mastered his fifth
I might go triple platinum, become a household name
After a long day of out of town work make my way to the plane
Plane fast in the tenth
Hear mayday, mayday, control's outta work
How the hell can life end like this? Nowhere to go
[Chorus]
Beanie Sigel's song Got Nowhere speaks about the struggle and circumstances of growing up in a crime-ridden neighborhood where the only options seem to be to either sell drugs or use drugs. The lyrics are raw and honest, reflecting the brutality of the streets and the harsh realities of life. Sigel talks about how his environment has affected him, how the rules of the streets are like playing checkers and chess, and how he is trying to find a way out. He describes feeling trapped and blindfolded, having nowhere to go but still striving to balance out the good with the imperfections.
The chorus of Got Nowhere is a cry for help, with Sigel emotively repeating, "I got nowhere to run, got nowhere." The song is a reflection of the harsh realities that many people face when growing up in impoverished neighborhoods where the legal system is stacked against them. He touches on subjects such as systemic racism, drug addiction, and the cycle of poverty. In the end, the song is about survival, and how despite the odds stacked against him, Sigel is determined to find a way out and succeed.
Line by Line Meaning
Yo I come from a crack in the ground, a hole in the wall
I come from very little, a rough and difficult environment
And dog when the crack ain't around, the smokers'll brawl
When there's no crack to be had, people will fight for it
Streets like a bullet in cancer, it'll swallow you up
The streets are dangerous and can consume you
or eat you from the inside and hollow you up
The streets can change you, leaving you feeling empty and hollow
And everyday like a test, you know life got rules
Every day is a challenge, there are rules you need to play by to survive
and its sorta like checkers and chess
Life is like a game of strategy, you need to make good moves to succeed
I went to school and took the lessons punk
I learned from my experiences
Know a pawn get kinged, a bishop get juiced
In life, things can change quickly and unexpectedly
A rook get jumped
In life, sometimes you can be taken by surprise and suffer the consequences
Faggot niggas took the easy route
Some people take the easy way out by turning to drugs and addiction
They either coked out, smoked out, doped out
These people are either high on cocaine, marijuana or addicted to drugs
Niggas took the needle route
Some people turn to injecting drugs
And I ain't tryin to take either route
I'm not interested in taking the easy way out
I'm tryin to stop get weeded out
I'm trying to stop smoking weed and getting caught up in addiction
Really, tryin to weed it out
I'm really trying to stop smoking weed
No the flipside we choosin your way
On the other hand, we're choosing your way, the harder way
Like gettin fat from losin the weight
Like gaining something good while losing something bad
or losing that from, usin the weight
Or losing something good by using something bad
I feel like I'm speeding and I'm 'bout to crash
I feel like I'm heading for disaster
No where to go and I'm gettin there fast
I have nowhere to turn and things are happening quickly
[Chorus]
Eh yo I'm caught up in the system where the blind lead the blind
I'm stuck in a system that's not working well, with blind people leading other blind people
and this artist only speaks on the signs of the time
I'm an artist who speaks about the issues of the day
And I pop pills in purple rain to state my pain
I take medication to alleviate my physical and emotional pain
They say I'm just like my father, bold and too cold
People say I'm just like my father, strong and unfeeling
But you know that's how a thug ride
This is how someone in my situation has to act
I send a kite through a dove in a jail where the thugs cry
I communicate with people in similar situations in jail
I feel your pain when you restrained and your love die
I empathize with your pain when you feel trapped and have lost loved ones
and make your heart hard, the blood in your vein fry
These things can harden your heart and damage your health
Feel like I'm trapped and I'm blindfolded
I feel stuck and unable to see my way out
But my eyes wide open to see it
But I'm aware of the challenges I face
Feel like the O'Jay's, climbin those stairways hopin
I feel like the R&B group The O'Jays, climbing up a set of stairs and hoping to reach the top
Heaven's gates wide open for me
I hope that I can enter the gates of heaven someday
Look towards a lie, Sige in direction
I'm looking towards a lie, heading in a direction that might not be right
Still I spin in every direction, seekin directions
I'm spinning in many directions, still figuring out which direction to go
Tryin to balance out the good with the imperfections
I'm trying to balance the good things in my life with the imperfections and struggles I face
Yeah I know I still move with nowhere to go
I know I'm still making progress, even if I don't know where I'm going
[Chorus]
It seems like we grind from the bottom
It feels like we're working hard just to stay where we are at the bottom
just to make it to the bottom to see faces of the people that I shot
To get to the bottom and see the consequences of my actions, people I've harmed
When I get high late night, flow through the bottom
When I get high at night, I feel lost and at the bottom
My aunt's house, one of the places that I stopped
My aunt's house is one of the places I go to relax
See she just died, she got cancer from smokin and drinkin
My aunt died from cancer caused by her smoking and drinking
The same shit that I'm drinkin' and smokin
I'm drinking and smoking the same things that killed my aunt
I can't lie, wish life would just open its handcuffs
I wish I could break free from the barriers that hold me back
and let me go, I feel like I'm doin a bit
I feel trapped and suffocated, like I'm in prison
I can't slide, so what I'm a rapper?
I can't escape the consequences of my actions by being a rapper
I can't escape the wrath of the law if I crash up my whip
I can't avoid punishment if I break the law by crashing my car
or get, blast in the jaw
Or get physically attacked and injured
Prick, mastered his fifth
I am confident in my abilities as a rapper
I might go triple platinum, become a household name
I have the potential to become extremely successful
After a long day of out of town work make my way to the plane
After a long day of work, I travel home by plane
Plane fast in the tenth
The plane is moving quickly at a high altitude
Hear mayday, mayday, control's outta work
I hear a distress signal, the people in control are unable to respond
How the hell can life end like this? Nowhere to go
How is it possible that my life could end suddenly like this, with nowhere to turn?
[Chorus]
Lyrics © BMG Rights Management, Universal Music Publishing Group, Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC, Songtrust Ave, Warner Chappell Music, Inc.
Written by: UMMAR ALWAN, GARY FEARS, DWIGHT GRANT, DENNIS R. JACKSON, K. JOHNSON, CLAY MC MURRAY, KANYE OMARI WEST
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
D
on special delivery (nas & d-block diss)
State prop!! Heavy hitta suckaaaaa