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 He told Dame to pass the word on that State Property was no longer in effect, until after he was released.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.
Look At Me Now
Beanie Sigel Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
My hair was knotty then
Nose, snotty then
Sweats, no pockets then
Sweatin', no problems then (facts)
Off the potty then (news)
Muddas playin' double dutch
She was hop-scotchin' then
(Me?) Girl watchin' them
Crooked letter eye (I)
Hump-back, tryna hump that
Yes, I (I)
Couldn't play with Cousin Pooh
They thought I was mockin' 'em
(Grams) Said I was devilish
Been knew I was rotten then
(School) been dropped out
Never really clockin' in
(Pops) been dropped out
Never really stoppin' in
(Moms) tryna lock me out
(Cops) tryna lock me in
(Damn) devilish one with pellet-guns
Grew from sling-shottin' them
(To) sling, shootin' them, dice all day
Kept hook shot, nice all day
Right hook fight, nice all day
Nigga left for a night
To keep money, right all day
Break a night all day (if you could look at me now)
If you could look at me now
Let me smoke with you youngin'
Y'all was pop lockin' then
Card-board boxin', then
(Me) I was up the center
3-D, lockin' in
Strong-arm, robbin' then
Started car, poppin' in
(Me) Skinny, Toots, Telly, Poots
Marley Park and L
Got in junk with Passyunk
Wilson Park and 'em
Other 'jects, different sets
Started sparkin' 'em
I had the fourteen gauge
My nigga Larken then
How it made front page
He caught a spark from them
He got gauged in his leg
Still was walkin' then
8 toss, shook it off
Kept sparkin' them
Ol' heads ain't help
We had more heart then 'em
We squashed that war
Got some raw
Stayed apart from them
Now that I rap, they give me daps
I'm thinkin', "Pounds for clowns"
You shake my hand like a grown man
Me and Sheed like Tony and old man
Mob style fer real, this is my life style fer real
If you could look at me now
If you could look at me now
Now it's big businesses
You see them big Bentleys, kid
You see them B's on those shiny ass
Rims of his, you can't find him in the woods
With his kids with his
Ma cookin' breakfast with no S.W.A.T.
A good day this is
You could bull shit with rap if you want
I pull the bull shit to the back
And put rap in front
Now I'm state prop flickin' it
State prop stitchin' it
A paper soldier y'all
Your boy gettin' rich
I see a kids hair, knotty now
They nose, snotty now
So what I do?
I try to turn they frown around
I make 'em smile a day
If only for a while a day
I give them dollar day
That's my ghetto holiday
I must say for myself
I'm feelin' proud today
My life is shaped
Like I run about a mile a day
I dedicate this to the one's that
Counted me out
And looked at me down
Just look at me now
(If you could look at me now)
I know y'all see me
Look at me now man
I'm killin' this shit
Sheed, check your boy out, man
Your boy got businesses, man
(I done came up, yeah) I done came up on my own, nigga
I'm a CEO, nigga (take a look at me now)
Clothing line, cartoons (take a look at me now)
Movies, name it nigga (now)
Bullshit with rap if you want
I'm a big-boy-toy driver nigga (made my own way)
With unlaced Air Force One's with no license
Holla at me nigga, y'all can't tell me shit (ain't nothin' that you niggas can tell me, no)
Look at me now (take a look at me now)
In the song "Look at Me Now" by Beanie Sigel, the artist talks about his transformation from a childhood of poverty, delinquency, and fighting to success and fame. The song starts with the artist reminiscing about the days when he had no money, had to watch his mother lock him out, and the cops locking him in. He talks about his rough upbringing, where his family didn't consider him the "normal" one and was thought to be devilish. The artist talks about how he started playing with pellet guns, moved on to slingshots, dice games, hook shots, and eventually found his passion for rapping. The chorus of the song is a reflection of his journey, and a reminder of his past struggles. He is proud of how he has overcome all his challenges.
As the song progresses, the artist talks about his success and the current lifestyle he's leading. He reflects on his rise to fame, wealth, and the number of businesses he's invested in. He talks about the big businesses he's involved in and the amount of money he's making. He mentions how people underestimated his potential, but he worked hard to transform his life. He dedicates the song to those who've belittled him and now, can look at him in a different way. He feels proud of himself, and his progress, and he's sending out a message of hope to others who may be in a similar situation to his and to show that it's possible to turn their situations around.
Line by Line Meaning
(I done came up)
I have risen to success
My hair was knotty then
My hair was unkempt
Nose, snotty then
My nose had mucus then
Sweats, no pockets then
My sweatpants didn't have pockets
Sweatin', no problems then (facts)
I was sweating, but didn't have any worries
Off the potty then (news)
I had just finished going to the bathroom
Watchin' karate then
I was watching martial arts
Muddas playin' double dutch
Other kids were playing jump rope
She was hop-scotchin' then
A girl was playing hopscotch
(Me?) Girl watchin' them
I was watching them, especially the girl
Crooked letter eye (I)
I had a lazy eye
Hump-back, tryna hump that
I had bad posture and was trying to impress girls
Yes, I (I)
Yes, it's me
Couldn't play with Cousin Pooh
I wasn't allowed to play with my cousin
They thought I was mockin' 'em
They thought I was making fun of them
(Grams) Said I was devilish
My grandmother said I was mischievous
Been knew I was rotten then
I had a bad reputation even then
(School) been dropped out
I dropped out of school
Never really clockin' in
I never had a job
(Pops) been dropped out
My father dropped out of school
Never really stoppin' in
My father wasn't around much
(Moms) tryna lock me out
My mother was trying to keep me away
(Cops) tryna lock me in
The police were trying to arrest me
(Damn) devilish one with pellet-guns
I was mischievous and played with pellet guns
Grew from sling-shottin' them
I grew up using slingshots
(To) sling, shootin' them, dice all day
I spent my days playing craps and shooting slingshots
Kept hook shot, nice all day
I practiced and was good at basketball
Right hook fight, nice all day
I was skilled at fighting with my right hand
Nigga left for a night
A friend left for a night
To keep money, right all day
To earn money, we had to work hard
Break a night all day
We stayed up all night partying
(if you could look at me now)
If you could see me now
Let me smoke with you youngin'
Let me smoke with you, young person
Y'all was pop lockin' then
You all were dancing then
Card-board boxin', then
We played with cardboard boxes
(Me) I was up the center
I was playing a game
3-D, lockin' in
Playing video games
Strong-arm, robbin' then
We committed robberies
Started car, poppin' in
We stole cars and drove around
(Me) Skinny, Toots, Telly, Poots
My friends and I had nicknames
Marley Park and L
We hung out at the park
Got in junk with Passyunk
We got into trouble with Passyunk
Wilson Park and 'em
We also hung out at Wilson Park
Other 'jects, different sets
We also hung out in other areas
Started sparkin' 'em
We started fights
I had the fourteen gauge
I had a gun
My nigga Larken then
My friend Larken was with me
How it made front page
Our actions were reported in the news
He caught a spark from them
He got into trouble along with us
He got gauged in his leg
He got shot in the leg
Still was walkin' then
He was able to walk despite being shot
8 toss, shook it off
We were involved in a fight but shrugged it off
Kept sparkin' them
We kept starting fights
Ol' heads ain't help
The older people didn't intervene
We had more heart then 'em
We were more courageous than the older people
We squashed that war
We ended the conflict
Got some raw
Got drugs
Stayed apart from them
We stayed away from the older people
Now that I rap, they give me daps
Now that I'm famous, people greet me with a fist bump
I'm thinkin', "Pounds for clowns"
I think people's praise is insincere
You shake my hand like a grown man
People treat me like an adult now
Me and Sheed like Tony and old man
My relationship with my friend is like Tony and an old man (probably a reference to a movie)
Mob style fer real, this is my life style fer real
This is my real life, living like a mobster
Now it's big businesses
Now I run a successful business
You see them big Bentleys, kid
You see my expensive cars
You see them B's on those shiny ass
My cars have expensive rims with letter 'B'
Rims of his, you can't find him in the woods
I'm not living in the ghetto anymore
With his kids with his
I'm living the life I want with my loved ones
Ma cookin' breakfast with no S.W.A.T.
We're living in a peaceful environment
A good day this is
I'm happy and content
You could bull shit with rap if you want
Some people can just talk nonsense in their music
I pull the bull shit to the back
I focus on making quality music
And put rap in front
I prioritize my rap music
Now I'm state prop flickin' it
Now I'm part of a rap group called State Property
State prop stitchin' it
We're putting in effort to create a good reputation
A paper soldier y'all
I'm a tough guy on paper (in my music)
Your boy gettin' rich
I'm making a lot of money
I see a kids hair, knotty now
Now I see other kids with unkempt hair like I had
They nose, snotty now
Now I see other kids with runny noses
So what I do?
What do I do about it?
I try to turn they frown around
I try to make them happier
I make 'em smile a day
I try to make them laugh every day
If only for a while a day
Even if it's just for a short while
I give them dollar day
I give them a little bit of money
That's my ghetto holiday
That's my way of making them happy
I must say for myself
I'm proud of myself
I'm feelin' proud today
I'm happy and proud today
My life is shaped
My life has been molded
Like I run about a mile a day
I'm always running around and busy
I dedicate this to the one's that
I dedicate this to those who
Counted me out
Counted me as a failure
And looked at me down
Didn't think I would make it
Just look at me now
Look at me now, successful
I know y'all see me
I know everyone can see me now
Your boy got businesses, man
I own businesses now
(take a look at me now)
Look at me now
Clothing line, cartoons
My businesses include fashion and animation productions
(now)
Currently
Made my own way
I made my own path to success
With unlaced Air Force One's with no license
I'm still authentic and don't need to impress anyone
Holla at me nigga, y'all can't tell me shit
Contact me, haters can't bring me down
Lyrics © BMG Rights Management, Universal Music Publishing Group, Warner Chappell Music, Inc.
Written by: Anthony Best, Dwight Grant, Maldridge Cowart, Katherine Ruth Davis, Leonard Perry, Wilbur Gerrell Gaddis
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
D
on special delivery (nas & d-block diss)
State prop!! Heavy hitta suckaaaaa