As of fall 2006, Ben Folds has released five solo LPs. His first album, Fear of Pop: Volume 1, an album of spoken word and instrumental compositions, was recorded and released while Ben Folds Five was still together. Since it was an uncharacteristic release, and officially released under the moniker of 'Fear of Pop', it is widely considered that his first "proper" solo album was Rockin' the Suburbs (2001), on which he played all the instruments by himself. A year later, in 2002, he released Ben Folds Live, a collection of live solo recordings. In late 2003, two solo EPs, Speed Graphic and Sunny 16, were released, with a third entitled Super D released in mid-2004. In 2005, Folds released a second studio album called Songs for Silverman. Most recently Folds has released the album "Supersunnyspeedgraphic, the lp" a compliation of his EPs, a The Bens track called "Bruised," "Still" from the motion picture of 2006 "Over the Hedge" for which Folds wrote all the songs, his cover of the Dr. Dre song "Bitches Ain't Shit", and, with the kind permission of his good friend Neil Hannon, a cover of The Divine Comedy song "Songs of Love". "Supersunnyspeedgraphic, the lp" otherwise includes remastered takes from the three internet EPs from 2002-2004. Ben claims that he wanted to have the CD in hard format so he could "put it past him."
Ben resides in Nashville. He often tours the United States, the United Kingdom, other countries in Europe, Japan, and Australia.
Folds' tours are famous for his solo act as "Ben Folds and a piano", often having the audience become involved by "playing" the accompanying instruments (such as the trumpet and saxophone harmonies in "Army") and singing choir-like backing vocals on "Not the Same". His concerts are charismatic, yet calm - an enjoyable experience for most. And although Folds is constantly putting out new songs, his concerts rarely omit classic fan favorites such as "Philosophy," "One Angry Dwarf and 200 Solemn Faces," and "Army." Also, a seemingly fan favorite that started in Chicago, IL was "Rock this Bitch," a song where Folds has to come up an impromptu new tune with the words "Rock this Bitch" in it; though the song seems to be phasing out, it still makes appearances on tours, such as the November 2006 tour and the Spring US College tour of 2007 and 2008.
Folds also produced and arranged the William Shatner album, Has Been (2004); he previously worked with Shatner on the songs "In Love" and "Still in Love" for Fear of Pop.
Folds described his former band, Ben Folds Five, as "punk rock for sissies," and his oddball lyrics often contain nuances of depression, melancholy and self-conflict. Folds also provided a number of songs for film soundtracks. Some of these include "Lonely Christmas Eve" for the Jim Carrey film How the Grinch Stole Christmas! (2000), and a rendition of the Beatles' "Golden Slumbers" for the film I Am Sam (2001). He (as The Bens) has also done charity compilations, from singing "Wicked Little Town" (from film and stage show Hedwig and the Angry Inch) on the benefit album "Wig in a Box" (2003) to appearing on No Boundaries, a benefit album for Kosovo refugees, with the song "Leather Jacket." (written by Darren Jessee)
On a planned tour of Australia, Folds teamed up with solo artists Ben Kweller and Ben Lee to travel the country together as The Bens, at the suggestion of a fan on Ben Kweller's official website. The trio also went on to record a four-track EP together, entitled The Bens.
In summer of 2004, Folds co-headlined an American tour with fellow rockers Rufus Wainwright and Guster. His second solo studio album, entitled Songs for Silverman, was released in the U.S. on April 26, 2005, featuring Jared Reynolds on bass, and Lindsay Jamieson on the drums, thus returning to the trio format, which had been so successful earlier, in earnest. This album includes the track "Late," a tribute to the late singer-songwriter Elliott Smith, and also features backing vocals from "Weird Al" Yankovic on "Time." (Folds had played piano for Yankovic's song "Why Does This Always Happen to Me?" and "Weird Al" directed Folds' music video for Rockin' the Suburbs). In January of 2007 Lindsay Jamieson left the band and was replaced by Sam Smith, of The Comfies on drums.
Folds performed with Rufus Wainwright and Ben Lee in the summer of 2005 as part of the "Odd Men Out" tour. In addition, Folds has performed with many other famous musical names, including Weezer. Folds has also shown the complexity behind his authentic sound by performing with the West Australian Symphony Orchestra, in March 2005, and the Baltimore Symphony Orchestra, in November 2005. A DVD recording of Folds playing with the West Australian Symphony Orchestra was released in December, 2005.
Folds was the first artist to do a "Live at Myspace" concert, held on October 24, 2006 in his recording studio in Nashville, the show was an hour long and had requests from the internet submitted via Myspace's Messenger. It also entailed several stunts, including a suicide attempt, and a falling audience member during "Jesusland". The DVD of the broadcast (almost whole) was released in February of 2007.
Folds supports the independent music scene, creating his own record label (Attacked By Plastic) and doing promotional work for independent record stores across the country.
In 2008, September 16 marked the release of Amanda Palmer's solo album which was produced by Folds. Two days following that release, Ben Folds Five had a one-time reunion concert held in Chapel Hill, North Carolina, the same place the band was formed. Weeks later, he released his third solo album entitled Way To Normal, released on September 30. Folds also recorded a fake album that was leaked intentionally during the summer to please fans and in an attempt to stop the real album from leaking. The fake tracks were recorded and mixed over a period of only several days. The leak contained 6 fake songs with names similar to the real songs or the album, and three songs from the actual release (except the song Cologne, which was an orchestral version of a song by the same name on the final album).
Since December 2008, Folds has been collaborating with English novelist Nick Hornby, writing the music while Hornby writes the lyrics. This album was originally planned to be recorded over a course of 3 days, the same amount of time in which the fake album was recorded, but Folds has since been recording the album in a more standard format, albeit attempting to retain the live recording format. He has also played several songs from the upcoming album at live shows since mid-2009, and the album is slated to be released on September 27th of 2010.
From December 14 through 21, 2009, Folds was featured as a judge on NBC's a cappella competition The Sing Off alongside Nicole Scherzinger and Shawn Stockman and offered insightful, constructive comments and criticisms to the contestants. On the final show, in a departure from his a cappella purism, showcased his talents and played the roaring, riffing piano background on "Why Can't We Be Friends?" sung by the two finalist groups, Tufts Beelzebubs from Tufts University near Boston and Nota, from San Juan, Puerto Rico. He again returned for the show's second season, and has been confirmed to return for the third season in September 2011 alongside Stockman and new judge Sara Bareilles.
Recently Ben Folds was assumed to be the anonymous pianist playing songs to random ChatRoulette users, named "Merton." Although Ben Folds has admitted to NOT being Merton, he paid tribute to the YouTube star at a concert in Charlotte in "Ode To Merton."
Ben Folds recently released his first album since So There, What Matters Most in June of 2023 after a 12 year hiatus.
Bitches Ain't Shit
Ben Folds Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Bitches ain't shit
[Chorus]
Bitches ain't shit but hoes and tricks
Lick on deez nutz and suck the dick
lets get the fuck out after you're done
And I hops in my ride to make a quick run
We used to roll around and fuck the hoes at night
Tight than a motherfucker with the gangster beats
And we was ballin' on the motherfuckin' Compton streets
Peep, that shit got deep and it was on
Number 1 song after number 1 song
Long as my motherfuckin' pockets was fat
I didn't give a fuck where the bitch was at
But she was hangin' with a white bitch doin' the shit she do
Suckin' on his dick just to get a buck or 2
And the ends she got didn't mean nothin'
Now she's suing cause the shit she be doin' ain't shit
Bitches can't hang with the streets, she found herself short
So now she's takin' me to court
It's real conversation for your ass
I once had a bitch named Mandy May
Used to be up in them guts like everyday
The pussy was the bomb, had a nigga on sprung
I was in love like a motherfucker lickin' the pro-tung
The homies used to tell me that she wasn't no good
But I'm the maniac in black, Mr. Snoop Eastwood
So I figure niggas wouldn't trip with mine
Guess what? Got gaffled by one time
I'm back to the motherfuckin' county jail
6 months on my chest, now it's time to bail
I get's released on a hot sunny day
My nigga D.O.C. and my homey Dr Dre
Scooped in a coupe, Snoop we got news
Your girl was trickin' while you was draped in your county blues
I ain't been out a second
And already gotta do some motherfuckin' chin checkin'
Move up the block as we groove down the block
See my girl's house, Dre, pass the glock
Kick in the do', I look on the flo'
It's my little cousin Daz and he's fuckin' my hoe, yo
I un-cocked my shit,I'm heart-broke but I'm still loc'ed
Man, fuck that bitch!
[Chorus]
Bitches can't hang with the streets, she found herself short
So now she's takin' me to court
It's real conversation for your ass
[Repeat: x4]
Bitches can't hang with the streets
The lyrics to Ben Folds's song "Bitches Ain't Shit" are a cover of a controversial rap track by Dr. Dre that was divisive for its misogynistic portrayal of women. In Ben Folds's cover, he removes the profanity and violent content of the original song, but the lyrics retain the derogatory language about women. The chorus repeats the statement that "bitches ain't shit but hoes and tricks" and suggests performing sexual acts on men's genitals as a means of transactional relationships with women. There are two verses in which the singer shares personal stories of betrayal by women, including one instance where a woman he thought he loved was unfaithful while he was in jail.
The song has been interpreted in different ways. Some have read it as a statement on the dehumanization of women in popular culture, as Ben Folds often juxtaposes the vulgar and demeaning lyrics with his melodic piano lines. Others see it as a satirical take on gangsta rap, as the lyrics are delivered in a soft, almost pleasant tone that subverts the machismo of the original. However, given the persistent valorization of misogyny in hip-hop culture, the song has also been criticized for perpetuating stereotypes of women as objects of male pleasure.
Line by Line Meaning
Bitches ain't shit
Women are not valuable or important
Bitches ain't shit
Women are not valuable or important
Bitches ain't shit but hoes and tricks
Women are only good for sex and deceitful behavior
Lick on deez nutz and suck the dick
Perform oral sex on me
lets get the fuck out after you're done
Leave immediately after sex
And I hops in my ride to make a quick run
I quickly leave in my car
I used to know a bitch named Eric Wright
I used to know a woman named Eric Wright
We used to roll around and fuck the hoes at night
We used to drive around and have sex with various women at night
Tight than a motherfucker with the gangster beats
The music was really good
And we was ballin' on the motherfuckin' Compton streets
We were very successful in Compton
Peep, that shit got deep and it was on
It got serious quickly
Number 1 song after number 1 song
We continued to have hit songs
Long as my motherfuckin' pockets was fat
As long as I had a lot of money
I didn't give a fuck where the bitch was at
I didn't care about the woman's whereabouts
But she was hangin' with a white bitch doin' the shit she do
She was spending time with a white woman doing the same things she does
Suckin' on his dick just to get a buck or 2
Performing oral sex on someone for money
And the ends she got didn't mean nothin'
The money she earned was meaningless
Now she's suing cause the shit she be doin' ain't shit
She is suing because the work she was doing was not meaningful or valuable
Bitches can't hang with the streets, she found herself short
Women cannot handle the streets, and she was unsuccessful
So now she's takin' me to court
She is taking legal action against me
It's real conversation for your ass
This is a real story
I once had a bitch named Mandy May
I used to know a woman named Mandy May
Used to be up in them guts like everyday
We had sex every day
The pussy was the bomb, had a nigga on sprung
The sex was amazing and made me really attracted to her
I was in love like a motherfucker lickin' the pro-tung
I was in love and would do anything for her
The homies used to tell me that she wasn't no good
My friends warned me that she was not a good person
But I'm the maniac in black, Mr. Snoop Eastwood
I am a fierce and dangerous person
So I figure niggas wouldn't trip with mine
I assumed that no one would cause any problems with my girl
Guess what? Got gaffled by one time
But I got caught by the police
I'm back to the motherfuckin' county jail
I am returning to jail
6 months on my chest, now it's time to bail
I spent 6 months in jail and it's time to get out
I get's released on a hot sunny day
I am released on a sunny day
My nigga D.O.C. and my homey Dr Dre
My friends D.O.C. and Dr Dre come to pick me up
Scooped in a coupe, Snoop we got news
We got in a car and my friends told me some news
Your girl was trickin' while you was draped in your county blues
Your girl was having sex with other people while you were in jail
I ain't been out a second
I just got out of jail
And already gotta do some motherfuckin' chin checkin'
I already have to confront someone
Move up the block as we groove down the block
We move up the street while cruising
See my girl's house, Dre, pass the glock
We see my girl's house and Dre hands me a gun
Kick in the do', I look on the flo'
We break down the door and look inside
It's my little cousin Daz and he's fuckin' my hoe, yo
My cousin Daz is having sex with my girlfriend
I un-cocked my shit,I'm heart-broke but I'm still loc'ed
I put my gun away and am heartbroken, but still angry
Man, fuck that bitch!
I hate that woman!
Bitches can't hang with the streets, she found herself short
Women cannot handle the streets, and she was unsuccessful
So now she's takin' me to court
She is taking legal action against me
It's real conversation for your ass
This is a real story
Bitches can't hang with the streets
Women cannot handle the streets
Lyrics © Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC, Kobalt Music Publishing Ltd., Warner Chappell Music, Inc.
Written by: Andre Young, Tracy Curry, Delmer Drew Arnaud, Ricardo Brown, Calvin Broadus
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
Burner Facetime
According to his memoir, while opening for John Mayer he would play this song all the way through THREE TIMES with his middle finger up while being flooded with boos 😂😂😂 Most punk thing ever.
Jezebel Xero
I could never imagine going to see either of them in concert, but that is awesome and I really love this version of the song
Jim Verbick
@Jezebel Xero Ben Folds is amazing live.
Mat Chavez
@Jim Verbick as much as it hurts me to say it...... So is John Mayer. I couldn't believe how good he was
E Presley
That’s fucking legendary
James Deek
That's awesome
The Reconstructionists
This is actually an incredibly beautiful song
Wootyloops
username checks out.
August D
This still makes me laugh 20 something years later. 😂
Phillip Spencer
I listen to this every day...it can really get you pumped up to do just about anything.