Bilal's classical training at the Mannes Music Conservatory in New York was instrumental to his conversance with Jazz, voice, and big band arrangements. It has also been reported that he is capable of performing opera in seven languages and writes both music and lyrics.
In 1995, Bilal encountered Faulu Mtume, and his brother, Damu Mtume (sons to James Mtume and founders of Moyo Entertainment) at a barber's shop in Philadelphia. His plans to produce film scores was shelved after he handed the brothers a demo recording; they were so impressed that they successfully convinced him to record commercially.
Bilal has also frequently collaborated and performed with several neo-soul and alternative hip hop artists, including Common, Erykah Badu, Talib Kweli, and The Roots. He also covered Radiohead's "High & Dry" for the 2006 Radiohead tribute, Exit Music: Songs With Radio Heads. Bilal appears in Dave Chappelle's Block Party.
His sophomore full-length recording, Love for Sale is rumored to have been shelved after being leaked on the internet. Despite no official release as of yet, Love for Sale has become an underground classic.
In 2010, Bilal released his sophomore album, Airtight's Revenge, 9 years after his debut album. The album was well-received, critics praised his lyrical substance and experimental sound.
Bilal is set to release his 3rd album, A Love Surreal, on February 26, 2013. Bilal explains that the album has a warmer, more acoustic sound compared to his previous works. He released a mixtape leading up to the release in late 2012 called Retrospective of the Man Called Bilal. 6 days after the mixtape was released, he took the wraps off his first single for A Love Surreal, "Back To Love". A video was released the next month. So far, reviews for A Love Surreal are positive, praising Bilal's natural singing talent and lyrics.
SLIPPING AWAY
Bilal Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
For a while
What can I do to change you mind
Talk it back for me late
Slipping away, your love is, slipping away
For a
I see it in your eyes
And in your voice
Before it all went south
And fell apart
Oh, slipping away, you love is slipping away from me
What can I do to change your mind
Talk it back for me late
Yeah, don’t you trip, yeah
Slipping away, your love, slipping away
What can I do to change your mind
Hide back from it lady
Remember, the times we had
Oh the nights we’ve shared alone
All the life we showed for something
Something, something
Oh don’t leave me alone
Don’t leave me alone
I be missing you baby
Yeah baby, oh baby, don’t go
Oh baby don’t go, don’t go
Oh baby, oh, don’t go
Bilal's "Slipping Away" is a poignant song about the end of a relationship. The opening line, "Slipping away, your love is, slipping away," is an admission of the despair the singer is feeling as he watches his partner withdraw from him. He is trying to make sense of the situation and figure out if there is anything he can do to change her mind. He seems to be pleading with her to reconsider, saying "Talk it back for me late" and "Hide back from it lady." He is asking her to remember the good times they had before their relationship "fell apart."
The chorus repeats the same lyrics, "Slipping away, your love is, slipping away," amplifying the pain and anguish of the singer's loss. He knows it's happening but can't seem to stop it. He is desperately trying to keep her from leaving, saying "Oh don't leave me alone, I be missing you baby, yeah baby, oh baby, don't go." The repetition of the phrase "oh baby" shows how vulnerable and emotional he feels.
Overall, the song is a beautiful exploration of the sadness and confusion that comes with the end of a relationship. The singer is trying to cling on to something that is slipping away, and the listener cannot help but feel the depth of his heartbreak.
Line by Line Meaning
Slipping away, your love is, slipping away
Bilal is feeling like his partner's love for him is slipping away.
For a while
This feeling has been going on for some time.
What can I do to change you mind
Bilal is looking for a way to turn things around in his relationship.
Talk it back for me late
He wants to have an open and honest conversation with his partner to work through their issues.
I see it in your eyes
Bilal can tell that his partner's feelings for him have changed by looking at their eyes.
And in your voice
He can also hear the change in their voice when they talk.
Remember, the times we had
Bilal is reminiscing about the good times they shared together.
Before it all went south
Their relationship went downhill and Bilal wishes to go back to the past.
Oh, slipping away, you love is slipping away from me
Bilal reiterates his feeling that his partner's love for him is slipping away.
Yeah, don’t you trip, yeah
He asks his partner not to be worried and anxious.
What can I do to change your mind
Bilal is still desperate to know what he can do to salvage their relationship.
Hide back from it lady
He is asking his partner not to avoid the truth of their emotions.
Oh the nights we’ve shared alone
Bilal fondly remembers spending time together with his partner in solitude.
All the life we showed for something
He reminds his partner of the time they had invested in the relationship hoping it was leading to something special.
Something, something
He urges his partner to tell him anything that's on their mind.
Oh don’t leave me alone
Bilal pleads with his partner not to leave him all by himself.
I be missing you baby
He expresses how much he would miss his partner when they're gone.
Yeah baby, oh baby, don’t go
Bilal's heart is begging his partner not to leave him.
Oh baby don’t go, don’t go
He repeats his request to his partner to not leave him.
Oh baby, oh, don’t go
Bilal is fervently urging his partner to not leave him alone in this difficult time.
Lyrics © Warner Chappell Music, Inc.
Written by: BILAL OLIVER, CONLEY WHITEFIELD, COREY BERNHARD, MICHAEL SEVERSON, STEVEN MCKIE
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind