Born in McComb, Mississippi, Norwood was raised in Carson, California, beginning her career as a backing vocalist for teen groups. After signing with Atlantic Records in 1993, she released her self-titled debut album, Brandy, the following year, which sold six million copies worldwide. Norwood ventured into acting with the UPN sitcom Moesha (1996–2001), which won her an NAACP Image Award, and resulted in numerous other roles, such as the titular character in the television film Cinderella (1997) and Karla Wilson in the slasher film I Still Know What You Did Last Summer (1998). Her musical breakthrough came with the wildly successful single "The Boy Is Mine" (1998), a duet with fellow R&B contemporary Monica, which went on to become one of the best selling female duets of all time. Her second album, Never Say Never, won Norwood her first Grammy Award. In 2002, Norwood starred in the reality series Brandy: Special Delivery, documenting the birth of her daughter. Her third and fourth albums, Full Moon (2002) and Afrodisiac (2004), were released to critical success.
Norwood served as a judge on the first season of America's Got Talent before being involved in a heavily publicized car accident in 2006. Norwood's fifth album, Human (2008), was released to positive reviews, although it was a commercial failure. In 2010, she returned to television as a contestant on the eleventh season of Dancing with the Stars and starred in the reality series Brandy & Ray J: A Family Business. She was a series regular in the BET series The Game (2012–2015) and released her sixth album Two Eleven (2012) thereafter, both earning her critical praise. In April 2015, Norwood made her Broadway debut as Roxie Hart in the musical Chicago. She starred in and executive produced a sitcom titled Zoe Ever After on BET which premiered in January 2016. In July 2020, Norwood released her seventh studio album, B7, also her first project as an independent artist, to critical acclaim. In 2021, Norwood starred alongside Naturi Naughton, Eve and Nadine Velazquez in American Broadcasting Company's music drama series Queens to critical acclaim.
In June 2022, Norwood announced her major label return after signing with Motown Records under which she is expected to preprare her eighth studio album.
Ryde Or Die
Brandy Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
I don't understand why
I'm crazy over you
I don't know what to do
I don't understand why
I'm crazy over you
(Ooh)
If I had to
I would
Give up everything
Just to feel
And be with you
If I had to
I would pawn the ring
You gave me
Just to feed you
If I had to
I would give
Every last breath
Just to help to save you
And if I had to
I would tell a lie
Just 'cause I know
You are the truth
(Ooh)
I'll ride for you
'Cause you're my boo
(Ooh)
I'll die for you
Ooh
'Cause I'm a fool
In love with you
And I'll do anything
That pleases you
(Yeah)
I'll please you
If I had to
I would throw away
My only wish
Just to prove to you
If I had to
I would die all alone
If living
Meant without you ooh
If I had to
I would go through
All the pain again
Just to find you
If I had to
I'd surrender all my love
Just because I love you
I don't understand why
I'm crazy over you
(Crazy)
I don't know what to do
(What to do)
I don't understand
(Understand)
Why I'm crazy over you
(Crazy)
I don't know what to do
(Don't know what to do)
(Ooh)
I'll ride for you
'Cause you're my boo
(Ooh)
I'll die for you
Ooh
'Cause I'm a fool
(Yeah, yeah)
In love with you
(Feel the same way)
And I'll do anything
That pleases you
(Posta Boy)
Ooh
Posta Boy:
If I ever had to go back
To when I was broke
Even then we was close
Eating general toast
But if I had to
I'd die
To give you the world
Spend my last minute here
Tryna give you a girl
Growin' up as a better man
This is a better plan
Before you pawn
Your wedding ring
I'm pawnin' my wedding band
Waiting for you to flirt
Figured you'd do it first
This is Brandy and Poster
Against the universe
Talk to 'em
I wanna run to you
Be the last one with you
Absent in time without you
Existing only for you
Every dream is of you
Only turn to you
My baby, my love
Ooh ooh
Posta Boy:
Let's go
I need me a rider
Don't need a girl
With gullible
They all act nice
When your chain is colorful
I see 'em every time
I skate through
Mad 'cause I'm in a Hummer H2
Color of grapefruit
Real love hard to come by
You ain't have to lie
'Cause I heard you sun five
Then cop the crib
And the valley for 1.5
Tin on the roof
Let the liners run by
Need me a soldier
That'd die for Poster
Mami plead innocent
Lie for Poster
Ma face look like 17
Cutest I ever seen
Yellow tennis bracelet
With sky blue severed jeans
Creep through the hood
When I cop the place
Then I'm droppin' on a F-9
To shop with friends
So, let's go
Stay close to me
We gon' ride or die
Like it's supposed to be
Have a toast with me
(Ooh)
I'll ride for you
'Cause you're my boo
(Ooh)
I'll die for you
Ooh
'Cause I'm a fool
In love with you
And I'll do anything
That pleases you
In "Ryde Or Die," Brandy sings about being blindly in love with someone and being willing to do anything for them. She doesn't understand why she is so crazy about this person, but she knows that she will go to great lengths to make them happy. Brandy would give up everything, including her most prized possessions, just to be with this person. She would even lie for them because she believes they are the truth. The chorus of the song is repetitive, emphasizing the extent of Brandy's love for this person. The song features Posta Boy, who raps about his love for someone and how he would also do anything for them.
The lyrics of "Ryde Or Die" have a lot of emotional depth and highlight the complexities of being madly in love with someone. Brandy's powerful vocals add to the intensity of the lyrics, making the song a powerful ballad about love and devotion. The repetition of the chorus adds to the song's emotional impact, making it an anthem for people in love.
Line by Line Meaning
I don't understand why
The singer is confused as to why she is so infatuated with the person she is singing to.
I'm crazy over you
The person Brandy is singing to has a strong hold over her emotions.
I don't know what to do
Brandy is at a loss as to how she should proceed in her relationship with this person.
If I had to
Brandy is expressing the extreme lengths she would go to in order to please the person she is singing to.
I would give up everything
The singer is willing to sacrifice all her possessions and material items to be with her love interest.
Just to feel and be with you
Brandy desires a close, intimate relationship with her love interest at all costs.
I would pawn the ring you gave me
In an effort to help her loved one, Brandy would even resort to selling her most prized possessions.
Just to feed you
The singer would do anything necessary to make sure her love interest never goes hungry or without their basic needs.
I would give every last breath
Brandy is willing to give up everything, including her life, to save the person she loves.
Just to help to save you
The singer is willing to put herself in harm's way to protect her love interest.
And if I had to I would tell a lie
In an effort to protect her love interest, the singer is willing to be dishonest and deceive others.
Just 'cause I know You are the truth
The person Brandy sings to is her ultimate truth, and therefore she is willing to be untruthful to protect them.
I'll ride for you 'Cause you're my boo
The singer is expressing her loyalty towards her love interest and is willing to ride with them through any situation.
I'll die for you
Brandy is willing to give up her life for her love interest.
I'm a fool In love with you
The singer is blinded by her love for the person she is addressing.
And I'll do anything That pleases you
Brandy is emphasizing how far she is willing to go to make her love interest happy.
If I had to I would throw away
The singer is expressing her willingness to discard her dreams and aspirations for the sake of her love interest.
My only wish Just to prove to you
Brandy is willing to sacrifice her personal desires to show her love interest how much she cares.
I would die all alone If living Meant without you
The singer would rather die than live without the person she loves in her life.
I would go through All the pain again Just to find you
Brandy is willing to endure any hardships to be reunited with her love interest.
I'd surrender all my love Just because I love you
The singer is so enamored with her love interest that she would give up everything, including her own love, just for them.
Posta Boy: If I ever had to go back
Posta Boy reflects on the struggles he has faced and how far he and Brandy have come together.
Even then we was close Eating general toast
Posta Boy reflects on simpler times when he and Brandy had very little, but their bond was still strong.
But if I had to I'd die To give you the world
The rapper expresses his willingness to do whatever it takes to give his love interest everything they could ever want.
Spend my last minute here Tryna give you a girl
If he had only a minute left to live, Posta Boy would spend it seeking a way to make his love interest happy.
Growin' up as a better man This is a better plan
The rapper is striving to be a better person for the sake of his love interest.
Before you pawn Your wedding ring I'm pawnin' my wedding band
Posta Boy is willing to part with his own prized possessions to help his love interest.
Waiting for you to flirt Figured you'd do it first
Posta Boy is waiting for his love interest to make the first move, but is certain it will happen eventually.
This is Brandy and Poster Against the universe Talk to 'em
The duo is expressing their strong bond as a united front against the world.
I wanna run to you Be the last one with you
The singer is expressing her desire to be with her love interest at all times, and to stand by them until the very end.
Absent in time without you Existing only for you
When her love interest isn't around, Brandy feels like she doesn't truly exist.
Every dream is of you Only turn to you
The person she is singing to is the focus of all her hopes and dreams.
My baby, my love
Brandy is expressing her affection towards her love interest.
Posta Boy: Let's go I need me a rider
Posta Boy is looking for a partner who will ride with him through thick and thin.
Don't need a girl With gullible They all act nice When your chain is colorful
The rapper is expressing his distrust towards women who only act a certain way because of his wealth and status.
I see 'em every time I skate through Mad 'cause I'm in a Hummer H2 Color of grapefruit
Posta Boy is surrounded by envious people who dislike him because they are jealous of his success.
Real love hard to come by You ain't have to lie 'Cause I heard you sun five
The rapper is implying that the person he is addressing is trustworthy, and that their love is worth fighting for.
Then cop the crib And the valley for 1.5 Tin on the roof Let the liners run by
Posta Boy is reflecting on his success, and how he has moved on to bigger and better things.
Need me a soldier That'd die for Poster Mami plead innocent Lie for Poster
The rapper desires someone who is not afraid to stand up for him and do whatever it takes to help him when he is in need.
Ma face look like 17 Cutest I ever seen Yellow tennis bracelet With sky blue severed jeans
Posta Boy finds his love interest to be incredibly attractive, and highlights their unique fashion sense.
Creep through the hood When I cop the place Then I'm droppin' on a F-9 To shop with friends
The rapper is expressing his desire to move up in the world and surround himself with like-minded people.
So, let's go Stay close to me We gon' ride or die Like it's supposed to be Have a toast with me
Posta Boy is expressing his desire for his love interest to stay by his side and ride with him through any situation.
Contributed by Christopher E. Suggest a correction in the comments below.
Nikki W
You can definitely tell brandy wrote this by the vocal inflections, she invented that vocal hold she does, smh on JLo
Matthew Arroyo
@Betterthanyou. it’s ok Everybody forgets
Betterthanyou.
@Matthew Arroyo i have no recollection of saying that. I think I put Jlo instead of brandy on accident or something. I know brandy wrote and produced it for her album and the song was scrapped.
Matthew Arroyo
@Betterthanyou. jlo didn’t write this it was Brandy and two other people
danny MDNA
Why smh on jlo ? She / her team would of paid brandy or brandy’s company for the record
It’s business you stupid biatch
Betterthanyou.
@Robson Trigueiro brandy produced and wrote it, it was her property. It’s not like it was a song she just wanted.
Gregory poto
That's only a demo and she killed it . I wonder what would have been the final result if she really sang it. God I love this girl
Jeremy Michael Velázquez
🌟⭐👍🏼
ToadyMcgee
@Baby Mario Yeah but this isn't a final mix and certainly not mastered
Baby Mario
It isnt so much different is basically the same as the final version LOL