In 2001, "What Would You Do?" was released as part of the band's eponymous debut to radio with a new mix that interpolated Dr. Dre's The Next Episode into the bridge. The song, a story seen from different perspectives about a young woman who becomes a stripper to feed her child, became a U.S. Pop #8 and R&B #13 hit. The band's follow-up single, Caramel, found Ortiz singing lead and Pardlo on the bridge. In the original version, there is also a section where Ortiz sings in Spanish. For radio release, the song was remixed to include the rapper Eve. "Caramel" was a U.S. Pop #18 and R&B #9 hit. The remix was done by Trackmasters. The final single from the group's debut was City High Anthem, which failed to make a big impact on urban and top 40 markets. Once again, however, a remix was released, featuring rapper Styles P.
In early 2002, City High shot several mini music video commercials for MTV based on their own songs promoting the 11th season of The Real World set in Chicago.
Their debut self-titled album sold millions and was nominated for a Grammy Award in 2003. City High members Ryan Toby and Claudette Ortiz got married on October 14, 2004.
City High disbanded in 2003.
Best Friends
City High Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Chillin? yo
What's up man?
Ya ready to go?
Na yo,
What's wrong with you?
Wifey got you buggin again?
Just don't understand yo
Understand what man ha
She ain't talking to me son
(Word)
Yo I need you to do me a favor yo
You gotta call her homie
(What'chu want me to call her for)
You gotta tell her for me
(Tell her what man)
That I love her so strongly
(Why don't you just tell her yourself)
Cause she won't listen to me now
(Damn)
Without love in my heart
I might as well be dead
(Hold up, hold up, you ain't gonna be killin' yourself nigga)
So can you help me out?
(I'm callin i'm callin)
You're the only one who cares
Yo shorty
I just got off the phone with Robbie
He told me to come talk to you
(Yeah, bout what?)
He said y'all having problems
And you left him, now he's all confused
(Man, so what?)
Now girl why you buggin?
You know you was made for him
And him for you
I ain't trying to butt in
I just wanna be a friend
And he asked me to call you
You gotta call her homie
And tell her for me
That I love her strongly
She won't listen to me
Without love in my heart
I might as well be dead
Please help me now
You're the only one who cares
You gotta call her homie
And tell her for me
That I'm really sorry
She won't listen to me
Without love in my heart
I might as well be dead
Please help me now
You're the only one who cares
Hmm, girl this thing has gone on, long enough
Can't you see
He don't know the true reason that you left him
Baby is cause of me, whoa
He would be real surprised
To find that I'm the new apple of your eye
What kind of friend am I?
To take advantage of - my best friend's trust
If you wanna know
Why I did - what I did
(Tell me why did you do it)
I got tired of being alone
While you was out trickin'
(Who told you I was trickin?)
I guess female dogs can't learn tricks too
You see I'm not the bitch, baby payback is
And what you did came back to you, oh
The opening conversation in City High's song "Best Friends" is between two friends. The first friend is experiencing relationship problems with his wife. He confides in his best friend, asking him to call his wife and tell her that he loves her, but she won't listen to him. He believes that without the love of his wife, he might as well be dead. The second friend calls the woman and shares the message with her. Later in the song, it's revealed that the woman he called is actually the reason for the relationship troubles. She left her man for the second friend who is now asking his best friend to help him get his girl back.
The song delves into the delicate and often complicated landscape of relationships, particularly the potential consequences of infidelity. It explores topics such as trust, loyalty, and love between friends and partners. The lyrics highlight the struggle of trying to navigate emotions and desire within friendships and intimate relationships, and the risks and consequences that come with it.
Line by Line Meaning
What's up my nigga?
The singer is greeting their friend with familiarity.
Chillin'? yo
The friend is doing well and asks how the singer is doing.
What's up man?
The singer is asking their friend how they are doing.
Ya ready to go?
The artist is confirming if their friend is ready to leave.
Na yo,
Just go ahead
The friend is not ready to leave and tells the artist to go ahead without them.
What's wrong with you?
The singer notices that their friend is upset.
Wifey got you buggin again?
The singer is asking if their friend's significant other is causing them problems.
Just don't understand yo
The friend is feeling frustrated and doesn't understand why their significant other is causing them problems.
Understand what man ha
The artist is asking the friend to clarify what they don't understand.
She ain't talking to me son
(Word)
The friend's significant other is not communicating with them.
Yo I need you to do me a favor yo
You gotta call her homie
(What'chu want me to call her for)
You gotta tell her for me
(Tell her what man)
That I love her so strongly
(Why don't you just tell her yourself)
Cause she won't listen to me now
(Damn)
The friend asks the singer to call their significant other and tell them that they love them because the significant other won't listen to them.
Without love in my heart
I might as well be dead
(Hold up, hold up, you ain't gonna be killin' yourself nigga)
So can you help me out?
(I'm callin i'm callin)
You're the only one who cares
The friend feels that without their significant other's love, they are worthless and are asking the artist for help because they are the only one who cares.
Yo shorty
I just got off the phone with Robbie
He told me to come talk to you
(Yeah, bout what?)
He said y'all having problems
And you left him, now he's all confused
(Man, so what?)
Now girl why you buggin?
You know you was made for him
And him for you
I ain't trying to butt in
I just wanna be a friend
And he asked me to call you
The singer tells the friend's significant other that they were made for each other and the friend would like to reconcile their differences.
Hmm, girl this thing has gone on, long enough
Can't you see
He don't know the true reason that you left him
Baby is cause of me, whoa
He would be real surprised
To find that I'm the new apple of your eye
What kind of friend am I?
To take advantage of - my best friend's trust
The significant other tells the singer that they left the friend because they have feelings for the singer. The singer acknowledges that they are taking advantage of their best friend's trust.
If you wanna know
Why I did - what I did
(Tell me why did you do it)
I got tired of being alone
While you was out trickin'
(Who told you I was trickin?)
I guess female dogs can't learn tricks too
You see I'm not the bitch, baby payback is
And what you did came back to you, oh
The significant other reveals that they cheated on the friend because they were tired of being alone, and accuses the friend of also cheating. They also state that the singer is not to blame and that payback has come to the friend.
Lyrics © Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC
Written by: GERARD AVANT, ROBBY PARDLO, RYAN TOBY, WALTER GILMORE
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind