Although Dwele has had somewhat of a short career as a commercially avaliable artist, he has a vast catalogue of material currently unreleased that die-hard fans revere as some of his best work, considerably superior to his material released as a signed artist that showcases the true depth of his artistic and diverse talent, displayed without constraint.
Gardner was raised on the west side of Detroit in a musical family. He played piano from the age of six, later taking up trumpet, bass and guitar. He was deeply affected by the fatal shooting of his father outside his home when he was age ten, later stating "I learned to put my emotions into music; it was my therapy."
He cites Stevie Wonder, Donny Hathaway, Roy Ayers, Miles Davis, and Freddie Hubbard as favorite artists, and took inspiration from hip hop group A Tribe Called Quest, becoming an MC, and working with Slum Village. Gardner recorded a demo in his bedroom, called, The Rize, and sold it out of the trunk of his car. He had about 100 copies, which sold out within a week. He caught the ears of local heroes Slum Village and more specifically their world-renowned producer J Dilla. Slum Village invited Dwele to sing the hook of the song "Tainted" for their album Trinity (Past, Present and Future). It became an instant classic and led to more high profile work with female rapper Bahamadia, the all-star group Lucy Pearl and London's New Sector Movement. Dwele signed to Virgin Records in 2003, who released his debut album, Subject, which mixed neo soul and hip hop. In a 2005 review in The Independent, his style was summed up: "Dwele's rooted in vintage soul but isn't stuck in the past, overly reverential or an exercise in pastiche - there's a major hip-hop edge which betrays his original incarnation as a rapper." A second album, Some Kinda..., followed in 2005. He then later signed with RT Music Group and KOCH records in March, 2008. He is coming out with his fourth album titled, W.W.W. (W.ants. W.orld. W.omen) coming out June 29, 2010. Dwele was recently featured on the first single off of Kanye West's fifth studio album, Good Ass Job. The song was entitled "Power" and was leaked on May 28, 2010.
Dodgin
Dwele Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
I can't wait to give it up
No, this ain't no booty call, it's so much more
You ain't gotta be alone in your place
My place is to hold you till the daylight
Creeps thru the window, I will slay
OK, this is a booty call, but I'm just sayin'
We can't let the night get old
We can wake your neighbors halfway thru
But you ain't pickin' up, that's rude
Why you dodgin' your phone, I know you hear me callin' you
What you doin', baby?
I just wanna touch you, baby
Why you dodgin' your phone, I know you hear me callin' you
What you doin', baby?
I wanna see you, babe
Why you dodgin' your phone, I know you hear me callin' you
What you doin', baby?
I know you
Why you dodgin' your phone, I know you hear me callin' you
(Hear me callin you, girl what it do)
What you doin', baby?
I know it's 3 am in the morning
You complain you gotta wake up before I do and you hate
To see me snorin'
But you've got a long day and people love when you're glowin'
You see where I'm goin
You should be waitin' on me, but it helps when I know it
Answer your phone and show it
Can I come over, do you know
We can't let the night get old
We can wake the neighbors halfway thru
But you ain't pickin up, that's rude
I don't wanna blow your line
But I'm tryin' to touch you up
I'm callin you one more time
You must be sleepin', pick up
Dwele, why won't she pick up the cellie?
I be screamin' like "rrra" like on Melle Melle
Oops, I meant Melle Mel
She loves me, I can't tell
Her thumb be smashin' on that red button sendin' my
Emotions to the voicemail
I be like oh no, I want to smack her in her face and be like,
Yeah my words, I'm gonna eat those
I bet you on the phone with Iesha and them fake oh no
Why you dodgin' my phone call, babe
I'm tryin' to love you, tryin' to love you
Tryin' to put my love all over you, babe
Why you dodgin' your phone. I know you hear me callin' you
What you doin', baby [repeat]
The lyrics to Dwele's song Dodgin' Your Phone / Smoke Up the Back entail a man's attempt to reach out to someone whom he cares for but is avoiding his calls. The lyrics and the tone of the vocalist express a sense of urgency and distress that the person on the other end is not picking up his phone or responding to his text, causing confusion regarding their relationship status. Despite that, the man continues to express his love and promises of affection to the person if given a chance. The lyrics suggest that the singer is hoping for an intimate encounter with the person he is calling, but he is also worried about her well-being and wants to make sure she is okay.
The theme of the song talks about the nervousness and anxiety that comes with trying to get in touch with someone who is not reciprocating romantic feelings. The vocals express an urgent need for the person to answer their phone, creating a sense of tension that the listener can feel. The song has an R&B and neo-soul feel, which adds to its romantic and dreamy atmosphere.
In conclusion, the song is about trying to establish meaningful communication with someone we care for deeply. It portrays the importance of effective communication in a relationship, as well as the implications of being burdened with the hope of winning someone's affection. The unique blend of jazz, soul, and R&B of the song makes it an excellent addition to contemporary R&B.
Line by Line Meaning
I'm filled with love,
I am overflowing with love
I can't wait to give it up
I am excited to show my love
No, this ain't no booty call, it's so much more
This is not just a physical relationship, it's deeper
You ain't gotta be alone in your place
You don't have to be lonely at home
My place is to hold you till the daylight
I am here to comfort you until morning
Creeps thru the window, I will slay
I will stay with you until dawn breaks
OK, this is a booty call, but I'm just sayin'
I admit this is a late-night invitation, but there's more to it
Can I come over, do you know
Can I visit you?
We can't let the night get old
We can't waste this evening
We can wake your neighbors halfway thru
We can enjoy ourselves without being too loud
But you ain't pickin' up, that's rude
Ignoring my calls is impolite
Why you dodgin' your phone, I know you hear me callin' you
Why are you avoiding my calls when I know you hear the phone ringing?
What you doin', baby?
What are you up to, my love?
I just wanna touch you, baby
I just want to be close to you
I wanna see you, babe
I want to spend time with you
I know you
I am familiar with you
(Hear me callin you, girl what it do)
(Can you hear me calling you, what's happening?)
I know it's 3 am in the morning
I understand it's very late
You complain you gotta wake up before I do and you hate
You complain that you have to wake up earlier than me and you dislike it
To see me snorin'
To see me sleeping and snoring
But you've got a long day and people love when you're glowin'
But you have a busy day ahead, and people enjoy seeing you energized and happy
You see where I'm goin
You understand my point of view
You should be waitin' on me, but it helps when I know it
You should be eager to see me, but it's nice when you let me know
Answer your phone and show it
Pick up your phone and let me know you're there
I don't wanna blow your line
I don't want to overdo it with phone calls
But I'm tryin' to touch you up
But I want to be intimate with you
I'm callin you one more time
I am making one last attempt to reach you
You must be sleepin', pick up
You must be asleep, please answer
Dwele, why won't she pick up the cellie?
Dwele wonders why she won't answer her phone
I be screamin' like "rrra" like on Melle Melle
I am yelling out loud like Melle Mel does in his songs
Oops, I meant Melle Mel
I made a mistake in my reference to Melle Mel
She loves me, I can't tell
I am not sure if she loves me
Her thumb be smashin' on that red button sendin' my
She is ignoring my calls and hitting the reject button
Emotions to the voicemail
My feelings are being sent directly to voicemail
I be like oh no, I want to smack her in her face and be like,
I feel frustrated and angry and want to confront her
Yeah my words, I'm gonna eat those
I regret saying those things and wish I could take them back
I bet you on the phone with Iesha and them fake oh no
I think she is talking to friends and pretending to ignore me
Why you dodgin' my phone call, babe
Why are you ignoring my calls?
I'm tryin' to love you, tryin' to love you
I am attempting to show my love and affection for you
Tryin' to put my love all over you, babe
I want to express my love physically with you
Lyrics © Universal Music Publishing Group
Written by: DWELE, A. GARDNER, LAVELL W. CRUMP
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
Sle-a
The drums, the horns, the lyrics..genius...
Antoine Coleman Sr.
+Stacee Lea A ; Baby-girl...dude doing 'em bad with them sticks.
💜LovelyJah82💜
TOOK THE WORDS OUT OF MY MOUTH SISTAH!!! SERIOUSLY :)
Pam S
I haven't heard from Dwele for awhile. Nice!!!
Teasoulified1
I hope one day Dwele, D'Angelo and Musiq Soulchild decide to mess around with this track in the studio.
Ousmane Ag
I know right, all these talented black men but nobody wanna collab
ateacherwhocares
Dwele delivers quality music... I miss this type of music on the radio...
Christian A.Villette
THE GROWN MAN...totally underrated artist for years.
OsieKhan
my man is killing it on the drums. this would make for a nice extended live set!
Antoine Coleman Sr.
+Alonzo Perry Acting a damn fool ain't he??? I LOVE IT!!!!!!