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.
Motivate
Dwele Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
(1)
The first time i laid eyes on you,
You inspired this very love song,
And I was hoping that i can inspire you too, Kick back And, Cool out with me
I love that you inspire me
And when it comes the time that it's just you and I,
Just want to be close to you
Never a moment without your smile
Just want to hold you forever
Whatever's clever.
(2)
The first time I sat down to think, just what it is you mean to me
It forced me to find poetry, just to express to you the beauty, of your being.
I love that you inspire me
And when it come the time that it's just you and I, I swear i will
Hold you forever, That's my endeavor
I want to hold you in my arms, Throughout the thick and thin you know I want you
You can't help But feel something that's real,
Lady, this is what I feel when, you raise me with you feeling.
I want you,
I want you,
I want you,
I want you,
I want you to understand how you enchant me
I alone can't project the feeling without you,(ooh)
I want you (9 x's)
END
The lyrics of Dwele's song "Motivate" express a deep sense of love, admiration, and inspiration for the subject of the song. The artist begins by stating that the person he is singing about inspired the very love song he's singing. He hopes to reciprocate that inspiration by asking them to relax and spend time together. He expresses his love for how this person inspires him, and that he knows, without a doubt, that they feel the same. He calls attention to their beauty and suggests that holding them is all he wants to do. In the second verse, he reflects on the first time he realized their relationship was more profound than he initially thought. He says they forced him to find "poetry" to express the beauty of their being. The artist continues to express his love for how much he was inspired by the person, and how much he wants them in his life. He promises to hold them no matter what, and that the feeling is real.
Overall, the song is about how the person inspires the artist, elevating his writing to new heights. The artist's admiration for the subject of the song is apparent, and he wants to reciprocate the feeling. The lyrics suggest a deep connection formed by the two, which has grown and matured over time. The artist doesn't want to let go of the person and promises to hold them close always.
Line by Line Meaning
The first time i laid eyes on you,
The very moment I saw you for the first time,
You inspired this very love song,
You became my inspiration for writing this love song,
And I was hoping that i can inspire you too, Kick back And, Cool out with me
I hope that I can also inspire you and we could relax together,
I love that you inspire me
I am grateful that you inspire me,
And when it comes the time that it's just you and I,
When we are alone together,
And I know that you want me too, so won't you just hold me, Baby they don't call you lovely for nothing
I can feel that you want me too, so would you please embrace me? You are called 'lovely' for a reason after all.
Just want to be close to you
All I want is to be near you,
Never a moment without your smile
I want to see you smiling all the time,
Just want to hold you forever
I desire to hold you eternally,
Whatever's clever.
I am willing to do anything for you.
The first time I sat down to think, just what it is you mean to me
When I pondered about what you mean to me for the first time,
It forced me to find poetry, just to express to you the beauty, of your being.
It compelled me to write poetry to describe the beauty of your existence.
I want to hold you in my arms, Throughout the thick and thin you know I want you
I want to hold you tightly even during the hard times.
You can't help But feel something that's real, Lady, this is what I feel when, you raise me with you feeling.
You cannot escape the real emotion; this is how I feel when you transmit your own feelings to me.
I want you,
I desire you,
I want you,
I crave you,
I want you,
I long for you,
I want you,
I yearn for you,
I want you to understand how you enchant me
I want you to comprehend how you captivate me,
I alone can't project the feeling without you,(ooh)
I cannot express this emotion without you,
I want you (9 x's)
I want you so much.
Contributed by Alexandra R. Suggest a correction in the comments below.
Cory Roberson
I listen to more of this dude music than any other artist right now....says alot.
Adrianne Hall
I can go to sleep to his music. Love me some Dwele!!
Just me
I love this man! He always bring the heat.
goldenbuddafly
He is one of the few artist I turn to for an instant eargasm. Keep up the good work Dwele!!!
Mazinho Zunm
CANÇÃO MUITO BONITA. O RITMO É MUITO FUNKY, JAZZY... AS HAMONIAS SÃO BELAS... MUITO BOM.
G. Johnson
Just left this brothers show! Unreal artists so real and appreciative of his fans. Keep it up dwe
Keisha Dobie
This is my first time hearing this track. Just the repetition of "I want you" is enough to make anyone feel sexy and loved! Great song, brother Dwele!
Leandro Salada
Great! Muito boa! :D
Eduardo Gilvane Gilvane
muito boa essa musica galera vale a pena escutar viu, brasil ama isso
Monica Monica
Dwele is my absolute fave artist. I discovered this jam last summer. .how is that possible? I thought I knew all his music! ! love your line up!😍