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.
Shady
Dwele Lyrics
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Shady
She can find over the years since I have last seen her
Its been some time
I've dreamed up this day
She don't need no knowledge
Of how she ran my
This fine day you made
Suddenly I flash back to bobby
Remembering a special envy
He possessed the only thing my life was missing
Can only guess why everybodys tellin' me shes shady
Whats the deal with that
You shady or somethin'
I'm sayin' all the cats been sayin' that to me
I wanna talk to you
Shady motherfucker cause I was blinded by beauty
I didn't see question in her game
After three weeks have passed I've caughten this chicken
I still ain't hit...
She had the nerve to ask a favor of Dwe
I'm in diar stray shes says, "I need 500 for books for class"
But I don't understand the semesters over
Before I can let her know
She followed it up with head shots called falatio
She found my weakness that shady motherfucker
That shady motherfucker
Why
After her job was done
She went to the bathroom and said id be back so
But was strange she picked up her phone
I over heard her say
Bobby I got the dough meet me on my road
I chocked on pride
This bitch was wrong
I held my tongue
As she exited the bathroom and came in
I grabbed her legs threw her on to my bed
I released my tongue tunneling until she screams Jesus
Into her ear I whispered
You know you love this
And a single tear drop falls
Simply cause, she realized this pimping
But she looked uneasy
She says I got to go
She meant bobby on the road
She asked me for the keys to stash for the cash b
Bobby's birthday was tomorrow she promised a surprise to borrow
The keys to the safe is up 3 years of bobby girl shadyness
Give bobby a kiss and smile
Meanwhile I go to take a piss and
Sit back and see a note in the bathroom sink and
The ink done ran...
Somethin' about to pay a first class ticket
I use my only lead
Go my whip and swong down Monroe Street
Where I see a limousine
Windows cracked with this bitch in the back seat
I said what the hell is this
She said I cant withstand this pimpin' your profile
Now how does Tokyo sound, oh you shady motherfucker
But I'ma go with you, hell yea
In the song “Shady”, Dwele sings about a woman who has tricked and used him for money. It begins with him expressing how long it has been since he last saw this woman, and how he has been dreaming about this day. He then talks about how she has been running through his mind since they last met, and how he cannot understand why everyone keeps telling him that she is shady. Dwele then goes on to talk about how he was blinded by her beauty and did not see the signs of her manipulative ways.
As the song continues, Dwele reveals that the woman in question asked him for $500 to pay for books for a class that was already over. When he questions her about it, she follows it up with a sexual favor. It is at this point that Dwele realizes that she has found his weakness and is using it to her advantage. Later on, she tricks him into giving her the keys to his safe, promising him that it is for a surprise for her friend Bobby’s birthday, but Dwele discovers a note left in the bathroom sink that reveals her true intentions. Despite this, she still tries to convince him to run away with her to Tokyo.
The song highlights the theme of betrayal and deceit, and the lyrics are written in a way that captures the complicated emotions that come with being used by someone you care about. Dwele’s use of repetition in the phrase “shady motherfucker” also adds to the intensity of the song and emphasizes his feelings of anger and frustration towards this woman.
Line by Line Meaning
She can find over the years since I have last seen her
It has been quite some time since we last met, and she has grown and developed over the years.
Its been some time
It has been a long time since I last saw her.
I've dreamed up this day
I have been dreaming of meeting her again.
She don't need no knowledge
She does not need to know how much she affected my memory.
Of how she ran my
Of how she impacted my life in a certain way.
Memory, I've been to this day
I have been haunted by this memory till this very day.
This fine day you made
You made this day special.
Suddenly I flash back to bobby
Suddenly I remembered a friend named Bobby.
Remembering a special envy
I remember being envious of Bobby for having something I wanted.
He possessed the only thing my life was missing
Bobby had something that I wanted but didn't have, he had fulfillment and purpose in his life.
Can only guess why everybodys tellin' me shes shady
I can only guess why everyone has been telling me that she's untrustworthy.
Whats the deal with that
What's going on, what's the reason behind people calling her shady?
You shady or somethin'
Are you being dishonest or unfaithful?
I'm sayin' all the cats been sayin' that to me
I'm saying that everyone has been telling me that she's shady.
I wanna talk to you
I want to have a conversation with you to clear things up.
Shady motherfucker cause I was blinded by beauty
I was blinded by her beauty and it made me not see her true nature, which is shady and deceitful.
I didn't see question in her game
I failed to see her true intentions, which were manipulative and deceptive.
After three weeks have passed I've caughten this chicken
After three weeks have passed, I finally got her attention or affection.
I still ain't hit...
I still have not had sexual intercourse with her.
She had the nerve to ask a favor of Dwe
She had the audacity to ask me for a favor.
I'm in diar stray shes says, "I need 500 for books for class"
She said to me, "I'm in dire straits and I need $500 for my class textbooks".
But I don't understand the semesters over
I couldn't understand why she was asking for money for textbooks when the semester was already over.
Before I can let her know
Before I could ask her why she needed money, she said something else.
She followed it up with head shots called falatio
She then offered me oral sex.
She found my weakness that shady motherfucker
She knew my weakness, which was sex, and used it to her advantage.
That shady motherfucker
Referring to herself as a shady motherfucker.
Why
Wondering why she is manipulating and deceiving me.
After her job was done
After she had finished performing oral sex.
She went to the bathroom and said id be back so
She went to the bathroom and said she would be back.
But was strange she picked up her phone
It was strange that she picked up her phone.
I over heard her say
I overheard her saying something.
Bobby I got the dough meet me on my road
She said, "Bobby, I got the money, meet me on my road".
I chocked on pride
I felt my pride being threatened and it caught in my throat, making it hard for me to speak.
This bitch was wrong
She was doing something wrong and unjust.
I held my tongue
I kept quiet.
As she exited the bathroom and came in
As she came out of the bathroom and entered the room.
I grabbed her legs threw her on to my bed
I grabbed her legs and threw her onto my bed.
I released my tongue tunneling until she screams Jesus
I performed oral sex on her until she cried out "Jesus".
Into her ear I whispered
I whispered something into her ear.
You know you love this
You know you love this sexual activity and you want it more.
And a single tear drop falls
She shed a single tear.
Simply cause, she realized this pimping
She realized that I was manipulating and using her.
But she looked uneasy
She looked uncomfortable and unsure of her situation.
She says I got to go
She said that she had to leave.
She meant bobby on the road
She meant that she had to meet Bobby on the road.
She asked me for the keys to stash for the cash b
She asked me for the keys to lock up the money in the safe.
Bobby's birthday was tomorrow she promised a surprise to borrow
She was planning a surprise for Bobby's birthday and needed the money to borrow something.
The keys to the safe is up 3 years of bobby girl shadyness
The safe held 3 years worth of girl's shady dealings with Bobby.
Give bobby a kiss and smile
Give Bobby a kiss goodbye.
Meanwhile I go to take a piss and
Meanwhile, I went to the bathroom.
Sit back and see a note in the bathroom sink and
I sat back and saw a note in the bathroom sink.
The ink done ran...
The ink from the note was smudged and hard to read.
Somethin' about to pay a first class ticket
The note was about a first-class plane ticket being bought.
I use my only lead
I followed the only clue I had.
Go my whip and swong down Monroe Street
I got in my car and drove down Monroe Street.
Where I see a limousine
Where I saw a limousine parked.
Windows cracked with this bitch in the back seat
The windows of the limousine were slightly open and I saw her in the back seat.
I said what the hell is this
I was surprised and confused by what I saw.
She said I cant withstand this pimpin' your profile
She said that she could not handle my manipulating and controlling nature.
Now how does Tokyo sound, oh you shady motherfucker
She proposed traveling to Tokyo as a way of escaping the situation, and called me a shady motherfucker.
But I'ma go with you, hell yea
But I decided to travel to Tokyo with her anyway, agreeing to her proposition.
Lyrics © O/B/O APRA AMCOS
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