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.
What Profit
Dwele Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Living every day like his birthday
And house gotta door with the door man
But it seems that your man forgot what you need in the worst way
Is to be loved, from the top of your head
Down to your pretty pedicure toes, whoa
You wanna be loved, it's the thing that last long
What profit a man, to gain the whole wide world
To lose his girl, lose his girl
If I was your man, I'd do all that I can to keep you girl
What profit a man
Lately when he took you out
Mostly all he talked about were things that meant little to you, babe
Hollywod had him gone, he forgot what turned you on
Almost as if he never knew you
Needed to be loved, from deep inside of your mind
Down to the depths of your soul, oh
You wanna be loved
You see love lasts long, after all the money comes and goes
What profit a man, to gain the whole wide world
To lose his girl, lose his girl. hey it means nothing in life unless I got you
If I was your man, I'd do all that I can to keep you girl
Yeah, I'd do what I can, what profit a man,
To get these material things, and turn around and lose your queen
The one who was there, ridin' for you when it was all just a dream
How you gonna get brand new
With the only girl who ever loved you, ooh baby
What profit a man, to gain the whole wide world
To lose his girl, lose his girl, hey I'd rather not lose you baby
If I was your man, I'd do all that I can to keep you girl
Just to keep you, what profit a man
What profit a man, to gain the whole wide world
To lose his girl, I'd rather lose everything than lose you
If I was your man, I'd do all that I can to keep you girl
What profit a man
The song "What Profit" by Dwele is about the importance of love in a relationship in contrast to material possessions. The lyrics convey the message that gaining wealth and material success is meaningless if you lose the person you love. The song talks about a man who seems to have it all, riding in classy cars, stacking up chips and living every day like his birthday. He has a house with a doorman, but in the midst of all this, he forgets what his partner needs the most, which is love. The lyrics make it clear that love is a much greater need in life, and even though money comes and goes, love is what endures.
The song highlights how important it is for a man to recognize what is truly valuable in life. The man Dwele sings about has lost sight of what is important to his partner and now talks and spends time on things that don't matter to her. Dwele tells us that we should want to be loved from the top of our heads to the tips of our toes and every inch in between, for that is the only thing that lasts long after money comes and goes.
Overall, "What Profit" delivers an important message, encouraging listeners to prioritize love over material possessions and reminding us that true happiness comes from being loved and cherished by the person we love.
Line by Line Meaning
My man was steady stacking chips, riding in the classy whips
My guy was constantly amassing wealth, cruising in luxurious cars
Living every day like his birthday
He was living every day as if it were a celebration
And house gotta door with the door man
His residence had a doorman at the entrance
But it seems that your man forgot what you need in the worst way
However, it appears that he neglected to provide you with what you require the most
Is to be loved, from the top of your head
To be loved unconditionally, from the crown of your head
Down to your pretty pedicure toes, whoa
To the tips of your lovely feet
You wanna be loved, it's the thing that last long
You crave love, it is the thing that endures
After all the money comes and goes
Long after funds have come and gone
What profit a man, to gain the whole wide world
What gain is it for a man to amass the entire world
To lose his girl, lose his girl
If he loses the love of his life
If I was your man, I'd do all that I can to keep you girl
If I was with you, I'd go above and beyond to keep you by my side
Lately when he took you out
Recently when he accompanied you
Mostly all he talked about were things that meant little to you, babe
His conversations revolved around topics that held no interest for you
Hollywod had him gone, he forgot what turned you on
The glamorous lifestyle blinded him, and he forgot what made you happy
Almost as if he never knew you
Almost as if he had no knowledge of who you are
Needed to be loved, from deep inside of your mind
You required affection that originates from the depths of your mind
Down to the depths of your soul, oh
To the depths of your soul
You wanna be loved
You crave love
You see love lasts long, after all the money comes and goes
You understand that love endures long after wealth has diminished
To get these material things, and turn around and lose your queen
What's the point of acquiring material possessions and then losing your queen
The one who was there, ridin' for you when it was all just a dream
The person who was with you supporting you when everything was just a fantasy
How you gonna get brand new
How are you going to turn into someone new
With the only girl who ever loved you, ooh baby
With the sole girl who has ever loved you, oh baby
I'd rather lose everything than lose you
I'd rather surrender everything than forfeit you
Just to keep you, what profit a man
Only to keep you, what gain is it for a man
Writer(s): Michael C. Flowers Copyright: Songs Of Universal Inc., Mike City Music, Notting Hill Music Inc.
Contributed by Connor H. Suggest a correction in the comments below.
CeeCee Tracey
This beat is crazy. And his flow on it just makes it crazier.
slumvillager21
Dwele is on point with this jam. I love how he stays true to the realness.
Yasmine Thompson-Durant
I love Dwele....this song is dope! Still sounds good in 2018
Javier Guarín
2020 and still makes me feel a lot of beautiful things... Greetings from Colombia y'all
Cree Me
Love this song! Love Dwele! He so soulfully smooth!
MrKevin619ism
Yes, he is. I buy all his music and he is one of the coolest souls on the planet, but folks don't get it.
VanishedFade
When I listen to R&B songs like this I imagine myself having a stroll around the city/beach side during a quiet sunny day LOL
BiGG CAiN
Dwele helluva voice! This is one of my favorites by him. Dude should be bigger in my opinion
TheSoulfood12
I swear I'm in love with this man! Long park walks, picnics, and feeding birds is what him and I would be doing. I listen to him everyday all day faithfully. Never get tired of him.
Jai Norman
This is real music right here!