Over the course of his career, e-dubble released four albums; Straight Outta St. Mary's (2006), Hip-Hop is Good (2009), Reset EP (2012) and Two Tone Rebel (2016).
[h2]Early life[/h2]
Wallace grew up outside of Philadelphia, the youngest child of a principal and a schoolteacher. In the 1990s, Wallace and his friends fell under the spell of hip-hop cast by Snoop Dogg and Dr. Dre; his music would later be known for its common celebrations of this love of hip-hop. He played center on the Wissahickon High basketball team, but dreamed of being a rapper. In an interview with the Baltimore magazine, Wallace cited Eminem's breakout success in the late 90's as a major inspiration to him, saying "Eminem showed that a white rapper could have a career. It was about skills, whether or not you could do it."
[h2]Background[/h2]
After graduating from St. Mary’s College of Maryland with a degree in political science, e-dubble moved to Baltimore to live with his friends and collaborators. Together they formed the hip-hop band Young English, and played their first show in July 2008. The group went on to purchase a renovated warehouse, dubbed “The Hampden Mansion,” where e-dubble would later go on to write, record, and produce his debut album Hip-Hop is Good. He went on to produce his Freestyle Friday series, a weekly series of free songs.
[h2]Career[/h2]
In 2009, e-dubble released his debut album, "Hip Hop is Good". The next year, in August 2010, e-dubble created his YouTube channel. He quickly began releasing freestyles on every Friday creating the series "Freestyle Fridays", in which he sampled other songs (such as Tighten Up and MMMBop) and rapped over the instrumentals. He also occasionally collaborated with his band, Young English, to make the tracks. The series ran throughout 2010 and a final track was released in 2012. The series was noted for its effective use of samples, lyrics and e-dubble's spoken word outros, in which he communicated with fans. He followed this up in 2012 with his next album, "Reset EP". He released his final album in 2016 with "Two Tone Rebel". His most popular songs include "Be a King", "Let Me Oh" and "What it Do".
[h2]Death[/h2]
On 21 January 2017, 23 days before his death, e-dubble posted a photo on his Instagram of a swollen hand, with the caption "I don't recommend throwing up half of your body's blood. Or having your hand swell up like Martin Short in 'Pure Luck' or needing 10 blood transfusions. But I'm gonna be aight. Thanks for the love". One of his business partners, Danny, later tweeted on 27 January: "Keep our friend e-dubble in your thoughts! He is at the Hahnemann Hospital fighting a serious infection", suggesting the infection was not getting better. As e-dubble became unusually inactive on the internet, rumors began to circulate that he had died, and were eventually confirmed on Twitter by many of his close associates as well as eventually the Black Paisley Records website. E-Dubble passed away on February 13, 2017.
Be A King
E-dubble Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
One day I'mma grow up big and I'mma be a king
And my poppa told me-
It's ok to sing when shit hurts
Don't forget your dreams
Cuz' they'll get you through this
So called life, they call living but I call it strange
And I bet I'll do it
Mr. sunshine, Mr. rainstorm
Meet me in the conference room we need to brainstorm
Need some middle ground, need an even keel
But you're at war picking sides give me fever chills
I'll take em' both like my flu shot broke
I need the give and take to keep me out of that moat
My head above water thoughts to those lost this week
All these tragedies stay on repeat
Like we can't shake shit, I can't speak on it
Fist to the sky but I can't beat on it
Drink in my cup so I'm gon' sip on it
Cam newton's prolly pissed, he can't stiff arm em'
All these levels of these relative problems
And benevolence is elegance for those who can solve them
I'm feeling pretty low like I'm stuck at the bottom
But I know I'll rebound like the bulls with Rodman
I am, just exactly what I will be
Just a guy who can rhyme n' chop ill beats
One day I'll recover from what ails me
Till then I'm on that fuck-- what the sales be
My momma told me-
One day I'mma grow up big and I'mma be a king
And my poppa told me-
It's ok to sing when shit hurts
Don't forget your dreams
Cuz' they'll get you through this
So called life, they call living but I call it strange
And I bet I'll do it
Cuz' I'm on my way and strong enough that I can shake the pain
They talk about death, we're tryna live life
While they're signal says left but they really going right
But who cares they got nothing to improve upon
Meanwhile we past them, fast lane, rubicon
So let the shitstorm rang in
They try to dap us up, but we just leave em' hanging
Yeah- so let em' catch up with the language
They can talk shit but you know that we can manage
-- they say they tired of the metaphors
They are only pissed that they never really ready for em'
--- so go ahead and get ready for em'
Pop another bottle cuz' you gonna' need a steady arm
- it's like we're living in the Tron Game
Lines are all blurred cuz' we're sippin on the bombay
- john stock verse lebron james
No competition when you factor in the time change
Babe Ruth sucks--- fuck what the books say
I could strike him out with 3 pitches in an arm sling
Yeah- and we can do anything
Momma said it's true and I put that on everything
My momma told me-
One day I'mma grow up big and I'mma be a king
And my poppa told me-
It's ok to sing when shit hurts
Don't forget your dreams
Cuz' they'll get you through this
So called life, they call living but I call it strange
And I bet I'll do it
Cuz' I'm on my way and strong enough that I can shake the pain
We don't ask for the doors to close in this life
So we hoping... they keep em' open
And if they shut those doors we'll smash the skylight
Till it's broken... and smell the roses
Need to take that time to find our own road
So we focused... on what's golden
And our gold don't shine it's not from no mine
So we're not just living for a token
My momma told me-
One day I'mma grow up big and I'mma be a king
And my poppa told me-
It's ok to sing when shit hurts
Don't forget your dreams
Cuz' they'll get you through this
So called life, they call living but I call it strange
And I bet I'll do it
Cuz' I'm on my way and strong enough that I can shake the pain
The song "Be A King" by E-dubble is an uplifting and motivational track that encourages listeners to pursue their dreams, despite the challenges that come their way. The lyrics highlight the singer's personal experiences and how he overcame them. The chorus, "My momma told me, one day I'mma grow up big and I'mma be a king," brings a sense of hope, while the line "It's ok to sing when shit hurts" exemplifies the power of music as a coping mechanism.
The song addresses the state of the world, with lines like "All these tragedies stay on repeat" and "we're living in the Tron Game," which suggests that life can feel like a virtual reality where lines are blurred. Still, the song advises listeners to keep fighting and to stay focused on what's important. The lyrics also touch on themes of perseverance and resilience, as seen in lines like "Till then I'm on that fuck-- what the sales be" and "And our gold don't shine it's not from no mine, so we're not just living for a token."
Overall, "Be A King" is an inspirational song that empowers listeners to push past life's challenges and to live their best lives. It is a reminder that the road to success can be tough, but that with hard work and determination, anything is possible.
Line by Line Meaning
My momma told me-
My mother told me that one day I will grow up to be successful, powerful like a king.
One day I'mma grow up big and I'mma be a king
I will become successful in life.
And my poppa told me-
My father told me that when times are tough, it’s okay to express yourself.
It's ok to sing when shit hurts
It's okay to express yourself with music when you feel sad or depressed in life.
Don't forget your dreams
Never forget your aspirations or goals.
Cuz' they'll get you through this
Your dreams can help you persevere through difficult obstacles.
So called life, they call living but I call it strange
Life can be confusing and difficult to understand.
And I bet I'll do it
I am confident that I will succeed.
Cuz' I'm on my way and strong enough that I can shake the pain
I am resilient and can overcome challenges.
Mr. sunshine, Mr. rainstorm
Good and bad situations.
Meet me in the conference room we need to brainstorm
Let’s come up with a solution to our problems.
Need some middle ground
We need to find a compromise.
Need an even keel
We need stability and calmness.
But you're at war picking sides give me fever chills
You are fighting with yourself to pick a side, which makes me anxious.
I'll take em' both like my flu shot broke
I can handle both good and bad situations.
I need the give and take to keep me out of that moat
I need a balance between giving and receiving.
My head above water thoughts to those lost this week
Trying to keep my head above water while thinking about those who have recently passed away.
All these tragedies stay on repeat
Tragic events keep happening over and over again.
Like we can't shake shit, I can't speak on it
We cannot escape difficult situations, and I don't know how to express my emotions.
Fist to the sky but I can't beat on it
I’m feeling angry, but don’t know how to show it.
Drink in my cup so I'm gon' sip on it
Drinking in frustration.
Cam newton's prolly pissed, he can't stiff arm em'
Even Cam Newton, a strong athlete, can't avoid hardships.
All these levels of these relative problems
Many different levels of problems in life.
And benevolence is elegance for those who can solve them
Kindness is graceful and appreciated by those who can solve difficult problems.
I'm feeling pretty low like I'm stuck at the bottom
I’m feeling down and hopeless.
But I know I'll rebound like the bulls with Rodman
I can and will overcome hardships.
I am, just exactly what I will be
I am who I am, and I will become who I am meant to be.
Just a guy who can rhyme n' chop ill beats
I am a rapper with great music skills.
One day I'll recover from what ails me
One day, I will recover from my difficulties.
Till then I'm on that fuck-- what the sales be
Until then, I don't care about money or sales.
They talk about death, we're tryna live life
They focus on the negative, but I choose to focus on the positive.
While they're signal says left but they really going right
They say one thing, but do the opposite.
But who cares they got nothing to improve upon
They are not looking to improve anything.
Meanwhile we past them, fast lane, rubicon
I am quickly surpassing them in life.
So let the shitstorm rang in
Let the chaos begin.
They try to dap us up, but we just leave em' hanging
They try to be friends, but we don't need them.
Yeah- so let em' catch up with the language
Let them take time to understand us.
They can talk shit but you know that we can manage
They can say negative things, but we can handle them.
-- they say they tired of the metaphors
They are bored of the creative way we express ourselves.
They are only pissed that they never really ready for em'
They are angry because they are not prepared to face challenges.
--- so go ahead and get ready for em'
Get ready to face challenges.
Pop another bottle cuz' you gonna' need a steady arm
Get ready to drink, you will need to handle stress.
- it's like we're living in the Tron Game
Life feels like it's a strange and unpredictable game.
Lines are all blurred cuz' we're sippin on the bombay
Things are unclear due to the influence of alcohol.
- john stock verse lebron james
Old vs new ways of living.
No competition when you factor in the time change
There is no true competition when times are constantly changing.
Babe Ruth sucks--- fuck what the books say
Famous figures are not always great.
I could strike him out with 3 pitches in an arm sling
I could easily beat him with minimal effort.
Yeah- and we can do anything
We can achieve whatever we set our minds to.
Momma said it's true and I put that on everything
My mother always told me that I can achieve anything, and I believe that.
Contributed by Nathan S. Suggest a correction in the comments below.
@Kay
this will always be my favourite, rest in peace.
@RattyGaming
he always will be a king.
@fucccapitalism9456
FaZe Kay wats up faze Kay
@Headsale
FaZe Kay my heart aches :(
@morgan793
Kayyyyyy
@jacobdavies1217
<3 <3 <3
@Cole_H_
7 years ago, we lost The King. We cannot let his legacy dwindle away. He’ll always be with us through his music
@BobaPhettamine
remember listening to him as a teenager nearly 26 now time flies fast miss him man imagine the music he would have made
@Legomaniac-zu3qb
Someone heard this and told me it was mid. I told him to shut the hell up
@crazynoob3
I was just a dumb 15 year old when I first listened to this. Now I'm 25 and trying to live the best life I can. And there's still a place in my playlists for Edubble. RIP King.