Elzhi spent years paying dues, writing songs, entering battles, and recording demos until he finally made his international debut on "Come and Get It", a standout track from J Dilla's album, Welcome 2 Detroit. The acclaimed song drew massive attention to the mysterious artist, and made his unfinished EP, Out of Focus, a highly sought after recording.
In 2001, Slum Village asked Elzhi to be a part of the group to elevate their reputation, and allowing him to reach new levels of lyricism. He recorded multiple albums with his former group, sold hundreds of thousands of records, and toured the world performing his hit singles "Tainted", (featuring Dwele)” and "Selfish", (featuring Kanye West and John Legend)” in cities as distant as Tokyo and Amsterdam.
In 2004, Elzhi released Witness My Growth, a 2-disc mixtape featuring many of his lost or unfinished solo songs, which has come to be considered an underground classic by hip hop fans all over the world. Embarking on his first European solo tour in 2008, Elzhi released Europass as a merch-table exclusive. Upon his return to the United States, he promptly released the The Preface, his solo debut on Fat Beats Records. The album helped to solidify his reputation as one of the most respected and inventive lyricists in the world, earning acclaim from legendary artists and fans alike. In 2009, responding to the demands of his passionate fan base, Elzhi released The Leftovers Unmixedtape, mixtape, a collection of rare tracks and unreleased exclusives featuring the hit single "Deep".
In 2010, due to complications with his former label and no longer content with being “your favorite rapper’s favorite rapper,” Elzhi signed with Jae Barber and The JAE.B Group, an Artist Relations and Management firm, drafting them to help launch his career to the next level. Moving past the relationship with his former group, Elzhi has reinvented himself as a solo artist and reignited his buzz.
In 2011 Elzhi released Elmatic, an homage to Nas' classic debut, Illmatic. A labor of love for Elzhi, the project finds the Detroit emcee creating new songs out of Nas’s original titles while rapping over the Will Sessions Band’s interpretation of the original beats.
After the overwhelming success of Elmatic, Elzhi is in the beginning stages of writing his new album using beats provided by an exciting roster of producers, and is embarking on a tour to reintroduce himself to the world. More than 12 years after he finished recording the legendary collection of songs, he has finally released the Out of Focus EP exclusively through www.elzhi.com.
One Love
Elzhi Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
She was the shit like when you sit and let it fall in the stall
Like it was made, I'm more taller then small, she was 5'3"
Looking like a women with drive that had the live key
I pressed up loving her thighs and how she dressed up
Buggin' off her eyes and the size of her breast cups
Long story short, I got the numbers and the email
We talked about the past and she broke it down in detail
Told me that was confidential keep that on the DL
Her convo was classic as Illmatic in 9-4
After that day since then I let our bond grow
That was like three years strong, it wasn't long
Before I strip the thong gave her the schlong and wrote this song
And it reads "Baby girl is everything I need"
Rollin' my weed that's why I fuck even when she bleed
Ya don't feel me but shorty even taught me how to slim down
Bailed me out of jail, got my car out the impound
Cooked me hot meals, helped me when I got bills
Keeps me buzzed and does all of the above, one what? One love
Her childhood was rough, her father's out robbin' for stuff
It never was enough, soon he was cuffed and later snuffed
She explains how she felt and how the cards were dealt
I can tell she was scarred, life was hard, no help
She was raised off of Dexter
Where the pimps and prostitution a little extra men wanted to sex her
Back when she was six she recalls porno flicks
Mother turning tricks and dicks just to get a fix
And tho they got by, she can't remember a day
When her mother was not high, chasin' some hot guy
Fast forward to middle school she's fucking with a baller
On Pirelli's, he bought her a celly so he can call her
She moved out at sixteen to live with this older guy
He was twenty-five, that nigga use to blow her high
Had a few exes one named was Robbie
Was pushing a new Lexus by owning some duplexes
Only thing he was too sexist
Baby girl was getting beat downs, body slams and suplexes
Was happy that she left cause that coulda been death
He did a little more then push and shove, one love
She had very bad taste in men
Her last boyfriend who was chasing ends is facing ten
I know just why he stuck with her, he knew she was a down chick
Never do she lie and never does she sound slick
Told me she was tired of them dudes and I was different
How I don't just lay around all day and get lifted
And she can see the future, I took her to museums
And taught her some karmasutra, next level
Way beyond my ex level, right down to the sex
Feeling like it's no latex, she gives me breakfast in bed
After that then it's excellent head
I got her open like a wound where the affection can spread
I can't lie I feel the same
I thought I was a player
'til I seen her kill the game the day she revealed her name
Can't another chick scoop me in a room full of groupies
She's the only one that I be thinking of. one love
The lyrics of Elzhi's song "One Love" speak of a beautiful and deep connection between a man and a woman. The song begins with the two meeting at a mall in the fall, and the lead singer is immediately smitten with her. He falls in love with her looks, her words, and her beautiful curves. As they start talking and getting to know each other, the woman shares her troubled past with him, revealing that she never had a father in her life. She tells him that her mother struggled with addiction and prostitution when she was young, and she grew up in a rough neighborhood.
Throughout the song, the man is completely in awe of the woman's strength and resilience despite having such a challenging upbringing. He is grateful for her and acknowledges all the things she does for him. She bails him out of jail, cooks for him, helps him pay his bills, and supports him in all his endeavors. Their love is deep and true, and he feels that the two of them are meant to be together.
Overall, the song "One Love" captures the essence of a strong and beautiful bond between two people who have overcome difficult times. The lyrics speak of staying together through thick and thin, supporting each other, and being grateful for one another.
Line by Line Meaning
We met up at the mall in the fall, somethin' I'll never forget
It was a memorable moment when we met at the mall in autumn.
She was the shit like when you sit and let it fall in the stall
She was amazing, like a satisfying bathroom visit.
Like it was made, I'm more taller then small, she was 5'3"
It felt like we were meant to be together and I felt tall next to her 5'3" frame.
Looking like a women with drive that had the live key
She appeared to be a confident, driven woman with the key to a great life.
I pressed up loving her thighs and how she dressed up
I was into her thighs and her fashion sense.
Buggin' off her eyes and the size of her breast cups
I was also attracted to her eyes and the size of her breasts.
Long story short, I got the numbers and the email
To keep it brief, I exchanged phone numbers and email with her.
We talked about the past and she broke it down in detail
We discussed her past and she explained it in detail.
How it felt to not have a father as a female
She shared how difficult it was to grow up without a father.
Told me that was confidential keep that on the DL
She requested that I keep our conversation about her father private.
Her convo was classic as Illmatic in 9-4
Our conversation was memorable, like the classic Illmatic album from 1994.
After that day since then I let our bond grow
Since that day, I have allowed our bond to grow.
That was like three years strong, it wasn't long
Our bond remained strong for about three years, which didn't feel like a long time.
Before I strip the thong gave her the schlong and wrote this song
Before we became intimate, I wrote this song about her.
And it reads "Baby girl is everything I need"
The song is about her being everything I need.
Rollin' my weed that's why I fuck even when she bleed
She helps me roll my weed, and I still have sex with her even when she's on her period.
Ya don't feel me but shorty even taught me how to slim down
You might not understand, but she even helped me lose weight.
Bailed me out of jail, got my car out the impound
She bailed me out of jail and got my car out of impound.
Cooked me hot meals, helped me when I got bills
She helps me by cooking hot meals and assisting me when I have bills to pay.
Keeps me buzzed and does all of the above, one what? One love
She keeps me high and does all the aforementioned things, which is why I have one love for her.
Her childhood was rough, her father's out robbin' for stuff
She had a tough childhood, with her father stealing for money.
It never was enough, soon he was cuffed and later snuffed
Stealing was never enough, and he was eventually arrested and killed.
She explains how she felt and how the cards were dealt
She shared how she felt about her childhood and how it impacted her.
I can tell she was scarred, life was hard, no help
It was clear that she had been emotionally scarred and had a difficult life with no support.
She was raised off of Dexter
She grew up in the Dexter neighborhood.
Where the pimps and prostitution a little extra men wanted to sex her
There were pimps, prostitutes, and men who wanted to have sex with her in her neighborhood.
Back when she was six she recalls porno flicks
At just six years old, she remembers watching pornographic films.
Mother turning tricks and dicks just to get a fix
Her mother would sleep with men just to get drugs.
And tho they got by, she can't remember a day
Even though they managed to survive, she cannot recall a single day.
When her mother was not high, chasin' some hot guy
Her mother was always high, chasing after men.
Fast forward to middle school she's fucking with a baller
In middle school, she was involved with a successful athlete.
On Pirelli's, he bought her a celly so he can call her
He bought her a Pirelli's car and a cellphone so he could call her.
She moved out at sixteen to live with this older guy
She moved out at age sixteen to live with an older man.
He was twenty-five, that nigga use to blow her high
He was twenty-five years old and he introduced her to drugs.
Had a few exes one named was Robbie
She had a few ex-boyfriends, one of whom was named Robbie.
Was pushing a new Lexus by owning some duplexes
Robbie owned duplexes and drove a brand new Lexus.
Only thing he was too sexist
However, he was too sexist.
Baby girl was getting beat downs, body slams and suplexes
He was abusing her physically, with beat downs and body slams.
Was happy that she left cause that coulda been death
She was glad to have left him because it could have ended in death.
He did a little more then push and shove, one love
His abuse was more than just pushing and shoving, but she still found one love with me.
She had very bad taste in men
Throughout her life, she had poor judgement when it came to men.
Her last boyfriend who was chasing ends is facing ten
Her most recent ex-boyfriend, who was pursuing money, is facing ten years in prison.
I know just why he stuck with her, he knew she was a down chick
I understand why he stayed with her - he recognized that she's a loyal person.
Never do she lie and never does she sound slick
She never lies and always tells the truth.
Told me she was tired of them dudes and I was different
She told me that she was exhausted by the other men she had been with, and that I was different.
How I don't just lay around all day and get lifted
She appreciated that I was productive and didn't just smoke weed all day.
And she can see the future, I took her to museums
She had a sense for the future, and I took her to museums to learn more about the past.
And taught her some karmasutra, next level
I also taught her about the Kama Sutra, which is a higher level of sexual intimacy.
Way beyond my ex level, right down to the sex
Our relationship was significantly better than my previous ones, including our sex life.
Feeling like it's no latex, she gives me breakfast in bed
Our sex is so great that it sometimes feels like we don't even need protection, and she even makes me breakfast in bed afterwards.
After that then it's excellent head
She also provides excellent oral sex.
I got her open like a wound where the affection can spread
I have her heart open to me, like a wound where love can grow and spread.
I can't lie, I feel the same
I have to admit, I feel the same way about her.
I thought I was a player
I used to think of myself as a ladies' man.
'til I seen her kill the game the day she revealed her name
But when she told me her name and I got to know her, I knew I was out of my league.
Can't another chick scoop me in a room full of groupies
No other woman can claim me, even in a room full of groupies.
She's the only one that I be thinking of. one love
She's the only one I think about - my one and only love.
Contributed by Alex S. Suggest a correction in the comments below.