The Freestylers formed in 1996 when DJs and dance music p… Read Full Bio ↴United Kingdom
The Freestylers formed in 1996 when DJs and dance music producers Matt Cantor, Aston Harvey and (initially) Andrew Galea joined forces. All three of them had been involved in the British dance music scene since the 1980s. Cantor had recorded as Cut n' Paste and Strike with Andy Gardner (Plump DJs). Aston Harvey recorded as Blapps! Posse best known for the 1990 breakbeat dance hit "Don't Hold Back" before working with Definition of Sound, Rebel MC and DJ Rap (as DJ Rap and Aston). Harvey joined with Galea under the name Sol Brothers before Cantor was recruited to form the Freestylers. The group took their name from their first sample "Don't Stop The Rock" by Freestyle.
The trio's first single "Drop The Boom (AK-48)" on their own Scratch City Records in 1996 becoming a dancefloor hit in the UK and Miami. The band released the Freestyle EP in 1996 on Freskanova (Freskanova's parent label, Fresh, had released Cantor, Galea and Harvey's previous work). Andrew Galea left the Freestylers shortly after the release of the Freestyle EP.
After the departure of Andrew Galea, Matt and Aston formed an 11-piece band (initially an idea of their record label, Freskanova). This consisted of the 2 producers (Cantor and Harvey), a scratch DJ (Mad Doctor X), a guitarist (Tony Ayiotou), drummer (Clive Jenner), bass guitarist (Joe Henson), 2 MCs (MC Navigator and Tenor Fly) and 3 breakdancers (Coza, Marat, Tim).
The band's first album We Rock Hard was released in 1998. The single "B-Boy Stance" became a singles hit in the UK in 1998 featuring the contributions of rapper Tenor Fly. In 1999, the Freestylers enjoyed success in the U.S. with track "Don't Stop" reached the top 10 of the Billboard dance charts and "Here We Go" becoming a MTV Buzzworthy clip. We Rock Hard sold well in the US selling over 150,000 and reaching the top 30 of the Billboard Heatseeker chart.
Following the success of B-Boy Stance, the band were asked to remix tracks by Audioweb, Afrika Bambaataa and the Jungle Brothers as well as a big beat compilation album FSUK 2 and a Radio 1 Essential Mix featuring Beenie Man, Public Enemy, Whodini and The Fall.
The Freestylers released a mix album Electro Science in 2000. Their second album Pressure Point was released in 2001 with the track Get Down Massive featuring Navigator reaching top 20 on the Billboard dance charts in 2002.
During 2002 and 2003 the group began releasing singles under the artist name Raw As F**k which then became the title of their third album. Released in 2004, it featured the single "Push Up", which reached the top 30 in the UK and top 3 in Australia. Another single, which was previously released before "Push Up", called "Get A Life", was re-released and reached the top 20 in Australia.
Told You So
Freestylers Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
I find it hard to erase
When you said, you said you were leaving
Wasn′t funny at the time
But I knew baby in my mind
Was yourself that you where deceiving.
Didn't I tell you, you′d be coming back
Now you wanna come on back to me
Talking about the way it used to be now
I hate to say I told you so
(But I told you so)
...hate to say I told you so
(But I told you so)
What you reap
Is what you sow
What goes around comes around
Now you know
And I hate to say I told you so.
What we had was bonafide
Saw green grass from the other side
Then you said you said you were leaving
I feel a cliche coming on
Don′t know a good thing when its gone
Well so long but who you deceiving
Didn′t I tell you, you'd be coming back
Didn′t I tell you, I ain't having that, no, no
Now you wanna come on back to me
Talking about the way it used to be
I hate to say I told you so
(But I told you so)
...hate to say I told you so
(But I told you so)
What you reap
Is what you sow
What goes around comes around
Now you know
And I hate to say I told you so.
The lyrics to "Told You So" by Freestylers depict a situation where the singer's partner decides to leave, claiming that they were unhappy. However, the singer sees through their deception and knows that they will eventually come back. The smirk on the singer's face signifies their awareness of this inevitable return, even though it may not have seemed amusing at the time. The singer points out that their partner was deceiving themselves, as they couldn't see that they were leaving a good thing behind. Now that the partner wants to come back, reminiscing about the way things used to be, the singer takes satisfaction in saying, "I hate to say I told you so."
These lyrics explore themes of deception, regret, and accountability. The singer recognizes that what goes around comes around, and that their partner is experiencing the consequences of their actions. The repeated phrase "I hate to say I told you so" conveys a sense of vindication, as the singer is not gloating but rather pointing out the truth that they foresaw.
Line by Line Meaning
Excuse the smirk on my face
Please pardon the expression of satisfaction on my countenance
I find it hard to erase
I struggle to remove it from my mind
When you said, you said you were leaving
At the moment you declared your intention to depart
Wasn't funny at the time
It was not amusing during that period
But I knew baby in my mind
However, deep down, I was aware
Was yourself that you were deceiving
You were actually fooling yourself
Didn't I tell you, you'd be coming back
Did I not inform you that you would return
Didn't I tell you, I ain't having that, no, no
Did I not mention that I refuse to accept that, no, no
Now you wanna come on back to me
Now you desire to return to my presence
Talking about the way it used to be now
Discussing the past, reminiscing about our previous state
I hate to say I told you so
I reluctantly proclaim that I had previously predicted this outcome
(But I told you so)
(However, I did indeed inform you about this)
...hate to say I told you so
...dislike reiterating that I had warned you beforehand
(But I told you so)
(However, I did indeed inform you about this)
What you reap
The consequences you experience
Is what you sow
Are the result of your own actions
What goes around comes around
The consequences of your actions will return to you
Now you know
Currently, you possess this knowledge
And I hate to say I told you so
And I dislike repeating that I had warned you beforehand
Writer(s): Bilal Hajji, Nadir Khayat, Achraf Jannusi, Novel Jannusi, Alaina Beaton, Colette Carr
Contributed by Jasmine O. Suggest a correction in the comments below.
Věrka Soukupová
on Punks
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