heating up the streets of Southern California with his "Hood Affiliated Mix Tape Vol. 1," the Los Angeles rapper (government name: Charles Tony Williamson) brings us Guerilla City, one of the most talked-about debut albums to surface in the hip-hop universe.
Producers on Guerilla City include such street music luminaries as Jazze Pha (Big Tymers, Nappy Roots, T.I.), Carlos Broady (The Notorious B.I.G., Lil' Kim, Nas), Red Spyda (50 Cent & G-Unit), Fred Wreck (Dr. Dre, Snoop, Westside Connection) and Mario Winans (R. Kelly, P. Diddy, 3LW). Among the guest appearances on the album are King of the Dancehall Beenie Man (on the blazin' hot street anthem "Compton"), Nate Dogg ("What We Gonna Do"), Jazze Pha ("Girlfriend") and Mario Winans ("You're The One").
One track that had already garnered G. Black plenty of attention is "Guerilla Nasty" (featuring rising ingénue Brooke Valentine), a driving Jazze Pha-produced cut that showcases his verbal gymnastics. The street creeper "Hearts of Fire" (produced by Broady) was already getting attention at the mixtape level. Now that the sizzling "Compton," has surfaced, G. Black is poised to explode. The cut, a head-nodding ode to the streets where he grew up, features Beenie Man, and has put the artist on the map. [The Gil Green-directed video takes the whole experience one step further.] The success of these tracks have set the stage for Guerilla City – landing in record stores September 28 – which arrives as the L.A.-based artist (who was discovered by original gangsta Ice-T) continues to solidify a strong base in the underground mix tape world.
The fact that the artist has spent quality time in several markets – Dallas, Houston, New Orleans, Chicago, Detroit, Miami & Atlanta among them – on his grind, meeting deejays, clubgoers and consumers, speaks to his passion for getting his message out there. The press has come to the table early to explore the story of Guerilla Black. Early features on this exciting new artist include The Source, XXL and Smooth. On the television side, he has appeared on Playboy TV, and MTV showed early interest with a 'You Hear It First' profile.
"The industry just isn't the same," 27-year-old G. Black explains. "A lot of cats, they'll throw an album out there... My thing is to give people 50 mix tape joints so that when I do come with my album the fans will feel me on a much bigger level. It'll be like I've done one album, but I've got three albums worth of material out there."
Fortunately for G. Black and his fans, he has a wealth of material to draw from. Born in the Chicago area (Jolliet, IL), his family moved to Mississippi before he hit puberty. After one of his uncles boasted of the economic promise waiting in the West, G. Black's mother moved the family out to California. That move ended up being a bit premature, and the family was homeless for a spell. They bounced between shelters in Long Beach for a minute before finally making a home in Compton, when G. Black was about eight years old.
At age 11 or 12, G. Black was clearly influenced by the rampant gang activity in his Compton neighborhood. By that time, he was already hustling, "stealing cars and things of that nature," he says. He never forgot about living in homeless shelters, however, often falling asleep listening to NWA, LL Cool J, Run DMC, Rakim and the like. "Even though I was young, when NWA came out, they made me feel like that ultimate nigga. I was also feelin' Fat Joe, Kool G Rap, and my old school R&B joints."
His younger brother, Hot, who had already been writing rhymes, urged his older sibling to do the same. It lit a creative spark. "I just started rhyming here and there, kickin' a bar here, two bars there," G. Black says. "Before I knew it, I had raps and just kept rhymin.' I just started logging them in my brain on a daily basis."
To this day, G. Black never writes down his rhymes, preferring to keep them in his head. "Back in the day when me and my girl would argue, she used to throw away some of my notepads that had my rhymes in them," he explains. "I learned to keep it all up top, that way no one could ever take them away from me."
G. Black got a record deal early on, but ended up being so distraught with the way the industry drama unfolded that he temporarily gave up his hip-hop dreams. "It was a hard thing for me to do, turn my back on something that I really, really love," he says. "I love rap. I love to hear someone spit verses, especially when they got skills and can spit fire."
G. Black returned to the daily activities of the streets (both legal and otherwise) and lost his young bride – who was all of 21 when she died of meningitis – all in the same stretch. Despite these devastating events, G. Black's brother was again about to change his life. His brother had kept rhyming and encouraged him to do the same, urging him to return to a creative outlet. On his birthday, Hot invited G. Black to the studio. The results were surprising. "They pulled up a track and I ran through it," the artist says. "There was only three of us in there, but the other guy must have run out and told everybody what I was doing. Then, it seemed like there was 30 cats up in the spot by the time I hit the second song."
Word quickly spread to L.A.-based A&R executive Pete 'Volcano' Farmer, who signed G. Black to Virgin Records. But rather than just rhyme about trendy topics, G. Black chose to explore the range of his life experiences. This forced him to really examine his very being – revisiting both the most fulfilling and the most heartbreaking parts of his life in his rhymes – particularly after watching his wife die in UCLA's Harbor Hospital.
"After that, everything I started writing and rhyming was about my life," he remembers. "I had watched all these people die since I had gotten to Cali and you can love all those cats in the streets, but it's nothing like your wife or someone you cherish and who loves you unconditionally. When I lost her, that messed me up for real." The album track "My First, My Last & My Only" is dedicated to her.
After this tragedy, G. Black channeled all of his energy into his lyrics, which are among the sharpest, most thought-provoking rap music has ever experienced. That journey has come full circle on Guerilla City. Through listening to the album, you begin to understand the man that is Guerilla Black.
You're the One
Guerilla Black Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Oh yeah, oh yeah! ohh baby
Oh ohh, oh ohh, oh baby, oh yeah..
[Verse - Guerilla Black]
I remember when I met you on Crenshaw
I almost crashed my truck, and spilled my Hen' dawg
Yes you, God blessed you, I was trying to get next to you
You said you had a man, I was like "where?"
It was something so different about you
I felt so gifted around you
Even though you had a man and all
I took the chance to call, we held hands at the mall
That day was so special to me
Your man left you at Mickey D's
You called me, I scooped you up
I seen fear in your eyes, the tears in your eyes
He can't hug you like I hug you
Better yet love you like this thug do
[Chorus - Mario Winans]
You're so special, you're the one
But you're already ta-ken
Oh I can't help the way I'm feeling
You're the one, I wish I could replace him
Cause I know that baby you're the one
[Verse - Guerilla Black]
I'm having the time of my life
Felt the world on wheels, you and your homegirl got some skills
Nobody make me feel like you do
Or better yet real like you, I messed around and killed dude
I seen homegirly just flossin, we made eye contact
Dude always is flossin, me never
You and be -l-a-see-k forever, tattered on my neck in green letters
Late night eating Häagen-Dazs, watching Uncut
And me sitting there, playing wit your butt
Took off your clothes, I hit it on the counch
Even though mom's in the house
Nothing could replace this feeling
It's like winning 2 million, our bond closer than Cicilians
I know old boy won't leave you alone
I know you love him, but our love is strong
[Chorus]
[Verse - Guerilla Black]
I couldn't leave well enough alone
Hell I had to hit ya cell phone
I left you a message, it went like this, "I love you, mmmuah!"
I guess it's my luck, I goes to the Magic
Damn, ain't that his truck?
I guess you wit him, screw him
If it wasn't for you, I'd have to do him
You seen 'em at Jack In The Box
He was mackin a lot, to some rats in a drop
Now you call The Beat and The Power, dedicate songs every hour
All hell done broke loose
He got your passcode to your cell and my Nextel shirt too
I guess it's time for you to decide
Which one of us you want in your ride?
[Chorus - repeat 2x]
The song "You're The One" by Guerilla Black featuring Mario Winans is a love song that tells the story of a man who is deeply in love with a woman who is already in a relationship with someone else. Guerilla Black reminisces on the time he met the woman on Crenshaw and felt something different about her. He tried to get close to her despite her having a man, and they even held hands at the mall. Guerilla Black feels that the woman's current man can't love her the way he can, and he expresses his desire to replace him.
The second verse continues the story of their love affair, with Guerilla Black describing their intimate moments together. He cannot resist the temptation to contact her and express his love, even if it means risking getting caught. However, their relationship becomes complicated when the other man finds out, and Guerilla Black wonders which one of them the woman truly wants. The chorus sung by Mario Winans repeats the message that the woman is the one, but she is already taken.
Overall, the song portrays the complexity of love when it comes to choosing between two people and the intense desire to be with someone you cannot have. The lyrics are emotive, and Guerilla Black's delivery is smooth and heartfelt.
Line by Line Meaning
Oh yeah, oh yeah! ohh baby
Expressing enthusiasm and affection towards someone
I remember when I met you on Crenshaw
Recalling the time and place when they first encountered the person
I almost crashed my truck, and spilled my Hen' dawg
Describing how stunned and mesmerized they were by the person
Yes you, God blessed you, I was trying to get next to you
Complimenting the person and revealing their intentions to pursue them
Your homegirls was hating, but I didn't care
Acknowledging the negativity from the person's friends but disregarding it
You said you had a man, I was like "where?"
Expressing surprise or disbelief at the person being in a relationship
It was something so different about you
Noticing and appreciating a unique and special quality in the person
I felt so gifted around you
Feeling inspired and empowered in the person's presence
Even though you had a man and all
I took the chance to call, we held hands at the mall
Despite the person being in a relationship, they still pursued them and had a meaningful moment
That day was so special to me
Your man left you at Mickey D's
You called me, I scooped you up
A memorable and significant moment where the person's partner abandoned them and they sought comfort and support from the artist
I seen fear in your eyes, the tears in your eyes
He can't hug you like I hug you
Better yet love you like this thug do
Noticing the person's vulnerability and insecurities and promising to provide more genuine love and affection than their current partner
You're so special, you're the one
But you're already ta-ken
Oh I can't help the way I'm feeling
You're the one, I wish I could replace him
Cause I know that baby you're the one
Expressing strong feelings toward the person and wishing they were not in a relationship so they could pursue them fully
I'm having the time of my life
Felt the world on wheels, you and your homegirl got some skills
Enjoying life and having a good time around the person and their friends
Nobody make me feel like you do
Or better yet real like you, I messed around and killed dude
No other person makes speaker feel the way the person does, and confessing that they got into a fight with their partner
I seen homegirly just flossin, we made eye contact
Dude always is flossin, me never
You and be-l-a-see-k forever, tattered on my neck in green letters
Recalling a moment where they made a connection with the person and thinking about getting a tattoo to represent it
Late night eating Häagen-Dazs, watching Uncut
And me sitting there, playing wit your butt
Took off your clothes, I hit it on the counch
Spending intimate time with the person, describing specific activities and moments
Even though mom's in the house
Nothing could replace this feeling
It's like winning 2 million, our bond closer than Cicilians
Not caring about any obstacles and cherishing the special bond with the person
I know old boy won't leave you alone
I know you love him, but our love is strong
Acknowledging that the person's partner is still around but expressing confidence in their love for each other
I couldn't leave well enough alone
Hell I had to hit ya cell phone
I left you a message, it went like this, "I love you, mmmuah!"
Admitting that they could not resist contacting the person and confessing their love
I guess it's my luck, I goes to the Magic
Damn, ain't that his truck?
I guess you wit him, screw him
If it wasn't for you, I'd have to do him
Referring to the person's partner and suggesting that they would fight him if the person wasn't in a relationship with him
You seen 'em at Jack In The Box
He was mackin a lot, to some rats in a drop
Now you call The Beat and The Power, dedicate songs every hour
All hell done broke loose
He got your passcode to your cell and my Nextel shirt too
Describing a situation where the person's partner is spreading rumors and causing problems, and revealing how he gained access to information and clothing
I guess it's time for you to decide
Which one of us you want in your ride?
Asking the person to make a choice between staying with their current partner or pursuing a relationship with the artist
Lyrics © Warner Chappell Music, Inc.
Written by: IVAN MATIAS, CHERYL ELIZABETH GAMBLE, TAMARA ANTRICE JOHNSON, ANDREA MARTIN, ALLEN, JR. PKA ALL STAR GORDON
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
Anray McNeil
You’re the one
Our love has begun
You’re better than everyone
Desirable desire
It is on fire
It’s more than a love connection
It’s an eternal session
I can’t believe I’m here with you
She’s like an iceberg,
Everytime she and I are together, we are cool
You’re the one is more the words
Not something the little bird said
dexter grier
The Mario Winans production and vocal placement makes this record cook. Close your eyes and there is no way anyone can say this guy can't flow, no matter who he sounds or looks like. Good music is good music. And the girl makes this video hott.
Iron Rob
2022 I still can't stop enjoying this.
Kmc Kmc
2022 fort 🙌🔥😂
BETS 682
This will forever be my jam
Jr Ryder
Damn haven't heard this in a while. Bring back a lot of memories
syafiqah aqilah
I fell in love this song. Stuck on my mind. One of my favs.
Kevin m
Best song ever made .. lyrically, melody, over all delivery .. just perfect
Meg McMuffin
I remember I had this as a polyphonic ringtone. Damn... I bet nobody knows what that is.
Z H
Polyphonic on ya phone? You were wealthy 🤣👌
Rocky McCard
Oh God I remember lol I'm 27 and when I was 12 I got my first phone and it didn't have real ringtone capabilities. So had to cop the polyphonic