Hilary Mwelwa was born in Lusaka, Zambia and moved to London with her famil… Read Full Bio ↴Hilary Mwelwa was born in Lusaka, Zambia and moved to London with her family at age five. As a child, she adopted her father's love of traditional Zambian music along with such American R and B/soul icons as Aretha Franklin, Marvin Gaye and Stevie Wonder. As a graduate of London's Westminster University, Hilary had early ambitions to go into the science field and earned a degree in biological sciences. She shares, While I was in school studying sciences, I started to explore my musical interests and I decided that I wanted to pursue music more seriously. I took a year off from school and during this time I recorded my first demo. I have never had formal music training but I was brought up on a diet of soul, R and B, Gospel and pop music from an early age. Luckily for us Hilary Mwelwa's path has led her to follow her heart and her music. She concludes, I could have pursued a nice comfortable career path but music is where my heart is. I do believe that everything you do in life leads you to your ultimate destiny. My personal motto is live life to the fullest and to spend your time doing what you love. You have to enjoy each day as if it were your last.

Im a fan of good music. The kind that hits you in the heart, mind and soul! says Hilary Mwelwa, the next British R and B phenomenon destined to win over American R and B and soul devotees. USA Today declares, Mwelwa's vocals are always enticing while Vibe Magazine heralds Mwelwa's rich, velvety voice warms the inside like a spot of tea. The 20-something year-old chanteuse along with her musical partner Victor Redwood-Sawyerr (co-founder of the award-winning hip hop group Blak Twang), make up Hil St. Soul, one of the hottest groups to emerge from London's underground music scene in recent years. Hil St. Soul has toured with such individual artists as Macy Gray, Angie Stone and D'Angelo.

Props
Hil St. Soul Lyrics

Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴

This lost generation
You better listen carefully
′Cause what I'm about to tell you
I′m a tell you all my thing

Need to go back to basics
Grassroots to the beginning
Seek a higher inspiration

From our heritage our history

(Give it up, represent, and give props to our roots)
(Pick 'em up, represent, give props, much respect is due)
(To our place, Creator, soul survivors, pioneers)
(Pick 'em up, represent, give props, one hundred percent)

Yeah, yeah, yeah-ah
Mm-mm, oh-oh
Yeah-ah

And to my predecessors
Your responsibility′s
To share your wealth of wisdom
Amongst your seed

Replenish them with the nourishment
Be the knowledge you′ve retained
So legacy keeps on flourishing
For successive generations to come

(Give it up, represent, and give props to our roots) Oh yeah
(Pick 'em up, represent, give props, much respect is due) Represent
(To our place, Creator, soul survivors, pioneers)
(Pick ′em up, represent, give props, one hundred percent)

(I'm not talkin′ 'bout a revolution,
But a mind change) Talkin′ 'bout a change
(Preservation of tradition, ancestors for to keep)
Oh yeah (Talkin' about the restoration, of our history)
Celebration of our culture′s beauty (Inherent in our genes)

(Give it up, represent, and give props to our roots) Oh yeah
(Pick ′em up, represent, give props, much respect is due) Oh, oh
(To our place, Creator, soul survivors, pioneers) Give props, yeah
(Pick 'em up, represent, give props, one hundred percent)

(Give it up, represent, and give props to our roots) Oh yeah
(Pick ′em up, represent, give props, much respect is due) (Represent)
(To our place, our Creator, soul survivors, pioneers)
(Pick 'em up, represent, give props, one hundred percent)

As for me, I′m gonna keep on doin'
What I was born to do
Give it up and representin′, for my fraternity
(My fraternity)

I know the only way forward is goin' back to my roots
Embracing old traditions
Coupled with the new
Oo-oo-oo

Givin' props to our roots
Like a soul survivor should
Givin′ props to our roots
Like a soul survivor should

(Give it up, represent,
And give props to our roots) Givin′ props to our roots
(Pick 'em up, represent, give props,
Much respect is due) Like a soul survivor should
(To our place, our Creator,
Soul survivors, pioneers) Givin′ props to our roots

(Pick 'em up, represent, give props,
One hundred percent) Like a soul survivor should

Overall Meaning

In the song "Props" by Hil St. Soul, the artist is singing to her generation, urging them to take a closer look at their roots and history. She believes that only by going back to her roots, exploring traditions and gaining a higher inspiration from her culture's heritage, can she truly understand and appreciate her identity. The lyrics show respect and admiration towards the previous generations, highlighting the importance of passing down knowledge and wisdom to the younger generations.

The artist uses a metaphor of a lost generation that is in need of guidance and direction. She stresses that the more we know and appreciate our roots, the more we can enrich our lives and that of others. She emphasizes the importance of the wisdom passed down by the ancestors and encourages the younger generations to seek inspiration from those who have gone before them. In essence, the song is a call to action to preserve traditions, embrace our history and celebrate our culture's beauty.

Overall, "Props" is empowering, motivating and reflective. It encourages listeners to embrace their roots and history while also looking forward to the future. The song builds on the idea that our heritage is our compass and that our culture's beauty, richness, and traditions are worth celebrating and preserving.

Line by Line Meaning

This lost generation
The current generation of people are lost.

You better listen carefully
It is important to pay attention to what is going to be said.

′Cause what I'm about to tell you
The singer is going to tell something important.

I′m a tell you all my thing
The artist is going to share their thoughts and beliefs.

Need to go back to basics
It is essential to return to the fundamentals.

Grassroots to the beginning
Starting from the root or bottom is necessary.

Seek a higher inspiration
Find motivation that is uplifting.

From our heritage our history
Take inspiration from our culture and past events.

(Give it up, represent, and give props to our roots) (Pick 'em up, represent, give props, much respect is due) (To our place, Creator, soul survivors, pioneers) (Pick 'em up, represent, give props, one hundred percent)
Acknowledging and paying homage to the cultural roots, ancestors, and pioneers is essential.

And to my predecessors
The artist is now addressing the ancestors.

Your responsibility′s
The ancestors have the responsibility to pass on their knowledge.

To share your wealth of wisdom
To share one's knowledge and experience.

Amongst your seed
Amongst the younger generations.

Replenish them with the nourishment
Provide the younger generations with knowledge.

Be the knowledge you′ve retained
Become the knowledge you have gained from the past.

So legacy keeps on flourishing
So the history and culture can be preserved and passed on to future generations.

For successive generations to come
For future generations.

(Give it up, represent, and give props to our roots) Oh yeah (Pick 'em up, represent, give props, much respect is due) Represent (To our place, Creator, soul survivors, pioneers) (Pick ′em up, represent, give props, one hundred percent)
Acknowledging and paying homage to the cultural roots, ancestors, and pioneers is essential.

(I'm not talkin′ 'bout a revolution, But a mind change) Talkin′ 'bout a change
The singer is not talking about a major change, but a change of thinking.

(Preservation of tradition, ancestors for to keep) Oh yeah (Talkin' about the restoration, of our history) Celebration of our culture′s beauty (Inherent in our genes)
The artist is emphasizing the importance of maintaining cultural traditions, remembering the past, and celebrating the beauty of their culture.

(Give it up, represent, and give props to our roots) Oh yeah (Pick ′em up, represent, give props, much respect is due) Oh, oh (To our place, Creator, soul survivors, pioneers) Give props, yeah (Pick 'em up, represent, give props, one hundred percent)
Acknowledging and paying homage to the cultural roots, ancestors, and pioneers is essential.

(Give it up, represent, and give props to our roots) Oh yeah (Pick ′em up, represent, give props, much respect is due) (Represent) (To our place, our Creator, soul survivors, pioneers) (Pick 'em up, represent, give props, one hundred percent)
Acknowledging and paying homage to the cultural roots, ancestors, and pioneers is essential.

As for me, I′m gonna keep on doin' What I was born to do
The singer is going to continue to do what they were born to do.

Give it up and representin′, for my fraternity (My fraternity)
The artist is representing their cultural fraternity.

I know the only way forward is goin' back to my roots Embracing old traditions Coupled with the new Oo-oo-oo
The singer believes that the only way to move forward is to embrace their cultural roots and blend them with modern traditions.

Givin' props to our roots Like a soul survivor should
Paying homage to cultural roots is essential for a soul survivor.

Givin′ props to our roots Like a soul survivor should
Paying homage to cultural roots is essential for a soul survivor.

(Give it up, represent, And give props to our roots) Givin′ props to our roots (Pick 'em up, represent, give props, Much respect is due) Like a soul survivor should (To our place, our Creator, Soul survivors, pioneers) Givin′ props to our roots (Pick 'em up, represent, give props, One hundred percent) Like a soul survivor should
Paying homage to cultural roots is essential for a soul survivor.

Writer(s): Hilary Mwelma, Victor Redwood-sawyer

Contributed by Savannah S. Suggest a correction in the comments below.

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