She absorbed musical skill early in life, encouraged by both parents: her mother, Joyce, herself a former singer, and now India Arie's stylist; and her father, former ABA and NBA basketball player Ralph Simpson (not former NBA star player Ralph Sampson, as has been mistakenly reported in some media). She had taken up a succession of musical instruments throughout her schooling in Denver, Colorado, but her interest in the guitar while attending the Savannah College of Art and Design led to a personal revelation about songwriting and performing. "When I started tapping into my own sensitivity, I started to understand people better. It was a direct result of writing songs," she said at the press release of her debut album, Acoustic Soul.
Co-founding the Atlanta-based independent music collective GroovmentEarthseed (Groovement was the collective artists' name and Earthshare was their independent label name), her one-song turn on a locally released compilation led to a second-stage gig at the Lilith Fair. Their Universal Records/Motown music scout spotted her and made an introduction to Motown CEO Kedar Massenburg. Sidestepping all the devices of flavor-of-the-month record-making, Acoustic Soul acquainted listeners with a brave and eloquent new voice, drawing an uncommonly broad swath of listeners from hip-hop, the so called neo-soul, blues, folk, and classic troubadour-style singer/songwriting, all at once. The album, released in 2001, debuted at number ten on the U.S. Billboard 200 albums chart and number three on the R&B album chart. Within months, without the concentrated radio play that typically powers pop and rap albums, Acoustic Soul was certified double-platinum.
India.Arie also features on Stevie Wonder's album A Time To Love which was released on October 18, 2005. India.Arie and Stevie Wonder duet on the title track "A Time To Love" that India wrote, which was nominated in the 2006 forty-eighth Grammy Awards, for Best Pop Vocal Collaboration with Vocals.
On the September 2005 premiere of The Tyra Banks Show, Arie performed "Just 4 2day". She wrote this song especially for Tyra's show. Arie also wrote "What About the Child", a song that did not air but was made available as a $1 internet download to support child victims of Hurricanes Katrina and Rita.
Voyage to India
India.Arie followed the success of her debut in 2002 with the release of Voyage to India. Debuting at number six on the Billboard 200 and number one on the R&B chart, the album eventually earned a 2003 Grammy for Best R&B Album. The single "Little Things" also won a 2003 Grammy for Best Urban/Alternative Performance. Soon after its release, Voyage to India was certified gold; and it was certified platinum on Friday 4 August 2006.
Testimony: Vol. 1, Life & Relationship
India.Arie's third studio album, Testimony: Vol. 1, Life & Relationship, was released on June 27, 2006. Testimony: Vol. 1, Life & Relationship gave India.Arie her first number-one on the Billboard 200 and was her second chart-topper on the U.S. R&B album chart. This album was also the first #1 album for the Motown record label in 33 years since Diana Ross's #1 Lady Sings the Blues Its first week sales of 161,000 copies is Arie's best sales week to date and was certified gold on Friday, August 4, 2006.
Testimony: Vol. 2, Love & Politics was released on Tuesday, February 10, 2009.
Songversation (2013)
Christmas with Friends (2015)
Worthy (2019)
Ghetto
India.Arie Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
That remind me of Savannah.
Parts of West Virgina,
That might as well be Kenya.
Parts of New York City,
Parts of Mississippi.
Parts of Tennessee,
Look like another world to me.
[Chorus]
Oh, oh oh, Ghetto-o-o-o,
Might as well be another country.
Barrio-o-o-o,
Might as well be another country.
When you look around,
You live in another country too (too).
To be hungry in L.A.
Is just like starving in Bombay.
Homeless in Moracco,
Is a shelter in Chicago.
Right around the corner,
Just down the road.
Right before your eyes,
Right under your nose.
[Chorus]
Now the dictionary says,
That the ghetto is a place
Of minority, and poverty, and over population.
We live on this earth together,
Ain't no separation.
When you're looking down,
From outer space.
We're just a human race and the world is a
Ghetto-o-o-o,
Listen every place and every country.
Barrio-o-o-o,
It's in every place and every country.
When you look around,
Do you see your brother when you
Look around?
It's a small world after all.
Look around,
You live in another country too.
(ghetto) Jamaica is a ghetto
(ghetto) Japan is a ghetto
(ghetto) America's a ghetto
(ghetto) Slovakia's a ghetto
(ghetto) South Africa's a ghetto
(ghetto) Brazil is a ghetto
(ghetto) Israel is a gheto
In India.Arie's song "Ghetto", she describes how different places around the world can feel like different countries due to the stark differences between neighborhoods and living conditions. She explains that even within the United States, certain areas can be so vastly different that they feel like a completely different world. The lyrics reference parts of Havana, Savannah, West Virginia, Mississippi, and Tennessee, and how they can feel like other places like Kenya or even another planet.
The chorus of the song emphasizes this feeling, with India.Arie repeating "Ghetto-o-o-o, might as well be another country. Barrio-o-o-o, might as well be another country. When you look around, you live in another country too (too)." She continues to point out that poverty and struggle exist everywhere, even in places we might not expect. For example, the comparisons between being hungry in LA and starving in Bombay or being homeless in Morocco and finding a shelter in Chicago highlight this idea.
India.Arie also challenges the notion of "ghetto" and its definition, pointing out that the dictionary definition is a place of minority, poverty, and overpopulation. She argues that we are all part of the same human race and that when viewed from outer space, there is no separation. The song ends with several chants of "ghetto" and different countries mentioned, further emphasizing the idea that struggle and hardship are universal.
Line by Line Meaning
There are places in Havannah,
Havannah has areas with similar conditions to that of other places mentioned.
That remind me of Savannah.
Some parts of Havannah have features familiar to Savannah.
Parts of West Virgina,
There are regions in West Virginia that fit the same pattern.
That might as well be Kenya.
They have similarities to places in Kenya.
Parts of New York City,
Similarly, New York City has areas with similar traits.
Parts of Mississippi.
And the same goes for Mississippi.
Parts of Tennessee,
Like in these states, there are districts in Tennessee that are comparable.
Look like another world to me.
These places seem very different from my surroundings.
Oh, oh oh, Ghetto-o-o-o,
The refrain that likens these places to ghettos.
Might as well be another country.
These areas could be seen as different nations entirely.
Barrio-o-o-o,
In the Spanish-speaking context, the same idea applies to barrios.
When you look around,
The following verses give different examples of this phenomenon.
You live in another country too (too).
People from different places are coexisting in the same place, sometimes with vastly different living conditions.
To be hungry in L.A.
Being hungry in Los Angeles and
Is just like starving in Bombay.
starving in Bombay are essentially the same thing.
Homeless in Morocco,
Facing homelessness in Morocco,
Is a shelter in Chicago.
is comparable to having a shelter in Chicago.
Right around the corner,
These differences can often be found within close proximity.
Just down the road.
Within the same city or neighborhood.
Right before your eyes,
The differences are visible to anyone who pays attention.
Right under your nose.
It's happening in plain sight, you just have to look for it.
Now the dictionary says,
The dictionary has an official definition of the term ghetto.
That the ghetto is a place
It's defined as an area
Of minority, and poverty, and over population.
being characterized by minority groups, poverty, and a high population density.
We live on this earth together,
Despite our differences, we are all part of the same human family.
Ain't no separation.
There shouldn't be any divisions or exclusions among us, as we belong to the same world.
When you're looking down,
From the vantage point of looking from above,
From outer space.
As if from space,
We're just a human race and the world is a
We are all members of the same race, and we all live in the same place,
Listen every place and every country.
Reiterating that the ghetto-ness can be found almost everywhere.
Do you see your brother when you
Whether we're able to recognize our similarities
Look around?
by simply looking around and taking in the world.
Jamaica is a ghetto
The outro mentions a few countries in the same vein.
Japan is a ghetto
And how the concept applies to them in a universal way.
America's a ghetto
How America itself is no exception to it.
Slovakia's a ghetto
How it can even apply to lesser-known countries like Slovakia.
South Africa's a ghetto
Famous for its history of apartheid and segregation, it has experienced what feels like ghetto-ness to many of its inhabitants.
Brazil is a ghetto
Like many of the other places mentioned previously.
Israel is a ghetto
Even in politically charged areas, the idea of ghetto is still pervasive.
Lyrics © Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC, Warner/Chappell Music, Inc., BMG Rights Management
Written by: SHANNON SANDERS, INDIA ARIE SIMPSON, DREW RAMSEY
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind