Croucher grew up in Halifax and Toronto and, even though it was evident that the youngster had an excellent voice, music took a back seat to basketball in high school and at St. Francis Xavier University in Antigonish, Nova Scotia — which led to a year playing professionally in France.
Croucher elected to give up on his hoop dreams and re-immersed himself in music by working with Halifax producer Trobiz and recording mix tapes with the groups N.E.P. and Triple Threat. He eventually hooked up with multi-Juno Award-nominated artist/producer Classified (Luke Boyd), who produced Croucher’s 2007 debut album, No Dress Code.
The 13-track record spawned the hit singles and videos "Selfish Times," "Feelin’ Fine," "So Addicted," "Won’t Let Go" and "It’s Raining." It also earned Croucher a CBC Galaxie Rising Star prize, an East Coast Music Award nomination and an appearance on the CBC Television special, Barenaked East Coast Music. He toured across Canada with the likes of Maestro and opened for such international stars as Ne-Yo, Snoop Dogg, Rihanna, Nas and Juelz Santana.
With Croucher’s undeniable talents as a singer and lyricist, his good looks and solid citizenry, it should be no surprise that he’s now poised to take the next step up the music ladder using the name JRDN. He’s been working with Toronto’s Grammy Award-nominated Kuya Productions songwriting and production team, who’ve worked with some of the biggest names in the business, including Nelly, Mase, Ginuwine, Jesse McCartney, Nicole Scherzinger and Akon.
Croucher has spent time in New York City, Los Angeles, Atlanta and various Canadian outposts writing and recording songs for his sophomore album. Since he’s adopted the abbreviated stage name and surrounded himself with all new people since No Dress Code, Croucher in some ways sees his forthcoming LP as another debut effort. There’s a noticeable difference in the sonics between the old and new material, and Croucher has also turned a page lyrically.
"On the first album, I talked about family and friends and my life," explains Croucher. "But on this one, I’m talking about the women in my life."
The hook-filled lead single "U Can Have It All" has just arrived at radio and is garnering very positive reactions. The song’s video has a surprising twist at the end that Croucher reveals was inspired by The Jackson 5’s 1971 hit, "Sugar Daddy."
Another new song that Croucher is particularly excited about is "High Definition," about which he says: "I think it defines me as an R&B guy. Every R&B guy has to have that one love song that really raises a woman on a pedestal, and I think this is it."
Croucher may not have soared as high as namesake Michael Jordan on the basketball court, but the sky’s the limit as far as JRDN’s music career is concerned. All signs indicate that he really can have it all.
Ali
JRDN Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Thought I told you before, when you come over I'mma hit that
Til you can't take no more, ain't nobody greater
When I'm in between them sheets you know I'm going for that knock out
Girl they call me Ali, bumbaye!
(Pre-Chorus)
From the first day that I meet her
Forgot every man beef on me, I gotta catch an amnesia
And the first time that I touch her
She'd never go on another
Now the way I make her body feel
Got her thinking that I'm unreal
(Chorus)
Ali, Ali, Ali Ali
I lay you up now
Ali, Ali, Ali Ali
You better run now
Ali, Ali, Ali Ali
I lay you up now
Ali, Ali, Ali Ali
I thought I told you I'm the greatest
Ali…
Greatest of all time, greatest of all time
Ali…
Greatest of all time, greatest of all time
Ali…
Greatest of all time, greatest of all time
Ali…
Greatest of all time
Bumbaye!
(Verse)
She float like a butterfly, sting like a bee
She rolled over and told me she ain't never had nothing like me
That first round, knock out, got her disbelief
Get that rumble in the jungle, girl you fuckin with a beast
(Pre-Chorus)
From the first day that I meet her
She never want me to leave her
Forgot every man beef on me, I gotta catch an amnesia
Sweating off all your makeup girl
Knock you out when you wake up girl
You gon be looking for me
That's why they call me
(Chorus x2)
Ali, Ali, Ali Ali
I lay you up now
Ali, Ali, Ali Ali
You better run now
Ali, Ali, Ali Ali
I lay you up now
Ali, Ali, Ali Ali
I thought I told you I'm the greatest
Ali…
Greatest of all time, greatest of all time
Ali…
Greatest of all time, greatest of all time
Ali…
Greatest of all time, greatest of all time
Ali…
Greatest of all time
Bumbaye!
The song "Ali" by JRDN portrays the artist's confidence and prowess in the realm of sexual intercourse. The lyrics suggest that he is a skilled lover who can satisfy his partner to the point where they cannot take anymore. He boasts about being the greatest and likens himself to the legendary boxer Muhammad Ali, hence the repetition of the catchphrase "bumbaye." The lyrics describe the woman as being enamored with him, possibly addicted to their sexual encounters, and forgetting about all other men when she is with him. The chorus emphasizes the idea that he is the greatest of all time, both in bed and in life.
One could interpret the song as a celebration of sexual liberation, where both partners are empowered to express themselves in a consensual manner. It could also be seen as a cautionary tale about the dangers of being too boastful or ego-driven in sexual relationships, as the lyrics suggest a lack of consideration for the partner's feelings or perspectives. Overall, the song is a high-energy portrayal of confident sexuality through the lens of a celebrity persona.
Line by Line Meaning
Thought I told you before, when you come over I'mma hit that
I have made it clear to you that when you come to me, we are going to have sexual relations.
Til you can't take no more, ain't nobody greater
I am so good in bed that you will not be able to get enough of me; there is no one who is better at satisfying you than I am.
When I'm in between them sheets you know I'm going for that knock out
When we are in bed, I am trying to give you the most intense orgasm possible, leaving you feeling completely satisfied.
Girl they call me Ali, bumbaye!
I am so good in bed that people compare me to the legendary boxer Mohammad Ali, and the phrase 'bumbaye' which means 'kill him' is a reference to Ali's famous 'Rumble in the Jungle' fight in Kinshasa.
From the first day that I meet her
As soon as I met her for the first time.
She never want me to leave her
As soon as we met, she never wanted me to go and wanted to be with me all the time.
Forgot every man beef on me, I gotta catch an amnesia
Other men who had issues with or were jealous of me became insignificant and were forgotten as soon as she met me. She wants to forget about any problems or negative things related to me.
And the first time that I touch her
The first time I touched her in a romantic or intimate way.
She'd never go on another
After we became intimate, she did not want to be intimate with anyone else.
Now the way I make her body feel
She experiences sensational physical pleasure because of the way I make her feel during intimacy.
Got her thinking that I'm unreal
She believes that I am so talented in bed that it is almost unbelievable.
Ali, Ali, Ali Ali
Repeating the name 'Ali,' which is a reference to Mohammad Ali, whom the artist believes was the greatest boxer of all time.
I lay you up now
I am going to give you the best sexual experience you have ever had.
You better run now
If you are not prepared for my abilities in bed, you should leave now.
I thought I told you I'm the greatest
I previously informed you that I am the best in bed, and I want you to remember that.
She float like a butterfly, sting like a bee
She is graceful and delicate like a butterfly, but also has the power and force of a bee sting when it comes to intimacy.
She rolled over and told me she ain't never had nothing like me
After being intimate with me, she expressed the belief that she has never experienced anything as pleasurable as what she felt with me.
That first round, knock out, got her disbelief
The first time we became intimate, I was able to give her an amazingly pleasurable experience, which she found hard to believe.
Get that rumble in the jungle, girl you fuckin with a beast
I am so good in bed that I can give her the same intensity of feeling that was present in the famous and intense 'Rumble in the Jungle' boxing match between Mohammad Ali and George Foreman. She is struggling to keep up with my tremendous abilities.
Sweating off all your makeup girl
During our intimate encounter, she will sweat so much that her makeup will come off.
Knock you out when you wake up girl
I will have given her such an intense and pleasurable experience that she will be disoriented and dazed when she wakes up the next day.
Contributed by Wyatt H. Suggest a correction in the comments below.