Jeremy Phillip Felton (known professionally as Jeremih, born July 17, 1987 … Read Full Bio ↴Jeremy Phillip Felton (known professionally as Jeremih, born July 17, 1987 in Chicago, Illinois) is an American R&B singer-songwriter, rapper and producer. Jeremih began playing drums at the age of three and is able to play the saxophone, several percussion instruments and piano/keyboards. He attended Morgan Park High School, where he was part of the marching band as well as a Latin jazz band. He also learned to play percussion instruments like congas and timbales. Felton was a good student and earned academic honors at Morgan Park High School. His strong academic performance enabled him to graduate from high school a year early. He enrolled at the University of Illinois and Parkland College in Urbana-Champaign. After spending a semester at the university studying engineering, he wanted to change his education to something related to music. He transferred to Columbia College Chicago in 2007 to pursue a degree in music business. After performing a tribute to Ray Charles at one of the campus's talent shows, he received positive feedback and realized his vocal ability, saying that the "music was just taking over".

With guidance from his cousin Willie Taylor, of Day26 fame, as well as producer Mick Schultz (who Jeremih met during his time at Columbia College Chicago), Jeremih released his debut single Birthday Sex in March 2009, peaking at number four on the Billboard Hot 100. His self-titled debut album was released in June 2009, and debuted at number six on the Billboard 200. His second studio album, All About You, was released in September 2010, featuring guest appearances from Ludacris and 50 Cent.

In December 2011, Jeremih confirmed work on a third album originally entitled Thumpy Johnson, and would later release his first mixtape Late Nights with Jeremih in August 2012. After the release of his collaborative EP No More with producer Shlohmo, Jeremih would change his album title to Late Nights: The Album in August 2014, releasing the EP N.O.M.A [Not on My Album] that same month. With no announcement or promotion prior to the release date, the album was finally released on December 4, 2015, featuring guest appearances from J. Cole, YG, Ty Dolla $ign, Migos, Future, Big Sean, Feather, Juicy J, Twista and Jhené Aiko.

In February 2016, Jeremih confirmed his fourth album title as Later That Night, intending to be another instalment in his Late Nights series. During this year, he released another mixtape entitled Late Nights: Europe and would tour with fellow R&B singer-songwriter PARTYNEXTDOOR, with a project between the two being teased. However, Jeremih was later removed from the tour due to issues between the two artists. By the end of that year though, he would then collaborate with Chance the Rapper for a Christmas project entitled Merry Christmas Lil Mama, which was reissued two more times in 2017 and 2020 with new tracks.

In February 2017, Jeremih released the upcoming album's planned lead single "I Think of You" featuring fellow singer Chris Brown and rapper Big Sean. Three months later, the singer then recorded and released an EP entitled Cinco De MihYo, celebrating the annual Mexican/American tradition. This was followed by another EP in March 2018 entitled The Chocolate Box, as well as his collaborative album with Ty Dolla $ign, MihTy in October of that year.

In November 2020, Jeremih was hospitalized in Chicago after testing positive for COVID-19. By November 14, he was reported to be on a ventilator in the intensive care unit. He was taken off the ventilator on November 19 but remained in critical condition. His spokesman said Jeremih has no underlying conditions. Jeremih was transferred out of intensive care on November 21, into a general hospital to make a full recovery. He was released from the hospital on December 4, 2020.

Actin' Up
Jeremih Lyrics

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What's the use in buyin' that new coupe
When you ridin' 'round by yourself?
What's the use in buyin' that big crib
When ain't no one 'round to help?
When I show up, I'ma show out
I'ma turn up when you show me that
Baby hold up, won't you hold up
Go crazy, don't hold it back

I like to play crazy sometimes
Forward headed, dreams to the stars
How you stay freaky 'til the sun up?
How you, baby? Stronger

Actin' up, actin' up
We be actin' up, she be actin' up
I be actin' up when the ash is up
We actin' up, and that's enough
Actin' up, I be actin' up
She be actin' up, commas, we be actin' up
Baby, actin' up, just actin' up
We actin' up, that's enough

Got a little bitch from the East side
Got it goin' on on the West
And I'm strong all in my legs
All that weed, body sweat
I'ma treat you so special
All I need to hear is, "Yes"
Know I got you fuckin' with the best side
You ain't gotta keep it on the inside
Girl when you're 'bout it
I know it's over
People around and
You be like, "So what?"
All the cameras on you, 'cause you

Actin' up, she be actin' up
I be actin' up, actin' up
We be actin' us, they be actin' us
Cause we actin' up, that's enough
Ass is up, I be smackin' up
We be smacked enough off that Jack and her
They be actin' us, they be actin' us
We actin' up

Best, do it the best
Baby I'm professional
Girl don't hit me unless
You all on me undressed
Why am I the only one dressed?
Come on, show less
Then we'll have to leave another mess
Wonder why the pussy so wet
Why my sheets always be a mess
Please tell me when we gon' sesh
I'll apply the right amount of pressure
You ain't pulled up on me in a long time
Hope you ain't doin' nothin' else
Know that you be out here actin' so shy
But why you always shake when I caress you?
Don't need no cameras, turn off the lights
With the action, we be

Actin' up, she be actin' up
I be actin' up, actin' up
We be actin' us, they be actin' us
Cause we actin' up, that's enough
Ass is up, I be smackin' up
We be smacked enough off that Jack and her

They be actin' us, they be actin' us
We actin' up, actin'

Overall Meaning

In "Actin' Up" by Jeremih, the singer questions the purpose of flaunting material possessions when there is nobody around to share them with. He likens the emptiness of owning a luxury car or a big house to being alone. He then transitions to discussing the loose, carefree behavior of him and his partner. When they are together, they go wild, not holding anything back, and occasionally lose control of themselves. Although he doesn't seem to mind the craziness, he wonders how his partner can stay up all night and maintain their level of enthusiasm, and asks them how they do it. Jeremih then boasts about his skills, claiming that he is the best, and that his partner doesn't need to keep their relationship a secret, even if they are being watched. They perform better than others, and they act up and misbehave, and they don't care what others think or say about them.

The overall message of the song is the temporarily joy and excitement of letting loose and being spontaneous in a moment with another person. Jeremih seems to suggest that this behavior is healthy and necessary for people to experience, given the emphasis he puts on having a good time with his partner. Despite what some people may say or think about their behavior, they can still enjoy their time together to the fullest without any inhibitions.

Line by Line Meaning

What's the use in buyin' that new coupe
Why bother purchasing a new car

When you ridin' 'round by yourself?
If you have no one to ride with

What's the use in buyin' that big crib
Why bother buying a big house

When ain't no one 'round to help?
If there's no one around to share it with

When I show up, I'ma show out
When I arrive, I'll make a big impression

I'ma turn up when you show me that
I'll get excited if you show me something cool

Baby hold up, won't you hold up
Wait a minute, pause for a second

Go crazy, don't hold it back
Get wild and don't hold back

I like to play crazy sometimes
I enjoy acting wild on occasion

Forward headed, dreams to the stars
Looking ahead, dreaming of success

How you stay freaky 'til the sun up?
How do you maintain your wildness all night?

How you, baby? Stronger
How are you doing? Are you feeling good?

Actin' up, actin' up
Behaving in a wild and crazy manner

We be actin' up, she be actin' up
We and her are both acting crazy

I be actin' up when the ash is up
I behave wildly when smoking weed

We actin' up, and that's enough
We have reached a sufficient level of wildness

Got a little bitch from the East side
I have a girlfriend from the eastern part of town

Got it goin' on on the West
She's successful and impressive

And I'm strong all in my legs
I am physically fit

All that weed, body sweat
Smoking weed causes me to sweat

I'ma treat you so special
I will treat you with extra care and attention

All I need to hear is, "Yes"
All I need is your consent

Know I got you fuckin' with the best side
You're dating the best person

You ain't gotta keep it on the inside
You don't have to hide your feelings

Girl when you're 'bout it
When you're ready for action

I know it's over
I'm aware that everything is finished

People around and
There are people nearby and

You be like, "So what?"
You're indifferent to their presence

All the cameras on you, 'cause you
The cameras are focused on you because

Best, do it the best
Do it expertly

Baby I'm professional
I'm very skilled and experienced

Girl don't hit me unless
Don't contact me unless

You all on me undressed
You're naked and all over me

Why am I the only one dressed?
Why am I still wearing clothes?

Come on, show less
Take off some clothing

Then we'll have to leave another mess
We will make a mess just like last time

Wonder why the pussy so wet
I'm curious why you're aroused

Why my sheets always be a mess
Why are my bedsheets always dirty?

Please tell me when we gon' sesh
Let me know when we're going to smoke together

I'll apply the right amount of pressure
I'll put exactly the right amount of effort

You ain't pulled up on me in a long time
You haven't seen me in a while

Hope you ain't doin' nothin' else
I hope you're not busy with something else

Know that you be out here actin' so shy
I know that you're acting shy in public

But why you always shake when I caress you?
Why do you tremble when I touch you?

Don't need no cameras, turn off the lights
We don't need to be seen, let's turn off the lights

With the action, we be actin' up
We'll be wild and crazy in private

Lyrics © Universal Music Publishing Group, Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC, Kobalt Music Publishing Ltd.
Written by: Glenda R Proby, Jeffrey H. Lorber, Jeremy P Felton, Uforo Ebong

Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind

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