If Boyz II Men are portrayed as a clean-cut, wholesome R&B vocal group, then Jodeci's wild, sexual, bad-boy image represents the other side of the coin. Made up of two sets of brothers, the group's name is a consolidation of three members' aliases: "JoJo" Hailey, Donald "DeVante Swing" DeGrate, and Cedric "K-Ci" Hailey; the group also includes Dalvin DeGrate. Natives of Charlotte, NC, all four members toured the South as young boys singing gospel music, even recording albums; both families belonged to the Pentecostal church, and the DeGrates' father was a minister. The boys were able to hear each other's gospel songs played on the radio, and eventually were introduced through girlfriends as teenagers. However, when they did meet, K-Ci was with a girl Dalvin had been dating, and a fight nearly broke out. The Hailey brothers and DeVante started hanging out together, partying and talking about making R&B records together, coming up with the name Jodeci at this time.
At age 16, DeVante ran away to Minneapolis to get a job in Prince's organization, but was refused. He returned to Charlotte, where he wrote a song and recorded JoJo singing it. The two planned on going to New York to shop the demo around by themselves, but both K-Ci and Dalvin decided to tag along at the last minute. By the time they got to New York, they had demo recordings of 29 songs, which they brought to the offices of Uptown Entertainment. They were almost rejected, but rapper Heavy D overheard the tape and talked Uptown president Andre Harrell into hearing the group. Harrell was impressed, and just like that, Jodeci signed a recording contract. In 1991, they recorded Forever My Lady, which featured the gold single "Come and Talk to Me" and went on to sell over three million copies. A minor feud resulted over the band's follow-up album, Diary of a Mad Band; Jodeci, unhappy with their treatment by Uptown, flirted with the idea of leaving for Dr. Dre's Death Row Records, which resulted in almost zero promotion for their new album. It didn't matter much, as Diary went platinum. The group's troubles got worse in 1993; DeVante and K-Ci were involved in an incident with a woman K-Ci met at a club and brought back to DeVante's apartment. The woman filed charges against the two, saying that K-Ci had threatened her and fondled her breast, while DeVante pointed a gun at her. Both pleaded guilty, but that wasn't all; shortly afterwards, DeVante's house was robbed of over 160,000 dollars in jewelry and clothes as the singer was held with guns in his mouth and at the back of his head.
Jodeci's third album, The Show, the After Party, the Hotel, was released in the summer of 1995. DeVante also was afforded the opportunity to work with Al Green, one of his idols, writing and producing the song "Could This Be the Love." ~ Steve Huey, Rovi
Jodeci Albums:
* 1991: Forever My Lady #18 US (3x platinum)
* 1993: Diary of a Mad Band #3 US (2x platinum)
* 1995: The Show, The After Party, The Hotel #2 US (platinum)
* 2005: Back to The Future: The Very Best of Jodeci (300,000)
Jodeci Singles:
* 1991: "Gotta Love"
* 1991: "Stay" (US #41, R&B #1)
* 1991: "Forever My Lady" (US #25, R&B #1)
* 1991: "Come and Talk to Me" (US #11, R&B #1)
* 1993: "Cry For You" (US #15, R&B #1)
* 1993: "Feenin'" (US #25, R&B #2)
* 1993: "Lately" (US #4, R&B #1)
* 1993: "Let's Go Through the Motions" (US #65)
* 1994: "What About Us" (R&B #14)
* 1995: "Freek'n You" (US #14, R&B #3)
* 1995: "Love U 4 Life"
* 1996: "Get on Up" (US #22, R&B #4)
Jodeci Side-Projects:
(K-Ci & JoJo)
* 1997: Love Always
* 1999: It's Real
* 2000: X
* 2002: Emotional
* 2005: All My Life "Their Greatest Hits"
(Dalvin Degrate)
* 2000: Met.A.Mor.Phic
(K-Ci Solo)
* 2006: My Book
Bring On Da' Funk
Jodeci Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
I beeped you, baby ya have to clear me from the dance floor
Trying to look in my window, but you just couldn't see me though
You attracted me with all your body, uh do you wanna roll with me
Through uptown
All I got is that old funk
Girl I know that's what you want, that, that funk
I know you want it, and you know I got it baby
Anything you want from me baby
Girl if you want it, just come get it from me
Anything you want from me, I'm trying to tell you bring on that funk
Bring on da funk, bring on da funk
Bring on da funk, bring on da funk
Bring on da funk, bring on da funk
Bring on da funk, now
Now you know, you really do fit my steelo
You can flow, I just got to know
Do you wanna roll with me, sweet lady in my Jeep
Let's keep it all discreet, I'm just a simple freak babe
All I got is that old funk
So let it bang and boom in ya trunk
Girl I know that's what you want, that funk, that funk
All I got is that old funk
So let it bang in ya trunk
Girl I know that's what you want, uh that funk
Girl if you want it, just come get it from me
Anything you want from me, I'm trying to tell you bring on that funk
Bring on da funk, bring on da funk
Bring on da funk, bring on da funk
Bring on da funk, bring on da funk
Bring on da funk, bring on da funk
Bring on da funk, bring on da funk
Bring on da funk, bring on da funk
Bring on da funk, bring on da funk
Bring on da funk, now
Yeah, bring it on, cause we be gettin' freaky
Cause we be gettin' freaky
Cause we gettin' down
Cause we gettin' down
Cause we gettin' down
And we be gettin'
Jodeci funk, that's what it is, ooh
Gotta get into you
Jodeci funk, that's what it is, ooh
Gotta get into you, ooh ooh
We be kickin' at the parties and the after-parties
So baby bring ya bodies
She be gettin' smacked a lot, slapped a lot
Cause we be gettin' down
And we be gettin' down...
The song "Bring On Da' Funk" by Jodeci is a classic R&B track that was released in 1994. The lyrics of the song essentially entail a man trying to court a woman on the dance floor with an old-school funk beat. The song begins with Stick em' uh uh uh uh uh, yeah, which is Jodeci's way of asking the DJ to play their music. Next, the artist sings about a particular woman who caught his attention but could not initially see him until she finally spots him. The man then tells her to come with him to uptown while singing about his music's funkiness and how it's all he's got.
The chorus repeats "Bring on da funk" multiple times, and the singer is basically urging the woman to bring on her funky dance moves. In the following verse, he tells her that she has his attention, and he is waiting for her to reciprocate his advances. The singer utilizes clever wordplay as he tells the woman that he has "that old funk" and that all he wants to do is let it bang and boom in her trunk. The rest of the song repeats the chorus and has various sounds and ad-libs that give it a funky and soulful feel throughout.
Overall, Jodeci's "Bring On Da' Funk" is an upbeat song that encourages people to let loose and have a good time on the dance floor, showing the versatility of R&B music at the time. With that being said, the song's lyrics and overall sound have aged well, and it remains a classic track to this day.
Line by Line Meaning
Stick em' uh uh uh uh uh, yeah
Let's get ready to party and have a good time
I beeped you, baby ya have to clear me from the dance floor
I reached out to you, now come join me and let's dance
Trying to look in my window, but you just couldn't see me though
You're interested, but you can't quite figure me out yet
You attracted me with all your body, uh do you wanna roll with me
I'm physically drawn to you, would you like to spend time with me?
Through uptown
Let's go explore and have some fun together
All I got is that old funk
I have a classic sound that never gets old
So let it bang and boom in ya trunk
Turn up the music and feel the beat
Girl I know that's what you want, that, that funk
I know you're feeling the music and want more of it
I know you want it, and you know I got it baby
You want my music, and I'm happy to provide it
Anything you want from me baby
I'll give you anything you need, just ask
Girl if you want it, just come get it from me
If you're interested, you can have it all
Let's keep it all discreet, I'm just a simple freak babe
We can keep our relationship private, and I'm not too complicated
Now you know, you really do fit my steelo
Now you see that we have a similar vibe and energy
You can flow, I just got to know
You have a good rhythm, but I need to get to know you better
Do you wanna roll with me, sweet lady in my Jeep
Do you want to join me on a ride in my car, lovely lady?
Girl I know that's what you want, that funk, that funk
I'm confident you're feeling the vibe and want more of it
Girl if you want it, just come get it from me
Don't be shy, if you want more of my sound, just ask
Bring on da funk, bring on da funk
Let's keep the music going and enjoy the moment
Yeah, bring it on, cause we be gettin' freaky
Let's keep the energy high and get wild
Jodeci funk, that's what it is, ooh
This is the signature Jodeci sound
We be kickin' at the parties and the after-parties
We're always having a good time and partying
She be gettin' smacked a lot, slapped a lot
She's catching a lot of attention and dancing hard
Lyrics © Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC, Warner Chappell Music, Inc.
Written by: DALVIN DEGRATE, DONALD DEGRATE, DONALD EARLE DE GRATE, RICHARD HAILEY, RICHARD CEDRIC HAILEY, TIMOTHY Z MOSLEY
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind