After a short spell working as a model, 5'10" Kelis began appearing on songs by Neptunes produced rappers such as 'Got Your Money' by the late rapper Ol' Dirty Bastard. Soon afterwards, she released her debut album, Kaleidoscope in 1999 of which the first single was 'Caught Out There,' a song based on the time she caught her boyfriend cheating on her, and she beat him. The video feautures Kelis leading a pack of angry women down the street screaming 'I hate you so much right now!'. The album was released in USA, Europe and Asia, but did not find much audience in the USA. Not a great success, it only sold 249,000 copies to date.
After finding her largest audience in Europe, Kelis released her second album titled Wanderland (2001) in Europe only, which like her first album did not fare well. It only sold 80,000 copies and was entirely produced by The Neptunes (Pharrell Williams and Chad Hugo) again, similarly to her debut. Only one single was released 'Young Fresh N New'.
In 2003 Kelis finally found fame in her country with the single 'Milkshake,' which was a massive success in Europe, Asia and USA, and she began dating rapper Nas (born Nasir bin Olu Dara Jones). The single was from the album 'Tasty' which did not feature the Neptunes as heavily as her previous albums. Singles included the popular Dallas Austin produced 'Trick Me' and 'Millionaire', a collaboration with OutKast's Andre 3000. 'In Public's duet with Nas was the fourth single from the album, becoming a top twenty hit in the U.K. without a video.
In 2006, Kelis presented a new album to her fans, entitled Kelis Was Here, which was originally to be called 'The Puppeteer' which was released on 22 August but was due Fall 2005. No Neptunes tracks appeared on this album, but Kelis used other producers such as Max Martin, Will.I.Am (Black Eyed Peas) and Raphael Saadiq. Singles are the huge 'Bossy', 'Blindfold Me', and 'Lil Star'. Kelis wrote more of the material on this album than she did for Tasty, and carries off the sci-fi, electronica sounds so often considered Neptunes material without them. This is most evident on the brilliant 'Trilogy'. Kelis has said she wants to make her mark with this album, as it will be the last 'album like this' she will make.
In October 2007, Kelis was dumped by Jive Records, for poor sales of Kelis Was Here but a new album is in the pipeline. The Hits - a greatest hits collection - was released in March 2008, including tracks where she was a featured artist, eg, Got Your Money by Ol' Dirty Bastard , N.E.R.D's Truth or Dare, and Richard X's Finest Dreams.
Kelis then signed to Interscope Records, and released her fifth studio album entitled Flesh Tone in May 2010. The David Guetta-produced Acapella preceded the LP in February of that year. Other singles released from the album include '4th of July (Fireworks)', 'Scream' and 'Brave'. The following year, Kelis appeared on Calvin Harris' 'Bounce'.
In the beginning of 2010, Kelis received a letter by animal rights organization PETA, in which she was informed about the cruelty that comes along with the production of fur coats. She pointed out that the organization seems to have little concern about the treatment of people of color and that she will continue wearing fur and eating meat.
Songfacts reported that 'Distance', the planned first single from Kelis’ sixth studio album received its first play during the June 30, 2012 show of The Beatnik Mix on London's Reprezent 107.3FM. At the time, the album was set to be house/dance-inspired, but sessions with TV on The Radio's Dave Sitek led to it taking a soul-like direction.
Kelis completed her sixth album in April 2013, and her new label Ninja Tune confirmed details regarding the album in January the following year, 'Jerk Ribs' served as the lead single for the album; the track had however been previously released as a free download the previous year.
Food was released in April 2014 to critical acclaim. Kelis also appeared for the first time at the annual South by Southwest festival, both performing and serving meals to attendees from her food truck.
Daddy
KELIS Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
He has an appetite, for sex and cash,
He hangs on the corner, talking trash,
Or rolling, in his freak mobile,
Mercedes Benz, on 20 inch wheels,
Get calls all day, on his cellular phone,
From nasty girls, they won't leave him alone,
He's got them crying, 'cause they can't see,
Innocent, kinda polite,
The kind of girl who says her prayers at night,
He picks me up everyday from school,
And all my friends, they just dream and drool,
And on the way, the music blasts,
We hit my street, he lets off the gas,
And just before, my house appears,
He pulls over whispers in my ear...
[BRIDGE]
[Pharrel Williams]
Hey lil' mumma let me in your world,
I jus' wana see you be a nasty girl,
I said love you up, and love you down,
Daddy wana make love all around the town,
Scream (Raa),
Come on and moan and moan (Raa),
Come on and moan and scream (Raa),
Come on and moan and moan (Raa),
And take it back girl.
[Kelis]
My mom has met, my dad refused,
Yesterday, he brought me some new shoes,
Dolce and Gabbana,
And a bag made, of Iguana,
And a blazer, and a chocolate tie,
Get it blaze, Chocolate tie,
So this kept on and it kept on,
Like the beat don't stop, till the break of dawn,
see'mon
[CHORUS]
[Kelis]
I can't help it, I just love the boy,
I just love the boy, wait a minute,
Oooh, I can't help it, I just love the boy,
I just love the boy, Oh-no
[Kelis]
I got shinnin' things, like diamond rings,
And designer chains, man the way I bling,
Had teachers from school, calling home,
"Mr and Mrs nice, What the hells going on?,
I snatched a letter, from your daughters desk,
From her bad boyfriend, who was talking freash,
How he wants to see her, later today,
Face-2-face, so he can say...
[BRIDGE][Kelis sings with Pharrel]
[Pharrels rap]
But you gotta know that the dough comes first,
Gotta know know if you stray then no,
There are no words,
My look, I see it in your face, Oh look,
Thought I was a nice guy, huh, No look,
You say you never leave me love,
Well are you sure that it's me you love?,
Gotta ask ''cause I can't tell,
If it's me or the B12,
Hell its suspect,
Would you swallow my pride,
Now let's ride,
[CHORUS] X2
[Kelis in background]
(I can't help my self!)
(Help your seeeelf)
(O I loove the boooyy)
(I can't complain)
The song "Daddy" by Kelis is an account of a young girl's affair with an older man, whom she affectionately calls "Daddy." The verses chronicle the man's indulgent personality, exhibiting his obsession with material wealth and sexual prowess. Kelis describes being swept away by Daddy's flashy car, designer clothes, and lavish jewelry, all while acknowledging the challenges of their taboo relationship, including public criticism and parental disapproval. Despite these challenges, Kelis's lyrics reveal her devotion to Daddy, whom she can not help but love, and she ultimately succumbs to his persistent advances.
The chorus, however, suggests Kelis may have some mixed feelings about the relationship, despite her initial enthusiasm. The lyrics "I can't help it, I just love the boy" and "I just love the boy, wait a minute" highlight Kelis's internal conflict. The song's bridge features Pharrell Williams complementing Kelis's vocals with sexually suggestive rap lyrics. In his verse, Pharrell plays the role of Daddy's wingman, encouraging Kelis to embrace her sexuality and submit to Daddy's desires.
Line by Line Meaning
He has an appetite, for sex and cash,
He is always hungry for sex and money.
He hangs on the corner, talking trash,
He is always loitering around, talking nonsense.
Or rolling, in his freak mobile,
He is either driving or riding in his unusual car.
Mercedes Benz, on 20 inch wheels,
He drives a Mercedes Benz car with 20-inch wheels.
Get calls all day, on his cellular phone,
He receives calls on his mobile phone all day long.
From nasty girls, they won't leave him alone,
He receives continuous calls from unruly girls.
He's got them crying, 'cause they can't see,
The girls cry because they cannot understand why he loves Kelis.
Why he's in love with a girl like me,
He is in love with Kelis, who he thinks is too innocent and gentle.
Innocent, kinda polite,
Kelis is innocent and behaves politely.
The kind of girl who says her prayers at night,
Kelis is the kind of girl who prays every night.
He picks me up everyday from school,
He picks Kelis up every day from school.
And all my friends, they just dream and drool,
Kelis's friends just envy her and have a crush on him.
And on the way, the music blasts,
They listen to music at high volume on their way back home.
We hit my street, he lets off the gas,
He slows down when they reach Kelis's street.
And just before, my house appears,
Kelis's house comes into sight.
He pulls over whispers in my ear...
He stops the car and whispers something in Kelis's ear.
Hey lil' mumma let me in your world,
He is trying to get closer with Kelis.
I jus' wana see you be a nasty girl,
He wants Kelis to be a bad girl for him.
I said love you up, and love you down,
He promises to give her love and attention.
Daddy wana make love all around the town,
He wants to make love to Kelis in different places around town.
Scream (Raa),
He wants Kelis to moan and scream during sex.
Come on and moan and moan (Raa),
He wants Kelis to moan loudly during sex.
Come on and moan and scream (Raa),
He wants Kelis to scream and moan during sex.
Come on and moan and moan (Raa),
He wants Kelis to keep moaning during sex.
And take it back girl.
He wants Kelis to respond to his advances.
My mom has met, my dad refused,
Kelis's mom has met him, but her dad is not interested in him.
Yesterday, he brought me some new shoes,
He bought Kelis new shoes yesterday.
Dolce and Gabbana,
The shoes were Dolce and Gabbana brand.
And a bag made, of Iguana,
He also gave Kelis a bag made of iguana skin.
And a blazer, and a chocolate tie,
He also gifted a blazer and a chocolate-colored tie.
Get it blaze, Chocolate tie,
He wants to show off his fashionable clothing.
So this kept on and it kept on,
This continued on and on.
Like the beat don't stop, till the break of dawn,
This continued all night long, until the break of dawn.
see'mon
He is urging Kelis to come with him.
I can't help it, I just love the boy,
Kelis admits that she cannot help but be in love with him.
I just love the boy, wait a minute,
Kelis is repeating that she loves him.
Oooh, I can't help it, I just love the boy,
Kelis is once again admitting that she is in love with him.
I just love the boy, Oh-no
Kelis loves him despite knowing his flaws.
I got shinnin' things, like diamond rings,
Kelis received some expensive jewelry from him, such as diamonds rings.
And designer chains, man the way I bling,
She now has designer chains and has become more stylish.
Had teachers from school, calling home,
Kelis's teachers called her parents to share their concerns.
"Mr and Mrs nice, What the hells going on?,
The teachers are suspicious about Kelis's change in demeanor.
I snatched a letter, from your daughters desk,
Kelis took a letter from her desk which was from her boyfriend.
From her bad boyfriend, who was talking freash,
The letter was from Kelis's bad boyfriend who was trying to get her to meet up with him.
How he wants to see her, later today,
He wants to see Kelis later that day.
Face-2-face, so he can say...
He wants to talk to Kelis face-to-face.
But you gotta know that the dough comes first,
He prioritizes money over everything else.
Gotta know know if you stray then no,
Kelis must know not to cheat on him.
There are no words,
He does not have the words to express his feelings.
My look, I see it in your face, Oh look,
He can tell Kelis is confused by the look on her face.
Thought I was a nice guy, huh, No look,
He is not a nice guy contrary to what Kelis might have thought.
You say you never leave me love,
Kelis has promised never to leave him.
Well are you sure that it's me you love?,
He is unsure if Kelis genuinely loves him.
Gotta ask 'cause I can't tell,
He cannot tell if Kelis really loves him.
If it's me or the B12,
He wonders if Kelis is only with him because of money.
Hell its suspect,
He finds their relationship to be suspicious.
Would you swallow my pride,
He is asking Kelis if she would discredit him.
Now let's ride,
He wants to go for a ride and clear their minds.
Help yourself
He is telling Kelis to help herself in whatever way she can.
Lyrics © MUSIC SALES CORPORATION, Warner Chappell Music, Inc.
Written by: BOBBY TROUP
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind