Keith Sweat was born in Harlem, New York City, to Juanita Thompson, a hairdresser, and Charles Sweat, a factory worker. After Charles Sweat's passing in 1973, Juanita raised their five kids by herself. He worked as a night stock boy at Macy's Department Store, and then a mail room clerk at Paine Webber, a brokerage firm. In just four years he worked his way up to a lucrative brokerage assistant job on the floor of the New York Stock Exchange.[2] Sweat also worked as a supervisor for the New York Mercantile Exchange.[1]
Sweat started his musical career as a member of a Harlem band called Jamilah in 1975.[3] With the help of Jamilah, Sweat was able to hone his craft as a lead singer by performing regionally throughout the tri-State area of New York, New Jersey and Connecticut. The group was started by bassist Larry Peoples, guitarist Michael Samuels, and drummer Walter Bradley.[citation needed]
After leaving the group in 1984 to begin a solo career, he sang at nightclubs throughout New York City and landed a chance to record for the independent label, Stadium Records. Sweat recorded only two tunes for Stadium, "Lucky Seven", and "My Mind Is Made Up", which was their third and fourth ever release, but on Stadium's first release, he is credited as co-writer and co-producer of "You Are the One for Me", the last recording ever made by the group GQ. One of GQ's original members is his uncle, Keith "Sabu" Crier.
Later in 1987, Keith Sweat was discovered by Vincent Davis and offered a recording contract with his label, Vintertainment Records, which was founded in 1983 on the foundations of early Hip-Hop and otherwise best known for releasing Joeski Love's "Pee Wee's Dance" in 1985. Vintertainment was distributed by Elektra Records from 1985 until it ceased operations in 1990. On November 24, 1987, Sweat released his debut solo studio album Make It Last Forever, which sold three million copies. The biggest hit from this album was the song that inaugurated the new jack swing era "I Want Her"[5] (No. 1 R&B & No. 5 Pop), which was nominated for the 1989 Soul Train Best R&B/Urban Contemporary Song of the Year award, while the title track from the album hit No. 2 on the R&B charts. Sweat reached the charts again with his second album I'll Give All My Love to You (1990) which hit No. 6 on the Billboard 200 chart. He released his third album, Keep It Comin' in 1991, which debuted in the Top 20 of the album chart. He produced soul singer Omar Chandler.
In 1992, Sweat discovered the group Silk, and helped craft their debut album, Lose Control, which hit No. 7 on the Billboard 200 album chart.[6]
The album's single "Freak Me" hit No. 1 on the Billboard Hot 100 on May 1, 1993. In 1993, Sweat discovered the Atlanta-based female R&B group Kut Klose. Sweat also produced the group's debut album Surrender, which produced their biggest hit single "I Like", peaking to No. 8 on the Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Singles & Tracks chart.
Sweat released his fourth album Get Up on It in the summer of 1994, and his self-titled fifth album in 1996. Both albums reached the top ten on the Billboard 200. The single co/produced and written by Eric McCaine "Twisted" featuring R&B group Kut Klose hit No. 2 on the Billboard Hot 100 and "Nobody" hit No. 3, which made them Sweat's biggest hits to date. "Just A Touch" was a cover of the 1979 song "Just a Touch of Love" by Slave. He produced R&B group Dru Hill in 1996.
In the fall of 1997, Sweat discovered the group Ol' Skool and helped with their self-titled debut. He was on their biggest single, "Am I Dreaming", which featured the R&B group Xscape. Sweat also formed the R&B supergroup LSG with Gerald Levert and Johnny Gill, and released their self-titled debut album Levert.Sweat.Gill in 1997.[7] That album featured "My Body", which became a hit single. The album was certified double platinum and reached No. 4 on the U.S. Billboard 200.
Sweat's sixth album, Still in the Game was released in 1998, hitting No. 6 on the Billboard 200, and No. 2 on the R&B/Hip Hop albums chart. It featured the singles "Come and Get With Me" (which featured Snoop Dogg) (No. 12 Hot 100) and "I'm Not Ready" (No. 16 Hot 100). Sweat's success on the charts started to diminish in 2000, when he released the album Didn't See Me Coming. None of the singles from the album reached the top forty.
On August 13, 2002, Keith Sweat released his eighth album, Rebirth. The single "One on One" reached No. 75 on the Billboard Hot 100 and No. 44 on the Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Singles & Tracks chart.His 2008 album Just Me included the single, "Love U Better (featuring Keyshia Cole)". Sweat is currently signed to Kedar Records and released his tenth studio album entitled Ridin' Solo on June 22, 2010. The lead single taken from the album is "Test Drive" and featured label-mate Joe. Since 2007, Sweat has been the host of a nationally syndicated radio program based upon the Quiet storm format. The Keith Sweat Hotel (known as The Quiet Storm with Keith Sweat on WBLS in New York City) is syndicated through Premiere Radio Networks.[8]
Sweat is also the host of a nationally syndicated radio show called The Sweat Hotel, which I s produced and distributed to urban adult contemporary and classic soul radio stations across the U.S. by Premiere Networks, a subsidiary of iHeartMedia, Inc.[9]
In And Out
Keith Sweat Lyrics
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These are just some of the ways people communicate what's on their mind
But instead you got me guessing, stressing girl you messing up my flow
I might as well give this thing up 'cause I just don't know which way to go
If you ain't trying' to be with me
Then why don't you just up and leave
But if you truly want to stay then just let me know
Into my bed, or out of my heart, and into my head
You can't keep on runnin' in and out
Want you stay so we can work things out
Roses, candy, diamonds, first class flights, and five star vendor
There were nothing you wanted girl that I would not do for you
All I get is fuss and fighting, bitching, complaining yeah
If you ain't feelin' me no more, you know what you need to do
If you ain't tryin' to be with me
Then why don't you just let me be
But if you truly want to stay then just let me know
You can't keep on running in and out, out of my life
Into my bed, or out of my heart, and into my head
You can't keep on runnin' in and out
Want you stay so we can work things out
Listen girl, I'm just a man, doing all I can
Girl, I understand sometimes it ain't easy
Everywhere I go, everybody know
Ladies at my show tryin' to get at me
But I'm down for you
Nothing I won't do, but you gotta choose either you're in or out girl
Make up your mind because you're wasting time
Do you want me girl like I want you?
You can't keep on running in and out, out of my life
Into my bed, or out of my heart, and into my head
You can't keep on runnin' in and out
Want you stay so we can work things out
The lyrics of Keith Sweat's song "In And Out" are an expression of romantic frustration and confusion that many people can relate to. The song is addressed to a lover who is behaving in an unpredictable and inconsistent manner, making it difficult for the singer to understand their feelings or intentions. The lyrics begin by listing various modes of communication, suggesting that the singer has tried everything to get through to their partner, but to no avail. Instead of being straightforward, the lover is being vague and leaving the singer to wonder what they really want. The singer is tired of the uncertainty and is ready for a clear answer, one way or the other.
Throughout the song, the singer tries to make their case for a committed relationship by listing all the things they've done for their partner, but again, their advances are met with resistance, causing frustration and resentment. Despite all this, the singer still wants to make it work and is willing to wait for an answer, but not indefinitely. They warn their partner that they can't keep running in and out of their life, playing with their emotions and leaving them in a constant state of confusion. The singer wants their partner to choose and commit to either being with them or leaving for good.
Overall, "In And Out" is a relatable and heartfelt plea for clarity and commitment in a relationship. The singer is tired of being strung along and wants their partner to take responsibility for their feelings and actions.
Line by Line Meaning
Telephone, two way, pager, cell phone, e-mail, fax, home mail gram
These are just some of the ways people communicate what's on their mind
But instead you got me guessing, stressing girl you messing up my flow
You're not communicating with me clearly and it's causing me anxiety and confusion
I might as well give this thing up 'cause I just don't know which way to go
I'm considering giving up on this relationship because I don't know what to do
If you ain't trying' to be with me
If you don't want to be with me
Then why don't you just up and leave
Then why don't you just leave me
But if you truly want to stay then just let me know
If you want to stay with me, just tell me and we can work things out
You can't keep on running in and out, out of my life
You can't keep coming in and out of my life
Into my bed, or out of my heart, and into my head
Sleeping with me one moment, then disregarding my feelings and causing me emotional stress the next
Want you stay so we can work things out
I want you to stay so we can fix our relationship
Roses, candy, diamonds, first class flights, and five star vendor
I've given you everything you could possibly desire
There were nothing you wanted girl that I would not do for you
I would do anything for you
All I get is fuss and fighting, bitching, complaining yeah
But all you give me is complaints and arguments
If you ain't feelin' me no more, you know what you need to do
If you don't have feelings for me anymore, you know what you have to do
Then why don't you just let me be
Then why don't you just leave me alone
Listen girl, I'm just a man, doing all I can
I'm trying my best to make this work
Girl, I understand sometimes it ain't easy
I know that relationships can be difficult
Everywhere I go, everybody know
Wherever I go, people know who I am
Ladies at my show tryin' to get at me
Women at my concerts try to come onto me
But I'm down for you
But I only want to be with you
Nothing I won't do, but you gotta choose either you're in or out girl
I'm willing to do anything for you, but you have to decide if you want to be with me or not
Make up your mind because you're wasting time
Decide what you want because we're just wasting time if we can't work things out
Do you want me girl like I want you?
Do you have feelings for me like I have feelings for you?
Lyrics © Ultra Tunes, Warner Chappell Music, Inc.
Written by: D JENKINS, KEITH SWEAT, KEITH D SWEAT, W WELLS, WAYNE WELLS
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind