Born in Detroit in the late 80’s, Lizzo spent much of her formative years in the church, where she was raised on the gospel sounds of The Winans, The Clark Sisters, and Fred Hammond, along with mainstay secular artists such as Stevie Wonder and Elton John. At the age of 10 her family moved to Houston, TX, and Lizzo was exposed to a wide array of emerging Southern musical styles, from the trademark chopped and screwed rap tracks of the underground, to the progressive and polished R&B sounds of groups like Destiny’s Child that were raising the city’s national profile to new heights. In fact, it was after she stumbled across a Destiny’s Child performance at Wal-Mart that Lizzo—then a 5th grader-- was inspired to start writing music on her own. Over the next decade that decision would take her through the trenches of some of the most varied musical genres: R&B girl groups (I.N.I.T.I.A.L.S., Cornrow Clique), progressive rock bands (Elypseas), solo rap ventures, and electro-pop duos (Lizzo & The Larva Ink).
In 2011 she made the move to Minneapolis with Larva Ink in order to be a part of that city’s blossoming and collaborative musical community. Lizzo & The Larva Ink was well received there, and the group earned a few encouraging nods from the press. Lizzo was soon introduced to Sophia Eris and Claire de Lune, with whom she would form The Chalice, the three-piece all-female rap/R&B group that would elevate Lizzo’s profile and reputation. In 2012 The Chalice released We Are The Chalice, an album that would gain them instant local success amongst fans and critics alike, garnering City Pages’ prestigious Best New Band and Picked To Click accolades in the same year.
The success brought setbacks, though, and a falling out soon led to the demise of Lizzo & The Larva Ink. Feeling discontent with the loss of one group and the hurried blur of success of another, Lizzo was creatively drained from writing We Are The Chalice in two short months. She found herself in the throes of her first full-blown case of writer’s block. Unable to create music for herself, she began listening to several different local albums in hopes of finding inspiration. It was LAVA BANGERS, a 20-track instrumental mixtape from Doomtree producer and Minneapolis music vet Lazerbeak, that ultimately caught her ear. Beaks’ beats proved the fix for Lizzo’s problem. “I sat at home and listened to LAVA BANGERS, and when “Lift Every Voice” came on, my writer’s block was cured,” says Lizzo. “I think it revived my gospel roots. I wrote pages and pages of songs, and finally reached out to Lazerbeak, not thinking anything would come of it.”
Her timing could not have been better. Beak, impressed with Lizzo’s output with The Chalice, as well as her guest appearances on several other local releases, was looking for a change of pace from his daily Doomtree production and business responsibilities. He immediately signed on to work on some demos. Beat tapes were exchanged, songs were written, and mutual friend and musical collaborator Ryan Olson (Totally Gross National Product founder, Gayngs/Marijuana Deathsquads mastermind) was brought on board to creatively oversee the project. Olson recorded and edited all 15 tracks in his bedroom studio, bringing in laid back hype-man Cliff Rhymes along the way to add even more layers to Lizzo’s dynamic vocals.
LIZZOBANGERS is the culmination of that four-way collaboration, an album that manages to capture all of the varied musical influences of Lizzo’s upbringing and combine them with the forward-thinking experimental production style of Beak and Olson. The end result is a brave new project that encapsulates the best parts of both the familiar and the future.
Make Way
Lizzo Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Something's got a hold on me
Drowning I can’t barely drink oh
Smoking I can barely breathe
Chopping up the royalty (oh)
They said that it’s a cold world
I tell them it's my own world
X2
You scare me
Cause there’s something darker hiding in disguise
Reminds me
That I’m exposed to be eaten alive
These cycles are liable
To go in circles, round about
What’s this about
Same drug different mouth
Same in different out
(This is my handle, this is my spout)
Now that’s I’m all steamed up
Just tip me over and pour me out
Gettin down and po'in up 3X
This ain't what you really want (repeat)
Pain leaves the body and the spirit wits
Substitute some whiskey for the Tylenol
Gotta keep this deal on going
If you feelin how I feel
So quit telling me you feel me
Cause can’t nobody feel
And quit telling us we’re famous
Cause we ain’t go no deal
And even if we did man
Then the industry ain’t real
Like I’m drinking and I’m driving
But my hand ain’t on the wheel
And I’m pressing on the gas
Cause I guess nobody will
[Hook]
In Lizzo's song Make Way, she talks about feeling like something has a hold on her, something that is making her drown, barely able to drink, and smoke. She also mentions feeling like she's chopping up the royalty. These lines are metaphors for the pressures and challenges she faces in her life, such as the pressure to succeed in the music industry and the challenges of dealing with fame.
Lizzo then goes on to talk about the fear she has of something darker hiding in disguise and the feeling of being exposed to be eaten alive. This could be a reference to the fear she has of not being able to handle the pressures of fame and the industry. She also mentions the cycles of life that can go in circles around about, and how it's the same drug but different mouth, the same in different out. This could be a reference to the fact that no matter how much she tries, she might end up in the same place as before.
Lizzo also talks about using alcohol as a substitute for pain and how the industry is not real, even if they got a deal. She mentions that she's pressing on the gas even though her hand is not on the wheel because nobody will, which could be a reference to the fact that she has to keep going even though she might not have complete control over her career. Overall, the lyrics of Make Way are a commentary on the challenges and pressures of making it in the music industry and dealing with fame.
Line by Line Meaning
Something's got a hold on me
I feel trapped and unable to break free from my current situation
Drowning I can’t barely drink oh
My problems feel overwhelming and suffocating, even when I try to numb the pain with alcohol
Smoking I can barely breathe
My vices are taking a toll on my physical health and making it harder for me to cope
Chopping up the royalty (oh)
I'm breaking down the oppressive systems that hold me and others like me down
They said that it’s a cold world
Others have warned me about the challenges and difficulties of the world
I tell them it's my own world
I refuse to let those challenges and difficulties define me and the world I live in
And I’m about to pick the whole thing up
I'm taking control of my life and making things happen on my own terms
You scare me
I feel vulnerable around you and don't know if I can trust you
Cause there’s something darker hiding in disguise
I sense that there's more to you than meets the eye, and it makes me uneasy
Reminds me
It brings to mind
That I’m exposed to be eaten alive
I'm vulnerable and at risk of being hurt or taken advantage of
These cycles are liable
These patterns are prone to happening
To go in circles, round about
To keep repeating themselves and leading nowhere
What’s this about
What's going on
Same drug different mouth
Using the same methods to cope with problems, even when they aren't effective
Same in different out
The same thing keeps happening, even with different people or situations
(This is my handle, this is my spout)
This is how I handle things, and how I let things out
Now that’s I’m all steamed up
Now that I'm worked up and passionate about something
Just tip me over and pour me out
I'm ready to let my emotions and thoughts out in a productive way
Gettin down and po'in up
Drinking and partying
This ain't what you really want
This lifestyle might seem exciting, but it's not what will truly fulfill you
Pain leaves the body and the spirit wits
Drinking helps temporarily numb emotional or physical pain
Substitute some whiskey for the Tylenol
Using alcohol as a replacement for medication or healthy coping methods
Gotta keep this deal on going
I need to keep up a certain image or lifestyle, even if it's not good for me
If you feelin how I feel
If you can relate to my struggles and emotions
So quit telling me you feel me
Stop pretending that you really understand what I'm going through
Cause can’t nobody feel
No one can truly experience the exact same pain or challenges as me
And quit telling us we’re famous
Don't act like fame or success changes anything about our true struggles
Cause we ain’t go no deal
We don't have the support or resources that others might assume we do
And even if we did man
And even if we had everything we thought we wanted
Then the industry ain’t real
The music industry and other systems of power and oppression are not genuine or just
Like I’m drinking and I’m driving
Like I'm putting myself in a dangerous situation
But my hand ain’t on the wheel
But I don't feel in control of my life and choices
And I’m pressing on the gas
And I'm pushing myself further and further towards self-destruction
Cause I guess nobody will
Because I don't believe anyone else will help me, and I feel alone
Something's got a hold on me
I still feel trapped and unable to escape my situation
Contributed by Ruby Y. Suggest a correction in the comments below.
@VaughanXV
This music video is proof that there's nothing wrong with leaving the room if anyone asks you to recite a poem for your support group.
Great song.
@bettyburkety2520
You are the most beautiful woman in the world
@anayabananaxee
lizzo needs to loooooose weightttt
@marteenyo
@@anayabananaxee king of trolling 😻
@temboxicutenyamii2647
@@anayabananaxee You need to stoooooop forcing people to change their body when they are already happy and confidentttt
@final7423
@@anayabananaxee She’s said she’s trying to,luckily it seems like it’s working
@cutedragon2396
Everyone misunderstands her like she’s not promoting being unhealthy, she’s promoting loving yourself. The rest is up to you, it’s up you if you want you change.
@unrelatedcow9829
Also, being big doesn't mean being unhealthy. Sumo wrestlers are a great example of that. Edit: if ur gonna comment shit like "sumo wrestlers aren't healthy and they live 20 years less than the average lifespan" then stfu, cause u think ur helping me but ur actually not. I'm tired of getting 10+ comments every day talking about the same shit.
@awhora6036
@@hooplastation yea but there are ways to encourage people to lose weight without calling them disgusting
@hooplastation
@@awhora6036 But what? Nowhere in my comment did I imply we call obese people disgusting. I said we can be accepting while also acknowledging the downsides to it