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.
The Realest
Lizzo Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
(It could all, it could all be so simple)
Disappear disappear
Disappear-appear-appear
(Gotta step yo game up)
What y'all want me to say, young man?
I am one woman
I see they waste time on them expletives
I'm all verbs baby, let's go, you cute
I'm feeling sadistic, you will do
Another one if you got the juice
To pass around, it's for my crew
Yeah, he loving the crew
He wanna get booed, just do what it do
The turnover's too predictable
Can I tell the truth?
You might not make it so come get it babe
Looking like no other ho in here
Feeling like the realest
Can I peep the way he disappear?
Gotta step yo game up
What you know, what you know
What you know about falling
In love with yourself?
Every day looking in the mirror
Think I found the proof for
My health or my wealth
Yeah, laid up in this hotel
Sparkling bubbles and a pear
55 minutes till my sound check
Singing ain't the worse way they on a planet
Jet i'm taking all of my time, all of it
Body working hard, shower head
Sprinkling the stress away
Tell em Lizzo wanna wait
But I'mma be looking real good
When I get there, whoo!
Got a lot of problems, my niche ain't one
I slid right in, no swish, and1
I could have em if I want em
These boys is fun
Got em picking off the petals
Baby one by one
Looking like no other ho in here
Feeling like the realest
Can I peep the way he disappear?
Gotta step yo game up
(Make it harder)
(It could all, it could all be so simple)
Like you want me to go
Like you want me to go
Like you want me to stay
Like you want me to go
Looking like no other ho in here
Feeling like the realest
Can I peep the way he disappear?
Gotta step yo game up
"The Realest" by Lizzo is a song that exudes confidence and self-love. In these lyrics, Lizzo asserts herself as a strong, independent woman who knows her worth and demands respect from others. She starts off by addressing the expectations placed on her as a woman and how her time is valuable. Lizzo rejects wasting her time on meaningless conversations and instead focuses on herself and her own ambitions. She embraces her own power and playfully challenges those around her to keep up with her level of confidence and energy.
Lizzo's lyrics also touch on the theme of self-love and personal growth. She sings about falling in love with herself every day, finding the proof of her own worth and happiness. She describes a moment of relaxation in a hotel room, indulging in self-care with "sparkling bubbles and a pear." The idea of taking time for herself and prioritizing her well-being is important to Lizzo, and she encourages others to do the same. The song emphasizes the importance of knowing and loving oneself before seeking validation or love from others.
Overall, "The Realest" is a celebration of self-assurance, self-care, and self-love. It is a reminder to prioritize one's own happiness and to surround oneself with people who appreciate and uplift them.
Line by Line Meaning
What y'all want me to say, young man?
What kind of response are you expecting from me, young man?
I am one woman
I am an independent and strong woman
And my time is how you say expensive
My time is valuable and should not be wasted
I see they waste time on them expletives
I see that they waste time on meaningless words
I'm all verbs baby, let's go, you cute
I'm action-oriented and ready to go, you're attractive
I'm feeling sadistic, you will do
I'm in a mischievous mood, you'll suffice
Another one if you got the juice
Another chance if you have the ability
To pass around, it's for my crew
To share with my group of friends
Yeah, he loving the crew
Yes, he's attracted to my friends
He wanna get booed, just do what it do
He wants to be rejected, just do what you normally do
The turnover's too predictable
The change in partners is too repetitive
Can I tell the truth?
Can I be honest?
You might not make it so come get it babe
You might not succeed, so come and take it, babe
Looking like no other ho in here
Looking unique and extraordinary in this place
Feeling like the realest
Feeling genuine and true
Can I peep the way he disappear?
Can I observe how he leaves abruptly?
Gotta step yo game up
Need to improve and elevate your skills
What you know, what you know
What do you understand, what do you know
What you know about falling
What do you know about falling in love
In love with yourself?
Loving and appreciating yourself
Every day looking in the mirror
Every day examining yourself in the mirror
Think I found the proof for
I believe I have found the evidence for
My health or my wealth
My well-being or my financial success
Yeah, laid up in this hotel
Yeah, relaxing in this hotel
Sparkling bubbles and a pear
Enjoying sparkling champagne and a pear
55 minutes till my sound check
Only 55 minutes left until my sound check
Singing ain't the worse way they on a planet
Singing isn't the worst thing you can do on this planet
Jet I'm taking all of my time, all of it
I'm using up all of my time on this jet
Body working hard, shower head
My body is working hard under the shower
Sprinkling the stress away
Washing away the stress
Tell em Lizzo wanna wait
Tell them Lizzo wants to delay
But I'mma be looking real good
But I'm going to look really good
When I get there, whoo!
When I arrive, whoo!
Got a lot of problems, my niche ain't one
I have many problems, but my talent is not one of them
I slid right in, no swish, and1
I entered smoothly, without hesitation or error
I could have em if I want em
I could have them if I desire them
These boys is fun
These boys are enjoyable
Got em picking off the petals
Got them plucking the flower petals
Baby one by one
One at a time, baby
Like you want me to go
As if you want me to leave
Like you want me to stay
As if you want me to remain
Lyrics © Downtown Music Publishing, Kobalt Music Publishing Ltd., Warner Chappell Music, Inc.
Written by: BRANDON BURTON, MELISSA VIVIANE JEFFERSON
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
Doja Cat
on Pink
Whoa that’s a lot of work to do and my restless