Jennings began singing at a young age in a Toledo church choir. He later joined a group called The Dotsons with two of his cousins and his older brother, Jay. The group separated in the early 1990s, and Jennings rediscovered music and started a music program at an Ohio prison where he was serving a ten-year sentence on an arson-related charge. He has cited Erykah Badu's 1997 album Baduizm as one of the reasons for his rediscovery. Jennings was released from prison in December 2002 and started to pursue a solo career in music. In January 2003, he performed in Harlem at the Showtime at The Apollo. The same year, he also independently released his first EP, What Is Love. To further pursue his career, Jennings moved to New York City where he performed at rapper Nelly's concert at Radio City Music Hall, at an NAACP convention where he performed an original song called "Thank God for the NAACP", and at the Cafeteria in Chelsea, Manhattan during the blackout on August 14. He signed with Columbia Records and released his debut album Lyfe 268-192 (268-192 was his inmate number) in August 2004. His first single was Stick Up Kid, which didn't see much sucess until after the album was released. The album featured his hit single "Must Be Nice". Jennings' second album The Phoenix was released in August 2006. The first single, "S.E.X.", feautures Jennings' protégé, singer LaLa Brown.
Brand New
Lyfe Jennings Lyrics
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But my girl ain't got snobby, stuntin' like her Daddy
Vroom on her Yamaha, she ride me like a Kawasaki
I call her little buddy, sometimes I call her shorty
She only wears dresses, she sleep in Ed Harty (ya dig?)
It's young Weezy, the 80s baby
And we can get together make 80 babies
Now the house, brand new, the car brand new
And that's why I love you
Girl, from the moment that I saw you, I knew you were the one
Though, we didn't have a lot of money, we still had so much fun (so much fun)
No, matter where you are you'll always be my superstar
If it wasn't for your love, I don't think I'd have gone this far
(Proud of you)
Baby, you never got brand new
Yo, baby, 'cause you never got brand new
I, remember livin' in the projects
I, remember spendin' welfare checks
That, something you never never forget
How could I abandon you now?
You'll always be a superstar
(You will always be)
No matter where you are
(My heart has never felt this before)
(Proud of you)
Baby, you never got brand new
Yo, baby, you never got brand new
Baby, we came from nothing
And we turned it into something
And we never ever act like,
We're too good, we too bougey for the hood life
Real recognize real, and you know this
Living with me in the streets and the show biz
(Now everybody know your name, and they caught up in the fame)
(You still the same, nobody can keep up with you, yeah)
(Proud of you)
'Cause you never got brand new (all the money)
You never got brand new
(proud of you)
Baby, you never got brand new
Lyfe Jennings's song "Brand New" is a tribute to his partner, who has been with him through thick and thin. The lyrics are about how he and his girl have been together from their humble beginnings in the projects, and as their success and wealth grew, his partner never changed. His partner does not become snobbish, despite the influence of money and the tendency of some who become wealthy to forget their roots. The lyrics "Now the house, brand new, the car brand new, but you're still the same old you" show his appreciation for his partner, and he loves her even more because of her humility in the face of newfound wealth.
The chorus of the song is about how his partner never got brand new. It is a metaphorical expression that means that his partner has stayed true to herself despite the changes in her life. The lyrics "Baby, you never got brand new. You never got brand new" show that he loves her even more because she never changed with their wealth and success.
Overall, the song is about staying true to oneself and one's partner, no matter what changes may arise. It is a testament to the true meaning of love and staying grounded even as one achieves success.
Line by Line Meaning
See you need to focus man
You should pay more attention and concentrate on what's important.
But my girl ain't got snobby, stuntin' like her Daddy
My girlfriend isn't arrogant or showing off like her father does.
Vroom on her Yamaha, she ride me like a Kawasaki
She rides her Yamaha fast and rough, just like she rides me like a Kawasaki motorcycle.
I call her little buddy, sometimes I call her shorty
I usually refer to her as 'little buddy', but sometimes I call her 'shorty'.
She only wears dresses, she sleep in Ed Harty (ya dig?)
She exclusively wears dresses and sleeps on designer Ed Hardy bedding.
It's young Weezy, the 80s baby
This is young Weezy, who was born in the 80s.
And we can get together make 80 babies
We could have a lot of children together, like 80 of them.
Now the house, brand new, the car brand new
I have a new house and a new car.
But you're still the same old you
But despite all of that, you are still the same person I fell in love with.
And that's why I love you
I love you because you haven't changed.
Girl, from the moment that I saw you, I knew you were the one
I knew you were the one for me when I first saw you.
Though, we didn't have a lot of money, we still had so much fun (so much fun)
Even though we didn't have much money, we still had a lot of fun together.
No, matter where you are you'll always be my superstar
No matter where you are, you will always be my shining star.
If it wasn't for your love, I don't think I'd have gone this far
Without your love, I don't think I would have achieved all that I have.
(Proud of you)
I am very proud of you.
Baby, you never got brand new
You have never changed who you are for anything or anyone.
Yo, baby, 'cause you never got brand new
Hey, baby, it's because you've never changed or become something different.
I, remember livin' in the projects
I remember living in the low-income housing.
I, remember spendin' welfare checks
I remember depending on government assistance for income.
That, something you never never forget
That's something you can never forget.
How could I abandon you now?
How could I leave you or forget where we came from at this point?
You'll always be a superstar
You will always be a superstar in my eyes.
(You will always be)
You will always be.
No matter where you are
It doesn't matter where you are.
(My heart has never felt this before)
My heart has never felt this way before.
Baby, we came from nothing
We came from humble beginnings with very little.
And we turned it into something
But we made something of ourselves and our situation.
And we never ever act like,
And we never act as if we are too good for our past or where we came from.
We're too good, we too bougey for the hood life
We aren't too good or fancy for life in the hood.
Real recognize real, and you know this
Real people recognize other real people, and you know that.
Living with me in the streets and the show biz
You've lived with me through hardships in the streets and successes in show business.
(Now everybody know your name, and they caught up in the fame)
Now everyone knows who you are and is caught up in all the attention and fame.
(You still the same, nobody can keep up with you, yeah)
But you are still the same, and nobody can change or keep up with you.
(Proud of you)
I am very proud of you.
'Cause you never got brand new (all the money)
Because you have never changed or become someone else despite all the money and fame.
You never got brand new
You have remained your genuine self.
(proud of you)
I am very proud of you.
Lyrics © BMG Rights Management, Universal Music Publishing Group, Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC, Downtown Music Publishing, Songtrust Ave, Warner Chappell Music, Inc.
Written by: WILLIAM ROBERTS, DANA RAMEY, THOMAS BELL, JASIEL ROBINSON, CALVIN BROADUS, LINDA CREED
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind