Houston sang with his childhood friends, Jerome "Romeo" Jones and Kelton "LDB" Kessee in the group Immature. Chris Stokes became the manager of the group. They first started with the band called Immature. Houston's Immature nickname "Batman" was given to him for wearing Batman underwear on his head. The group later changed their name to IMx, because they felt they had matured personally and musically. In 2002, IMx mutually disbanded because the members wanted to move on and do different things creatively. Houston inked a record deal with TUG/Universal records and embarked upon his journey of becoming a relevant R&B soloist.
In 2003, Houston recorded and released his first solo album entitled MH. The singles were "That Girl" and "Clubbin (Ft. Joe Budden)". Houston also appeared on Scream Tour with Nick Cannon, B2k, and Bow Wow.
In 2004, he released two more singles from that album; "Pop That Booty (Ft. Jermaine Dupri) and "Because Of You".
In 2005, Houston released his sophomore album entitled Naked. The singles from that album were "All Because Of You (Ft. Young Rome)", "Naked", and "Sex Wit You".
In 2006 he released the first single from his third solo album, "Favorite Girl" and the Accompanying video, featuring Stacey Dash. He was also featured in his fellow T.U.G. artist, Mila J's video/song "Good Lookin' Out" and on Yung Joc's video/song "1st Time" and with Trey Songz.
On March 26, 2007, Houston released his third studio album entitled Veteran.
Acting career
Houston made his debut acting appearance in the comedy film House Party 3, where he played himself along with fellow Immature/IMx bandmates Jerome "Romeo" Jones and then member Don "Half Pint" Santos (who was later replaced in the group by Kelton "LDB" Kessee).
Houston's breakthrough role came when he won the part of Roger Evans in the television comedy show Sister, Sister, playing the next door neighbor of Tia and Tamera (played by Tia and Tamera Mowry). He played the role from 1994 to 1997, making a final cameo appearance in the final episode of the show in 1999.
Houston starred in a couple of movies and played small roles here and there throughout his career. He even held his own television show for a short while (the short-lived UPN's Cuts, a spinoff of another UPN show, One on One).
Filmography
Television
Year Title Role
1993 - A Different World -- Eli Black
1996 - Family Matters -- Himself
1996 - The Parent 'Hood -- Himself
1994-1997 - Sister, Sister -- Roger Evans
2003 - Rock Me, Baby -- Himself
2004 & 2006 - One on One -- Kevin Barnes
2005-2006 - Cuts - Kevin Barnes
Film
Year Film Role
1992 - Bébé's Kids -- Khalil (voice)
1994 - House Party 3 -- Himself
1997 - Good Burger -- Jake
2001 - House Party 4: Down to the Last Minute -- John-John
2004 - You Got Served -- Elgin
2004 - Fat Albert -- Dumb Donald
2007 - Somebody Help Me -- Brendan Young
Stranger
Marques Houston Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
You know your man is gonna kill you damn
You see he wanna love you and I promise he'll never change
So you go in here and you wonder
Why didn't you get my number
I need to understand
How you can be
Be so strange, be so strange
You can be so strange, be so strange, strange, strange
You far from a stranger, stranger
Swear that I know you
Stranger, stranger promise that I need you
Say you far from a stranger
Miss the way that I feel (way that I feel)
Stranger
Wanna get to know you better
Stranger, stranger
Swear that I know you
Stranger, stranger promise that I need you
Stranger
Miss the way that I feel
Stranger
Wanna get to know you better
See I let you go again
When I see you at the supermarket
You had your son in a stroller
So, I said there's no way I can disrespect him
He wouldn't be cool if he did the same thing to me
You got closer to me and I said..
[Chorus:]
Be so strange (damn you'll be fine and my name is Marques), be so strange
You can be so strange (meet me at a club and we roll), be so strange, strange, strange
You far from a stranger, stranger
Swear that I know you
Stranger, stranger promise that I need you
Stranger
Miss the way that I feel (way that I feel)
Stranger
Wanna get to know you better
Stranger, stranger
Swear that I know you
Stranger, stranger promise that I need you
Stranger
Miss the way that I feel
Stranger
Wanna get to know you better
[Bridge:]
Fellas if you know what I'm sayin lemme hear ya say oh oh oh oh
Now my ladies if you hear what I'm sayin' let me hear ya say yeaaah
Now my (?) let me hear ya saying oh oh oh ah
Lay if you love him never (?) another try and let me hear ya say eh eh eh eh
[Chorus:]
Be so strange, be so strange
You can be so strange, be so strange, strange, strange
You far from a stranger, stranger
Swear that I know you
Stranger, stranger promise that I need you
Say you far from a stranger
Miss the way that I feel (way that I feel)
Stranger
Wanna get to know you better
Stranger, stranger
Swear that I know you
Stranger, stranger promise that I need you
Stranger
Miss the way that I feel
Stranger
Wanna get to know you better
Stranger, Stranger
Swear that I know you
Stranger, stranger promise that I need you
The lyrics to Marques Houston's song Stranger is a bittersweet story of a man who is attracted to a woman who is already in a relationship, and he struggles with wanting to pursue her or respect her current situation. In the first verse, the man acknowledges that the woman's partner is possessive, and he sees her looking at him, which could lead to trouble. The man believes that he could love her better than her current partner and tries to understand how she can be so "strange." The chorus expresses his desire to get to know her better and his frustration with the situation.
The second verse talks about the man's encounter with the woman in a supermarket, where she is with her child. Even though he wants to pursue her, he realizes that he cannot disrespect her child or her partner. In the bridge, he calls for the audience's support and encourages them to speak up if they feel the same way he does. The final chorus reiterates his desire to be with the woman and his feelings of missing her and wanting to know her better.
The lyrics of the song are open to interpretation, but it could be argued that it addresses the themes of unrequited love and the possibility of missed opportunities. The man is attracted to the woman and believes that he could love her better, but he knows he cannot act on his feelings without disrespecting her current relationship. The chorus's repetition of the word "stranger" could mean that the man feels like he does not know the woman well enough or that he wants to know her better and not be a stranger to her.
Line by Line Meaning
Girl you'd better quit looking at me like that
The girl is looking at him in a way that may get her into trouble with her man.
You know your man is gonna kill you damn
If her man sees her looking at him like that, he will be angry or upset.
You see he wanna love you and I promise he'll never change
Marques believes that the girl's man wants to love and take care of her and won't change.
So you go in here and you wonder
The girl wonders why she didn't get his number.
Why didn't you get my number
Marques is puzzled as to why the girl didn't take his number earlier.
I need to understand
Marques wants to know why the girl didn't take his number.
How you can be
Marques is curious about the girl and her behavior.
Be so strange, be so strange
The girl's behavior is odd or weird.
You can be so strange, be so strange, strange, strange
The girl's actions are strange and unusual.
You far from a stranger, stranger
Though they are not familiar, Marques feels like he knows the girl.
Swear that I know you
Marques feels like he knows the girl well.
Stranger, stranger promise that I need you
Marques wants to get to know the girl better and feels like he needs her in his life.
Say you far from a stranger
Marques believes that the girl is not a stranger to him.
Miss the way that I feel (way that I feel)
Marques misses the way he feels when he is around the girl.
Wanna get to know you better
Marques wants to spend more time with the girl and get to know her better.
See I let you go again
Marques has let the girl go before.
When I see you at the supermarket
Marques saw the girl at the supermarket.
You had your son in a stroller
The girl had her child in a stroller.
So, I said there's no way I can disrespect him
Marques didn't want to disrespect the girl's child by making advances towards her.
He wouldn't be cool if he did the same thing to me
Marques wouldn't want someone to disrespect him like that so he didn't want to do it to someone else.
You got closer to me and I said..
The girl got closer to Marques, but we don't know what he said or did next.
Fellas if you know what I'm sayin lemme hear ya say oh oh oh oh
Marques is addressing the men in the audience and asking them to make noise if they understand what he's saying.
Now my ladies if you hear what I'm sayin' let me hear ya say yeaaah
Marques is addressing the women in the audience and asking them to make noise if they understand what he's saying.
Now my (?) let me hear ya saying oh oh oh ah
It's unclear what word Marques is saying here or what it means, but he is asking for a response from the audience.
Lay if you love him never (?) another try and let me hear ya say eh eh eh eh
It's unclear what word Marques is saying here or what it means, but he is asking for a response from women who love their partner and want to express it.
Stranger, Stranger
The girl and Marques are strangers to each other.
Swear that I know you
Despite being strangers, Marques feels like he knows the girl well.
Stranger, stranger promise that I need you
Marques feels a strong emotional connection to the girl, even though they don't know each other well.
Wanna get to know you better
Marques wants to spend more time with the girl and develop a deeper connection with her.
Contributed by Zoe L. Suggest a correction in the comments below.