Raised in Washington, D.C., Meshell Suhaila Bashir Shakur (as she became known) adopted the surname Ndegéocello, which means "free like a bird", while still in her teens. She has been hailed in the music press as a redeemer of soul music. Her music incorporates funk, soul, hip-hop, reggae, rock and jazz. She has been nominated for 9 Grammys. She has frequently toured with Lilith Fair.
Ndegeocello honed her chops on the D.C. Go-go circuit in the late 1980s before venturing out as a solo artist. She emerged as a recording artist in 1993 on Maverick Records/Sire Records with her debut, Plantation Lullabies. This recording presented a distinctly androgynous persona. Her music has been featured in a number of film soundtracks including How Stella Got Her Groove Back and Batman and Robin. She has also appeared on recordings by Basement Jaxx and The Blind Boys of Alabama, among others. Her biggest hit is a duet with John Cougar Mellencamp, a cover version of Van Morrison's Wild Night, which reached #3 on the Billboard charts.
Her singles If That's Your Boyfriend (He Wasn't Last Night), Leviticus: Faggot, and her cover of Bill Withers Who Is He and What Is He To You? have all charted in the Billboard top 20. She sang background vocals on the song I'd Rather be Your Lover by Madonna, on her album Bedtime Stories. She also sang with Chaka Khan on the single Never Miss the Water, as well as providing her typical solid bass skills.
Sites: YouTube, Deezer, SoundCloud, Wikipedia, Discogs, MusicBrainz, Twitter and Google+
Untitled
Me'Shell Ndegéocello Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Her beauty cannot be measured with standards of a colonized mind
Darker than blue darker than her blackness
Unblemished her features broad and striking
She cradles his body with her large hands
Her fingers stretch endlessly into his world of pain
Her caresses warm and penetrating she loves the black boy
His existence predestined to be one of no remorse compassion
But the love he gives (a doxology for her)
He praises and cares for what he can never be
There's such purity in a love that is essential to the loving of one's self
The lyrics to Me'Shell Ndegéocello's song Untitled are a powerful ode to blackness and love. The opening line "Her blackness is fine, the blackness of her skin the blackness of her mind" is a celebration of blackness and the beauty of it, without conforming to Eurocentric beauty standards. The phrase "the blackness of her mind" extends the metaphor beyond just physical appearance, acknowledging that blackness is a state of mind as well. The following lines continue this theme, with "darker than blue" and "unblemished her features broad and striking" painting a stunning picture of the black woman being described.
The second half of the song turns its attention to love, specifically the love between a black woman and a black boy. The black woman's endless fingers "stretch into his world of pain", offering comfort and support to a world that has not been kind to him. The lines "his existence predestined to be one of no remorse compassion, or the delusion of equality" highlights the systemic injustice that black boys face, but also implies that the love he receives from the black woman is a source of hope and strength. The final lines of the song "there's such purity in a love that is essential to the loving of one's self" acknowledges the importance of self-love, and suggests that the love between the black woman and the black boy is also a reflection of their own self-love.
Line by Line Meaning
Her blackness is fine, the blackness of her skin the blackness of her mind
Her beauty cannot be measured with standards of a colonized mind
Darker than blue darker than her blackness
Unblemished her features broad and striking
She cradles his body with her large hands
Her fingers stretch endlessly into his world of pain
Her caresses warm and penetrating she loves the black boy
His existence predestined to be one of no remorse compassion or the delusion of equality
But the love he gives (a doxology for her)
He praises and cares for what he can never be
There's such purity in a love that is essential to the loving of one's self
Lyrics © Warner/Chappell Music, Inc.
Written by: JASON CLARK, NICHOLAS DEWITT, DEREK FUDESCO, ANDREA ZOLLO, NATHAN JOHNSON
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
Remy Etienne Le Beau
Avant garde....