Monica
Monica Feat Missy Elliot Lyrics


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It's the weekend I'm tryna get my freak in
I feel the need like the breezes in the trees
Yeah
Don't need a reason I'll change just like the seasons
Yeah I've been reading
Cuz Miles is always geekin
It's so relatable
Like carbon copy yeah your papers traceable
I'll sift thru the change when my days aren't available, ink's not erasable
Thumbin thru cash if you're capable
Hit up the fax for the mailable
Forward address on my desk like your main thing cuz the manicure nailable
Fallin to earth I didn't crash land
Correct my course slippin through the sand
Through the hourglass cracks of my hand
Fingers to toes
7 Realms that I passed
I gotta go back
Thrown to the wolves, now we hunt in packs
I'm doin like 90 over the limit
And it's never too fast, nah
It's not a weekend at Bernies
Pulling my strings cuz my heart has been hurting
Learn to crawl when I fall I am learning
Ay
Can you stand up so they stand down
Hold on queen you dropped your crown
Know your worth you smile they frown
Drip so big you slip they drown-in
Yeah-ah
Drip so big you slip they drownin
She wanna take a vacation
I told her baby let's not get complacent
Bottom of the bottle you've been chasin
Why is the time always wasted
I don't know why I don't want your help
Broken inside I fell off the shelf
Picked up my pieces and shared the wealth
Could never forget how I lost myself
It's all been said
Nothings left
That's still something
So please don't stress
We got time god bless this mess
Crew to captain swab the deck
Coast side still kicking
Muscle cars hard whippin
Flex big shirts rippin
Crop tops no zippin
Hennessy I been sippin
Viper venom I been spittin
Drip big they been slippin
Easy flow I ain't sittin
She wanna take a vacation
I told her baby let's not get complacent
Bottom of the bottle you've been chasin
Why is the time always wasted
I don't know why I don't want your help
Broken inside I fell off the shelf
Picked up my pieces and shared the wealth
Could never forget how I lost myself
It's all been said
Nothings left
That's still something
So please don't stress




We got time god bless this mess
Crew to captain swab the deck

Overall Meaning

The song “Monica” by Monica and Dem Franchize Boyz appears to be a song about living life to the fullest and embracing change. The lyrics describe the desire to let loose and have fun on the weekend, not needing a reason to change like the seasons. The persona in the song is relatable, sifting through change when days aren't available, and thumbing through cash if it's doable. The lyrics also describe a spiritual journey towards self-awareness, with references to the seven realms and correcting one’s course when slipping through the cracks. The lyrics end with the persona recognizing the mess in their life but embracing it, suggesting that there is still something to gain from it.


The song appears to be an ode to Monica’s inner strength and her journey to self-discovery. The song’s lyrics also reference Monica’s perseverance, as she picks herself up from a broken place and shares her wealth with others. The dynamics of the song work well with Dem Franchize Boyz, with their distinct style adding a layer of energy and excitement to the song.


Line by Line Meaning

It's the weekend I'm tryna get my freak in
I am excited for the weekend and want to have some fun.


I feel the need like the breezes in the trees
I have a strong desire that I can feel in my bones.


Don't need a reason I'll change just like the seasons
I am willing to change without any specific reason, just like the seasons change naturally.


Yeah I've been reading, Cuz Miles is always geekin
I have been reading a lot because my friend Miles is always studying or obsessing over something.


It's so relatable, Like carbon copy yeah your papers traceable
The situation is familiar to me, like a carbon copy, and everyone can tell where I have been and what I have done.


I'll sift thru the change when my days aren't available, ink's not erasable
I will go through my money when I have free time, but I can't erase what I've already spent.


Thumbin thru cash if you're capable, Hit up the fax for the mailable
If you have enough money, go ahead and use it. And if you need to send something, use the fax machine.


Forward address on my desk like your main thing cuz the manicure nailable
I have a lot of important things on my desk, and my address is just as important as someone's manicure being neat and clean.


Fallin to earth I didn't crash land, Correct my course slippin through the sand
I fell but managed to land safely, and now I am trying to get back on track.


Through the hourglass cracks of my hand, Fingers to toes, 7 Realms that I passed
I have gone through a lot of struggles and experiences, and time is slipping away from me like sand through my fingers.


I gotta go back, Thrown to the wolves, now we hunt in packs
I need to go back and face my challenges that I've been avoiding. But now I am stronger, and I am ready to face them with my friends.


I'm doin like 90 over the limit, And it's never too fast, nah
I am going really fast, and I know I shouldn't, but I don't care because I am having fun.


It's not a weekend at Bernies, Pulling my strings cuz my heart has been hurting
I am not having a fun, carefree time like in the movie 'Weekend at Bernie's.' My emotions are controlling me.


Learn to crawl when I fall I am learning, Ay
Whenever I fall down, I am learning how to get back up again and keep going.


Can you stand up so they stand down, Hold on queen you dropped your crown
If you can rise above a situation, others will follow your example. And if someone needs help or support, you should offer it to them.


Know your worth you smile they frown, Drip so big you slip they drown-in, Yeah-ah
Be confident and proud of yourself, even if others are envious. Your success will make them feel inferior.


She wanna take a vacation, I told her baby let's not get complacent, Bottom of the bottle you've been chasin
My friend wants to take a break, but I am urging them not to become too comfortable and lazy. And I am concerned that they are drinking too much.


Why is the time always wasted, I don't know why I don't want your help
I am frustrated that time is passing without any progress or improvement. And for some reason, I am rejecting someone's offer of help.


Broken inside I fell off the shelf, Picked up my pieces and shared the wealth
I have been emotionally hurt, but I have picked myself up and learned from the experience. And now I am sharing my knowledge and wisdom with others.


Could never forget how I lost myself, It's all been said, Nothings left, That's still something, So please don't stress
I will always remember how I struggled to find my identity, but I have moved on from that time. Even though I don't have everything together, I am proud of the progress I have made and I urge others to not worry too much.


We got time god bless this mess, Crew to captain swab the deck
We have time to sort out our problems, and we should be grateful for the opportunities that we have. And we should all work together to clean up the mess and make things better.


Coast side still kicking, Muscle cars hard whippin, Flex big shirts rippin, Crop tops no zippin, Hennessy I been sippin, Viper venom I been spittin, Drip big they been slippin, Easy flow I ain't sittin
I'm still living the good life by the coast, driving powerful cars and showing off my muscles. I wear tight shirts without buttons and drink Hennessy, and I have a venomous tongue when I rap. I am successful and confident, and my competition can't keep up with me.




Lyrics © DistroKid
Written by: Corey Spetifore

Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
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Most interesting comments from YouTube:

@zucchinigreen

It's literally because Beyonce and Aaliyah's careers had a similar career trajectory a la Star Search and Beyonce's career rose astronomically post-Aaliyah's death.

That's it.

I'm old enough to remember how shocking Aaliyah's death was and I was young enough to have petty thoughts like "Why couldn't it be Britney???!"

I like Britney now, but she annoyed me back then.

It's also Millennials holding onto their youth through the now sanctified Aaliyah and the potential of who she could have been.

When people die at a young age, people will always try to rationalize it or find meaning in it. The Aaliyah vs Beyonce rhetoric helps people cope through the senselessness of Aaliyah's death 🤷‍♀️

People gone people.



@laneatylers5805

There have been so many stories of Aaliyah working with Destiny’s Child but people still decide to pit them against each other. So I’m going to acknowledge some of them right now.

- Aaliyah’s Uncle Barry Hankerson admitted that him and Aaliyah were fans of Beyonce and that sometimes she would come in the studio to help Aaliyah write songs. “Beyonce’s Beyonce I’m a fan of hers Aaliyah was a fan of hers and to Beyoncé’s credit Beyonce actually came to the studio and helped Aaliyah write some songs and she was very non egotistical in that point of view which I appreciate because I’ve worked with a lot of artist that the ego we would have to move some furniture to get them in a room”

- Aaliyah helped choreograph the video to “Get On The Bus” for Destinys Child.

- In an early interview Destinys Child was seen rehearsing to Aaliyah’s “Came To Give More Love”

- In the behind the scenes of Beyoncé’s “Best Thing I Never Had” Music video there was an Aaliyah poster in the background of Beyonce trying on clothes

- There’s a video on YouTube where Beyonce Is singing “A Change is Gonna Come” at one of her concerts and in the back its showing various black legends and one of them is Aaliyah.

- Aaliyah shouted out DC when she was hosting TRL and complimented their “Survivor” video.

- There is a very old photo of Beyonce wearing a sweatshirt with Aaliyah’s face on it

- Beyonce gave Aaliyah a birthday tribute on her website

- Aaliyah’s referenced in Beyoncé’s “Break My Soul” remix

- On the 15th Anniversary of her Death Beyonce posted the video of their interview on instagram



@OderaIgbokwe

Thankyou so much for this video. It has echoed so many things I have thought and seen over the past few years, and it makes engaging with Aaliyah's music online so much more difficult than it should be. The first major musicians in my upbringing were Aaliyah, Mariah, and Destiny's Child. Since then they remain some of my absolute favorites along with Beyoncé.

I started typing up different points as I watched this video (and wrote way too much), but I feel like you hit the nail on the head for each of them. But I just want to echo that you aren't tripping, there is just a nasty form of misogynoir, respectability, and purity politics occurring. More than anything I feel like it's a shame that so much of the conversation isn't about what Aaliyah left with us, which was the sublime, genre bending, otherworldly music and performances. I didn't realize it as deeply as I do now (because I was a child), but to be a teenage Black girl in the 90s into her early 20s and accomplish the things she did, with her voice, with her styling, with her performances? It's truly astonishing and not common at all.

Other points that came to mind:
- It's not only disrespectful to compare someone in their death at 22 years old, but Aaliyah died so young that the majority of her career she was a child. Now that I am in my 30s, I can even see that someone who is 22 is barely into their adulthood. So it just feel so strange and vile to me, for people to talk about Black girls/teenagers in this way.

- You alluded to this, but I just have to reiterate that it doesn't make sense to compare a Beyoncé or DC3 to Aaliyah musically or commercially. Destiny's Child were absolutely r&b, but by the time Survivor came out they had extreme pop crossover. Sometimes even getting flack for the production choices on Survivor for leaning away from a more classic r&b sound. But with the poppier sound allowed them to absolutely soar commercially and crossover, while Aaliyah's 3rd album was underperforming due to problems with the rollout and drama at Blackground records.

- On top of that I just have to give everyone their flowers and say, the way that a Beyonce, Destiny's Child, or Aaliyah constructed creative projects were so uniquely them. DC was drawing from soul, gospel, r&b. And the unique aspects came from the strange, unique harmonies and vocal production and melodic choices on top of beats that were a little more sparse or repetitive. Often the sound was more about belting, layering, very direct/forward songs where the vocal performance is centerstage (with small curiosities occurring in the background). And visually it was all about a group of Black teen girls/young women who were playing with country-glamour and southern bell aesthetics.
In contrast Aaliyah was all about the mystique and effortlessness in her voice, whether she was singing sultry and low or angelic and high. She was drawing from some of the same references, but as opposed to the Southern influences and Gospel-hiphop delivery it was more about the sound that she crafted together with Timbaland and Missy. The production was futuristic and there was an ease and airiness that allowed for the production to be just as centerstage as the voice. And then in terms of genre you could hear her love for the dark, heavy, industrial, gothic, and metal influences. It's really the sort of thing you didn't get to hear from Black r&b/pop artists with the exception of a few Janet Jackson tracks. Visually, the choices reflected the song selection. And so overall Aaliyah originally started off being compared a bit to Brandy and Monica, just because of their ages and identities, by One in a million she was kind off uniquely on her own in the same way Missy and Timbaland were.

_ I think a big thing that people overlook, is the harm from the actual adult men in her circle and how unprotected she was since childhood. And additionally, it has been revealed over time how the CEO of Blackground Records (her uncle), had shady dealings that went on to directly affect all the artists and collaborators. Almost everyone who has worked with them had bad things to say, and I feel like Aaliyah was the exception because she was the star of Blackground and related via family. But between the management mishaps, the drama that was occurring internally because of Blackground, I easily could have seen a future where Aaliyah records started to underperform until she got new management, or perhaps she would have focused on acting until the music business dealings became more secure.

Anyway this is super long now, but this is to say this video is such a needed balm because I feel like I haven't been able to enjoy the communal aspects of listening to Aaliyah, because of the gross misogynoir on display.



All comments from YouTube:

@yageshabazz3456

It’s so weird seeing people use Aaliyah to degrade other female artists when Aaliyah herself was never about that when she was alive. She refused a movie role once because it was making fun of Brandy, and yet people think it’s okay to tear down other women in her name? Madness.

@hunni2968

Oh my god I never knew! Thanks for sharing it is always a joy to learn new things about her instead of the same old regurgitated stuff Id like to think by collecting and sharing little known facts keeps her legacy alive. So, I’ll share one as well. Once on the set of Romeo must die there was a cast mate making fun another cast mate for being an openly gay man and Aaliyah stood up for him and shut that shit that down immediately as you know one of her stylist/ hairstylist by the name of Eric who unfortunately passed with her in the accident was also an openly gay man.

@TequilaMockingbird88

@@hunni2968it’s so refreshing to hear that and I’m with you on wanting to hear new things about Aaliyah. I’m so tired of the reductive and repetitive conversations about her

@lulujones

What role was that out of interest?

@monovatherealest

​​​@@lulujones she was offered to play Brenda from the Scary Movie franchise, it was meant to be a parody of Scream and I Know What You Did Last Summer, which Brandy was in; Brenda's character was a parody of Brandy's character.

@wtttff

@@hunni2968she was truly the most exalted one! miss her everyday 💯

8 More Replies...

@nothanksplease

They should focus on protecting young people from the monsters in Hollywood and stop comparing children who were abused to random other pop stars.

@kaeg.7800

the people who push these Beyoncé conspiracy theories don't care about children being exploited by powerful men

@lexo420

That part!!! R. Kelly who married Aaliyah or tried when she was 16.

@saltcaramel9083

@@lexo420 It was actually when she was 15, and people who were around them at the time said he’d been raping her when she was at least 13-14 because they’d caught them on a tour bus. Keep in mind that they’d met when she was 12 and he was 24.

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