Before establishing himself as a solo artist in the early 2000s, Mr. Cheeks… Read Full Bio ↴Before establishing himself as a solo artist in the early 2000s, Mr. Cheeks made a name for himself as a member of the Lost Boyz in the mid- to late '90s. Cheeks and the other members of the Lost Boyz practiced a sincere, literate, non-sensational style of New York hip-hop. As a result, they never attained substantial commercial success, yet garnered substantial critical acclaim and were underground favorites. But when Freaky Tah met an unfortunate demise, the Lost Boyz soon broke ranks and remained quiet. Cheeks resurfaced in late 2001, though, and he came with a more mature outlook on life that informed his rhymes with a greater sense of knowledge and truth than before. His debut solo album, John P. Kelly, featured the massive hit single "Lights, Camera, Action!" as well as production by a broad roster of producers including Stephen Marley, Bink!, and Easy Mo Bee. ~ Jason Birchmeier, All Music Guide

I Remember
Mr. Cheeks Lyrics

Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴

[Verse 1: Mr. Cheeks]
Whoever thought this a happen?
Hey yo, that bum nigga rappin,' took it the top, now I won't stop
I remember bein' broke cause if I didn't nigga
I'd be frontin,' reminisicin' where your nigga at?
Ain't nuthin,' never thought about the hot outfits, jewelry or the celly
Back then we was in the skelly
Shorties with the barrettes, candy in the bag

The handgun, remember when we shot the fair one?
A nigga like me had the motherfuckin' pro players and my Lees on
For a nickel got my squeeze on
Fly balls off the wall in the schoolyard
Swear to gods got my first quickie in school garage

[Chorus]
I remember those days
You and I gettin' paid
Now we got it made, oh yeah
I remember, I remember

[Verse 2: Mr. Cheeks]
Aiyo, we open gates and let the dogs chase us home after school
Until my nigga Skee got bit, yo, but that was cool
We took him to the crib we laughin', growin' up
We drinkin' liquor on the stool while he throwin' up
We runnin' from school security, besides that the 102 cops
Yo, the man was my grandpops
He used to air me out, he never tried to even motherfuckin' hear me out
No punishment, but here we out
We back at it again, me and my men
Yo what was realest when us niggas ?????
And all we want to know does anybody fuckin' care?
And why this trouble follow me every fuckin' where?

[Chorus]

(Indistinct Talking)

[Verse 3: Mr. Cheeks]
Aiyo, we used to hot wire cars, bragged about the scars we collected
Tryin? to escape from them older guys up at the bars
They never let us bang, let's act ???????
We knew they had a crew, but yo our crew was thick
OK, now we graduated from junior high
We into badder bitches, caine, getting money yo, we livin? fly
We got the Jordan and ball, we got the weed and all
When Chris died yo we felt there was no need to fall
We seen it all, from welfare lines, all them good and bad times
Back then I wish I had rhymes
I got my childhood name from my wild hood
Sling still, as though it was a good thing

[Chorus] - repeat 3X

Overall Meaning

In the song "I Remember" by Mr. Cheeks, the artist takes listeners on a nostalgic journey back to his childhood in Queens, New York. The lyrics describe the struggle of growing up poor and the journey to success. The first verse expresses gratitude for his current success, and reminisces about the days of struggling financially. Cheeks talks about how he didn't have much, but he and his friends still found ways to have fun, like shooting hoops and getting candy from the store. He also mentions how they would settle arguments by fighting fair and square.

In the second verse, Cheeks recalls some of the more dangerous activities he and his friends engaged in, like hot-wiring cars and running from the police. He describes how they would hide from the cops in sewer drains and from school security guards on foot chases. Cheeks remembers his grandfather who never seemed to listen to him, but he didn't mind being punished if it meant hanging out with his friends again.

Overall, the lyrics convey a sense of longing for simpler times, while still acknowledging the progress that has been made. The chorus repeats the phrase "I remember" as a way of solidifying these memories, and reminding listeners of the past.

Line by Line Meaning

Whoever thought this a happen?
I never thought I'd make it this far in the rap game.

Hey yo, that bum nigga rappin,' took it the top, now I won't stop
I started from the bottom as a nobody, but now that I'm successful, I won't give up.

I remember bein' broke cause if I didn't nigga I'd be frontin,' reminisicin' where your nigga at? Ain't nuthin,'
I remember being poor, and if I pretended to be rich, people would see through it. But now that I'm successful, I have nothing to prove.

never thought about the hot outfits, jewelry or the celly Back then we was in the skelly Shorties with the barrettes, candy in the bag The handgun, remember when we shot the fair one?
Back then, we didn't care about designer clothes or phones. We played street games, and sometimes got into fights.

A nigga like me had the motherfuckin' pro players and my Lees on For a nickel got my squeeze on Fly balls off the wall in the schoolyard Swear to gods got my first quickie in school garage
I used to wear expensive clothes and sneakers, and sometimes even carried a gun. I played sports with my friends, and even had some sexual experiences as a teenager.

Aiyo, we open gates and let the dogs chase us home after school Until my nigga Skee got bit, yo, but that was cool We took him to the crib we laughin', growin' up We drinkin' liquor on the stool while he throwin' up
We used to have fun by letting dogs chase us, but one of my friends got bitten. We took care of him and laughed about it later while drinking alcohol.

We runnin' from school security, besides that the 102 cops Yo, the man was my grandpops He used to air me out, he never tried to even motherfuckin' hear me out No punishment, but here we out
We would try to avoid getting caught by school security and even the police, but one of the cops was my grandpa. He never gave me a break, but I still hung out with my friends.

We seen it all, from welfare lines, all them good and bad times Back then I wish I had rhymes I got my childhood name from my wild hood Sling still, as though it was a good thing
We went through tough times, including relying on welfare. I wish I had my rapping skills back then. My nickname comes from my wild past, and I still sell drugs.

I remember those days You and I gettin' paid Now we got it made, oh yeah I remember, I remember
I look back on those days of struggle, and now that we're successful, I still remember where I came from.

Lyrics © Universal Music Publishing Group, Royalty Network, O/B/O DistroKid
Written by: JASON SCOTT BROWN, JOAN ANITA BARBARA ARMATRADING, TERRANCE COCHEEKS KELLY

Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind

To comment on or correct specific content, highlight it

TRACKS