Ms. Dynamite was born and raised in Archway, London, England, to a Scottish mother and a Jamaican father. She grew up listening to reggae and hip hop music. Though she wanted to become a schoolteacher or social worker, her biggest aspiration was to be a musician. She is the eldest of eleven siblings, one of whom is a grime artist known as Akala.
While working at the radio station RAW FM, Ms. Dynamite was discovered by Richard Forbes at a West End club. After working briefly with the garage act So Solid Crew, she released her debut album, A Little Deeper, in 2002, which won Britain's prestigious Mercury Prize for Album of the Year for 2002.
2001
It Takes More
Ms. Dynamite Lyrics
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Fighting, fuckin'
Like you don't want to grow
Your talking so much sex
But you not tell the youth 'bout AIDS
You not tell them 'bout consequence, no
Your talking like you a G
But you are killer killing your own
Tell me who wants to know
What when who where
Or how you do your hoe's
Certainly not me
Certainly not me
'Cause baby personally
I like to be challenged mentally
I've heard it all before
Gangsta's pimps and whores
Quality is poor
A girl like me needs more
It takes more (takes more)
To amuse a girl like me
So much more (much more)
To confuse a girl like me
They've got you (got you)
'Cause while you braggin' 'bout your badness your just
Avoiding, adding
To the real shit thats happenin' to us
Now who gives a damn
About the ice on your hands?
If its not too complex
Tell me how many African's died
For the baguettes on your Rolex?
So what you pushing a nice car
Don't you know there's no such thing as superstar
We leave this world alone
So who gives a fuck about the things you own?
Certainly not me
Certainly not me
'Cause baby personally
I like to be challenged mentally
Your shit's insignificant
And it don't help to pay my rent
Its pure negativity
That you impose on me
It takes more (takes more)
To amuse a girl like me
So much more (much more)
To confuse a girl like me
They've got you (got you)
'Cause while you braggin' 'bout your badness your just
Avoiding, adding
To the real shit thats happenin' to us
Now I can sit
And chat shit about dicks and sex
But my business is my business I got self respect
I can talk 'bout how my press could pimp man's dough
Get the keys to his ride and his home
But I looked it up and that would make me a ho'
Little sisters now I really gotta let you know
Real woman ain't sexin' for no mans dough
Real woman work hard to make the dough
And we can all chat 'bout gats and blacks
On blacks and force the hypes and all the stereotypes
We're used to watching, but that ain't what I'm here for
Show them to think higher and aspire for more
It takes more (takes more)
To amuse a girl like me
So much more (much more)
To confuse a girl like me
They've got you (got you)
'Cause while you braggin' 'bout your badness your just
Avoiding, adding
To the real shit thats happenin' to us
It takes more (takes more)
To amuse a girl like me
So much more (much more)
To confuse a girl like me
They've got you (got you)
'Cause while you braggin' 'bout your badness your just
Avoiding, adding
To the real shit thats happenin' to us
In Ms. Dynamite's song, "It Takes More," she criticizes the music industry for promoting violence, sex, and materialism without addressing the consequences that come with such behavior. The lyrics suggest that the industry is not fulfilling its responsibility to educate young people about the real issues affect their lives, such as the AIDS epidemic and racial inequality. Ms. Dynamite encourages people to aspire for more and be challenged intellectually instead of being entertained by meaningless and negative content.
She highlights the hypocrisy of the industry, where people brag about their wealth and success but fail to acknowledge the suffering of others. Ms. Dynamite questions the value of material possessions and whether they are worth the cost of human life. She encourages people to focus on personal growth instead of material gain and to strive for a better understanding of the world around them.
The chorus echoes her sentiments, stating that it takes more to amuse a girl like her and that people who focus on their "badness" are avoiding the real issues that are happening to all of us. Ms. Dynamite uses her platform to call attention to the importance of education and self-improvement as a means to achieve a better society.
Line by Line Meaning
The shit that you promote
The content that you promote
Fighting, fuckin'
Referencing violence and sex
Like you don't want to grow
Behaving like you don't want to mature
Your talking so much sex
Talking excessively about sex
But you not tell the youth 'bout AIDS
Failing to inform young people about the dangers of AIDS
You not tell them 'bout consequence, no
Failing to educate them about the consequences of such actions
Your talking like you a G
Projecting an image of being a gangster
But you are killer killing your own
Engaging in behavior that harms your own people
Your just a racist man's pussy
Someone who enables and promotes racism directed at their own race
Tell me who wants to know
Asking rhetorically who is interested
What when who where
Questions about the details of irrelevant topics
Or how you do your hoe's
Questions about the details of demeaning behavior towards women
Certainly not me
I am not interested in those things
Cause baby personally
Because personally
I like to be challenged mentally
I prefer intellectual stimulation
I've heard it all before
I am familiar with these themes and topics
Gangsta's pimps and whores
Themes and topics that reference criminal behavior and exploitation of women
Quality is poor
The content is of low quality
A girl like me needs more
I require substance and meaningful content
It takes more (takes more)
More effort and substance is required
To amuse a girl like me
To entertain me and hold my interest
So much more (much more)
Even more than that
To confuse a girl like me
To deceive or trick me - this is an ironic use of the word "confuse"
They've got you (got you)
Refers to the artists of the previous lines - they are distracted from important matters
Cause while you braggin' 'bout your badness your just
You are only
Avoiding, adding
Not dealing with, or contributing to
To the real shit thats happenin' to us
The important issues and problems that affect us all
Now who gives a damn
Rhetorical question implying a lack of interest or concern
About the ice on your hands?
Refers to expensive jewelry and clothing as a shallow status symbol
If its not too complex
If it's not too difficult to explain
Tell me how many African's died
Referring to the exploitation of African people and resources
For the baguettes on your Rolex?
Asking if wealth is worth the cost of human life
So what you pushing a nice car
Owning an expensive car is not impressive or important
Don't you know there's no such thing as superstar
There is no one person who is superior to all others
We leave this world alone
We come into and leave this life by ourselves
So who gives a fuck about the things you own?
Possessions have no value or worth beyond this life
Your shit's insignificant
Your actions and behaviors are not important or meaningful
And it don't help to pay my rent
It doesn't improve my situation or solve my problems
Its pure negativity
It's entirely negative
That you impose on me
You try to make me accept negative attitudes and ideas
Now I can sit
The artist now shifts focus to speak about their own situation
And chat shit about dicks and sex
Engaging in vulgar conversation about sex
But my business is my business I got self respect
My personal life is mine to manage and I have dignity and worth
I can talk 'bout how my press could pimp man's dough
I could talk about using my attractiveness to manipulate men and their money
Get the keys to his ride and his home
Gaining access to their car and home for personal gain
But I looked it up and that would make me a ho'
Recognizing that such behavior would demean me and reduce my worth
Little sisters now I really gotta let you know
The singer addresses young women with important advice
Real woman ain't sexin' for no mans dough
True women don't use sexual behavior to gain wealth
Real woman work hard to make the dough
True women work hard to earn money independently
And we can all chat 'bout gats and blacks
We could choose to talk about guns and issues facing the Black community
On blacks and force the hypes and all the stereotypes
Addressing popular stereotypes and racial issues
We're used to watching, but that ain't what I'm here for
Refusing to conform to or support negative stereotypes
Show them to think higher and aspire for more
Encouraging others to think about meaningful and important issues
Lyrics © Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC
Written by: Michael R Harper, Niomi Maclean Daley
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind