Musiq Soulchild was born and raised in Philadelphia and grew up with his family--including eight brothers and sister]. As a teenager, he began plans for a career in music. He released his debut album, ''Aijuswanaseing'' (read: "I Just Want to Sing"), in 2000, which was well-received by critics and audiences. Musiq did much of his own songwriting, and most of the record was produced and co-written by Ivan "Orthodox" Barias and Carvin "Ransum" Haggins, then of the A Touch of Jazz production company headed by Jazzy Jeff, now of Karma Productions. The singles "Just Friends (Sunny)", "Love", and "Girl Next Door" received exposure in America mainly on the more underground music video network, MTV2, as well as on BET. His singles also received a good amount of airplay on urban and urban contemporary radio stations.
In 2002, he released his sophomore album, ''Juslisen'' (read: "Just Listen"), as simply ''Musiq''. He had continued urban and MTV2 success with its singles, "halfcrazy" and "dontchange", the former of which was one of the most played music videos on MTV2 in the summer of 2002 and during the year overall. Both videos also got substantial play during the year on VH1 Soul. The singles had heavily amounts of airplay on both urban and urban contemporary radio sations in 2002. He also gained exposure during that year by opening concerts for Alicia Keys.
In late 2002, Musiq contributed guest vocals to "Break You Off", the first single from The Roots' ''Phrenology'' album. Once again, its video got heavy play on MTV2 and VH1 Soul, as well as on MTV Jams. He also appeared in Santana's song "Nothing at All" which is featured in his 2002 album ''Shaman''.
In 2003, the singles and videos "forthenight" and "whoknows" from his third LP, ''Soulstar''. "forthenight" was one of VH1 Soul's most played videos of 2004, and also had a very successful run on American urban radio stations.
Recently, Musiq Soulchild (who has added the "Soulchild" to his moniker again) has parted ways with Def Soul and has signed with Atlantic Records. A new Musiq Soulchild album is slated for a spring 2007 release. He will be making guest appearances on rapper Lloyd Banks's ''Rotten Apple'', Talib Kweli "Eardrum", Black Ice "The Death of Willie Lynch", pay tribute to Soul music legends Earth Wind and Fire and appear on the soundtrack "Daddy's Little Girls".
Musiq Soulchild released his debut album, Aijuswanaseing (I Just Want to Sing), in 2000, which included the Billboard Hot R&B/Hip Hop single, "Just Friends (Sunny)". Musiq's second single, "Love", spent 22 weeks on the Billboard Hot 100 charts. Musiq’s sophomore album, 2002's Juslisen (Just Listen), debuted at number 1 on the Billboard Charts and went platinum; "Halfcrazy" and "Dontchange". In 2003, Musiq released his 3rd album, Soulstar. It included the singles "Forthenight" and "Whoknows".
After a four year break and changing his management to Solqi Management and his record label to Atlantic Records, in 2007, Musiq's released his fourth album Luvanmusiq (Love and Music) which included the singles "B.U.D.D.Y.", "Teachme", and "Makeyouhappy". His fifth album OnMyRadio was released on December 2, 2008. The lead single, "Radio" has posted on both Musiq's MySpace page and official website.
Musiq Soulchild has had 2 platinum albums, 2 gold albums and 7 hit singles. He has received awards from Billboard, BET, ASCAP, BMI, and Soul Train. Musiq has also earned award nominations from MTV, American Music Awards, NAACP, and 9 Grammy nominations, including 3 for his 2007 album Luvanmusiq. Besides being a successful recording artist, Musiq is notable for his creative and unique way of titling his albums and songs by ignoring the rules of capitalization, punctuation and spelling.
He recently performed at the Antigua & Barbuda first Romantic Rhythms Music Festival in the Caribbean which was held from June 12-15,2008 which features legendary artists such as Kenny Rogers, Brian McKnight, Lionel Richie, Keyshia Cole, Maxi Priest, Destra, Heather Headly, Shaggy and many other local artist from the island including The Burning Flames.
He has also made guest appearances on rapper Lloyd Banks's album Rotten Apple, Talib Kweli's Eardrum, The Roots's Phrenology (album), Black Ice's The Death of Willie Lynch and pays tribute to soul music legends Earth Wind and Fire, appearing on the soundtrack to Tyler Perry's movie Daddy's Little Girls. And Ice Cube announced that Musiq will appear on his upcoming album, Raw Footage. He also lent a song from his latest album Luvanmusiq to the soundtrack for Perry's later movie Why Did I Get Married?. He then recorded a remake of Arrested Development's song "People Everyday" with British rapper Estelle for the soundtrack to Tyler Perry's Meet the Browns entitled "People Everyday (Metamorphosis Mix)".
Outside of music, he has been featured in television and print ads for McDonald's, Nike, Inc., Coca-Cola, Levi Strauss & Co. and The Gap. He also made a special appearance in The CW's #1 comedy The Game on Monday, October 29, 2007.
143
Musiq Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
While you were working just to say
Left messages on your answering machine
About three or four times a day
There aren't many more ways in words that I can say
So I'll just say numerically from my heart to you - 143
So many times I've brought roses
I can't remember how many e-mails I sent you
Just to tell you about my day
There aren't many more ways in words that I can say
So I'll just say numerically from my soul to you - 143
Girl you know you are so special to me
And you deserve to be treated exclusively
I treat you like Valentines Day 365 a year
Make sure that everything you need will always be right here
I just refuse to be your typical ordinary run of the mill
Garden variety lover
I'll make sure everyday you live will be like Christmas Eve
I want to make you feel fine
Just like a summer breeze
Cause I refuse to be predictable average run of the mill
Garden variety love
See sometimes words may get in the way
Of things that you really really meant to say
So I want to out this time to make sure that how I really feel
Gets through to you
Cause listen
There aren't many more ways and words that I can say
So I choose to tell you how I feel in a numerical way'
Got so tired of trying to find the most complicated way
To say it to you so I simplified and broke it down
To 143 - and that means I love you
The song "143" by Musiq is a tribute to a woman that he deeply cares about. The song is named after the pager code for "I love you," which originated in the 90s when pagers were a popular means of communication. Musiq begins the song by admitting that he calls the woman while she's working, leaves messages on her answering machine, and sends her numerous emails daily just to remind her that he's thinking about her. He then tells her that he's brought her numerous roses just to see her smile and that he prefers to express himself numerically, saying "there aren't many more ways in words that I can say, So I'll just say numerically from my soul to you - 143."
Musiq then goes on to express his love for this special woman by saying he treats her like Valentine's Day every day of the year and that he refuses to be an ordinary lover. He compares himself to a garden variety lover who is predictable and average, but he wants to make her feel special every day of her life. He uses the analogy of Christmas Eve to describe the feeling he wants to give her and promises to be there for her every step of the way. Finally, Musiq admits that sometimes words aren't enough to express his feelings, so he's chosen to tell her he loves her numerically using the pager code, 143, which means "I love you."
Overall, the song celebrates the beauty in simple expressions of love and emphasizes the importance of treating loved ones specially. Musiq uses the pager code to convey that his love is not complicated, it's pure and genuine. The song is a beautiful tribute to a loved one who is special to the singer.
Line by Line Meaning
How many times have I called you
Expressing the frequency with which the singer has called the addressed person.
While you were working just to say
Highlighting how busy the addressed person typically is.
Left messages on your answering machine
Indicating that the singer has been unable to reach the addressed person directly.
About three or four times a day
Quantifying the number of attempts to communicate made by the artist.
There aren't many more ways in words that I can say
Conveying the idea that the artist has already used up all their words.
So I'll just say numerically from my heart to you - 143
Explaining the decision to express love using a numeric code.
So many times I've brought roses
Asserting the frequency with which the singer has brought gifts.
Just to see that smile on your face
Focusing on the pleasure derived from bringing joy to the addressed person.
I can't remember how many e-mails I sent you
Implying a high volume of digital communication.
Just to tell you about my day
Highlighting the importance of involving the addressed person in daily life.
There aren't many more ways in words that I can say
Reiterating the idea that language is limited in expressing love.
So I'll just say numerically from my soul to you - 143
Further emphasizing the use of numbers as a means of conveying affection.
Girl you know you are so special to me
Affirming the addressed person's importance in the singer's life.
And you deserve to be treated exclusively
Stressing the value the singer places on exclusivity.
I treat you like Valentines Day 365 a year
Describing the level of care and attention the addressed person receives.
Make sure that everything you need will always be right here
Assuring the addressed person of the artist's commitment to the relationship.
I just refuse to be your typical ordinary run of the mill
Expressing the artist's desire to go above and beyond in the relationship.
Garden variety lover
Using imagery to critique the average or mundane.
I'll make sure everyday you live will be like Christmas Eve
Highlighting the level of excitement and joy the singer wishes to impart.
I want to make you feel fine
Stating the goal of bringing happiness and contentment to the addressed person.
Just like a summer breeze
Using imagery to describe the desired effects of the artist's actions.
Cause I refuse to be predictable average run of the mill
Reiterating the artist's rejection of mediocrity in relationships.
Garden variety love
Comparing the singer's intensity of emotion to a garden with nothing special or unique.
See sometimes words may get in the way
Acknowledging the limitations of language in expressing emotions.
Of things that you really really meant to say
Recognizing the difficulties of expressing oneself honestly.
So I want to out this time to make sure that how I really feel
Explaining the motivation behind using a numerical code.
Gets through to you
Asserting the importance of the addressed person understanding the singer's feelings.
Cause listen
Introducing a new phase in the conversational exchange.
There aren't many more ways and words that I can say
Recalling previous sentiments about the limitations of verbal expression.
So I choose to tell you how I feel in a numerical way'
Reiterating the decision to use a numeric code to convey affection.
Got so tired of trying to find the most complicated way
Acknowledging previous attempts to overcomplicate expressing feelings.
To say it to you so I simplified and broke it down
Explaining the process of refining the message to its essence.
To 143 - and that means I love you
Revealing the meaning behind the numeric code previously mentioned.
Lyrics © Universal Music Publishing Group
Written by: CARVIN HAGGINS, TAALIB JOHNSON, KEITH PELZER, KEITH ISAIHA PELZER
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind