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.
Ms. Philadelphia
Musiq Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Is the kind you listen to, to wash your troubles away
She sits all alone with her drink on its way
Posted with her eyes closed
As left to right her head sways
(Oh, so beautiful
All I could think is her vive wasn't no one's I've ever seen
So I sat, and as we started to chat, that's when she told me...
[Chorus]
She's from Philadelphia; she grew up on the west side
A one-room apartment in L.A., where she now resides
Oh, Ms. Philadelphia, though we just meet tonight
Can I be a part of your life?
Her favorite color's red; she has two dogs and a goldfish
She says, after law school, she wants a career before kids
We spoke forever on topics like religion and politics
Up until the music stopped and our time was at its end
(Oh, as the lights came up ever so slow
We had romanced, and I wasn't about to let it go)
As I pulled out her chair so that we could leave
I asked her, was it too soon to ask her 'can you spend the night with me?'
[Bridge]
Ms. P-H-I-L-L-Y, can we try to do this?
I hope I'm not asking to much, but
Can I get a little hometown love?
Ms. P-H-I-L-L-Y, let's just try to do this
I hope I'm not asking to much, but
Can I get a little hometown love?
[Chorus x 2]
The lyrics of Musiq Soulchild's song Ms. Philadelphia narrate the story of a man who meets a woman sitting alone in a bar, lost in the music played by the establishment. The man finds her attractive and decides to strike up a conversation. As they talk, she reveals that she is from Philadelphia but now lives in a one-room apartment in L.A. The rest of the lyrics delve into the details of their conversation, from her favorite color and pets to her aspirations to finish law school before starting a family. As the night comes to an end and the music stops, the man does not want to let go of the connection they've made and asks if she would like to spend the night with him.
The lyrics of Ms. Philadelphia tell a narrative of love at first sight, unexpected connections, and the hopeful possibility of future romance. The story is told in a straightforward and simple manner, without relying on complicated metaphors or poetic techniques. Musiq's voice is soothing, soulful, and rhythmic, underscoring the emotional significance of the lyrics.
Line by Line Meaning
This hole in the wall where the music they play
The place we are in is not very popular, but the music played here has the power to help anyone forget their sorrows.
Is the kind you listen to, to wash your troubles away
The type of music played here has a therapeutic effect, allowing everyone to momentarily forget their problems.
She sits all alone with her drink on its way
The girl in the corner is sitting alone and waiting for her drink to arrive.
Posted with her eyes closed
She seems to be lost in the music, enjoying every bit of it to the point that she has closed her eyes.
As left to right her head sways
The girl is enjoying the music so much that her head sways from left to right with the beat.
Oh, so beautiful
The singer mentions how beautiful the girl looks from a distance.
All I could think is her vive wasn't no one's I've ever seen
He was fascinated by the girl's vibe, as the singer had never seen anyone with such a unique aura before.
Hi, would you mind if I take a seat?
The artist asks the girl if he could sit with her.
She's from Philadelphia; she grew up on the west side
The girl introduces herself as being from Philadelphia, and mentions that she grew up on the west side.
A one-room apartment in L.A., where she now resides
She currently lives in a one-room apartment in L.A.
Oh, Ms. Philadelphia, though we just meet tonight
Despite just meeting each other, the singer addresses her as 'Ms. Philadelphia.'
Can I be a part of your life?
The artist expresses his interest in being a part of her life in some way.
Her favorite color's red; she has two dogs and a goldfish
The girl shares some personal details about herself, such as her favorite color being red and owning two dogs and a goldfish.
She says, after law school, she wants a career before kids
She mentions that once she graduates law school, she wants to focus on her career before starting a family.
We spoke forever on topics like religion and politics
The two of them engaged in deep conversations about religion and politics for an extended period of time.
Up until the music stopped and our time was at its end
They talked until the music stopped and their time together came to an end.
Oh, as the lights came up ever so slow
The lights in the venue began to brighten slowly as the night came to an end.
We had romanced, and I wasn't about to let it go
The singer mentions how they had a romantic night together and he didn't want it to end just yet.
As I pulled out her chair so that we could leave
In a gentlemanly gesture, the singer pulled out the girl's chair to help her leave the venue.
I asked her, was it too soon to ask her 'can you spend the night with me?'
The artist takes a bit of a risk and asks the girl if she would like to spend the night with him.
Ms. P-H-I-L-L-Y, can we try to do this?
The artist addresses the girl as 'Ms. Philly,' and asks if they can try to make their newfound relationship work.
I hope I'm not asking to much, but
The artist expresses that he hopes he isn't asking for too much with this request.
Can I get a little hometown love?
The singer asks if he can receive some love and attention from the girl, given that they are both from the same city.
Chorus x 2
The chorus repeats twice, emphasizing the artist's desire to be a part of the girl's life and his hope that they can make things work together.
Lyrics © Universal Music Publishing Group
Written by: CARVIN HAGGINS, CURTIS WILSON, RICH SOLOMAN, SHAFFER SMITH
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
whitnee fields
Im so proud to be a PHILLY girl
DuSean Bartlett
Fine too
Maurice Johnston
@DuSean Bartlett bro 😂😂😂
Sax Muxiq
This album was so underrated, still produced some classics and still was a platinum seller for him! Its time!
Michael Brandly
Musiq is SO under appreciated for his talent.
Theresa Gosart
Michael Brandly I agree 100%
Jermaine Hernández
Thanks to my Dad for having this album, bcuz of him I Love this song. I Love this whole album.
Queen Alika
Jermaine Hernández first time hearing this song on Pandora today i love it
Jermaine Hernández
Omg, I Never Knew It Was On Pandora... Why I Haven't Ran Into It, Lol.
We Know Good Music Tho Lol
CJ Zanders
This whole CD was to me his best. Almost every one of the tracks could've been a single to me.