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.
Stoplayin
Musiq Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
And I'm finding it hard to figure you out
See cause I can't tell if you wanna be
My girl or just cool.
First you catch an attitude
When my phone goes off
Sometimes you act like you don't care at all
Things that you say and do leaves me so confused
[Chorus]
Won't you quit playing baby
Why you gon' front
Won't you just say it
Say what you really want.
If you ain't wit it, just stop
Leading me on, on, on, on, on, on, on!
I don't mean to pressure you baby
But you really need to make up your mind
Let me know what you really want
Stop wasting, wasting my time
Cause on the real (the real) real (for real)
I could be out and find someone who's
Down wit what I'm about
Instead I'm waiting on you to decide if
I'm the one that you want in your life
[Chorus: x3]
Hey baby tell me why must you treat me this way
How about you come on and stop
Playing these games
Let me know what it is you really wanna do
So I can know how I should feel
When I'm dealing with you
The lyrics to Musiq's song Stoplayin explore the confusion and frustration that comes with trying to decipher someone's mixed signals in a romantic relationship. The singer has been spending time with this person, but is unsure if they want a real relationship or just want to keep things casual. The person in question gives off mixed signals, sometimes acting possessive or jealous, while other times acting aloof or uninterested. This leaves the singer feeling confused and unsure of where they stand. He pressures this person to make a decision and be honest about what they want, as he doesn't want to waste his time waiting for them to make up their mind. He ultimately wants clarity, so he can know how to proceed and how to feel about this person.
One interesting fact about the song is that it was written by Musiq Soulchild himself, along with producer Carvin Haggins. Another fun fact is that the song was featured in an episode of the popular TV show, "Girlfriends," further solidifying its status as a beloved early 2000s R&B hit. The song was released in 2001 as the second single from Musiq's debut album, "Aijuswanaseing." It ultimately peaked at number 14 on the Billboard R&B/Hip-Hop songs chart. In 2003, Musiq received a Grammy nomination for Best R&B Album for "Juslisen," the follow-up to "Aijuswanaseing," which featured the hit record.
Musically, the song features a classic R&B production with a groovy bassline and smooth melodies. Musiq's soulful vocals perfectly match the emotional tone of the lyrics, conveying the frustration and longing felt by the singer. The chorus is catchy and memorable, making it a fan favorite and a staple of early 2000s R&B playlists.
Chords (source: ultimate-guitar.com)
Verse:
Dm - Bb - C - Dm
Dm - Bb - C - Dm
Dm - Bb - C - Dm
Dm - Bb - C - C
Chorus:
D - Bb - C - C
D - Bb - C - C
D - Bb - C - C
D - Bb - C - C
Bridge:
Fm - Bbm - C - C
Fm - Bbm - C - C
Dm - Bb - C - Dm
Note: This is a simplified chord progression and may not be 100% accurate, please use as a reference.
Line by Line Meaning
We've been chilling together for a while
We've spent a good amount of time together
And I'm finding it hard to figure you out
But I'm struggling to understand your intentions regarding our relationship
See cause I can't tell if you wanna be
It seems unclear if you truly want to be
My girl or just cool.
My romantic partner or just a casual acquaintance
First you catch an attitude
Sometimes, you get angry or irritated
When my phone goes off
Whenever my phone rings or beeps
Sometimes you act like you don't care at all
Other times, it seems like you are not interested in me
Things that you say and do leaves me so confused
Your actions and words make me extremely baffled
When you know I'm feeling you!
This is despite the fact that you know I like you!
[Chorus]
Won't you quit playing baby
Why you gon' front
Won't you just say it
Say what you really want.
If you ain't wit it, just stop
Leading me on, on, on, on, on, on, on!
Please stop playing games and be honest about your feelings. If you're not interested, then let me know instead of stringing me along.
I don't mean to pressure you baby
I don't want to force you into anything, my love
But you really need to make up your mind
Let me know what you really want
Stop wasting, wasting my time
But please choose what you want and be clear about it. It's not fair to keep me waiting
Cause on the real (the real) real (for real)
I could be out and find someone who's
Down wit what I'm about
Honestly, I could easily find someone who wants the same things that I do
Instead I'm waiting on you to decide if
I'm the one that you want in your life
However, I'm waiting for you to determine if you want me to be part of your life
[Chorus: x3]
Please stop playing games and be honest about your feelings. If you're not interested, then let me know instead of stringing me along.
Hey baby tell me why must you treat me this way
How about you come on and stop
Playing these games
Let me know what it is you really wanna do
So I can know how I should feel
When I'm dealing with you
My love, please enlighten me as to why you are treating me like this. Let's end this game and be truthful about what you want so that I can react accordingly.
Lyrics © Universal Music Publishing Group
Written by: ANDRE HARRIS, CARVIN HAGGINS, IVAN BARIAS, TAALIB JOHNSON
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
Rashad Cunningham
One of my favorites by Musiq
Tracy Sullivan
Mine too! ❤️
afronaut dot space
"Let me know what you really want and stop wastin'
Wastin' my time
'Cause on the real, real
I could be out and find someone who's down with what I'm about
Instead, I'm waitin' on you to decide if I'm
The one that you want in your life"
I felt this so much
Neo Chayanne
This is one awesome piece of lovely g-funk stuff <3
Maria Robles
I love this song 🎼
Tracy Sullivan
One of my favorites by Musiq
B. Wynn
So relatable. I miss music like this...
BLeev Nme
Was, Is & Always will be...FIRE!!!
Life with Nikiwi26
I love this song ^_^
Diva Cookn
Beautiful song...when I speak. I'm ignored or treated disrespectful