Bio
Musiq Soulchild was born and raised in Philadelphia and grew up with his familyโincluding eight brothers and sister]. As a teenager, he began plans for a career in music. He released his debut album, โโAijuswanaseingโโ (read: โI Just Want to Singโ), 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 โOrthodoxโ Barias and Carvin โRansumโ Haggins, then of the A Touch of Jazz production company headed by Jazzy Jeff, now of Karma Productions. The singles โJust Friends (Sunny)โ, โLoveโ, and โGirl Next Doorโ 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, โโJuslisenโโ (read: โJust Listenโ), as simply โโMusiqโโ. He had continued urban and MTV2 success with its singles, โhalfcrazyโ and โdontchangeโ, 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 โBreak You Offโ, the first single from The Rootsโ โโPhrenologyโโ album. Once again, its video got heavy play on MTV2 and VH1 Soul, as well as on MTV Jams. He also appeared in Santanaโs song โNothing at Allโ which is featured in his 2002 album โโShamanโโ.
In 2003, the singles and videos โforthenightโ and โwhoknowsโ from his third LP, โโSoulstarโโ. โforthenightโ was one of VH1 Soulโs most played videos of 2004, and also had a very successful run on American urban radio stations.
Recently, Musiq Soulchild (who has added the โSoulchildโ 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 Banksโs โโRotten Appleโโ, Talib Kweli โEardrumโ, Black Ice โThe Death of Willie Lynchโ, pay tribute to Soul music legends Earth Wind and Fire and appear on the soundtrack โDaddyโs Little Girlsโ.
Musiq Soulchild released his debut album, Aijuswanaseing (I Just Want to Sing), in 2000, which included the Billboard Hot R&B/Hip Hop single, โJust Friends (Sunny)โ. Musiqโs second single, โLoveโ, spent 22 weeks on the Billboard Hot 100 charts. Musiqโs sophomore album, 2002โs Juslisen (Just Listen), debuted at number 1 on the Billboard Charts and went platinum; โHalfcrazyโ and โDontchangeโ. In 2003, Musiq released his 3rd album, Soulstar. It included the singles โForthenightโ and โWhoknowsโ.
After a four year break and changing his management to Solqi Management and his record label to Atlantic Records, in 2007, Musiqโs released his fourth album Luvanmusiq (Love and Music) which included the singles โB.U.D.D.Y.โ, โTeachmeโ, and โMakeyouhappyโ. According to the singer himself, via his September 18 concert at the Warfield in San Francisco, his fifth album On My Radio will be released on December 2, 2008. The lead single, โRadioโ has posted on both Musiqโs 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 Banksโs album Rotten Apple, Talib Kweliโs Eardrum, The Rootsโs Phrenology (album), Black Iceโs The Death of Willie Lynch and pays tribute to soul music legends Earth Wind and Fire, appearing on the soundtrack to Tyler Perryโs movie Daddyโs 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 Perryโs later movie Why Did I Get Married?. He then recorded a remake of Arrested Developmentโs song โPeople Everydayโ with British rapper Estelle for the soundtrack to Tyler Perryโs Meet the Browns entitled โPeople Everyday (Metamorphosis Mix)โ.
Outside of music, he has been featured in television and print ads for McDonaldโs, Nike, Inc., Coca-Cola, Levi Strauss & Co. and The Gap. He also made a special appearance in The CWโs #1 comedy The Game on Monday, October 29, 2007.
Girl Next Door
Musiq Soulchild Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
If I would've knew the girl next door
Would've been you
I would've been nice to you
A little more kind to you
I would've looked twice at you
If I would've knew the girl next door
Would've been you
Depending on how close we was
By now we would be so in love
Girl I'm so surprised to see
The young, fine woman that you grew up to be
Your body's banging like a 400SE
Even your attitude flows pleasantly
I remember when you was just Tonya Hall
A girl that likes to play basketball
As far as I was concern, you were one of my boys
I never cared about my sex or yours but
If I would've knew the girl next door
Would've been you
I would've been nice to you
A little more kind to you
I would've looked twice at you
If I would've knew the girl next door
Would've been you
I probably would've shared my grub
Depending on how close we was
By now we would be so in love
I'm happy to see
That you're home from school
And I want to let you know that I'm proud of you
Even when we was younger I admired you
That's why I always used to pick fights with you
I remember when we used to call each other names
Mimic old TV shows and play those childish games
Like I was your Tarzan and you were my Jane
Can we do that nowadays?
If I would've knew the girl next door
Would've been you
I would've been nice to you
A little more kind to you
I would've looked twice at you
If I would've knew the girl next door
Would've been you
I probably would've shared my grub
Depending on how close we was
By now we would be so in love
If I would've knew the boy next door
Would've been you
I would've been nice to you
Spent a little time with you
I would've dressed cuter too
If I would've knew the boy next door
Would've been you
I would've been on your team
When we played hide and seek
Instead of you chasing me
You're so fly now
(Girl stop playing)
I didn't know you were that guy now
(Naw I ain't)
Phat car, phat life
Impressed I am
Oh maybe we could jam like we used to baby
If I would've knew the girl next door
Would've been you
I would've been nice to you
A little more kind to you
I would've looked twice at you
If I would've knew the girl next door
Would've been you
I probably would've shared my grub
Depending on how close we was
By now we would be so in love
If I would've knew the boy next door
Would've been you
If I would've knew the girl next door
Would've been you
If I would've knew the boy next door
Would've been you
If I would've knew the girl next door
Would've been you
Oh I would've spent a little more time getting to know you
Baby I would've been more gentle
If I would've knew the girl next door
Would've been you
I would've been nice to you
A little more kind to you
I would've looked twice at you
If I would've knew the girl next door
Would've been you
I probably would've shared my grub
Depending on how close we was
By now we would be so in love
In "Girl Next Door," Musiq Soulchild and Ayana reminisce about the missed potential of a romantic relationship with the girl or boy next door. Soulchild raps about how he didn't pay attention to the girl next door, Tonya Hall. However, if he had known she was the one, he would have treated her better and loved her. He is surprised by how much Tonya has grown into a stunning woman with a sizzling body, and how pleasant her attitude is, and how different she looks in comparison to her younger self. He also admits to her that he had picked fights with her as a child, but secretly admired her.
The song's narrative structure revolves around the concept of a missed opportunity in love. It's a sentimental and honest expression of regret for people that have failed to recognize love when it was right in front of them. Even though the couple in the song didn't end up together, they still can reconnect and get to know each other. Soulchild concludes that he would have spent more time getting to know the girl next door and been more gentle with her.
Line by Line Meaning
If I would've knew the girl next door
Would've been you
I would've been nice to you
A little more kind to you
I would've looked twice at you
If I would've knew the girl next door
Would've been you
I probably would've shared my grub
Depending on how close we was
By now we would be so in love
The singer reflects on how he would have treated the girl next door differently if he had known it was her. He would have been kind, paid more attention to her, and possibly even fallen in love with her.
Girl I'm so surprised to see
The young, fine woman that you grew up to be
Your body's banging like a 400SE
Even your attitude flows pleasantly
I remember when you was just Tonya Hall
A girl that likes to play basketball
As far as I was concern, you were one of my boys
I never cared about my sex or yours but
The singer comments on how attractive the girl next door has become and reminisces about her childhood. He saw her as a friend and never thought about her gender, but now he is surprised by her beauty and pleasant personality.
I'm happy to see
That you're home from school
And I want to let you know that I'm proud of you
Even when we was younger I admired you
That's why I always used to pick fights with you
I remember when we used to call each other names
Mimic old TV shows and play those childish games
Like I was your Tarzan and you were my Jane
Can we do that nowadays?
The singer expresses his admiration for the girl next door and how he used to tease her as a way of showing his affection. He also reminisces about their childish games and wonders if they can still have fun like that now that they are older.
If I would've knew the boy next door
Would've been you
I would've been nice to you
Spent a little time with you
I would've dressed cuter too
If I would've knew the boy next door
Would've been you
I would've been on your team
When we played hide and seek
Instead of you chasing me
The singer reflects on how he would have treated the boy next door differently if he had known it was the same person he is now interested in. He would have been nicer and paid more attention to him. The singer also shares his regrets about not choosing to be on the boy's team when they played together as children.
You're so fly now
(Girl stop playing)
I didn't know you were that guy now
(Naw I ain't)
Phat car, phat life
Impressed I am
Oh maybe we could jam like we used to baby
The singer comments on how impressive the girl next door's life has become and expresses interest in reconnecting and having fun together like they did when they were younger.
Oh I would've spent a little more time getting to know you
Baby I would've been more gentle
The singer expresses his regret at not spending more time getting to know the girl next door when they were younger and wishes he had been gentler with her.
Lyrics ยฉ Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC, Warner/Chappell Music, Inc., Walt Disney Music Company, Universal Music Publishing Group
Written by: EDWARD PRINCE GREEN, CARVIN HAGGINS, ANDRE HARRIS, TAALIB JOHNSON, JILL H SCOTT
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
@maramara9694
Oh, hmm, hmm, hmm, hmm
If I would've knew the girl next door
Would've been you
I would've been nice to you
A little more kind to you
I would've looked twice at you
If I would've knew the girl next door
Would've been you
I probably would've shared my grub
Depending on how close we was
By now we would be so in love
Girl I'm so surprised to see
The young, fine woman that you grew up to be
Your body's banging like a 400SE
Even your attitude flows pleasantly
I remember when you was just Tonya Hall
A girl that likes to play basketball
As far as I was concern, you were one of my boys
I never cared about my sex or yours but
If I would've knew the girl next door
Would've been you
I would've been nice to you
A little more kind to you
I would've looked twice at you
If I would've knew the girl next door
Would've been you
I probably would've shared my grub
Depending on how close we was
By now we would be so in love
I'm happy to see
That you're home from school
And I want to let you know that I'm proud of you
Even when we was younger I admired you
That's why I always used to pick fights with you
I remember when we used to call each other names
Mimic old TV shows and play those childish games
Like I was your Tarzan and you were my Jane
Can we do that nowadays?
If I would've knew the girl next door
Would've been you
I would've been nice to you
A little more kind to you
I would've looked twice at you
If I would've knew the girl next door
Would've been you
I probably would've shared my grub
Depending on how close we was
By now we would be so in love
If I would've knew the boy next door
Would've been you
I would've been nice to you
Spent a little time with you
I would've dressed cuter too
If I would've knew the boy next door
Would've been you
I would've been on your team
When we played hide and seek
Instead of you chasing me
You're so fly now
(Girl stop playing)
I didn't know you were that guy now
(Naw I ain't)
Phat car, phat life
Impressed I am
Oh maybe we could jam like we used to baby
If I would've knew the girl next door
Would've been you
I would've been nice to you
A little more kind to you
I would've looked twice at you
If I would've knew the girl next door
Would've been you
I probably would've shared my grub
Depending on how close we was
By now we would be so in love
If I would've knew the boy next door
Would've been you
If I would've knew the girl next door
Would've been you
If I would've knew the boy next door
Would've been you
If I would've knew the girl next door
Would've been you
Oh I would've spent a little more time getting to know you
Baby I would've been more gentle
If I would've knew the girl next door
Would've been you
I would've been nice to you
A little more kind to you
I would've looked twice at you
If I would've knew the girl next door
Would've been you
I probably would've shared my grub
Depending on how close we was
By now we would be so in love
@vincentsmith5130
One of the best album of the last 25 years. Musiq is underrated. I could listen to this album all day long
@londaramsey3277
I agree with you.. HE A NATURAL TALENT AND HAS BEEN A GIVE THE THE MUSIC WORLD!! I WOULD LOVE TO HEAR MORE OF HIS WORK HOPEFULLY SOON!!
@alecaquino4306
YES!
@Papi.Pharaoh
Unfortunately this type of R&B doesnโt exist anymore and itโs a shame. Iโm beyond thankful for music like this. I really appreciate all the real artists that we had back around this time. This was a beautiful time in life early 2000s was magical.
@djones7056
This was a beautiful time in life early 2000's was magical
@elprezidenteclarke5417
indeed it was...
@ryananderson5265
Pre social media when people had to interact with each other...
@johnharris4899
Talented artists ran the late 90s and early 00s
@raysmithpt25
Very beautiful time, i was a teen, miss these days
@c.l.9344
I think the 80s babies miss these times the most.