Bio
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”. 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, “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.
Musiq_Soulchild_-_Just_Friends
Musiq Soulchild Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
But let me know if I'm out of order
Stepping to you this way
See, I been watching you for a while
And I just got to let you know
That I'm really feeling your style
Plus, I had to know your name and
Leave you with my number
If you want, you can give me yours, too
If you don't, girl, I ain't mad at you
We can still be cool
'Cause I'm not trying to pressure you
Just can't stop thinking 'bout you
You ain't even really gotta be my girlfriend
I just want to know your name and
Maybe sometime we hook up
Hang out
Or just chill
Damn, I'm surprised that you called
'Cause the way you walked away
I thought I wasn't gonna see you no more
Since you didn't wanna give me your name
I thought that you were digging me and
Wasn't digging me
But anyways, what you doing tonight?
I probably be with my peeps
If it's cool with you, maybe we'll swing by
And you can just chill (with us)
Or you can just chill with me
Long as you're comfortable and you feel secure when you with me
'Cause I'm not trying to pressure you
Just can't stop thinking 'bout you
You ain't even really gotta be my girlfriend
I just want to know your name and
Maybe sometime we hook up
Hang out
Or just chill
Baby, yeah
Maybe we
Can go see a movie, girl
Or maybe we can just hang out, girl
Whatever you want to do
Just let me know
It's up to you
I'm not trying to pressure you
Just can't stop thinking 'bout you
You ain't even really gotta be my girlfriend
I just want to know your name and
Maybe sometime we hook up
Hang out
Or just chill
...
The lyrics of Musiq Soulchild's "Just Friends" describe a man trying to express his interest in a woman without pressuring her into a committed relationship. He tells her that he has been watching her for a while and thinks she has great style. He respectfully requests her name and leaves her with his number, hoping she would call him someday. He clarifies that he isn't trying to pressure her into a relationship or make her his girlfriend. He just wants to know her better, hang out, watch movies, or just chill together, and the decision is entirely up to her. To him, their friendship is more important than anything else, and he wishes they could still be cool even if she didn't feel the same way he did.
Overall, the single emphasizes the importance of taking a more relaxed approach to building a relationship rather than rushing it or pressuring the other person. It's an ode to valuing the person for who they are and celebrating their company without strings attached, expectations, or conditions.
Line by Line Meaning
Girl, I know this might seem strange
I understand that this might come off as weird
But let me know if I'm out of order
If I am being inappropriate, please tell me
Stepping to you this way
Approaching you in this manner
See, I been watching you for a while
I have been observing you for some time
And I just got to let you know
I feel obligated to express my feelings
That I'm really feeling your style
I genuinely admire your personality
Plus, I had to know your name and
I needed to learn your name and
Leave you with my number
Give you my contact information
And I hope you could call me someday
It would be great if you could contact me at some point
If you want, you can give me yours, too
You have the option to provide me with your information as well
If you don't, girl, I ain't mad at you
I won't be upset if you choose not to
We can still be cool
We can still be friends
'Cause I'm not trying to pressure you
I don't want to make you feel obligated
Just can't stop thinking 'bout you
I can't stop thinking about you
You ain't even really gotta be my girlfriend
We don't have to be in a romantic relationship
I just want to know your name and
I just want to know your name and
Maybe sometime we hook up
Perhaps we can hang out in the future
Hang out
Spend time together
Or just chill
Relax and enjoy each other's company
Damn, I'm surprised that you called
I am pleasantly surprised that you contacted me
'Cause the way you walked away
Based on how you left before,
I thought I wasn't gonna see you no more
I didn't think I would ever see you again
Since you didn't wanna give me your name
Because you were hesitant to tell me your name
I thought that you were digging me and
I assumed that you were interested in me
Wasn't digging me
But I was mistaken
But anyways, what you doing tonight?
Anyway, what are you doing tonight?
I probably be with my peeps
I will likely be with my friends
If it's cool with you, maybe we'll swing by
If you don't mind, we might stop by
And you can just chill (with us)
You can hang out with us if you want
Or you can just chill with me
Or you can just relax and spend time with me
Long as you're comfortable and you feel secure when you with me
As long as you feel comfortable and safe around me
Baby, yeah
My dear, yes
Maybe we
Perhaps we
Can go see a movie, girl
We could watch a film together
Or maybe we can just hang out, girl
Or we could just spend time together
Whatever you want to do
Whatever you feel like doing
Just let me know
Just tell me
It's up to you
The decision is yours
Contributed by Lauren V. Suggest a correction in the comments below.