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.
today
Musiq Soulchild Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
But it's funny how they may not recognize it when it finally comes
(Think it's) think it's at the mall
(Or it's) or it's sippin' at the bar
All these dates and phone conversations - we doing it all for what
When you're Mrs. Right, it's always Mrs. Wrong (Mrs. Wrong)
But I never stop to notice you were there all along (yeah)
Girl, you're everything I could ever want and need
[Chorus]
Today, I've made up my mind
I'm gonna take this chance, bet my life on this
'Cause this precious love I've found in you
My yesterdays are gone, and tomorrow's never promised to no one
I finally decided, girl, that my today is you
Now that I'm about to put myself (self) out on a limb for love
That means (no more) no more at
The club (tryin' to) pick something up
No more late night creepin', hollerin', trying to see what's good for the night
I wanna be the best man for you (so)
If I gotta change my ways, then, baby, I'll do
(Whatever) whatever I got to keep you here by my side
And starting with today...
[Chorus]
[Bridge]
It took me a while (said, it kinda took me a while)
To realize just how much (how much you really)
Really mean to me, though what we have is so clear anyone can see
But I was just (tryna keep it on the low)
But I wasn't ready for love (I wasn't sure, but now I know)
Now I believe that you and I were meant to be, and that's why...
[Chorus]
The lyrics of Musiq Soulchild's "Today" talk about the journey of a man who finally realizes that the person he's been looking for has been there all along. He sings about how we're always searching for that one person, but sometimes, we don't even realize when that person is in front of us. He talks about going on dates and having phone conversations, but it's all pointless when you finally realize that the person you've been searching for is actually already a part of your life.
Musiq Soulchild's lyrics also highlight the changes that come with finally recognizing true love. He recognizes that he needs to change his ways and be a better man for the person he loves. He talks about how he won't waste time at the club or engage in late-night endeavors because he wants to be a better person for his partner. His journey of realization is complete when he finally decides that his today is with the person he loves.
Overall, the lyrics of "Today" are about recognizing true love and making the necessary changes to be a better person for your partner. It's a reminder that sometimes, the person we're looking for has been there all along.
Line by Line Meaning
People always on a search tryin' to find that one (one)
People are always looking for their soulmate.
But it's funny how they may not recognize it when it finally comes
It's ironic how people may not realize they have found their soulmate when they come across them.
(Think it's) think it's at the mall
Some people think they will find their soulmate while shopping at the mall.
(Or it's) or it's sippin' at the bar
Others think they will find their soulmate while casually drinking at a bar.
All these dates and phone conversations - we doing it all for what
Why do people go on so many dates and have long phone conversations if they haven't yet found their soulmate?
When you're Mrs. Right, it's always Mrs. Wrong (Mrs. Wrong)
When you think someone is the right person for you, it often turns out they are not.
But I never stop to notice you were there all along (yeah)
I never realized that the person who was right for me was there all along.
Girl, you're everything I could ever want and need
You are everything I have ever wanted and needed in my life.
Now it's all clear to me, and that's why...
I finally realized the person I should choose, and that's why...
Today, I've made up my mind
I have made a decision today.
I'm gonna take this chance, bet my life on this
I am taking a chance on this relationship and betting everything on it.
'Cause this precious love I've found in you
I have found a precious love in you.
My yesterdays are gone, and tomorrow's never promised to no one
I am letting go of my past and acknowledging that tomorrow is not guaranteed for anyone.
I finally decided, girl, that my today is you
I have decided that you are my present and future.
Now that I'm about to put myself (self) out on a limb for love
I am taking a risk and putting myself out there for love.
That means (no more) no more at
That means I won't be anymore...
The club (tryin' to) pick something up
I won't be going to clubs trying to pick up someone for the night.
No more late night creepin', hollerin', trying to see what's good for the night
No more sneaking around at night, yelling out, trying to find someone for the night.
I wanna be the best man for you (so)
I want to be the best version of myself that I can be for you.
If I gotta change my ways, then, baby, I'll do
If I have to change for the better, I will do it for you.
(Whatever) whatever I got to keep you here by my side
I will do whatever it takes to keep you by my side.
And starting with today...
I am starting today...
It took me a while (said, it kinda took me a while)
It took me some time to realize...
To realize just how much (how much you really)
To realize just how much you mean to me.
Really mean to me, though what we have is so clear anyone can see
Everyone can see that we have something special.
But I was just (tryna keep it on the low)
But I was trying to keep it a secret.
But I wasn't ready for love (I wasn't sure, but now I know)
But I wasn't sure if I was ready for love, but now I know that I am.
Now I believe that you and I were meant to be, and that's why...
I now believe that you and I were meant to be together, and that's why...
Lyrics © Kobalt Music Publishing Ltd., Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC, Warner/Chappell Music, Inc.
Written by: DAMON THOMAS, ANTONIO DIXON, TAALIB JOHNSON, HARVEY WILLIAM JR MASON
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind