Every so often a new artist comes along with a sound so innovative, they are able to help reshape the barriers that confine mainstream music. Meet Outasight, the Yonkers, New York bred musician who brilliantly weaves together the cadenced sounds of popular hip-hop and indie rock with the poignant sensibility of classic pop and soul music to create a fresh, new sound that is all his own. “People are conditioned to see certain images for different genres of music,” says the 27 year-old songwriter. “So if something looks or sounds out of the norm, it’s more difficult to understand at first.”
Growing up an only child in the suburbs of New York City, Outasight’s parents encouraged his insatiable love for making music from a very young age. When he was 8 yearsold, he taught himself to write songs on a guitar passed down from his father. “I was surrounded by thousands of records as a kid,” says Outasight who grew up emulating the diverse sounds he was surrounded by all his life. “I listened to a lot of classic rock, and pop, like the Beatles, Jimi Hendrix, Led Zeppelin, The Who, and also soul artists like Stevie Wonder and Marvin Gaye. My friends and I would form bands and practice in someone’s basement and then I would go to school and write raps and spit raps on the playground. They were like duel personalities in a sense.”
During his junior year of high school, Outasight started venturing into the city, seeking out open mics where he was able to fine tune his own material in front of live audiences. “I used to perform a lot in Brooklyn at a place called Sputnik,” says Outasight. “It would be a very diverse crowd and I would rap and start singing and they would be like, what the hell is going on right now? Who is this White kid acting all crazy? But there were always people that liked it so I always took any type of acceptance as the fuel to go further.” After performing in the big city for a couple of years, the resourceful young artist started to gain confidence and create some extremely valuable music industry connections. He toyed with the idea of going to college but after taking classes on and off for close to five years, Outasight realized it was foolish not to capitalize on the name he had created for himself in the City’s burgeoning independent music scene.
In 2006, he decided to drop out of college for good and pursue music full time. The following year, he released a mixtape called Employee Of The Year with the help of his friend and business partner Dre Bond. The two started a new company to help promote Outasight appropriately named Daily Grind Music. After promoting the tape on Myspace and up and coming music blogs, Outasight and Daily Grind released his second project, Radio New York in June of ’08 which was featured on the Myspace Home page for three consecutive days—a tremendous feat for any new, unsigned artist. “The amount of people that I got exposed to was incredible,” says Outasight. “We were getting like 50 thousand plays a day! Dre and I made a video for one of the mixtape’s songs, ‘Good Evening’ that fall we got the video on MTV after winning the MTVU Freshman competition.”
In March of 2009, Outasight released his third mixtape, From There To Here, with world renowned hip-hop DJ Mick Boogie and a month later was asked to open for Ryan Leslie at NYC’s SOB’s. After winning over the packed house with his live show, Outasight’s manager, Norman “Storm” Bell of Purfek Storm Management, secured a meeting with Asylum Records CEO Todd Moscowitz who was instantly taken by the multi-talented MC’s growing body of work. That October, Outasight signed a deal with Asylum. Soon after his signing, Outasight released his latest mixtape Further. The project was sponsored by LRG clothing and was his most successful release to date, garnering over a hundred thousand downloads and counting. Due to its overwhelming popularity, Asylum is set to release Further as an EP exclusively on ITunes in March 2010 while Outasight continues to craft his first full length commercial release, the aptly titled, From Here to Eternity. “The concept behind my album is one person’s quest from the present moment to being timeless,” he says, “It’s something that lives way beyond me, it’s about the quest.”
On August 17th, 2010, Outasight released his latest mixtape, Never Say Never, again to much critical acclaim.
Life Or Something Like It
Outasight Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
They saying it’s important that I live up to the hype
I don’t give in to the fame or fall into a vice
So lemme shine a light on who is Outasight
Used to hop up on the train with nothing really doing
This path that I’m pursuing, well I didn’t really chose it
It actually chose me but easily confusing
And I made some mistakes but to error is human
Every single night somewhere unknown
Been around the world but can’t find home
You don’t know what you got oh till it’s gone
When you watch the clock, those days get long
Wish I could help but you’re on your own, you don’t know
[Chorus]
What you wanting, what you getting are two different things most of the time
What you ask for, what you needing, hope you getting yours ‘cause I’m getting mine
It’s life or something like it, it’s life or something like it
I think my timing right
Pursuing what I’m doing, not losing sleep at night
Maybe there’s some trouble when you get out of the huddle
And no one is behind you ‘cause they never really loved you
Not gonna raise my voice or even start a scuffle
Under pressure I don’t buckle, just belt songs so what up?
With your mumbling and grumbling, I’d hate to be a fuck up
And I played my cards right and it don’t seem like my luck up
Yet wake up in the morning on the wrong side of bed
Bunch of missed calls, inbox at the brim
One day the future bright, the next it feels dim
You don’t know what you got oh till it’s gone
Three hours sleep but I party till dawn
Hit the snooze a couple times, kill the alarm, you don’t know
[Chorus: x2]
From the moment you’re here to the moment you’re gone
Every second in between to making things right
Or they’re going all wrong, it’s all how it’s perceived
It’s life or something like it, see, it’s life or something like it
[Chorus: x2]
The song "Life Or Something Like It" by Outasight is a reflection on the ups and downs of pursuing one's dreams. The lyrics suggest that despite the singer's success, he still struggles with loneliness and uncertainty. The opening lines, "I think my timing right, they saying it’s important that I live up to the hype" show that even though the singer is confident in his abilities, he worries about meeting the expectations of others. He goes on to describe how he didn't choose his path, but it chose him, and he has made mistakes along the way. Despite this, he remains determined and doesn't give in to pressure.
The chorus of the song emphasizes the difference between what one wants and what one actually gets in life. It suggests that despite our best efforts, things may not always work out the way we planned. The line "Hope you're getting yours 'cause I'm getting mine" conveys a sense of self-reliance and individualism. The singer is focused on achieving his own goals and doesn't want to be held back by anyone else.
Line by Line Meaning
I think my timing right
I believe that my timing is perfect
They saying it’s important that I live up to the hype
People say that it's crucial for me to meet their expectations
I don’t give in to the fame or fall into a vice
I refuse to be consumed by fame or indulge in bad habits
So lemme shine a light on who is Outasight
Let me introduce myself, Outasight
Used to hop up on the train with nothing really doing
I used to ride the train with no clear purpose or direction
This path that I’m pursuing, well I didn’t really chose it
I didn't actively choose the path that I'm on now
It actually chose me but easily confusing
The path I'm on now found me, but it's easy to get confused along the way
And I made some mistakes but to error is human
I've made some mistakes, but making mistakes is part of being human
Wake up in the morning and all alone
I wake up in the morning and no one is around
Every single night somewhere unknown
Every night I'm in a different place that I'm not familiar with
Been around the world but can’t find home
Even though I've traveled the world, I still don't feel like I have a place to call home
You don’t know what you got oh till it’s gone
You don't realize the value of something until it's no longer there
When you watch the clock, those days get long
When you focus on time, the days seem to drag on
Wish I could help but you’re on your own, you don’t know
I wish I could assist you, but ultimately, you're in charge of your own life and you don't understand
What you wanting, what you getting are two different things most of the time
What you desire and what you actually get are usually two different things
What you ask for, what you needing, hope you getting yours ‘cause I’m getting mine
I hope you receive what you asked for and what you need, because I'm achieving my goals
It’s life or something like it, it’s life or something like it
This is life or something similar to it
Pursuing what I’m doing, not losing sleep at night
I'm focused on my goals and it doesn't keep me up at night
Maybe there’s some trouble when you get out of the huddle
There might be some difficulties that arise when you break away from the pack
And no one is behind you ‘cause they never really loved you
No one is supporting you because they never truly cared about you
Not gonna raise my voice or even start a scuffle
I won't get angry or start a argument
Under pressure I don’t buckle, just belt songs so what up?
I don't crumble under pressure, I just make music, what's the problem?
With your mumbling and grumbling, I’d hate to be a fuck up
You're complaining and I wouldn't want to be in your position
And I played my cards right and it don’t seem like my luck up
I made smart decisions and it doesn't appear that luck had anything to do with it
Yet wake up in the morning on the wrong side of bed
But I still wake up feeling in a bad mood
Bunch of missed calls, inbox at the brim
I have a lot of missed calls and an overflowing email inbox
One day the future bright, the next it feels dim
One day the future seems promising, but the next it feels uncertain
From the moment you’re here to the moment you’re gone
From the time you're born to the time you die
Every second in between to making things right
Every second in between those two moments is an opportunity to make things better
Or they’re going all wrong, it’s all how it’s perceived
Things can either be going well or poorly, depending on your perspective
It’s life or something like it, see, it’s life or something like it
This is life or something similar to it
Lyrics © Warner Chappell Music, Inc.
Written by: BENJAMIN RUTTNER, BENJAMIN MICHAEL RUTTNER, JAMES PATTERSON, RICHARD ANDREW
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
x Becky x
Everytime I turn the radio on, I immediately switch to r&b and skip every song to find this one :)
KAToriginal
Happy that Outasight got a bit of spotlight from sims! This guy deserves all the fans that he can get. Great artist.
Lounnah
This song is the reason im now the biggest Outasight fan :D
stevesartstudio
This is dope!! I wish I could use your music with my art videos!
Nathan Carter
I love this song
TeaSippa12
I love this video. .. I love all of your videos! You're music is so amazing. I always want more more more. I get so excited when I see a new one from you in my subscriptions. I love you and your music so much! Thank you for it all!!!! Much love to you, Outasight!
B B
I love this song and this whole EP! Everything is an amazing song!
BiolodgeWILD
The perfect song to play at a summer BBQ, also The Sims 3 brought me here :)
husni abu hijleh
This song makes me wake up every morning and gives me the energy to pursuit my dream!
KAToriginal
Outasight aint gonna be underground for long! This song especially is quality.