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.
Never Say Never
Outasight Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
The way I felt, never say never
You might feel a better
I used to worry about things that I couldn’t control
Change the channel ’cause I don't feel watching no more
I used to get uptight about the littlest things
Untie the knots and loosen the strings
I care about the money, don't confuse it with greed
And never see me running from my fears that been coming
From all angles, getting hot 90 degrees, is it the right one?
Hand on my heart, no star spangled
Paying dues is painful and I'm getting close
No GPS, nowhere to go
[Chorus]
Never say never if ya ever felt the way I felt
The way I felt, never say never
You might feel a better
Never say never if ya ever felt the way I felt
The way I felt, never say never
You might feel a better
Feeling better, new shirt, new sweater
Brand name put together yeah, I clean up nice
My advice not to add another vice
Can ya dig that? She writes on the last text of the night
And I can barely see that
Double vision living, I been doing it
And given myself to temptation
My girl has been patiently waiting for me to shape up
Yeah, circle gets the square, no squares in ya circle don't fit
This year is your year, mark it down on ya calendar
And if they testing character, I'mma pass it
Montana to Rice, two hands up
Welcome to the good life
Like Kanye performing to the Las Vegas lights
Welcome to the good life, welcome to the good life
[Chorus]
I used to worry about things that I couldn’t control
Change the channel ’cause I don't feel watching no more
I used to get uptight about the littlest things
Untie the knots and loosen the strings
[Chorus]
In the song "Never Say Never" by Outasight, the artist talks about not giving up on hope and happiness. The song starts with the phrase "Never say never if ya ever felt the way I felt" which means that you should not lose hope if you have been in a similar situation to the artist. Outasight reminds his listeners that things can get better and they should never lose faith in themselves.
The chorus of the song repeats the phrase "Never say never" which is a motivation for the listeners to keep moving forward and to never lose hope. The artist discusses how he used to worry about things he couldn't control but he realized that life is too short to stress over things that are out of his control. He advises people to enjoy the little things in life and not to take them for granted.
Outasight talks about being a hard worker and that he cares about earning money, but that doesn't mean he is greedy. He encourages listeners to not give up on their fears and to overcome them. The song ends with the artist reminding his listeners to loosen up and enjoy life. The message of the song is to never give up and never lose hope.
Line by Line Meaning
Never say never if ya ever felt the way I felt
Don't dismiss the possibility of something you thought wasn't possible if you've experienced the same feelings I have.
The way I felt, never say never
My past experiences have taught me to keep an open mind and never give up hope.
You might feel a better
There may be a better outcome or feeling than what you initially thought.
I used to worry about things that I couldn’t control
I used to stress over things that were beyond my ability to change.
Change the channel ’cause I don't feel watching no more
I've learned to move on from things that don't benefit me and focus on what makes me happy.
I used to get uptight about the littlest things
I used to let small things get to me and cause unnecessary stress.
Untie the knots and loosen the strings
I've learned to let go of things that weigh me down and loosen my grip on control.
Welcome to the life I lead
This is the way I choose to live and I embrace it.
I care about the money, don't confuse it with greed
I have a desire to succeed financially, but am not willing to sacrifice my morals for it.
And never see me running from my fears that been coming
I don't let my fears control me and will face them head-on.
From all angles, getting hot 90 degrees, is it the right one?
Sometimes I feel like I'm being pulled in all directions and wonder if the decisions I make are the right ones.
Hand on my heart, no star spangled
I speak honestly and authentically without any pretense or agenda.
Paying dues is painful and I'm getting close
I've been working hard and making sacrifices to achieve my goals and am nearing success.
No GPS, nowhere to go
I don't have a clear direction, but I'm confident in my ability to navigate my own path.
Feeling better, new shirt, new sweater
I'm in a better place and feeling good about myself with new clothing representing a fresh start.
Brand name put together yeah, I clean up nice
I'm expressing myself through my fashion choices and presenting myself well.
My advice not to add another vice
I suggest avoiding harmful habits or behaviors that can hinder personal growth.
Can ya dig that? She writes on the last text of the night
Can you relate to that? She sends a message at the end of the day.
And I can barely see that
I struggle with seeing things clearly, but am working to improve my perspective.
Double vision living, I been doing it
I've been living with ambiguity and uncertainty, but still pushing forward.
And given myself to temptation
I've made mistakes and succumbed to temptation, but am learning from them.
My girl has been patiently waiting for me to shape up
My partner has been supportive of me and is waiting for me to improve myself.
Yeah, circle gets the square, no squares in ya circle don't fit
The people who belong in your life will naturally fall into place, and those who don't won't.
This year is your year, mark it down on ya calendar
Believe in yourself and take control of your future by setting goals and planning for success.
And if they testing character, I'mma pass it
If anyone questions my integrity, I'll prove them wrong with my actions and behavior.
Montana to Rice, two hands up
A reference to the 'Touchdown' hand gesture, symbolizing a win or success.
Welcome to the good life
Celebrating success and enjoying the positive aspects of life.
Like Kanye performing to the Las Vegas lights
Referencing extravagance and success, similar to Kanye West's performances.
Lyrics © O/B/O APRA AMCOS
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
Jewwpac
Saw Outtasight a couple years ago in the Brooklyn Bowl w/ about 10 people in the audience. He was amazing. I bought his mix and I'm so happy he blew up. But I hope he writes some new music that has personal stories like this song. (Which got me hooked).
A Person.
To anyone that remembers the words "Uptight Outasight" from one of his first releases in "Further EP" I love you.
drea b
i love his voice <3
KaseyReeseK
I like his older music. It actually has meaning. His new songs sound like he just wrote them to "please the crowd".
Edgardo Silva
Great song
Kahmul
Best Song...greeting from Germany !
Statik1482
definitely needed this...
Johnny Soccer
This is the shit!
Joseph Inacay
honestly i dont like the new songs of outasight. now its just about partying and having fun. his older music is pretty much better that the new ones.
Hip Hop Heaven
Dope