After amassing a large amount of attention throughout 2018 through his "Styles of Rap" series and aforementioned KSI diss track, Quadeca began teasing a project by the title of "Voice Memos". It was after the release of the first single from said project, "Unusual" (featuring B. Lou), that many would notice the serious uptick in the professionalism of Quadeca's music. The final single from Voice Memos was released on January 25, 2019, titled "War!" and featuring Dax, another rapper who's popularity emerged through YouTube. "Voice Memos" was released on March 8, 2019, to lukewarm critical reception.
On September 27, 2019, Quadeca released a highly-awaited single titled "Schoenberg", which samples Verklärte Nacht. This video's ending featured a snippet which seemed to contain slightly cryptic info about something dropping "early 2020", which he called FMTY. On Twitter he confirmed this was called From Me To You, and that the project was in the works.
Quadeca also released another three singles in late 2019, "I DON'T CARE", "Fish Outta Bacardi" (featuring EGOVERT) and "BEAMIN'", which has since become his most popular song, amassing 31 million plays on Spotify.
He released three singles during 2020 (namely "WHERE'D YOU GO?", "ALONE TOGETHER" and "LIVE LIKE THIS", the latter of which was mentioned to be a scrapped track from "From Me To You", whereas the others would be included on the album) and delayed the album multiple times. Notably, these singles were the first to be released from Quadeca under AWAL Recordings America - all previously released music had been done so independently. The 'final single' from the album, "Sisyphus", was released on March 18 and received critical appraisal from the likes of Anthony Fantano. "From Me To You" (FMTY) eventually released on streaming services and digital stores on March 31, 2021, and was an instant success amongst Quadeca’s fans, drawing attention to Ben’s huge upward trajectory since the release of ‘Voice Memos’. FMTY had features from PlayThatBoiZay, Guapdad4000, and, more notably, IDK on the tracks "Work!", "People Pleaser" and "Burnin Bridges / Long Day", respectively. Just one day after release, Quadeca achieved 1 million Spotify streams in a day for the first time in his career. One of the more notable aspects of FMTY was that Quadeca has production credits on 100% of "From Me To You", with 83.3% of songs being produced alone and no co-producers. He is listed as: Composer, Arranger, Mastering Engineer, Mixing Engineer, Executive Producer, Multi-Instrumentalist. He even played the Ukelele and stated that 8 real instruments were played in the single "Sisyphus".
He began teasing a new album in late 2021, annnouncing the title as "I Didn't Mean To Haunt You" via youtube on the 23rd of april 2022. He would also tease the albums concept on twitter, stating that he was "currently sitting on the greatest ever posthumous album". The 1st single, "Born Yesterday" was released along with a music video on the 19th of september, with the second single "Tell Me A Joke" released on the 25th of october. Shortly after the full tracklist for I Didn't Mean to Haunt You was revealed, with features from Danny Brown, The Sunday Service Choir, and drummer Thor Harris, of Swans fame. the album was released on the 11th of november, 2022, to high critical and public acclaim, with many calling it his best work to date.
The Scrapyard series was first announced on October 3, 2023, with SCRAPYARD I. The series was set to contain five separate packs, each containing two songs. A few weeks after the release of SCRAPYARD III, however, the fourth and fifth packs were canceled, with Quadeca citing “new developments.”
The Finale, aptly titled SCRAPYARD contains 15 tracks and features from artists brakence and Kevin Abstract, the former of whom made an appearance in SCRAPYARD I, the series' debut.
EYES
Quadeca Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
I gave you every last tear that I had
I don′t think I can cry no more
All of this red on my eyes looking like
I never gotten high before
This is not regular love
This shit is a mile more
I think this is God's way of reminding me
I played you my song and we sobbed
This music′s beyond just a job
This music's beyond getting up
On my Youtube and dissing
Some pawn for applause
I gotta responsibility that's
Bigger than bullshitting
All for the mob
I′m tryna ball while I′m here
So they don't have to bawl when I′m gone
Yeah
Life changed in a year
Changed in a week
Changed in a second
Sang when they didn't hear
They didn′t speak
They didn't question
Made my music in fear
Made it and re
Framed my perspective
I hope that it′s clear
Now that you're here
Came to my rescue
Losing time
Lemme let you know before
I lose my mind yeah
These days something must be on my side
If I lose at least I'll tell you that I tried yeah
That I tried
Yeah okay
They say great things take time
I think time takes great things away though
Lost all of my idols that had fallen like an angel
Who knows if they in the
Clouds with a halo? Who knows?
I look up to names for help
But how can our idols save us if
They can′t even save themselves
I gotta behave myself
Gotta remember my start no
I will not betray myself
I been afraid to tell
So alone so I just braced myself
I′ve wanted love since the age of 12
Even before I could lace myself
That's why when I know I lose all that
I love that it′s easy to hate myself
It's my birthday!
But I won′t celebrate myself
'Cause time is gonna take myself
I′m on my proclubs shit, I create myself
But I'm never gonna rate myself
Picture perfect
Is it worth it
Vision blurrin
Missin verses
Life really is a burden
Seeing my face on every sign
I'm a missing person
Whatever he gets, the kid deserves it
I woke up and my eyes were sore
I gave you every last tear that I had
I don′t think I can cry no more
All of this red on my eyes looking like
I never gotten high before
This is not regular love, this shit is a mile more
I think this is God′s way of reminding me
I need to smile more
Losing time
Lemme let you know before
I lose my mind yeah
These days something must be on my side
If I lose at least I'll tell you that I tried yeah
That I tried
You′re nothing but a grain
Of sand in my hourglass
But I can spot you from a mile away, yeah
I'm searching for you
The lyrics of Quadeca's song "Eyes" speaks about the emotional struggles and personal growth that he has gone through as a rising music artist. The opening lines talk about waking up with sore eyes, which could symbolize the emotional exhaustion he's been experiencing. He goes on to say that he's given everything he has emotionally and just doesn't seem to have any tears left. He says that his love is not ordinary but more profound, and he needs to smile more as God reminds him of it.
Quadeca mentions the intensity of his music as he says that it's beyond just a job and he has a responsibility that's more significant than just entertaining people. It's his passion and a way of expressing himself that goes beyond the fame and applause he gets from the public. He acknowledges the changes in his life and how he's learning to cope with fear and overcome his struggles with mental health. He urges himself to behave and not forget where he started while he conquers his fears and faces his loneliness on this journey.
The song concludes with a message of hope, where Quadeca asserts that he has something on his side, despite the challenges and uncertainties he faced. He says he tried his best and won't celebrate himself in fear that time may take him away. The song ends on a positive note, with Quadeca acknowledging that the journey is tough, but he can see small progress in the form of a grain of sand. Nevertheless, he's still looking for his place in the music world and, despite the odds, is determined to find it.
Line by Line Meaning
I woke up and my eyes were sore
I woke up tired and emotionally drained
I gave you every last tear that I had
I shared all my deepest emotions with you
I don't think I can cry no more
I feel like I have nothing left to give emotionally
All of this red on my eyes looking like
I never gotten high before
My eyes are bloodshot and it looks like I've been crying constantly
This is not regular love,
this shit is a mile more
This love is not ordinary, it's extraordinary
I think this is God's way of reminding me
I need to smile more
I feel like maybe God wants me to be happier
I played you my song and we sobbed
My music moved us both to tears
This music's beyond getting up
On my Youtube and dissing
Some pawn for applause
My music is more than just dissing people for attention on Youtube
I gotta responsibility that's
Bigger than bullshitting
All for the mob
I have a responsibility to create meaningful music, not just cater to the masses
I'm tryna ball while I'm here
So they don't have to bawl when I'm gone
I want to make the most of my time so my fans don't have to mourn my loss
Life changed in a year
Changed in a week
Changed in a second
Life can change drastically in a short amount of time
Sang when they didn't hear
They didn't speak
They didn't question
I kept creating music even when no one was paying attention or questioning me
Made my music in fear
Made it and re
Framed my perspective
I created my music in a state of apprehension, but it helped me change my perspective on things
I hope that it's clear
Now that you're here
Came to my rescue
I hope that now that you're here, you can see how much my music has helped me and how much it means to me
Losing time
Lemme let you know before
I lose my mind yeah
I'm running out of time and want to let you know my thoughts before I lose my mind
These days something must be on my side
If I lose at least I'll tell you that I tried yeah
That I tried
I feel like there must be some higher power on my side and even if I lose, I can say I gave it my all
They say great things take time
I think time takes great things away though
People say that good things come to those who wait, but I feel like time can also take away opportunities
Lost all of my idols that had fallen like an angel
Who knows if they in the
Clouds with a halo? Who knows?
I've lost many of my idols who died too young, and I wonder if they are at peace in the afterlife
I look up to names for help
But how can our idols save us if
They can't even save themselves
I used to look up to my idols for guidance, but I realize that they are only human and can't always save themselves
I gotta behave myself
Gotta remember my start no
I will not betray myself
I need to stay true to myself and remember where I came from
I been afraid to tell
So alone so I just braced myself
I′ve wanted love since the age of 12
Even before I could lace myself
That's why when I know I lose all that
I love that it's easy to hate myself
I've always longed for love and have been afraid to share my true feelings, which is why it's easy for me to hate myself when I lose that love
It's my birthday!
But I won't celebrate myself
'Cause time is gonna take myself
Even though it's my birthday, I don't want to celebrate because time is always marching forward and taking a part of me with it
I'm on my proclubs shit, I create myself
But I'm never gonna rate myself
I'm working hard to create the best version of myself, but I don't want to become overconfident or narcissistic
Picture perfect
Is it worth it
Vision blurrin
Missin verses
Life really is a burden
Seeing my face on every sign
I'm a missing person
Whatever he gets, the kid deserves it
Even though I may appear successful on the surface, life can still be difficult and lonely. I deserve whatever success comes my way
You're nothing but a grain
Of sand in my hourglass
But I can spot you from a mile away, yeah
You may be insignificant in the grand scheme of things, but I can still see you clearly and appreciate you for who you are
I'm searching for you
I'm still searching for something, possibly love or purpose
Writer(s): Benjamin Lasky
Contributed by Ava L. Suggest a correction in the comments below.
CER10
on Migraine
[Part I]
[Intro 1: Quadeca]
(Bye guys, thank you, have a great day)
Yeah
[Hook: Quadeca]
I remember when I first met you
Yeah, I never thought that I would forget you
Never thought that I would ever upset you
And I never thought that I would ever regret you
Yeah, times change and my mind changed
Can't get you out of my brain, like a migraine
I really risked it all when the time came
All this shit had to hit me like a migraine
[Verse 1: Quadeca]
I don't know if I can call it my pain
All these problems just compressing, like a side chain
Find fame, that's the only way that I can hide shame
So in this feeling, can't remember when the tides change
Used to be THC, like the greenest weed
Anyone could ever fuckin' breathe, I can feel the breeze
See the wind, see it through the trees, see it through the leaves
Need to leave, can somebody please just throw me the keys?
(I love you) And now you're really just my withdrawal
Man, I really only hits you when this shit falls
I know your phone number more than your name
Music's the one thing that covers me, like a porch in the rain
To me, you really are just a force I contain
Source of my pain, that's the only thing that can corner the flame
So why did I do this shit for you? Man, it's holdin' me sane
Can't get you out of my brain, like a horrible stain
[Hook: Quadeca]
I remember when I first met you
Yeah, I never thought that I would forget you
Never thought that I would ever upset you
And I never thought that I would ever regret you
Yeah, times change and my mind changed
Can't get you out of my brain, like a migraine
I really risked it all when the time came
All this shit had to hit me like a migraine
[Verse 2: Rob Curly & Quadeca]
Should have never let a girl
Representin' everything I hate about the world
Come up in my life and flip it straight into reverse
You was tryin' to make it hard, I was tryin' to make it work
(Work) That's a first (Yeah)
And a last
Homie told me, "Focus, leave the drama in the past"
(Hurt) Let it pass, hurt
People hurt, people true (True)
Funny how the lies lead to truth (Truth)
When it's over, I ain't over you
And I ain't sober, know you rollin' too (Yeah)
Love don't just get up and go
Feelin's always here to taunt, I've been tryin' to let it go
Waitin' for a text that I don't even want
I can't even front
I would probably say, "I'm down" (Down, down, down)
If shorty hit me with the, "We should chill"
If shorty hit me with the, "Are you down?"
[Interlude: Rob Curly]
(Think of it like the Holocaust) Nah
(Never again, alright?) Nah
(That is what got us here in the first place)
[Part II]
[Intro 2: Quadeca]
Yeah
[Verse 3: Quadeca]
There's a reason these cliches exist
I keep tryna to forget, my mind replays this kiss
Uh, fuck, I don't mean to delay my bliss
I been all over the mix, and now she takes a sip
Then we take it in, see my seat change and shift
It's a weekday, and I got so much sleep, caving in
And now I really can't tell if this a dream-state I'm in
If it is, I wake up depressed that my dream days are myth
I'm telling myself, "Please don't let this be fake, I'll trip"
I told her, "Pinch me if it's real", and then she came to pinch
And as she made her way close to me, aye, I flinch
Switch! It all just disappears to the remains, I drifted a-
[Outro: Quadeca]
-Way