Benjamin Lasky, commonly acknowledged by his stage name Quadeca (formerly … Read Full Bio ↴Benjamin Lasky, commonly acknowledged by his stage name Quadeca (formerly quadecax8), is a 23-year-old Latino-American rapper from California. His music career started in 2015, when he decided to create his first song, titled "Fifa 14 Rap". He then released his first studio album called "Work In Progress" in September of 2015. He then went on to release another three full-length projects, "Nostalgia For The Now", "Bad Internet Rapper" and "Out Of Order".

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.

Hold up
Quadeca Lyrics

Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴

Hold up, wait
I got the clout and that's no debate
(No debate) hold up, wait
Shootin' my shots, like it's Golden State
(Swish) hold up, hold up
I hit it out of the park
You just stole the base (Ayy)
So much- so much praise

See me in public, like, hold up, wait

Yeah, I've been in a whole new place
Feeling like there's more at stake
(More at stake) my whip say 'QUADECA' on it
And they look at me weird like
"I know that face" ("I know that guy")
I've been in a whole new place
Prayin' I don't fall from grace, damn, damn
(yeah) i wish there wasn't so much change
See me like, hold up, hold up, hold up, wait

Sixteen, I got big dreams
See me makin' phone calls
I've got big brings (Brrr)
All these bitches want a real
Rapper who got deals crackin'
And their meals packaged
I'm the next best thing (Best thing)
So every night, I've been workin' late
I have trouble separating work and play
Like Trump separating church and state
Rappers breathin' heavy
Like the third debate
I can hear it in the mics
I'm the spirit in the lyrics that you write
Like an insecure freezer
All your spirit's the appearance of your ice
I got drive, you just steer into the hype
Hold up, wait, that hypocritical for me
Fully
I just spent a thousand on Supreme hoodies
So fuck this elitist shit
I'm even worse than these rappers
But look up to me, really yeah

Hold up, wait (Haha)
I got the clout and that's no debate
(No debate) hold up, wait
Shootin' my shots like it's Golden State
(Swish) hold up, hold up
I hit it out of the park
You just stole the base (Swing)
So much- so much praise
See me in public, like hold up, wait
(Hold up, yeah)

Yeah, I've been in a whole new place
Feeling like there's more at stake
(More at stake) my whip say 'QUADECA' on it
And they look at me weird like
"I know that face" ("I know that guy")
I've been in a whole new place
Every day, I'm eatin' bolognese, damn, damn
I wish there wasn't so much change
See me like, hold up, hold up, hold up, wait

Wait! (Wait)

Damn, I invented the flow
Damn, I walked in wit' your ho
(Wit' your ho, yeah, ayy yeah)
I ain't even want that lil' bitch
(yeah! Lil' bitch)
Every time I'm in the booth
I'ma walk out with a hit (Hit, yeah)
Yeah, you know me well
Apple Watch, Nike band
Hermès jacket, Nike pants
(Nike pants, yeah, okay)
Icy flow, 'Bout to blow, like, yeah

Uh, hold up, I paid a K for that verse
And it got like eighteen words in it
That's like fifty dollars per word
I guess they gon' make me work for it
Yeah, they don't take me serious
They gon' have to take my word for it (yeah)
Tryna shut me down, not my fault
I got a name and they keep searchin' it
(yeah) bitch, I'm comin' for that top spot
Let me tell you, you ain't deservin' it
('Servin' it)
All y'all better know I am the answer
If my name's on your page, please circle it
(I'm the answer, circle it)
And I ain't Tay-K i don't got to go to
Chick-fil-A just to murder shit
(Bow-bow-bow)
Producers gonna stop sending me beats
'Cause I'm pressing play
And then I'm burnin' it
If I want my plays, boy, I'm earnin' 'em
"Quadeca's great" "I never heard of him"
("I never heard of 'em")
That's what they say
Then I turn the music on
I turn it up and now it's turnin' them
Into fans, tell me how I win again
Been the man, all y'all belong in the stands
I ain't one of these motherfuckers
Tryna make all this money
So I cash it up and flex
It up on my Instagram
Really, man? Is that who I really am?
I don't wanna handshake with
Your filthy hands hundred bands
But I'd be happy with just fifty bands
Fifty bands, but I'd just be happy with
Just like fifty fans
I'ma get all of this shit
Because I really can
And I ain't the type to show up late
But when I hear a whack-ass verse
I just look up at my screen
Like, "Hold up, hold up, wait"

Thank you so much'a for'to playing my game'a!
Bye bye!

Overall Meaning

The lyrics to Quadeca's song "Hold Up" convey his confidence and assertion in the music industry. He starts off by emphasizing his clout and skills without any room for debate. He compares his talent to shooting shots like the Golden State Warriors, a successful basketball team known for their three-pointers. Quadeca hits it out of the park, while others are just stealing the spotlight. Despite receiving praise, he still encounters people who are unfamiliar with his face but know his name. This highlights the growing fame and recognition he has achieved.

Quadeca reflects on being in a whole new place, where there is higher stakes and pressure. His car reflects his identity, as it has his name "QUADECA" on it, which confuses people. He expresses prayers to not fall from grace and shares his struggle with the changes brought by success. The second verse highlights Quadeca's ambition and aspirations as a young artist. He asserts his talent and work ethic, mentioning his phone calls and the attention he garners from female fans. He acknowledges his flaws and the difficulties of separating work from play, making a witty reference to American politics with the comparison of Trump and the separation of church and state. Quadeca signifies his presence in the industry, being the spirit behind the lyrics that other rappers write.

In the following section, Quadeca flexes his wealth and success, mentioning his expensive purchases like Supreme hoodies, luxury brands, and his "icy flow." He calls out the hypocrisy in the industry, acknowledging that he may not be perfect but still looks up to and respects him. Despite spending big on his image, he emphasizes that he is even better than mainstream rappers and demands recognition. Quadeca mocks those who doubt his abilities and mentions how he has to work harder to prove himself. He expresses his dedication through the reference of paying a lot for a verse with few words, indicating that he is worthy, and people should take him seriously. The song ends with his confidence as he asserts that he will continue to gain fans and success while shutting down those who question him.

Lyrics © O/B/O APRA AMCOS

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