He was signed with Elektra in 1995 by Darryl Williams. In 1997, he performed in a television special with his sister, but despite the mainstream attention, he was dropped by Elektra soon after. His easygoing image and boyish looks appealed to the producers of Brandy's television show, Moesha, scoring him a role on the popular UPN series starting in 1999. He also started producing, putting together the music for several commercials and a few of the demos for his second record. In 1997 he also released his debut album Everything You Want, recorded the year before, which spawned two singles. "Let It Go" was the lead single of the smash soundtrack for Set It Off (Brandy also appeared on the soundtrack; and her song "Missing You" with Tamia, Chaka Khan and Gladys Knight peaked also at number 25). It peaked number 25 in the U.S. and number 11 in New Zealand. The second single peaked at number 54 on the U.S. R&B chart.
After appearing on the last episode of Moesha in 2001, Norwood stepped back into the studio and recorded "Another Day In Paradise" with Brandy, which was a Top Ten success in Austria, UK, Germany, Sweden, Switzerland, Belgium, Norway, Ireland, the Netherlands and number 11 in Australia and France. The song was the lead single of the R&B/Hip Hop tribute Urban Renewal, in which he co-produced and performed songs. Norwood also worked with The Neptunes, Rodney Jerkins and Lil' Kim, and several other hitmaking producers and singers for his second studio album This Ain't A Game, a Hip hop-oriented record that featured more of his rapping than his debut. The album was released in 2001, but despite a strong promotional push from new label Atlantic Records, it wasn't a breakthrough success. The lead single "Wait A Minute" appeared in the lower half of the charts in Germany, Switzerland, the Netherlands and Great Britain. The second single did even worse peaking on the R&B/Hip hop chart only.
In 2002 he appeared in the video for his sister's smash-hit "What About Us", which was produced by Jerkins, and was released as her third album, Full Moon's lead single during the first quarter of 2002 (see 2002 in music). While "What About Us?" entered the Top 20 on the majority of the charts it appeared on, it reached the Top 10 in Australia, Denmark, New Zealand, Norway, the Philippines, the UK, and the United States.
After a two year break, Norwood returned to recording studios, adding the finishing touches on his third studio album Raydiation with help from producers such as Rodney Jerkins, Timbaland, and R. Kelly. A joint venture by Sanctuary Records and Ray-J's own label, independent Knockout Entertainment, the album was finally released on September 27, 2005 in North America after several delays, debuting at number forty-eight on the Billboard 200 chart, selling 18,321 copies in the first week. Boosted by the album's lead single "One Wish," a top 20 success in Ireland, New Zealand, the UK, the U.S.. Raydiation eventually sold over 400,000 copies domestically.[2]
In 2005, Norwood joined the cast of UPN's One On One,[3] where he played the character of D-Mack for the final season.
More recently, Knockout Entertainment announced a multi-million dollar album deal with Koch Records and Shaquille O'Neal’s "Deja 34" entertainment company.[2] The first album for this deal is Norwood's upcoming fourth album All I Feel, which featuresThe Game, and remixes with Manny and Gil (MP Productions) among others. It was released on April 1st,2008.[4] The album's first single is "Sexy Can I" featuring rapper Yung Berg peaked at number three on the Top Singles (Hot 100) for six weeks. A video for the track, directed by R. Malcolm Jones, was shot in December 2007
BECAUSE OF YOU
Ray J Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
The same mistakes that you did
I will not let myself
Cause my heart so much misery
I will not break
The way you did, you fell so hard
I've learned the hard way
To never let it get that far
Because of you
I never stray too far from the sidewalk
Because of you
I learned to play on the safe side so I don't get hurt
Because of you
I find it hard to trust not only me, but everyone around me
Because of you I am afraid
I lose my way
And it's not too long before you point it out
I cannot cry
Because I know that's weakness in your eyes
I'm forced to fake
A smile, a laugh, every day of my life
My heart can't possibly break
When it wasn't even whole to start with
I watched you die
I heard you cry every night in your sleep
I was so young
You should have known better than to lean on me
You never thought of anyone else
You just saw your pain
And now I cry in the middle of the night
For the same damn thing
Because of you
Because of you
Because of you I am afraid
Because of you I never stray too far from the sidewalk
Because of you I learned to play on the safe side so I don't get hurt
Because of you I try my hardest just to forget everything
Because of you
I don't know how to let anyone else in
Because of you
I'm ashamed of my life because it's empty
Because of you I am afraid
Because of you
, the singer of the song has learned to avoid the same mistakes their parent made in the past. They will not let themselves cause their heart as much hurt as their parent did. They've learned to never let things get so far out of control. The repetition of "Because of you" emphasizes the influence that his parent has had on his life, as everything he does is affected by them. The first verse is mainly about the singer's fear of repeating their parent's mistakes, while the second verse talks about how the parent's behavior has affected the singer emotionally. The singer is forced to hide their emotions and put on a mask every day of their life because they know that their parent sees crying as a weakness. They also feel empty because of their fear of trusting anyone else. The bridge of the song is particularly significant as it reveals that the parent's actions had a significant impact on the singer's life. The parent relied heavily on the singer, which affected them negatively.
The song is a powerful ballad that deals with themes of fear, self-doubt, and overcoming past traumas. It speaks to anyone who has been affected by a toxic or abusive relationship, whether it's with a parent or a partner. The lyrics are simple but powerful, conveying a sense of vulnerability and pain that many people can relate to. The song's melody is haunting and evocative, emphasizing the emotional depth of the lyrics.
Line by Line Meaning
Will not make
The same mistakes that you did
I will not repeat the mistakes you made in your life.
I will not let myself
Cause my heart so much misery
I will take control of my emotions so that they do not cause me pain and distress.
I will not break
The way you did, you fell so hard
I will not falter and suffer like you did in life.
I've learned the hard way
To never let it get that far
I have learned from your mistakes that it is best to avoid getting too deeply involved in situations that may cause me pain.
Because of you
I never stray too far from the sidewalk
I remain cautious in life and avoid taking risks because of the negative impact you had on me.
Because of you
I learned to play on the safe side so I don't get hurt
I adopt a risk-averse mentality in life so that I do not suffer the same pain and hurt that you did.
Because of you
I find it hard to trust not only me, but everyone around me
Your behavior towards me has made it difficult for me to trust others and myself fully.
Because of you I am afraid
Your impact on my life has left me with fear and trepidation towards certain aspects of life.
I lose my way
And it's not too long before you point it out
You are never hesitant to remind me of my shortcomings when I lose my way in life.
I cannot cry
Because I know that's weakness in your eyes
Your perception of crying as a weakness has prevented me from expressing my emotions freely in front of you.
I'm forced to fake
A smile, a laugh, every day of my life
I am compelled to adopt a facade of happiness around you to avoid any negative consequences.
My heart can't possibly break
When it wasn't even whole to start with
I never had a complete sense of self in my life, which makes it impossible for me to experience heartbreak.
I watched you die
I heard you cry every night in your sleep
I witnessed your gradual emotional and physical deterioration and your emotional pain was evident even in your sleep.
I was so young
You should have known better than to lean on me
I was too young to handle your emotional burden, which was unfair to me and had lasting effects on my life.
You never thought of anyone else
You just saw your pain
Your self-absorption blinded you to the harm you were causing others around you.
And now I cry in the middle of the night
For the same damn thing
I struggle with the same emotional pain that plagued you, and it causes me to cry alone at night.
Because of you
I try my hardest just to forget everything
I make a conscious effort to forget my past with you and focus on moving forward in life.
Because of you
I don't know how to let anyone else in
I find it difficult to open up to people after the emotional turmoil and pain you inflicted on me.
Because of you
I'm ashamed of my life because it's empty
Your behavior towards me has left me feeling like my life lacks depth and fulfillment.
Because of you I am afraid
Your impact on my life has left me with fear and trepidation towards certain aspects of life.
Lyrics © BMG Rights Management, Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC
Written by: KEITH E. CROUCH, KEVIN T KIPPER JONES, WILLIE RAY NORWOOD
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind