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
Can't Run Can't Hide
Ray J Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Can't run, can't hide (you can't run)
Can't run, can't hide
You can't run, you can't hide (you can't run)
Really can't get away
I often wonder who you know
I know I done told you more than twice in your life
You can't keep runnin' away, you can't keep hidin' from yo man, it's all right
You got me thinkin' and thinkin'
I don't really feel the same
You should be thinkin' and thinkin'
Loosin' you'd be a shame
So baby baby come around
Can we talk at least before the sun goes down, baby
Can't run, can't hide
You know you can't get away (cant hide)
Can't eat, can't sleep
Till ya know you got your lovin' today
You can't hide what your feelin'
When you're dealin' with my love (with my love)
I often wonder, what you say
Or when I'm not around, but I'm hear to stay, baby
I've paid the time, I've paid my dues
And now it's bout time that we had some rules (baby)
No running from me, ignoring
(The situation at hand)
Let's stop pretending, you hear me
(Let a man be a man)
So baby baby, come around (oh)
'Cause we can work it out before the sun goes down (whoa yeah)
Can't run, can't hide (oh you can't run)
You know you can't get away
Can't eat, can't sleep
Till ya know you got your lovin' today
You can't hide what your feelin'
When you're dealin, with my love (you can't hide, I'm watchin' you, I'm watchin' you baby)
Can't run, can't hide
You know you can't get away
Can't eat, can't sleep
Till ya know you got your lovin' today
You can't hide what your feelin'
When you're dealin' with my love
(When there's no where to run, baby you can't stop my love)
(When there's no where to hide, hide yeah)
(When there's no where to run, baby you can't stop my love)
(When there's no where to hide, hide yeah)
Can't run, can't hide
You know you can't get away
You can't eat, can't sleep
Till ya know you got your lovin' today
You can't hide what your feelin' (you know you can't get away)
When you're dealin' with my love
You can't run, can't hide
You know you can't get away
Can't eat, can't sleep
Till ya know you got your lovin' today
You can't hide what your feelin'
When you're dealin' with my love
(When there's no where to run, baby you can't stop my love)
(When there's no where to hide, hide yeah)
(You can't hide what you're feelin')
In the song "Can't Run Can't Hide," Ray J expresses his feelings about a woman who keeps running away from him. He wonders who she knows, where she goes, and what she thinks about when he's not around. Ray J tells her that he's paid his dues, and it's time that they had some rules. He wants her to stop running away from him and to deal with the love they have between them. He encourages her to come around and talk before the sun goes down, so they can work it out.
The chorus emphasizes that there is nowhere that the woman can run and hide from Ray J's love. He watches her and knows that she can't get away from what she is feeling. He tells her that she can't eat, can't sleep until she knows that she has his love for the day.
Line by Line Meaning
Can't run, can't hide (you can't run)
No matter how hard you try, you cannot escape from me and the situation at hand.
Can't run, can't hide
You cannot avoid dealing with the love between us and the problems that come with it.
You can't run, you can't hide (you can't run)
I am watchful of your actions, and you cannot run away from the feelings and emotions that come with being with me.
Really can't get away
It is impossible for you to completely distance yourself from me and our relationship.
I often wonder who you know
I am curious about the people in your life that you interact with when you are not around me.
What you're thinkin' where'd you go, baby
I am unsure about your thoughts and whereabouts when you are not with me.
I know I done told you more than twice in your life
I have expressed my thoughts and feelings about our relationship to you multiple times in the past.
You can't keep runnin' away, you can't keep hidin' from yo man, it's all right
You cannot continue to avoid dealing with the issues in our relationship and the love that we share. It is okay to face them.
You got me thinkin' and thinkin'
Your actions and words have caused me to constantly think about our relationship and the complications that come with it.
I don't really feel the same
My emotions towards you have changed, and I do not feel the same as I once did in our relationship.
You should be thinkin' and thinkin'
You should be reflecting on your actions and emotions towards me and our relationship.
Loosin' you'd be a shame
Losing you would be unfortunate and disappointing.
So baby baby come around
I want you to be near me and come back to the place where we can discuss and work through our problems.
Can we talk at least before the sun goes down, baby
I would like to have a conversation with you before the day ends to help solve the issues in our relationship.
Can't eat, can't sleep
My thoughts and emotions towards you are so strong that they are affecting my appetite and ability to sleep.
Till ya know you got your lovin' today
I need you to show me your love and commitment in order for me to feel secure in our relationship.
You can't hide what your feelin'
Your emotions and feelings towards me will eventually come to light and cannot be hidden forever.
When you're dealin' with my love (with my love)
Our relationship is based on the love and emotions that we share with each other.
I often wonder, what you say
I am curious about the things you say and do when I am not present in your life.
Or when I'm not around, but I'm hear to stay, baby
Even when I am not physically present, my love and emotions are still a part of your life and our relationship.
I've paid the time, I've paid my dues
I have put in the effort and dedication to our relationship and deserve the same in return from you.
And now it's bout time that we had some rules (baby)
We need to establish and follow some guidelines in our relationship to make it work and resolve our issues.
No running from me, ignoring
You cannot avoid or ignore me in order to escape from the problems in our relationship.
(The situation at hand)
The current issues in our relationship that need to be resolved.
Let's stop pretending, you hear me
We need to be honest and upfront with each other instead of pretending that everything is fine in our relationship.
(Let a man be a man)
Allow me to express my thoughts and emotions in our relationship like a mature adult.
(When there's no where to run, baby you can't stop my love)
Even when there is no way to escape, my feelings and love towards you will persist.
(When there's no where to hide, hide yeah)
There is no way for you to hide from the problems and love in our relationship.
(You can't hide what you're feelin')
Your true thoughts and emotions towards me will eventually come out and cannot be hidden forever.
Lyrics © BMG Rights Management, Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC
Written by: WILLIE NORWOOD, KEITH EDWARD CROUCH, NORA PAYNE, LA TINE WEBB
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind