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
What I Need
Ray J Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Yea..i been tryna get away..but its just something about u thats
Pullin me back in...ya know?
[chorus]
..girl ya what I need..and I cant even front im wildin
Out..planin on you can calm me down..you make it
Alright when your around..girl your what I need
[verse]
..i know ...u think...im just saying...all these things cause
Your here now..and I know what your
Thinkin..if this is true...then why didnt I do....all these
Things when I had you..
[bridge]
Its because I knew..you had quite enough..but I feel brand
New..and im fessin up..
[chorus]
Girl your what I need ..and I cant even front im wildn
Out..planin on u can calm me down..you make it
Alright when your around..girl your what I need ..and u know
That your all I think about..plannin on we
Can work it out..im tired of the games stop playin around..girl
Your what I need.
[verse]
..the 1st time I got caught up...i swear it wasnt even in my
Plans..i..got caught up in some how...and I
Dont know what I was thinkin...but thats back in 02..in 04..im
Brand new...in 05 wont be seen without you.
[bridge]
Its because I knew you had quite enough..but I feel brand
New..and im...fessin up..
[chorus]
Girl your what I need..and I cant even front im wildin
Out..planin on u can calm me down..u make it
Alright when your around...girl your what I need..and u know
That your all I think about..planin on we can
Work it out.
[breakdown]
..let me take you ova this bridge...so wont you tell me....that
Were not supposed to be ..and that im not
Ready..to give you what u need...so wont you tell me...theres no
Way that u could be..more than in love
With me..cuz your all that I need...whoooooo...
[chorus]
Girl your what I need..and I cant even front im wildn
Out..plannin on u can calm me down..u make it
Alright when your around..girl your what I need..and u know that
Your all I think about..plannin on we can
Work it out..im tired of tha games stop playin around..girl your
What I need. [x2]
(I been wildn in tha club screamin r&b and thug...but I dont
Wanna live that life no more!)......girl
Your what I need!!.....girl your what I need! [fade out]
The lyrics of Ray J's song "What I Need" express his desire to return to a past relationship. He acknowledges that his previous actions may have resulted in the loss of that relationship, but he believes that he has changed now and is willing to make it work. He apologizes for his behavior but also admits that he couldn't do all the things he is willing to do now because he wasn't ready then. He believes that being with his former partner will calm him down and make things alright, and he reassures them that they are all he thinks about. In the breakdown, he tells them that he is ready to give them what they need and that they are all he needs.
The theme of the song is the desire to make things right in a relationship that ended due to past mistakes. The lyrics are an expression of regret, acknowledgment of responsibility, and a desire to change. The use of the word "wilding out" reflects the idea of impulsive behavior that the singer wants to move past. The chorus repeats the idea that the girl is what he needs, emphasizing the importance of the partner in his life.
Line by Line Meaning
..girl ya what I need..and I cant even front im wildin Out..planin on you can calm me down..you make it Alright when your around..girl your what I need
You are the one thing that I need, and I can't deny that I am acting uncontrollably. Planning on being with you helps me regain control, and when you're near me, everything feels okay. You're what I need.
..i know ...u think...im just saying...all these things cause Your here now..and I know what your Thinkin..if this is true...then why didnt I do....all these Things when I had you..
I understand that you may think I'm only saying these things because you're here now, but I know what you're thinking. If what I am saying is true, then why didn't I do these things when I had you before?
Its because I knew..you had quite enough..but I feel brand New..and im fessin up..
I didn't do these things when I had you before because I felt like you had enough. But now, I feel like a new person and I am being honest with you.
Girl your what I need ..and I cant even front im wildn Out..planin on u can calm me down..you make it Alright when your around..girl your what I need ..and u know That your all I think about..plannin on we Can work it out..im tired of the games stop playin around..girl Your what I need.
You're exactly what I need. I can't deny that I'm out of control, but planning on being with you helps me calm down. You're always on my mind, and I believe we can work through anything. I'm tired of playing games, you're the one I need.
..the 1st time I got caught up...i swear it wasnt even in my Plans..i..got caught up in some how...and I Dont know what I was thinkin...but thats back in 02..in 04..im Brand new...in 05 wont be seen without you.
The first time I got caught up in something, it wasn't even part of my plan. I got caught up somehow, and I don't even know what I was thinking back then. But now in 2004, I feel like a new person, and in 2005 I won't be seen without you.
..let me take you ova this bridge...so wont you tell me....that Were not supposed to be ..and that im not Ready..to give you what u need...so wont you tell me...theres no Way that u could be..more than in love With me..cuz your all that I need...whoooooo...
Let me take you on a journey over this bridge, and please tell me that we're not meant to be together and that I'm not ready to give you what you need. Please tell me that there's no way that you could be more in love with me, because you're all that I need.
Lyrics © O/B/O APRA AMCOS
Written by: DANIELS, JERKINS, JERKINS III
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind