After a troubled relationship with his mother, Sylvan moved out of his mother's home at the age of 17 and thereafter, repeatedly moved back in and out of her house.
In 2009, he was the champion of Jermaine Dupri's "Survival of the MCs" competition, beating 660 other hip hop performers and earning a deal with Dupri's newly founded TAG Records. However, months after Sylvan won his deal with TAG Records, the record company folded. Subsequently, Sylvan began releasing content online following the era of the online mixtape circuit, building a solid following under his then name "QuESt."
Into 2011, Sylvan was living independently and was working full-time as a janitor. In late 2011, Sylvan's father moved in with him after being released from jail and convinced Sylvan to allow him to take care of financial responsibilities.
Six months after giving his father responsibility of the finances, Sylvan and his father were evicted on May 10, 2012. Following being evicted, losing his job weeks earlier and giving his father his car, Sylvan almost decided to quit rapping. He also had doubts of success after not getting recognition despite releasing works, contacting individuals in the music industry and performing independently. He decided to speak with his A&R representative where she told him to take his time and not to do anything.
Sylvan moved to San Diego, CA feeling he needed a "change in scenery" after experiencing his hardships. Deciding to take his time, Sylvan decided to tour with rapper Logic on his Welcome To Forever Tour in early 2013. After building a relationship with Visionary Music Group president Chris Zarou, it was announced in August 2013 that Sylvan joined Chris Zarou's record label, Visionary Music Group (VMG).
On September 2, 2014, Sylvan released the Searching Sylvan mixtape. Following its release, The Huffington Post named Sylvan on their 11 Artists You Need To Know For The Rest Of 2014 list, with The Huffington Post stating “[Sylvan] is about to prove himself one of the most promising storytellers in hip-hop" and that Searching Sylvan was not "just one of the best mixtapes or hip-hop releases this year ... [it] is one of the best albums all year". Near the end of 2014, The Huffington Post again placed Sylvan on a list, placing Searching Sylvan #6 on The 15 Most Underrated Albums Of The Year.
In December 2014, Sylvan announced that he had decided to leave Visionary Music Group due to differences with the management, stating that there was "no ill will towards them". Weeks after separating from his previous label, Sylvan created the WiseUp music collective. He returned to Florida to reconnect with friends and family, speaking on an industry panel in the spring before heading to Orlando to prepare his next body of work.
In June 2015, Miami New Times listed Sylvan as one of 5 Miami Artists You Should Know, stating that "he’s been taking Miami by storm since 2009. It's 2015 now, and he’s still going strong."
On September 2, 2015, Sylvan released a statement on his website which announced how he has dropped QuESt as his stage name and will go by his birth name. The statement was accompanied by a featured journal on VSCO which detailed what he had gone through in the past year, such as finding himself as an artist.
"There was this one time, me & my engineer went to this coffee shop we became super fond of. There was this barista I knew that was working that afternoon. We played a new record and she loved it.
She always knew my name was "QuESt", but never heard any of my previous work besides that song. I remember paying for my cup of coffee, and my real name popped up from the card scan: Sylvan LaCue. She said, 'This is your real name?... This fits you a hell of a lot better than QuESt, just saying.' Ironically, I guess I was Searching Sylvan all along..."
Sylvan also announced that he would be dropping a project titled Far From Familiar. The album is a direct sequel to "Searching Sylvan" and is produced by WiseUp's in-house production team, The Marvels. In November 2015, he released The Watcher 3 to herald his return and offer an unapologetic and observant report on the current state of the industry. A little over week, Studio City appeared. Both were received well by fans and blogs alike.
On December 15, 2015, Sylvan announced the EP Evangeline, which was scheduled to be released for free, on December 18, 2015. The EP is a "love story" according to Sylvan, that takes place after the events of his debut album, Far From Familiar.
In anticipation of the new project, Sylvan released Fall From Grace, the first official single on February 4, 2016 via Complex Magazine. The song was originally titled So Help Me God before being renamed the night before in response to Kanye's indecisiveness over his album title. Sylvan revealed the inspiration behind the song on his Twitter following its release.
"I wrote 'Fall From Grace' at the lowest time of my life last year....That song is all about asking God to save me from myself. Imagine feeling invincible & knowing you're doing all the wrong things & thinking all the wrong thoughts. That's what 'Fall From Grace' is."
Far From Familiar was released on April 8, 2016.
In an article released the day before the release of Far From Familiar, Lacue explained his ambitions in an interview with The Fader. He explained that the final track of Far From Familiar, "At What Cost?", was him finally obtaining peace with himself, stating, "I chose to close out with this because it's also the title of my next project". Lacue also said that he was focused on expanding his brand, WiseUp & Co., and that he planned to go on tour in 2016.
Selfish
Sylvan LaCue Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
How do I not know that I am first?
I put all much effort into everyone except the one who hurts
Aim to please I got what you need don't reject me I need validated worth
Spread me thin love to see you win pray to
God for the better or the worst
I care about everybody else
I should make some time baby, I need to make time for myself
I know I know I know I know
I worry about everybody else
I should make some time baby, I need to make time for myself
Momma on my phone like...
Boy you need to focus on your health
Work out proper, eat more veggies, drink more water tomorrows not promised for yourself
I'm distracted this the last time I'm relapsing
Earth & happy potions oh how swell. What you up to oh not much shit let's cut loose match in heaven fires set in hell
And I know I know I know I know
I care about everybody else
I should make some time baby, I need to make time for myself
I know I know I know I know
I worry about everybody else
I should make some time baby, I need to make time for myself.
Time
All in due time
I am like in God design
I put my heart on the line
I'm not the worrying kind
But I can not hurry what's mine
My daddy made dishes & sent me well wishes black chicken rice curry & thyme
Money don't matter my way
Mentals been lathered in rage
Compartmentalizing my judgement on others elitist when asked of my day
They are not better than I
But am I much better than self?
What's better than you as you are?
What's better than truth in yo heart?
I pull up where nigga can't see me
I need some space to move freely
Just incase niggas go postal
Fuck out my way I don't know you
This is not twitter nigga do not be confused by the result of them protools. Let's keep it civil & noble. Gentrification & Whole Foods
I wanna be more than expected
I'm talking well & respected
I'm talking vanity levels that might make devil look back with obsession
God got lock on my heart, Lucy clench on my flesh. You give him the will to seek out on free thrills add a conscience & what you expect
I worry about everybody else
I need to make time for myself
In "Selfish," Sylvan LaCue uses introspective lyrics to explore how he neglects himself by constantly catering to the needs of others. He starts the song questioning how he can forget that he should be his first priority, giving his all to everyone but himself. Even when he recognizes the need to focus on himself, he struggles with it, receiving reminders from his mother and dealing with relapses.
He realizes that he needs to find a balance between caring for others and taking care of himself but acknowledges that it's not an easy task. Throughout the song, he emphasizes the importance of self-care and putting oneself first. The phrase "I care about everybody else; I should make some time for myself" is repeated in the chorus as a reminder to prioritize oneself.
The lyrics also touch on societal pressure and comparison, as Sylvan questions his elitist judgment of others and whether he is better than himself. He references his father's homemade dish and emphasizes that money doesn't matter to him, instead discussing the importance of being well-respected.
Overall, "Selfish" encourages listeners to focus on their own mental and emotional health and not lose sight of themselves while taking care of others.
Line by Line Meaning
How do I not know that I am first?
I don't know how to put myself first
I put all much effort into everyone except the one who hurts
I focus on others before myself, even those who've hurt me
Aim to please I got what you need don't reject me I need validated worth
I aim to please others to feel validated and worthy
Spread me thin love to see you win pray to
God for the better or the worst
I put myself in many places to see others succeed; I pray for people despite their circumstances.
I care about everybody else
I should make some time baby, I need to make time for myself
I care about everyone but need to make time for myself
Momma on my phone like...
Boy you need to focus on your health
Work out proper, eat more veggies, drink more water tomorrows not promised for yourself
My mom reminds me to focus on my physical health daily
I'm distracted this the last time I'm relapsing
Earth & happy potions oh how swell. What you up to oh not much shit let's cut loose match in heaven fires set in hell
I'm easily distracted but don't want to relapse again; I want to have fun despite the consequences
I worry about everybody else
I should make some time baby, I need to make time for myself.
I care about everyone else but need to focus on myself too
Time
All in due time
I am like in God design
Things take time and happen as they should in God's plan
I put my heart on the line
I'm not the worrying kind
But I can not hurry what's mine
My daddy made dishes & sent me well wishes black chicken rice curry & thyme
I'm not someone who worries often, but I can't rush what's meant to be mine; my dad always sends me food and good thoughts
Money don't matter my way
Mentals been lathered in rage
Compartmentalizing my judgement on others elitist when asked of my day
They are not better than I
But am I much better than self?
Money isn't a priority for me; my mental health has been struggling, and I sometimes judge people too harshly; though I'm not better than others, I need to focus on improving myself
What's better than you as you are?
What's better than truth in yo heart?
There's nothing better than you as you are, nothing better than knowing and following your truth
I pull up where nigga can't see me
I need some space to move freely
Just incase niggas go postal
Fuck out my way I don't know you
This is not twitter nigga do not be confused by the result of them protools.
Sometimes, I need to get away from people and be alone; I don't want to engage with people who may get angry or violent, and I don't want to deal with repercussions from social media
God got lock on my heart, Lucy clench on my flesh.
You give him the will to seek out on free thrills
add a conscience & what you expect
God has my heart, but my desires can still be influenced by negative things; seeking thrill is inevitable, but having a conscience is key
I worry about everybody else
I need to make time for myself
I care about everyone but need to take time to focus on myself
Contributed by James I. Suggest a correction in the comments below.
Paula Daniela
Lyrics<3
Mmmmm, yeah
How do I not know that I am first?
I put all much effort into everyone except the one who hurts
Aim to please I got what you need don't reject me I need validated worth
Spread me thin love to see you win pray to
God for the better or the worst
And I know I know I know I know
I care about everybody else
I should make some time baby, I need to make time for myself
I know I know I know I know
I worry about everybody else
I should make some time baby, I need to make time for myself
Momma on my phone like...
Boy you need to focus on your health
Work out proper, eat more veggies, drink more water tomorrows not promised for yourself
I'm distracted this the last time I'm relapsing
Earth & happy potions oh how swell. What you up to oh not much shit let's cut loose match in heaven fires set in hell
And I know I know I know I know
I care about everybody else
I should make some time baby, I need to make time for myself
I know I know I know I know
I worry about everybody else
I should make some time baby, I need to make time for myself.
Time
All in due time
I am like in God design
I put my heart on the line
I'm not the worrying kind
But I can not hurry what's mine
My daddy made dishes & sent me well wishes black chicken rice curry & thyme
Money don't matter my way
Mentals been lathered in rage
Compartmentalizing my judgement on others elitist when asked of my day
They are not better than I
But am I much better than self?
What's better than you as you are?
What's better than truth in yo heart?
I pull up where nigga can't see me
I need some space to move freely
Just incase niggas go postal
Fuck out my way I don't know you
This is not twitter nigga do not be confused by the result of them protools. Let's keep it civil & noble. Gentrification & Whole Foods
I wanna be more than expected
I'm talking well & respected
I'm talking vanity levels that might make devil look back with obsession
God got lock on my heart, Lucy clench on my flesh. You give him the will to seek out on free thrills add a conscience & what you expect
I worry about everybody else
I need to make time for myself
Mulder Gene
Your songs are literally what's getting me through the roughest times I've ever gone through. Your music gives my soul hope. Never stop what you're doing Sylvan. This isn't just music, It's medicine. It's art. Great job my man!
mowmowmcleod
Same 🥴
Khalid Hassaan
You need to be on COLORS man!! Never disappointed. Favorite artist rn. I hope you get the recognition you deserve Sylvan.
Katharina Fiedler
Khalid Hassaan YES! He's destined to be featured on COLORS!
Remco
Make this happen
Dingens
Exactly my thought
JE ProdigalSon
agreed
Jon Doe
Serious
Martiño Piñeiro
THIS MAN IS AN ARTIST. HE REFLECTS HIS EMOTIONS ON HIS MUSIC. DONT SLEEP ON HIM
Beast Laser
Martiño Piñeiro real talk ✊🏾✊🏾✊🏾