At the age of two he moved with his mother to Atlanta, Georgia where she raised him until her sudden death at the age of thirty-five. Afterwards, he was taken in by his grandfather, who was an avid music fan. It was through this relationship that he was introduced to many legendary artists that made up his grandfather's record collection. As soon as he heard the soulful sounds of Sam Cooke and Al Green, The-Dream was hooked. In the third grade he began his musical venture by enrolling in introductory trumpet classes at Grove Park Elementary School. He continued playing the trumpet through high school and later learned to play the drums and guitar.
In junior high and high school his musical influences extended toward such artists such as Timbaland , Missy Elliott, Aaliyah and Tupac Shakur. His talents continued to naturally develop and eventually lead The-Dream to begin singing, rapping and song writing.
In addition, he is an accomplished artist and has created many paintings and sculptures, some of which have been shown at various art galleries throughout Atlanta.
In 2001, The-Dream was introduced to Laney Stewart of Redzone Entertainment. Although their first meeting wasn't very successful, things fared better the second time around and Laney pulled him into his camp. The two immediately collaborated to write for the multi-platinum group B2K.
In early 2003, The-Dream was signed by Laney Stewart to a new publishing deal with Morningside Trail through a joint venture with peer music. Since then he has continued writing for other artists including the newest single "Me Against The Music" for Britney Spears. The-Dream recently worked on Jive artist Nivea's forthcoming sophomore effort (April 2005) including the hit single "Okay" featuring Lil' Jon and Youngbloodz.
In 2006, The-Dream was brought in by Tricky Stewart of Redzone to collaborate with various artists including Bayje (Atlantic), Dear Jane & J.Holiday (Capitol), and Brit & Alex (Interscope).
To kick off the New Year, The-Dream began 2007 with major success. With the help of Tricky Stewart, " umbrella" was created and taken to several different labels with artists ranging from Britney Spears at Jive to Mary J. Blige and Akon. Yet, it was the genius of Karen Kwak that got the record into the hands of Def Jam Record's CEO, LA Reid. Def Jam flew The-Dream and Tricky to LA to record with Rihanna, where they also wrote "Breakin' Dishes," a song off Rihanna's latest release, Good Girl Gone Bad.
Despite his current success, The-Dream never stops dreaming. Look out for The-Dream's future collaborations with hot artists such as Timbaland, Justin Timberlake, Karina Pasian, Young Joc, Rihanna, Jay-Z, Jazzy Phae, Keke Palmer, Gia, Tricky Stewart, Don Vito, Wynter Gordon, Shontelle, and Lucy Walsh.
Shawty Is Da Shit
The-Dream Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Shawty (yeah), do it
(Ay, it's Loso in case you ain't know so)
Rock to the beat for your boy (ay, Dream lemme tell you bout shawty)
Radio killa, killa, killa
Shawty is the sh-sh-sh-sh sugar honey iced tea
Prettiest one I see little mama icy (yes, yes)
You know how to treat her, she'll be sweeter than a Hi-C
Clean up very nicely, shoes are kinda pricey
Match 'em up precisely, good jeans nice T
Like her food spicy and she is the same (ooh, woo)
Hotter than a flame, but I do not know her name
Is it Keisha? (Keisha, ayy)
Is it Tisha? (Tisha, ayy)
Maybe Lisa? (Lisa, ayy)
Or Theresa? (Theresa, ayy)
It could be Tia? (Tia, ayy)
Maybe Aaliyah? (Aaliyah, ayy)
I guess I'll find out one day
For now I'ma say, ayy
Shawty fly (ayy), shawty tight (ayy)
I shoulda stayd there, all night (ayy)
With you, with you
I missed ya (ayy) picked ya (ayy)
Now it's time I (ayy) get back up with you
Girl, with you, oh yeah
We used to kick it up at the park
But now she's all grown up, up, up, up
Rockin' them stilettos
Jumpin' up out that Mercedes truck, ooh (truck, truck, truck)
It was Keisha (oh), it was Sonia (oh)
It was Tanya (oh), it was Monique (oh)
It was Niecy (oh), it was Keke (oh)
Ayy, now to see you at twenty-three, all I can say is
Ooh (ayy), ooh
Man, I don't need no hook for this shit
Ooh, ooh
'Cause shawty right there is the shit (ayy), shit (ayy)
Shawty is the shit (ayy), shit (ayy)
Yeah, shawty is the shit (ayy), shit (ayy)
Shawty, you the shit (ayy), you the shit, oh yeah (ayy)
Dior jeans, her walk so mean
Burberry fragrance on my shirt from when she hugged me
Hard as rock when she touched me
Thinking now 'cause she woulda loved me
What it is, what it ain't tell me what to do
I know I'm late but destiny brought me back to you
Time went by turned you into a butterfly
I'm here to say hello, tell your nigga goodbye
It was Keisha (oh), it was Sonia (oh)
It was Tanya (oh), it was Monique (oh)
It was Niecy (oh), it was Keke (oh)
Ayy, now to see you at twenty-three, all I can say is
Ooh (man, tell 'em), ooh
Man, I don't need no hook for this shit
Ooh, ooh (uh, uh)
'Cause shawty right there is the shit (ayy), shit (ayy)
Shawty is the shit (ayy), shit (ayy)
Yeah, shawty is the shit (ayy), shit (ayy)
Shawty, you the shit (ayy), you the shit, oh yeah (ayy)
If she fine, if shawty a dime
You should tip her (ayy), you should tip her (ayy)
If it's your girl, and you love her
You should tip her (ayy), you should tip her(ayy)
If she fix you eggs and grits in the morning
Man, you should tip her (ayy), you should tip her (ayy)
Pancakes with the bacon on the side
You should tip me (ayy), you should tip me (ayy)
Shawty, rock to the beat for yo' boy (oh, oh)
Yeah, yeah, yeah (oh, oh)
Rock to the beat for yo' boy (oh, oh)
Now to see you at twenty-three, all I can say is (yeah, yeah, yeah) (oh, oh)
Ooh (ayy), ooh
Man, I don't need no hook for this shit
Ooh, ooh
'Cause shawty right there is the shit (ayy), shit (ayy)
Shawty is the shit (ayy), shit (ayy)
Yeah, shawty is the shit (ayy), shit (ayy)
Shawty, you the shit (ayy), you the shit, oh yeah (ayy)
In this song, The-Dream is singing about a girl who he thinks is the best. He admires the way she walks and smells, and knows that she likes spicy food. He doesn't know her name, but he's trying to find out. The-Dream reminisces about spending time with her and how now she's grown up and more sophisticated. He believes that fate brought them back together and he likes her so much that he doesn't need a hook for the song; she's already that great. The song is about a man who recognizes a woman who is undeniably the best and tries everything in his power to win her back.
Despite its simple lyrics, the song may be interpreted as a tribute to the Pisces sign or any woman born under the sign. The sign is associated with eyes, intuition, caring, and sensual romanticism, making it similar to The-Dream's perception of his love in this song.
In analyzing the lyrics, one might notice the clever wordplay – the repeated "shawty" represents the slang term for a shorty, which in this case refers to a girl. The word "shit" is also repeated throughout the song, but it's used as slang for something that's really great.
Further pointed out is the song's structure. It follows a typical verse-chorus-verse form with a repeating chorus of the song's hook phrase, "Shawty is da shit." The song's melody, rhythm, and lyrics all work together to create a cohesive sound that makes the song catchy and fun to listen to.
Line by Line Meaning
Shawty rock to the beat for yo boy
This girl is dancing to the beat for me
Shawty (yeah), do it
Keep dancing and doing your thing, girl
(Ay, it's Loso in case you ain't know so)
My name is Loso and in case you didn't know who I am
Rock to the beat for your boy (ay, Dream lemme tell you bout shawty)
Keep dancing for me while I tell you about this girl
Radio killa, killa, killa
I am The-Dream, the producer of this song, and I'm known for making hits
Shawty is the sh-sh-sh-sh sugar honey iced tea
This girl is amazing, the best of the best
Prettiest one I see little mama icy (yes, yes)
She's the prettiest girl I've ever seen and she even has a cold, icy demeanor
They say she a Pisces, I heard they are feisty (ooh)
I've heard she's a Pisces and they're known to be fiery and fierce
You know how to treat her, she'll be sweeter than a Hi-C
If you know how to treat her right, she'll be the sweetest girl ever
Clean up very nicely, shoes are kinda pricey
She always looks good, is well put together, and wears expensive shoes
Match 'em up precisely, good jeans nice T
She always coordinates her outfit perfectly
Like her food spicy and she is the same (ooh, woo)
She likes spicy food and has the same feisty personality
Hotter than a flame, but I do not know her name
She's really attractive, but I don't know her name
Is it Keisha? (Keisha, ayy)
Is her name Keisha?
Is it Tisha? (Tisha, ayy)
Is her name Tisha?
Maybe Lisa? (Lisa, ayy)
Maybe her name is Lisa?
Or Theresa? (Theresa, ayy)
Or maybe her name is Theresa?
It could be Tia? (Tia, ayy)
Maybe her name is Tia?
Maybe Aaliyah? (Aaliyah, ayy)
Or maybe her name is Aaliyah?
I guess I'll find out one day
I'll eventually learn her name
For now I'ma say, ayy
For now, I'll just say
Shawty fly (ayy), shawty tight (ayy)
This girl is attractive and has a great body
I shoulda stayd there, all night (ayy)
I wish I could have stayed with her all night
With you, with you
I wish I could be with you
I missed ya (ayy) picked ya (ayy)
I missed you before, but now I picked you
Now it's time I (ayy) get back up with you
Now it's time for me to get back together with you
Girl, with you, oh yeah
Being with you feels good
We used to kick it up at the park
We used to hang out together in the park
But now she's all grown up, up, up, up
But now she's more mature and grown up
Rockin' them stilettos Jumpin' up out that Mercedes truck, ooh (truck, truck, truck)
She's wearing heels and got out of a Mercedes truck
It was Keisha (oh), it was Sonia (oh)
I've been with other girls named Keisha and Sonia
It was Tanya (oh), it was Monique (oh)
I've also been with girls named Tanya and Monique
It was Niecy (oh), it was Keke (oh)
And I've been with girls named Niecy and Keke
Ayy, now to see you at twenty-three, all I can say is
Now that I see you at 23 years old, all I can say is
Ooh (ayy), ooh
Wow, you look amazing
Man, I don't need no hook for this shit
I don't need a chorus for this song
Ooh, ooh
Wow
'Cause shawty right there is the shit (ayy), shit (ayy)
Because that girl right there is amazing
Shawty is the shit (ayy), shit (ayy)
That girl is amazing
Yeah, shawty is the shit (ayy), shit (ayy)
Yeah, that girl is amazing
Shawty, you the shit (ayy), you the shit, oh yeah (ayy)
Girl, you are amazing
Dior jeans, her walk so mean
She's wearing expensive jeans and has a confident walk
Burberry fragrance on my shirt from when she hugged me
I can smell her Burberry perfume on my shirt from when she hugged me
Hard as rock when she touched me
I got a hard-on when she touched me
Thinking now 'cause she woulda loved me
Now I'm thinking that she could have loved me
What it is, what it ain't tell me what to do
Tell me what to do
I know I'm late but destiny brought me back to you
I know I'm late, but it feels like fate brought me back to you
Time went by turned you into a butterfly
Time has passed, and you've grown into a beautiful, mature adult
I'm here to say hello, tell your nigga goodbye
I'm here to say hello to you and goodbye to your boyfriend
If she fine, if shawty a dime
If she's attractive, a perfect ten
You should tip her (ayy), you should tip her (ayy)
You should treat her nice and take care of her
If it's your girl, and you love her
If she's your girl and you love her
You should tip her (ayy), you should tip her(ayy)
You should treat her nice and take care of her
If she fix you eggs and grits in the morning
If she cooks breakfast for you
Man, you should tip her (ayy), you should tip her (ayy)
You should treat her nice and take care of her
Pancakes with the bacon on the side
If she cooks pancakes with bacon on the side
You should tip me (ayy), you should tip me (ayy)
You should treat me nice and take care of me
Shawty, rock to the beat for yo' boy (oh, oh)
Keep dancing to the beat for me
Yeah, yeah, yeah (oh, oh)
Yeah, keep going
Now to see you at twenty-three, all I can say is (yeah, yeah, yeah) (oh, oh)
Now that I see you at 23 years old, all I can say is
Lyrics © Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC
Written by: Carlos Mckinney, Terius Nash, John David Jackson
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind