Those who have survived the night’s unforgiving darkness cherish basking in… Read Full Bio ↴Those who have survived the night’s unforgiving darkness cherish basking in the light of dawn, in the warm promise of a new day. Every so often, in the world of music, an act emerges like a beacon of light, proudly proclaiming its uniqueness, its disinterest in the norm, and its potential for sparking a sonic revolution. In 2007, just like with The Fugees and the Black Eyed Peas, a new era in urban music will be ushered in thanks to a group fittingly known as The DEY. Composed of Divine, Élan, and Yeyo (DEY), the bilingual Latino trio fuses hip-hop, R&B, pop, and Afro-Latino influences for a unique, singing/rapping fusion-heavy sound that celebrates Latinos’ rich cultural heritage while also inviting non-Latinos to share in the festivities. Their innovative Epic Records debut promises to unify English-only, Spanish-only, and bilingual Latinos, and to address the interests and concerns of today’s generations of multicultural urbanites.

Each of the group’s members boasts an extensive artistic resume. Puerto Rican MC Divine started rhyming as a young kid living in the South Bronx. He had a strong influence in the underground world of hip hop, earning the public's respect for his hard-edged rhymes, particularly for the single "Babyface," which was released in a mixtape. Aside from his growing reputation as a clever lyricist, Divine received accolades within the Latin market due to his work with the Afro-Cuban hip-hop band Yerbabuena, for which he co-wrote the Grammy-nominated “Guajira (I Love You Too Much),” which has been featured in films like Honey, Dirty Dancing: Havana Nights, and HBO’s hit series Entourage. But the key to Divine’s creative destiny lay in Puerto Rico. When a family crisis arose and he moved to the island in 1998, Divine met a like-minded MC, Yeyo, with whom he would form a creative partnership and establish the foundation for a boundary defying movement.

Born in Cupey, Puerto Rico, to a Cuban father and Puerto Rican mother, Yeyo was raised in a musical family: his father played drums, guitar, and piano, while his mother sang in the choir. At 9 years old he began writing poetry — which, in Yeyo’s mind, “later lent itself to being translated into hip-hop.” Inspired by Kool G Rap and NWA, Yeyo immersed himself in the local hip-hop scene at age 13, when he bought his first turntable and proclaimed himself a DJ. By 1992, he was rapping at impromptu neighborhood parties and recording homemade mixtape cassettes. But Yeyo truly found his artistic niche in 1999 when, alongside his collective, the Shanghai Assasinz, he independently released the Spanish-language rap single “Viequez.” The song addressed the Puerto Rican community’s hostility toward the US Navy for occupying Vieques and transforming the land into an epicenter for military activities. In April 1999 David Sanes, a US Navy employee and Vieques native, was killed during a routine bombing practice, leading to mass protests and calls for the US Navy to leave the area.

“I wanted to honestly address the realities of what was happening in Vieques,” Yeyo says. “My father is a product of the Cuban Revolution and he was always making me aware of the fact that there are circumstances beyond your control, such as politics, that can have dire consequences, such as you having to leave your homeland. I think that’s why I harbor a sense of responsibility about the type of music I make and that’s why I’ve done songs like ‘Viequez.’”

Without the assistance of any major labels or marketing gurus, Yeyo arranged for a music video to be released and independently distributed an EP containing the single. Though the EP wasn’t a commercial success, the reaction to “Viequez” made Yeyo one of the most buzzed-about artists in the underground hip-hop realm.

It was Yeyo’s dedication to socially conscious music that drew Divine to his work. Though the two weren’t acquainted, Divine was already interested in Yeyo’s brand of work. Fate intervened one night in 1999 when Yeyo, who had started tinkering with production, received a call from a friend raving about a young MC from New York who was defeating every opponent to come his way during a freestyle bout at a local nightclub. Curious to meet this phantom lyricist, Yeyo asked his friend to arrange a meeting later that night. Right away, they knew they were kindred spirits.

“I was really inspired by Yeyo,” Divine says. “He wasn’t some super conscious revolutionary — he was just a regular guy that didn’t like the things taking place around him. I think that’s where everybody needs to start. Instead of trying to read up on history and become this revolutionary, can you start by identifying the conditions that are destroying you now?”

That very night, Yeyo and Divine recorded the single “El Que Se Pica,” and took it to X100 a local station where it almost immediately entered rotation.

But despite their determination to work together, a piece of the puzzle was still missing. In Spring 2005, they finally realized who they had been waiting for: singer/songwriter Élan, the final member of The DEY. Though they were introduced to Élan by management, Divine had previously met Élan while performing with Yerbabuena at the Soulfrito Festival in Miami and had expressed his interest in collaborating. When their paths crossed again years later, they knew it couldn’t be a coincidence. Élan’s addition to the group was imminent.

New York-bred Puerto Rican and African-American performer Élan Luz Rivera has been harnessing her vocal skills since the age of seven when she first began her training. As a teenager, she enrolled in Manhattan’s prestigious La Guardia High School, where she was a vocal major. By age 16, she landed her first Broadway role as Cookie, a flirty teen with a gift for Doo-wop, alongside such stars as Marc Anthony and Ruben Blades in Paul

Simon’s controversial and culturally charged musical of New York history The Capeman. After the play closed months later, Élan received an offer to join salsa great Frankie Negrón on tour as a back-up singer. “That was my introduction to the salsa world,” Élan says. “I feel like I got to Puerto Rico through my work.”

About six months into her work with former cast member Frankie Negrón, Élan was asked if she’d be interested in singing back-up vocals for salsa group DLG. Élan, who was fascinated with the group’s original vocal style and presence, accepted the offer and, after the group’s breakup, went on to accompany former lead singer Huey Dunbar on his solo tour with the release of their hit Duet "Sin Poderte Hablar" on his Grammy nominated album Music For My Peoples. She also toured Korea and Japan with the Armed Forces Entertainment band Lugo Latin Soul Tour before returning to the U.S. and signing on to join The DEY.

After holing up in Miami, the location of Yeyo’s The Art of Sound Group production company, for about 4 days, the three produced enough groundbreaking material to land a deal with Epic Records. Since then, they co-wrote and were featured on pop star Paula DeAnda’s hit “Walk Away,” which reached No. 4 on Billboard’s Pop 100 Airplay chart.

Now, The DEY is poised to revolutionize the Latin, pop, and urban markets with its eclectic debut, which features production by Timbaland, JR Rotem, Stargate, and more. The lead single, “Dame Un Momento,” a sultry and clap-heavy bilingual club banger, showcases Divine’s aggressive but playful lyricism, Yeyo’s flirtatious Spanish rhymes, and Élan’s soaring vocals, which speak to influences ranging from reggae to East Indian pop.

“¿Qué Vamos a Hacer?,” meanwhile, zooms in on the conditions plaguing those in the ‘hood. The mournful track addresses political corruption, the harrowing proliferation of violence, and the never-ending problem of racial profiling and, depicts how, as a result, people become hopeless over the governments’ refusal to address these problems. “Bendecida Mi Nación,” meanwhile, is an ode to our native lands in the tradition of Marc Anthony’s adored “Preciosa” ballad. Each single in the album showcases a different aspect of the group, making them all the more relatable to audiences worldwide.

“We want to unify our communities,” Divine says of The DEY’s mission. “By being bilingual, we address all those people — the non-English speaker and the non-Spanish speaker — and we create a bridge between them, a space where they can all exist.”

http://www.thedey.com

Taken
The DEY Lyrics

Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴

Sorry that we had to break
Sorry that I could not stay
Sorry if you hurtin', babe
But I'll write that too and is just that way

Sorry for the way you are
Sorry that you broke my heart
All this time believed in you

Took you no one else would do

This is how you pay me back played me out
Like a fool like I was nothing to you
Well, I'm not gonna hate on you
My friends say that ain't good to do

I'll just live you with these words
Bless you baby, as I leave

Hope you found the love of your life
Hope you wanna make her your wife
Wanna put the ring on
Hope you see your kids in her eyes
Hope you wanna start acting right

And she could be the reason
Not to do the things you did with me
Makes you wanna be a better man
Standing ready waiting and I hope she's taken

I hope she is taken too 'cause I'm falling so deep
Like I did for you so I won't do what I did to you
I gave you everything mental and physical
I entered you spiritual, made you believe

I hope tonight you find the man of your dreams
I hope he gives you everything that you need
And you can give him what you've taken from me
I still can't explain why you hatin' on me

Wonder if you'll ever know
What has taken from me to take control
This rage is undermining me
This poison that's inside of me

And I'm sorry for whoever comes to love me
After you messed up my head
That's why I'm so furious
I want you to pay for all of this

Hope you found the love of your life
Hope you wanna make her your wife
Wanna put the ring on
Hope you see your kids in her eyes
Hope you wanna start acting right

And she could be the reason
Not to do the things you did with me
Makes you wanna be a better man
You're hopin', wishing, praying and I hope she's taken

Mala mia se lo que tu querias, la ipocrisia
Yo solo queria darte alegria, buena energia
Aser lo que tu pedias, jebarte al cielo, cumplir tu fantasia
Cada dia es otro cuento, cada dia es otro tormento

Ya no recuerdo buenos momentos
Pienso que no ha pierdido este tiempo
Luchando, amando, llorando por dentro

And inside my mind I know that I should let this go
I should want something new, someone new
But each time I picture you with her
I want you to get what you deserve and I really hope

Hope you found the love of your life
Hope you wanna make her your wife
Wanna put the ring on
Hope you see your kids in her eyes

You're gonna know when you realize that she's already taken
I hope you come back to me on your knees

Hope you begging for me, begging please
Karma's way of sayin' I'm already taken

Overall Meaning

The song "Taken" by The DEY is about the aftermath of a failed relationship where the singer expresses regret for hurting their ex but also acknowledges the pain they've caused. The first verse opens with apologies for breaking up and not staying, but also for the way their ex is and for breaking their heart. The singer had believed in their ex for a long time and felt like they were the only one who would, so it was a shock when they were played out and treated poorly. The singer's friends advise against hating on their ex, so instead they give them a blessing and leave, hoping they find someone who makes them a better person.

The second verse is more focused on the singer's inner turmoil after the breakup. They hope their ex finds someone who can give them what they couldn't and bring out the best in them. But at the same time, they can't help feeling angry and hurt by what their ex did to them. The bridge is in Spanish and seems to express a similar sentiment of wishing they could have brought joy and good energy to their relationship, but realizing it's become toxic and painful. The chorus repeats the same message of hoping their ex finds someone better and that they themselves can move on.

The song's overall theme is one of closure and moving on from a relationship that didn't work out. The singer feels regret but also a sense of release from the toxic dynamic they were in. The chorus's repeated refrain of "I hope she's taken" emphasizes this desire for closure and moving on, as well as a hope that karma will intervene and bring their ex what they deserve.

Line by Line Meaning

Sorry that we had to break
I regret that our relationship had to end

Sorry that I could not stay
I apologize for not being able to continue with our relationship

Sorry if you hurtin', babe
I am sorry if you are experiencing pain because of what happened between us

But I'll write that too and is just that way
However, I will still write about our experiences, as it is inevitable

Sorry for the way you are
I apologize for how you treated me

Sorry that you broke my heart
I regret that you caused me emotional pain

All this time believed in you
I trusted and had faith in you throughout our relationship

Took you no one else would do
I chose you when no one else did

This is how you pay me back played me out
This is how you are repaying me for my trust by deceiving me

Like a fool like I was nothing to you
You treated me like a fool and like I meant nothing to you

Well, I'm not gonna hate on you
However, I will not hold hatred towards you

My friends say that ain't good to do
My friends advise me against holding grudges

I'll just live you with these words
I will leave you with these thoughts

Bless you baby, as I leave
I wish you well as I depart from your life

Hope you found the love of your life
I hope you have found the person you want to spend your life with

Hope you wanna make her your wife
I hope you want to marry her

Wanna put the ring on
I hope you want to propose to her

Hope you see your kids in her eyes
I hope you can see a future with her and having children

Hope you wanna start acting right
I hope you want to improve and be a better person in your new relationship

And she could be the reason
She has the potential to be the motivation for you to change

Not to do the things you did with me
To not repeat the negative behaviors that occurred between us

Makes you wanna be a better man
She inspires you to be a better person

Standing ready waiting and I hope she's taken
I am ready to move on and I hope she is already in a committed relationship

I hope she is taken too 'cause I'm falling so deep
I also hope she is taken because I am in deep emotional pain

Like I did for you so I won't do what I did to you
I will not make the same mistake of giving too much of myself in another relationship

I gave you everything mental and physical
I devoted all of myself to our relationship, including emotionally and physically

I entered you spiritual, made you believe
I connected with you spiritually and helped you believe in yourself

I hope tonight you find the man of your dreams
I hope you find the person you have been searching for

I hope he gives you everything that you need
I hope your new partner can provide everything you require in a relationship

And you can give him what you've taken from me
I hope you can share with him the love and affection that you took from me

I still can't explain why you hatin' on me
I am still unsure why you are holding resentment towards me

Wonder if you'll ever know
I wonder if you will ever understand

What has taken from me to take control
The emotional pain you have caused me has affected my ability to control my feelings

This rage is undermining me
The anger and bitterness I feel is negatively impacting my mental state

This poison that's inside of me
The resentment and sadness I harbor is toxic for me

And I'm sorry for whoever comes to love me
I apologize in advance to anyone who will love me in the future, as I will carry this emotional burden with me

After you messed up my head
After the emotional pain you caused me

That's why I'm so furious
That is why I am so angry

I want you to pay for all of this
I want you to take responsibility for the emotional pain you caused me

You're gonna know when you realize that she's already taken
You will understand the pain I am feeling when you are in a similar situation

I hope you come back to me on your knees
I hope you realize your mistakes and come back to me begging for forgiveness

Hope you begging for me, begging please
I hope you become desperate to have me back

Karma's way of sayin' I'm already taken
This is karma's way of telling you that I have already moved on

Contributed by Alexis D. Suggest a correction in the comments below.

To comment on or correct specific content, highlight it

TRACKS