History
Their first album was released in 1988 and was titled Who?. The album went gold and had several hit singles. The first of these, "Little Walter", went to #1 on the R&B charts. While none of the singles went gold, the next three singles, "Born Not To Know", "For The Love Of You" and "Baby Doll" were all Top 10 R&B singles.
Firmly establishing themselves, the group's second album The Revival was released in 1990 and reached platinum status. The album spawned several #1 R&B hits with "It Never Rains", "Feels Good", and "Whatever You Want", all topping the R&B charts. "Feels Good" was the group's first single to breach the Top 10 of the Hot 100 and managed to go gold.
Furthering the group's success, they released their best selling album to date, Sons Of Soul, in 1993. The album went double platinum and had hit singles: "If I Had No Loot" which hit #7 on the Hot 100, "Anniversary" which reached #10 on the Hot 100, and "(Lay Your Head On My) Pillow" which reached #4 on the R&B charts.
In 1996, the group released their last album to date, House of Music. The album lacked the strong singles of earlier entries, only getting "Thinking Of You" into the top 10 on the R&B charts but the album still managed to go platinum.
Raphael Saadiq released his first solo effort, the Top 20 Billboard hit "Ask of You" from the Higher Learning soundtrack, in 1995. Around the same time, Saadiq became a much-sought-after R&B producer, scoring hits for D'Angelo, Total, The Roots and others. Later in the 2000s, he started a solo career, releasing two albums, Instant Vintage (2002) and Ray Ray (2004).
In 2003, most members of Tony! Toni! Toné! except for Saadiq were invited by Alicia Keys to guest on her album The Diary of Alicia Keys. The song that resulted from that session was called "Diary", and when it was released as a single in the fall of 2004, it gave them their first Top 10 US hit in eleven years. In 2005, Dwayne Wiggins became the band leader for the Weekends at the D.L. television show hosted by comedian D. L. Hughley, which airs on the Comedy Central cable network.
In 2006, the group reunited for the New Jack Reunion Tour, running throughout the U.S.
Little Walter
Tony Toni Toné Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Hey little Walter
Walter listen
Hey little Walter
Something's gonna getcha, little Walter
Got myself a roommate, and Walter was his name
He liked to play strange games
He thought it was so cool
He started making money, but couldn't pay the rent
It didn't make too much sense
So I tried to ask him nicely, when he planned to pay
He said, "I doubt it'll be today"
Hey little Walter
Hey little Walter
Walter listen
Hey little Walter
Something's gonna getcha, little Walter
Started coming up with clothes I could not buy
And some I could not find
Taking girls to dinner, two at a time
I didn't pay no mind
When I saw him driving a brand new fancy car
I knew he'd gone too far
So when I tried again to ask him to pay today
Walter said, "Today? No way"
Hey little Walter
Hey little Walter
Walter listen
Hey little Walter
Something's gonna getcha, little Walter
Things were getting serious, I had to set him straight
My landlord could not wait
I sat him down and told him, he played me for a fool
'Cause I knew the things you do
Things start getting nasty, we broke into fight
I thought it would be short, but it lasted half the night
By the time we were finished, there was a knock at the door
When Walter went to open it, he was blown to the floor
Hey little Walter
Hey little Walter
Walter listen
Hey little Walter
Something's gonna getcha, little Walter
Hey little Walter
Hey little Walter
Walter listen
Hey little Walter
Something's gonna getcha, little Walter
Hey little Walter
Hey little Walter
Walter listen
Hey little Walter
Something's gonna getcha, little Walter
The Tony Toni Toné's song "Little Walter" is a narrative about an unscrupulous roommate named Walter. The song sets up a storyline where Walter is introduced as a new roommate, and little by little, his shady character emerges. Walter is unable to pay his share of rent, pay bills, and engage in illegal activities to make money.
As the story unfolds, the singer realizes that Walter is living beyond his means and making money through unsavory means. Despite confronting him to pay rent and stop his illegal activities, Walter seems unperturbed and indifferent. Eventually, things escalate and result in a violent confrontation where someone knocks on the door, and Walter opens it, only to be met by a fatal blow.
The song's theme explores the idea of karma and retribution. Walter's actions lead to his downfall, and the singer had to confront him about his misdeeds. The story is a warning that actions have consequences and can catch up with people eventually.
Line by Line Meaning
Hey little Walter
The singer addresses Walter, warning him that something bad is going to happen to him.
Got myself a roommate, and Walter was his name
The singer got a roommate named Walter.
He liked to play strange games
Walter had a habit of engaging in strange activities.
He had a certain hobby, he always liked to do
Walter had a particular hobby he enjoyed doing.
He thought it was so cool
Walter believed his hobby was cool.
He started making money, but couldn't pay the rent
Walter was making money, but he couldn't pay his share of the rent.
It didn't make too much sense
The singer found it odd that Walter couldn't pay rent despite making money.
So I tried to ask him nicely, when he planned to pay
The artist tried to politely ask Walter when he intended to pay his rent.
He said, "I doubt it'll be today"
Walter gave a vague response to the artist's inquiry about rent payment.
Started coming up with clothes I could not buy
The artist noticed Walter buying expensive clothes that he couldn't afford.
And some I could not find
Walter bought clothes that were not commonly available.
Taking girls to dinner, two at a time
Walter was dating multiple women simultaneously.
I didn't pay no mind
The singer didn't pay much attention to Walter's behavior.
When I saw him driving a brand new fancy car
The singer saw Walter driving an expensive car.
I knew he'd gone too far
The singer realized that Walter's expensive lifestyle was beyond his means.
So when I tried again to ask him to pay today
The artist attempted once again to ask Walter to pay his share of the rent.
Walter said, "Today? No way"
Walter refused to pay his rent when asked again by the artist.
Things were getting serious, I had to set him straight
The situation between the singer and Walter became serious.
My landlord could not wait
The landlord was pressuring the singer to pay the rent.
I sat him down and told him, he played me for a fool
The artist confronted Walter, saying that he had been taken advantage of.
'Cause I knew the things you do
The artist was aware of Walter's deceptive behavior.
Things start getting nasty, we broke into fight
The confrontation between Walter and the artist turned physical.
I thought it would be short, but it lasted half the night
The fight lasted much longer than the singer expected.
By the time we were finished, there was a knock at the door
After the fight, there was someone at the door.
When Walter went to open it, he was blown to the floor
Walter was shot and knocked to the floor when he opened the door.
Lyrics © Universal Music Publishing Group
Written by: Denzil Delano Foster, Thomas Derrick McElroy, Raphael Saadiq, Dwayne P. Wiggins, Clemon Timothy Jr. Riley
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
Natalie 'MsCrzySxyCool' Harris
SHOUTOUT TO SINBAD!!
GODSPEED ON YOUR RECOVERY 🙏🏾!!
Chelsi Lewis
What happened to Sinbad??
Allure Trena
This song literally used to Scare the SHIT out of me!! Had me up all night thinking about the bad stuff I did that day..
Betty Trammell
😂😂
Roxanne Miller
Alright now, be good somethin might get ya,lol.😂
Perverted Alchemist
It's not every day you see an artist release a morality tale as their first single.
The Gr81
I initially read it as a “mortality tale” 😂
That’s not wrong either.
Albert Pringle
FOESHOW
FOESHOW
FOESHOW
Anthony Rupert
@The Gr81So did I. 😶
D V
Little Walter the best blues musician that ever lived. Died young, lived fast, can’t be a coincidence