JODECI - THE MANUAL "FOREVER MY LADY"
Pronounced Jo-De-Se. I have a few favorite R&B groups. New Edition are the greatest. No debate. Greatest group in music history. I don't give a fuck. I don't give a fuck. I don't give a fuck. You get the point. My number 2 is Jodeci. When you see me out I usually have on 3 different hats. A Los Angeles Dodgers Hat. A Detroit Tigers Hat. A Chicago White Sox Hat. I wear the Chicago White Sox Hat because that's the hat I seen all my musical influences wear when I was growing up which were N.W.A and Jodeci. It was the first hat I bought with my own money as a child. Jojo mainly wore the White Sox hat. K-Ci would usually wear a custom hat with his name or the name of the group on it. K-Ci had gangsta's tucking their shirts in their sagging pants rocking combat boots. He's definitely a legend.
When their debut album "Forever My Lady" dropped in 1991 a lot of things changed in hoods nationwide. Jodeci were the "Bad Boys." We only seen it with Bobby Brown but Jodeci made it more relatable. Bobby was a megastar so he often had to hold back in his music but never in his performances. Jodeci really didn't have to hold back in their music. It just had this hood feel to it. Remember when Cash Money came out? They weren't the first rappers to come from the projects and rap street shit but every hood fucked with them so tough because there wasn't really a image it was just niggas being themselves. You saw Juvenile "Ha" video and thought "Damn he wearing the same simple white tee I'm wearing." There wasn't really a gimmick. They were relatable so the hoods nationwide flocked to them. Jodeci were the same way in the early 90's. Jodeci made "Ain't Shit Nigga" music that held it down for the "Ain't Shit Niggas." Let me explain. Everybody has "Ain't Shit" in their souls. It's life. You're human. There's subtle "Ain't-Shitness." There's blatant "Ain't-Shitness." Some show a little of it. Some show a lot of it but it's there. It exists in everyone. Society tells us to tone it down and hide it so we can get what we want out of life, basically be manipulative. You have to show it sometimes to show that you're human or it's going to bottle up and explode and everybody will overreact to normal mistakes. I'll give a good example of this which is Tiger Woods.
He was perfect. He could do no wrong. America's Golf Sweetheart. He was on top of the world. The wife catches him cheating, she beats his ass, he crashes his truck, his life has never been the same and he's fallen off. Why? He was hiding that "Ain't-Shitness" that's why. If he just showed he was imperfect like everyone else shit wouldn't have been as bad. He tried his hardest to repair that image when what he should've been doing is continuously fucking the hoes he was already fucking. Kobe Bryant went through the same shit after his rape case and said "Fuck it. I just gotta be a ain't shit nigga. There's no point of trying to convince America I'm a perfect man." He kept fucking a bunch of other women (his wife implied this), embraced being a asshole, and he won 2 more championships and made more money. Case Closed. Embrace your "Aint-Shitness." Boxer Oscar De La Hoya tried to keep up the "Good Guy" image, and hide his "Ain't-Shitness." STOP IT! Keep doing cocaine. Stop hiding it. You ain't shit just like everyone else. Women across america saw that "Perfect" Tiger Woods was just like any other man. He loves side pussy and he was fucking the lowest of the low. You know it's bad if my ugly, short, broke ass is fucking better looking women than Tiger Woods is. I'm just going to assume the head they gave him was immaculate. I think you get my point.
Forever My Lady was a album for men who always fucking up in relationships, which is all of us. They made a "Ain't Shit Nigga" emergency manual and I personally want to thank them for it. If you don't know what to do with your "Ain't-Shitness" as a man in a relationship, they guide you to the promise-land. If you aint shit that don't make you a bad person it makes you human. This isn't really a review. This album is already a classic. I'm just revisiting this gem Jodeci gave all the homies out there. It epitomizes guy code and it'll get your woman wet so that's always a plus. I'm a go through some of my favorite songs and break them down.
STAY
Jodeci let you know from jump street that they weren't shit to their audience. A true smart power move. They tell you that they will indeed fuck up in the future so by telling you this now you can't say they deceived you. You knew what you were risking. DeVante whispering creepily at the beginning of these songs also verified it. Out the fucking gate the album starts with "Stay." They kicked their girl out the crib probably for asking them to act right or for calling them out on their bullshit, and asked her to come back for a make up fuck while watching the sunrise. The song is about making a mistake and basically the only way we can grow from this and move forward is if I give you my dick. Make up fucking is tight because there usually is no grey area. The sex either going to be very passionate and romantic or very aggressive and filthy or if you're like me and have balance, you mixing all that shit together like a kid with a cup at a multi flavored slushie machine. Jojo plays the "I've been crying since you left card" and of course she buys it. K-Ci talking that good shit to her asking her to put the trust on the line again and you know she does. "Forget about yesterday because I want you so bad." Translation. You probably found out I was about to fuck someone else or I already have fucked them but that don't matter right now. What matters is that I regret the decision, you looking good as fuck right now, so bring that ass here.
COME AND TALK TO ME
I always looked at this song from 1 of 2 scenarios. K-Ci is talking about being too shy to meet the woman from the song "Stay" or He's shy about meeting a potential side chick. I know he says he's a single man in the song but he could be telling a lie to get what he wants. We see it all the time. Some of you have done it. I'm going to lean towards the first scenario. I'm not really shy when it comes to approaching women in person. I say a compliment and introduce myself. Simple. I get where K-Ci coming from though. I will say I'm shy with social media shit. I hate sending DM's, text messages, etc because I can't see a woman's face particularly her eyes and I'm terrible at messages. It's like the great Tony Montana said "The eyes never lie chico." I come across so dry, weird, and awkward in messaging so fuck that shit. This is really the greatest pick up anthem though.
FOREVER MY LADY
Congrats! You got her pregnant. You MUST act right and behave now. You don't want your future kid to know you're not shit in a relationship. If you're going to hide it from anyone it should be your kids. People in society tend to believe that by having a baby that will cure "aint-shitness." No. No. No. I've seen guys get women pregnant on purpose just to keep her around. It's really sad. Just wait until you have a routine for the child and then you'll see if the relationship will last. Guys will go ring shopping and go propose to the mother of their future child knowing damn well they don't have shit under control. There's also guys that realize It's time to step up and make her their queen forever and contain their "Aint-shitness" for the betterment of his future family. It can go either way depending on the person. It's all apart of the honeymoon phase. This is a really beautiful song with a good message. Children are great. I hope to have some in the future.
U & I
This is good game right here. You have to tell your partner what the future for the two of you will be. Jojo is telling this woman that their love will be so strong that it can withstand any bullshit that he does or she does. This song is basically a promise that you'll be together through it all without a proposal. This is very strategic. It sets you up with a solid foundation because if you do fuck up you can always go back to this conversation and the promise you both made during that conversation. I call this the "Reminisce Card." This usually works if you've been good and you made one major fuck up. Now if you a savage and was fucking up from the beginning your chances are slimmer for her forgiveness and you'll probably have to jump through hoops and promise to do a bunch of shit you know you're only going to do for 2 weeks max if you do get her back. This song covers your bases. Smart.
I'M STILL WAITING
Let me just say, the first 5 songs to start this album were just out of this world. This was track 4 and my favorite song. K-Ci fucked up again and probably worse than his last fuck up. This is similar to "Stay" but the difference is that the woman has left and stayed gone for a little bit more time. I've been through that "I'm fake fed up with your shit" phase. She leaves for a while but she misses me just as much I miss her. The difference is that I show it more than she does because I haven't had pussy in a while. Don't get it twisted I care about her but I haven't fucked in 2 weeks going on 3 and I'm going insane. Plus, her homegirls are watching my moves on social media and in the streets so I can't just go creeping back to past or new pussy or I'll bury myself deeper. She's more stubborn this time around and reduces me to almost begging (Don't front we've all been there fellas). K-Ci is saying that it's gotten so bad that he's almost forgotten how touching a lady feels. He's suffering. He needs her back! He's singing for forgiveness. It's time to start over and forget what happened. Only her love can heal his pain. Life is not the same without her love and vagina. It's kind of funny because this song reminds me of the episode of "Martin" when him and Gina agreed to not fuck for a week and Martin put a ice pack on his manhood to get through the week. If this song took place today K-Ci or the woman would be subtweeting each other on twitter to death or K-Ci would send a text on his iPhone and see "Read at 12:17am," get no reply and then subtweet. It's a song that's building up to a bigger make up fuck then "Stay" had because the woman actually made K-Ci suffer. You know what happens when she finally forgives you. You're going to her crib, fuck missionary, forehead to forehead, and pregnancy chances will be higher than Pookie in The Carter.
Xs WE SHARE
This where the "Reminisce Card" appears again. Perhaps you fucked up again and had to play that card again. She's finally close to moving on from you and you send a text that reminds her of how great things used to be and now she's confused. You tell her nothing will be compared to what you both shared. This is all this song is about. K-Ci possibly meeting up with a ex and wanting to reflect on what made what they had special. K-Ci may have lost her for good. He may get her back but they both can't deny the memories were great. He knows he wasn't shit but he doesn't want her to let that stop her from moving on from him. When you show a lot of your "Aint-Shitness" in a relationship majority of the time you tend to work harder to gain back what you've lost and gain more trust. It's just life. We can either think about the times we shared and make future memories together or think about the times we shared and move on from each other.
If you've fucked up. If she's close to leaving you because she's sick of your shit. Listen to "Forever My Lady" and stage your comeback. It's never too late. People who ain't shit bounce back everyday. You're no different.
- Benny
