Edited by Azizi Powell
This is Part II of a three part pancocojams series on the song "My Sweetie".
Part II showcases a video of Wale's remake of the Bunny Mack song "My Sweetie". Information about Wale, song lyrics, and explanations of Nigerian words, and African American Vernacular words from that song are also included in this post.
Click http://pancocojams.blogspot.com/2016/02/bunny-mack-let-me-love-you-my-sweetie.html for Part I of this series. Part I presents information about Sierra Leonean singer Bunny Mack as well as information about and three YouTube examples of his hit record "Let Me Love You" ("My Sweetie").
Click http://pancocojams.blogspot.com/2016/02/moelogo-my-sweetie-information-video.html for Part III. Part III showcases MoeLogo's remake of "My Sweetie".
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The content of this post is presented for cultural, entertainment, and aesthetic purposes.
All copyrights remain with their owners.
Thanks to Wale for recording this song. Thanks to all those who are quoted in this post. Thanks also to the YouTube publishers of these examples that are featured in this post.
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INFORMATION ABOUT WALE'S ETHNIC BACKGROUND
From https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wale_(rapper)
"Olubowale Victor Akintimehin (born September 21, 1984), better known by his stage name Wale (/ˈwɔː leɪ/ WAH-lay), is an American rapper from Washington, DC...
Wale, a Nigerian American, was born Olubowale Victor Akintimehin in Northwest, Washington, D.C. on September 21, 1984.[1] His parents are of the Yoruba ethnic group of southwestern Nigeria and came to the United States from Austria in 1979. Wale's family first lived in Northwest, Washington, DC before moving to Montgomery County when Wale was 10. He graduated from Quince Orchard High School in Gaithersburg, Maryland in 2002 and later moved to Largo, Maryland[2] in Prince George's County."...
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SHOWCASE VIDEO: Wale- My Sweetie (Official Video)
Lil Man Uploaded on Feb 8, 2010
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LYRICS: MY SWEETIE
(Songwriters: A Dean; S Levitin; Olubowale Vi Akintimehin [Wale] ; C Maccormack)
[Wale:]
I needed to feel like you know... when your mother used to take you to the afta party
[Chorus:]
You're my sweetie, My sugar, My lady, my lover (this is for so the girls in nigeria)
my honey let me hold you (you know what it is, let me love you, forever)
[Verse 1:]
Well, maybe not forever
Chain withdrawn when we not together
Best foot forward, holla at your boy
And I can get em all without lots of effort
take her home, and we can get it on
Make my jollof with lots of pepper
God has blessed her, prada dresser
Mix my guiness with a Dr. Pepper
Im so Naija, she so ibo
she so sweet, shortie feed my ego
Me bold dude, Boladipo olu
Whole crew, roll through, got more green than whole foods
African queen got what you need
said my name wale, Ba wo ni
[Chorus:]
You're my sweetie, My sugar, My lady, my lover, so honey let me hold you, let me love you, forever
[Verse 2:]
Who said I don't rep, i am naija all day
when I meet your mom I still du ba le
I am Wale, Olubo
We be in the party like we own that bar
No regard when I'm going at abroad
And I go up in a party like im going abroad
Understand that's fly, damn super fly guy land in Du Bai
yall can't get it, I make yall get it
Hate estate and my iPod wit it
Money on the floor, throw it on a broad
this is not balling, but this is our culture
You is not hip then I can not coach her
If its not couture, i will not go to her
If its not k9, i will not couture
To much cognac wheres my chauffeur
[Chorus:]
You're my sweetie, My sugar, My lady, my lover, so honey let me hold you, let me love you, forever
Money on the floor, spray it spray it
said theres Money on the floor, spray it spray it
said theres Money on the floor, spray it spray it
said theres Money on the floor, spray it spray it
said theres Money on the floor, spray it spray it
said theres Money on the floor, spray it spray it
said theres Money on the floor, spray it spray it
said theres Money on the floor, spray it spray it
[Chorus:]
You're my sweetie, My sugar, My lady, my lover, so honey let me hold you, let me love you, forever
Source: http://www.azlyrics.com/lyrics/wale/mysweetie.html
That website included this note: "Thanks to biola bakare for adding these lyrics."
-snip-
Several commenters in the discussion thread for the official video which is embedded below refer to another line of this song which isn't given in these lyrics: "'You are not hard, you're FuFu soft.''
Here's a definition for "fufu"
From http://www.thefreedictionary.com/fufu
"A thick, doughlike West African food made by boiling and pounding a starchy vegetable such as yam, plantain, or cassava."
-snip-
urbandictionary.com also gives two entries for "fufu" (from 2014, 2015) with the definition "fake".
"Hard" is African American Vernacualr English word that means "tough".
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EXPLANATIONS OF NIGERIAN WORDS AND AFRICAN AMERICAN VERNACULAR ENGLISH (AAVE) WORDS THAT ARE IN WALE'S "MY SWEETIE"
These explanations are given in the order that these words are first found in that song. Additions and corrections are welcome.
"afta party" = after party [Does this mean the reception after the wedding? Please add what this means in terms of Nigerian culture.]
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"holla" = African American Vernacular English (AAVE) originated form of the word "holler" [to holler at], in the context of this song, "holla" means to acknowledge, give a shout out to.
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"jollof"
From https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jollof_rice
"Jollof rice /ˈdʒɒləf/, also called Benachin (Wolof: "one pot"), is a one-pot rice dish popular in many West African countries, eaten whenever desired. It is a West African version of pilaf or paella, and possibly a progenitor of the Louisianian dish jambalaya.[3][4][5]
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"Naija" - Contemporary informal referent for Nigeria; "Naija" is also written as "9ja" or some similar form.
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"Ibo"
From https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Igbo_people
The Igbo people, often spelled and pronounced "Ibo" (because the Europeans had difficulty making the /ɡ͡b/ sound),[2] are an ethnic group of southern Nigeria directly indigenous to East and West of the lower Niger River, with very significant population found in the eastern side of the river.[3] They speak Igbo, which includes various Igboid languages and dialects.[4][5]"
-snip-
"Igbo" is the preferred referent (not "Ibo")
**
"shortie" - An AAVE referent which (mostly) has nothing to do with height; in this context it means "girlfriend"; in AAVE "shortie" can also mean "a (female or male) child". Female teens and young women are mildly affectionately called "shortie"; if a teenage male or young adult male is called "shortie", that is usually a height related putdown
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"Me bold dude" - My bold (bad meaning very good) dude (in the context of this line, actually plural dudes (friends)
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"Boladipo olu" = Bola dipo olu
From http://genius.com/74413 Annotations:
"These are some Yoruba names"
-snip-
These are actually clips of Yoruba names. Here are some examples of names that these clips may have be part of
From http://www.nairaland.com/1506134/lists-yoruba-names-english-meaning
"Bolajoko; one who sits with wealth
Bolatito; so wealth is this big?"
Oladipo/ Oladipupo; wealth has become plenty
Oluwabusayo; God adds to joy
Oluwabusola; God adds to wealth"
-snip-
*In Yoruba names the element "ola" means wealth or honor;
The element "wale" means "comes home" and the element "olu" and "oluwa" means "God". The nairaland forum whose link is given above also lists the name the name "Olawale" and its meaning "wealth come home".
Also, in Yoruba names, the element "ayo" means joy
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"Whole crew, roll through, got more green than whole foods" -
African American Vernacular English - all my (male) friends, we arrive at the event, and have more [greens = money -since United States dollars are only the color green] then a Whole Food [supermarket which sells green vegetables such as Kale, Collard Greens, and Spinach]
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"Ba wo ni"
From http://www.urbandictionary.com/define.php?term=Bawoni
"Yoruba word for 'How are you?' Yoruba is a South Western Nigerian language.
Colloquial reply among young Yoruba Nigerians is usually- 'Mowa' or 'Mowa jare'or 'Mowa jo'.
A more formal reply is 'dada ni', meaning 'all is well'
At a Nigerian police checkpoint: bawoni, wetin you carry? Oga, na my laptop wey my momsy send from Ame o.
by ayobami yusuff May 21, 2008
-snip-
These sentences are examples of Nigerian Pidgin. In standard English: "At a Nigerian police checkpoint: How are you, what are you carrying [holding]? Just my laptop that my mother sent me from America.
[Please correct my translation attempt].
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"African queen" - complimentary referent for a Black woman
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"Who said I don't rep"= rep, an AAVE clip of the word "represent"
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"i am naija all day" = I'm always representing Nigeria
-snip- in the context of this song, Wale is saying that even though he was born in the United States to Nigerian parents, he is still Nigerian
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"du ba le" = Yoruba word "dobale" [English translation] respect; bowing down to someone to show her or him respect
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"I am Wale, Olubo" = Wale's first name Olubowale
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"fly" = AAVE term meaning "hip", up to date with the latest urban street fashion, and other aspects of that culture
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"Money on the floor, throw it on a broad " = refers to spraying:
(raining money down on someone-usually a woman*- who is being honored or whose dance moves etc. you appreciate; in the context of this song, "broad" isn't derogatory, although it usually is)
-snip-
*Here are two comments about "spraying" from the discussion thread of Wale's "My Sweetie" [official video]
Povizle, 2011
"Most of the women at the party got bread so they not worried about the end slices on their forehead.it was just a prop to them"
-snip-
"bread"/end slices = money
Money that is sprayed is usually put on a women's forehead
"prop" = AAVE= giving proper respect to
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divagurl985, 2011
"+Povizle @Povizle At nigerian parties everyone gets sprayed wit money..dudes, chicks, children, adults...everyone."
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this is not balling, but this is our culture = explains that spraying a woman with money isn't being a pimp, but is a part of Nigerian culture (and some other African cultures)
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You is not hip then I can not coach her = If you don't know this, then I can't teach you (all) of my culture
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Money on the floor, spray it spray it - read the explanation about "spraying" above and click http://pancocojams.blogspot.com/2013/03/the-african-custom-of-spraying-money.html for a pancocojams post on "spraying".
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