Why Me?

Album: Raw Footage (2008)
Play Video

Songfacts®:

  • This was co-produced by Teak "Da Beatsmith" Underdue. The producer told Worldwide Rap and Hip Hop Music Lifestyle Network why this track with a message to all of the would-be killers out there was particularly personal to him. He explained: "That song really strikes home. In February, my wife's little cousin was a victim. He was 13 years old. He was at the park with his mom and he was the victim of someone shooting and he died. It was ironic that Cube had recorded that song. It happened in my family, so that song is really personal to me. My whole family is still just getting over his death. His name was Aaron 'Bubba' Kelly Jr. It's amazing how that song worked out to me because I now have this piece of art work that I can take with me and really promote it since it actually did happen to someone that I loved."

    Teak added: "I first got the song after he laid down the demo track around this time last year. It was August of last year and the death of my cousin occurred in February of this year. After my cousin died, I kept listening to the song. It was like he was talking to me about the situation that just happened."
  • Teak developed and produced the music for this song before handing it on to Cube, who then wrote the lyrics. The producer told Worldwide Rap and Hip Hop Music Lifestyle Network about how he created the song's beat: "I have a crazy ass process a lot of times when I am making this music. With that particular song, I had started it with the basic beat. I had the bass line and pretty much the whole song done but it wasn't quite ready, so I let it sit in my computer file for like a month before I went back to it. Sometimes you've got to just wait until the vibe gets you to really finish off a beat. So when I went back to it, I added a lot of the percussions. I made the drums bang harder and once I did that, the s--t was ready. The mix too is really important when you first present a beat to your client. Once I added all of the stuff that made the beat bang, I sent it out to Cube in about a day for approval. Then we have 'Why Me' a few months later."

Comments: 2

  • Barry from Sauquoit, NyIn 1973 Kris Kristofferson release a completely different song titled "Why Me"; it peaked at No. 16 and spent an amazing 38 weeks in the Top 100!!!
  • R.h. from Pauls Valley, OkName your song something else! Planet P Project did a great song in the early 80's called "Why Me?". About an astronaut with second thoughts! I absolutely HATE all these black songs about about killing "whitey" or just random drive-by shootings where they kill anyone from kids to grandmothers! I am not a racist but these kind of songs tend to make me so.
see more comments

Editor's Picks

Colbie Caillat

Colbie CaillatSongwriter Interviews

Since emerging from MySpace with her hit "Bubbly," Colbie has become a top songwriter, even crafting a hit with Taylor Swift.

Emilio Castillo from Tower of Power

Emilio Castillo from Tower of PowerSongwriter Interviews

Emilio talks about what it's like to write and perform with the Tower of Power horns, and why every struggling band should have a friend like Huey Lewis.

Rock Revenge Songs

Rock Revenge SongsMusic Quiz

John Lennon, Paul Simon and Lynyrd Skynyrd are some of the artists who have written revenge songs. Do you know who they wrote them about?

Director Paul Rachman on "Hunger Strike," "Man in the Box," Kiss

Director Paul Rachman on "Hunger Strike," "Man in the Box," KissSong Writing

After cutting his teeth on hardcore punk videos, Paul defined the grunge look with his work on "Hunger Strike" and "Man in the Box."

Jim Adkins of Jimmy Eat World

Jim Adkins of Jimmy Eat WorldSongwriter Interviews

Jim talks about the impact of "The Middle" and uses a tree metaphor to describe his songwriting philosophy.

David Gray

David GraySongwriter Interviews

David Gray explains the significance of the word "Babylon," and talks about how songs are a form of active imagination, with lyrics that reveal what's inside us.