Released: October 7, 1997

Songwriter: Daz Dillinger 2Pac

Producer: Daz Dillinger

[Intro]
Ma-ah-an, it ain't easy
They got me goin' cold-hearted
Probation, violation, incarceration, frustration, you know
Fuck that, nigga, damn near about to start basin'
It's hard, hard on a nigga (*coughing*)
Hard on a nigga ("Yeah, it is. Yeah, it is.")
(*whispered*) Kill, kill, kill, murder, murder, murder
Watch out, nigga

[Hook: 2Pac w/ Daz Dillinger, Snoop Doggy Dogg]
Now tell me do you see
Life's so hard on a nigga when you livin' like a G
Now tell me do you see
Life's so hard on a nigga when you livin' like a G
Now tell me do you see
Life's so hard on a nigga when you livin' like a G
Now tell me do you see
Life's so hard on a nigga when you livin' like a G

[Collision]
Daz in this, motherfucker
Alright boy, drop that shit
Wassup man?
Always listen to that shit?
That thug criminal shit?
Peep game, nigga, peep game
Feel me

[Verse 1: 2Pac]
Travel through my mind, am I blind it's a shame
Young niggas gettin' murdered straight took out the game
As I sit here puffin' on a cigarette
Gotta be ready, never know who's plottin' on a niggas death
These are the rough times, best to hurry up
And duck muh'fucker 'fore I buck mine
It's gettin' crazy and everybody's strapped
Surrounded by niggas but nary a motherfucker down to watch my back
These are the bitch made niggas, you been played, nigga
While you starvin' and broke they pullin' six figures
Oooh, what can you do?
When you can't trust your crew
Time to bust out the twenty-two
Boo-yaow!
Ran out of weed, so I'm sippin' on this Hennessy
Tell me, do you feel me?
Hey, I have no remorse
As I take another sip of my liquor and spit my sick thoughts, oooh

[Hook: 2Pac w/ Daz Dillinger, Snoop Doggy Dogg] (x2)
Now tell me do you see
Life's so hard on a nigga when you livin' like a G
Now tell me do you see
Life's so hard on a nigga when you livin' like a G

[Verse 2: 2Pac]
Thuggin' to the fullest, got my strap, I'ma pull it
I'm the first muh'fucker that can outrun a bullet
It's them Thug Life niggas and we don't like tricks
Got these punk wannabes and they jockin' like bitches
Now my riches is gettin' hoes on it's own
Fuck a mystery, do you wanna get with me, then let's bone
I'ma take her to my hideout, cause I'm smokin' that spinach
And stayin' strong to the finish and then I ride out
See you on the freeway, sorry baby
But I gotta call my homie, see what he say
I ain't got no time, I gotta get mine
I keep my mind on my loot, I'll shoot every time
And ain't no way I'ma let bitch made nigga worry me
Catch me slippin', empty the clip and bury me
Hell nah, nigga, have to plug me twice
Ain't no slippin' when you thug for life
Motherfucker, can you see?

[Hook: 2Pac w/ Daz Dillinger, Snoop Doggy Dogg]
Tell me do you see
Life's so hard on a nigga when you livin' like a G
Now tell me do you see
Life's so hard on a nigga when you livin' like a G
Now tell me do you see
Life's so hard on a nigga when you livin' like a G
Now tell me do you see
Life's so hard on a nigga when you livin' like a G

[Verse 3: 2Pac]
Never bow down let these other bitches crawl
I'm a thug motherfucker and these thugs only ball
Ain't no half steppin' here, from the cradle to the grave
I'm a muh'fuckin' fool, but I choose to get paid
Now my pockets gettin' empty, and I'm panicked in a fright
Me and my bitch named Nina are fiendin' tonight
Ain't nobody livin' safe, got a plot and I'm stressin'
All I want is my muh'fuckin' money, ain't no question
Don't try to stall, little trick, cause we hit
So bring in the scissors and get to clippin' at his dick
I'd rather die young than die old and broke
That's why I stay drunk, and I constantly smoke
My memories as a youngsta, hangin' with the homies
But now I'm doin' bad and them bitches don't know me ("Who? Who?")
But playa haters can't fade me ("Why?")
Cause this is Thug Life nigga and we're crazy
Tell me, do you see?

[Hook: 2Pac w/ Daz Dillinger, Snoop Doggy Dogg]
Tell me do you see
Life's so hard on a nigga when you livin' like a G
Now tell me do you see
Life's so hard on a nigga when you livin' like a G
Now tell me do you see
Life's so hard on a nigga when you livin' like a G
Now tell me do you see
Life's so hard on a nigga when you livin' like a G

[Verse 4: 2Pac]
Yeah, constantly runnin' from danger ain't no stranger to cop cars
Gettin' arrested and tested wearin' a vest and don't drop my guards
My life is hectic my homies send mail from jail
Niggas in hell got some horrible stories to tell
I'm catchin' cases and still tryin' to stack a grip
The IRS is tryin' to stress off a nigga's shit
A young nigga never had a prayer to prevail
And all my peers doin' years locked up in jail
What can I do, stay strapped, get a bigger crew
And creep around with them Dogg Pound niggas, too
And now we rich ain't no bitch that can touch us
And it's a trip, how we clown, when we fuck sluts
Bust nuts then I cut, that's my new thang
And motherfuckers got on do-rags

[Hook: 2Pac w/ Daz Dillinger, Snoop Doggy Dogg]
Now tell me do you see
Life's so hard on a nigga when you livin' like a G
Now tell me do you see
Life's so hard on a nigga when you livin' like a G
Now tell me do you see
Life's so hard on a nigga when you livin' like a G
Now tell me do you see
Life's so hard on a nigga when you livin' like a G

[Collision: 2Pac]
Can I get paid, can I get paid, can I motherfuckin' get paid
Nigga can work for his money all motherfuckin' day and still never see a piece of it, you understand me?
It's not about the nice guy
It's about the hardworkin' motherfuckin' thug nigga
If you ain't a thug, nigga, you ain't really doin' nothin'
You ain't really makin' nothin'
These motherfuckin' po-po's and these pink folks got it all locked up for us to fail
See how they did O.J., and they doin' niggas like that all day
So, if you don't watch your motherfuckin' stack, believe me, this could be your last breath

2Pac

Tupac Amaru Shakur (June 16, 1971 – September 13, 1996), known by his stage names 2Pac and Makaveli, was an actor and a highly influential rapper who is considered by many to be the greatest of all-time due to the revolutionary spirit and thug passion he mixed into his music. During his music career, he made appearances in movies such as his acclaimed debut in Juice (1992), Poetic Justice (1993), and Above the Rim (1994).

Born in Harlem, New York City to Black Panther Party members Billy Garland and Afeni Shakur, Tupac would later move to Baltimore before settling in the Bay Area cities of Oakland and Marin City in the late 1980s. There, he joined his first rap group Strictly Dope with Ray Luv before connecting with Shock G and Digital Underground. He was a roadie and backup dancer for the group before his breakthrough performance on their 1991 song “Same Song.”

2Pac released his debut album 2Pacalypse Now in 1991, which featured intense storytelling on singles such as “Trapped” and “Brenda’s Got a Baby.” His sophomore album Strictly 4 My N.I.G.G.A.Z featured one of his signature songs, the Digital Underground-assisted “I Get Around.” After working on the Thug Life group album in 1994, 2Pac released Me Against the World the following year, which is considered by many to be his best album, peaking at #1 on the Billboard 200 and receiving a Grammy nomination—all while he sat in prison.