Released: December 12, 2004

Songwriter: 2Pac Johnny J Luis Resto Eminem

Producer: Eminem

[Intro]
Hahaha, right, thug for life, nigga
Can't you read the signs?

[Verse 1]
Mobbin' like a motherfucker, stuck
Can you picture a middle finger out the window, gettin' fucked
Off liquor; get loaded, can't control it
Nigga, pass me the blunt and let me roll it
You get the bozack to the ho-stack, that's for sho', black
So be a mack and keep your dough fat
And tell me, what does it take to be a G?
I started with a quarter ounce, soon bounced to a ki'
You gotta watch your back, stay strapped, be alert
Started as a young motherfucker doin' dirt
And now I'm in the rap game, like the crack game, I got enemies
Can't pretend to see my friends are not my enemies
And even thug motherfuckers wanna have fun
Stuck in, buckin' my motherfuckin' Magnum
What does it take to be a G?
Silence is a must, violence is a plus
Bust shots at my adversaries, them niggas scurry
Pick a spot to be buried, ‘cause I'll be buckin' in a fuckin' hurry

[Hook]
Thug for life, high 'til I die
When them stupid-ass bitches ask why, tell 'em
Shootin' crooked ass cops, let me fry
Do or die, to my brothers in the penitentiary
Raise hell, when them niggas mention me

Thug for life, high 'til I die
When them stupid-ass bitches ask why, tell 'em
Thug for life, high 'til I die
When them stupid-ass bitches ask why, tell 'em
Thug for life, high 'til I die
When them stupid-ass bitches ask why, tell 'em

[Verse 2]
Game thicker than most of these tricks
I got my mind on makin' money
But you stuck on these fake bitches
And jealous motherfuckers can't see
That's it's the fame that causes
These stupid bitches to pass the pussy free
So tell me, why you sweat a motherfucker like me?
A young nigga tryin' to hustle up some G's
You pussy-ass playa hatin' hoes
Freakin' down on niggas, jumpin' around at the shows
And you the first motherfucker to jump
To the trunk when it's time for funk, little trick-ass punk
Thug motherfuckers don't die
We get high and we multiply, motherfucker
Give a holla to my niggas in the Bay
I'm livin' in L.A., still clutchin' on my AK

[Hook]
Thug for life, high 'til I die
When them stupid-ass bitches ask why, tell 'em
Shootin' crooked ass cops, let me fry
Do or die, to my brothers in the penitentiary
Raise hell, when them niggas mention me

Thug for life, high 'til I die
When them stupid-ass bitches ask why, tell 'em
Thug for life, high 'til I die
When them stupid-ass bitches ask why, tell 'em
Thug for life, high 'til I die
When them stupid-ass bitches ask why, tell 'em

[Outro]
Thug for life, beyatch!
Yeah, nigga, Thug Life
From now until for motherfuckin' forever
Have-nots in this, motherfucker

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.