Released: April 25, 1995

Songwriter: Havoc Prodigy of Mobb Deep

Producer: Mobb Deep

[Intro: Prodigy]
Yeah, sendin' this one out
To my man, Killer B
No doubt indeed
Where that weed?
Nomsayin'?
That old real shit

[Verse 1: Prodigy]
There's a war goin' on outside no man is safe from
You could run, but you can't hide forever
From these streets that we done took
You walkin' with your head down, scared to look
You shook, ‘cause ain't no such things as halfway crooks
They never around when the beef cooks in my part of town
It's similar to Vietnam
Now we all grown up and old, and beyond the cops' control
They better have the riot gear ready
Tryin' to bag me and get rocked steady
By the MAC one-double, I touch you
And leave you with not much to go home with
My skin is thick, ‘cause I be up in the mix of action
If I'm not at home, puffin' lye, relaxin'
New York got a nigga depressed
So I wear a slug-proof underneath my Guess
God bless my soul
Before I put my foot down and begin to stroll
Into the drama I built
And all unfinished beef, you will soon be killed
Put us together, it's like mixin' vodka and milk
I'm goin out blastin', takin' my enemies with me
And if not, they scarred, so they will never forget me
Lord, forgive me
The Hennessy got me not knowin' how to act
I'm fallin' and I can't turn back
Or maybe it's the words from my man Killa Black
That I can't say so it's left a untold fact
Until my death, my goal's to stay alive
Survival of the fit, only the strong survive

[Chorus: Havoc]
Yo, yo, we livin' this 'til the day that we die
Survival of the fit, only the strong survive
(We still livin' it)
We livin' this 'til the day that we die
Survival of the fit, only the strong survive
(Thug life, we still livin' it)
We livin' this 'til the day that we die
Survival of the fit, only the strong survive
(We still livin' it)
We livin' this 'til the day that we die
Survival of the fit, only the strong survive

[Verse 2: Havoc]
I'm trapped, in between two worlds, tryin' to get dough
Y'know, when the dough get low the jewels go
But never that, as long as fiends smoke crack
I'll be on the block hustlin', countin' my stacks
No doubt, watchin' my back and proceed with caution
Five-oh lurkin', no time to get lost in the system
Niggas usin' fake names to get out quick
My brother did it and got bagged with two ounces
I live a world where squads hit the block hard
Ask my man Twin when he got bagged
That fucked me up, God, but shit happens for a reason
You find out who's your true peoples
When you're upstate bleedin'
You can't find a shorty to troop your bid with you
Hit with a two to four is difficult
Wild on the streets, I try to maintain
Tight with my loot, ‘cause hoes like to run game
Some niggas like to trick, but I ain't with that trickin' shit
I'm like a Jew, savin' dough so I can big whip
Pushin' a Lex, now I'm set, ready to jet
No matter how much loot I get
I'm stayin' in the projects forever
Jakes on the blocks we out-clever
If beef, we never separate and pull together
When worse comes to worst, my peoples come first
Try to react and get them motherfuckin' feelings hurt
My crew's all about loot—fuck lookin' cute!
I'm strictly Timb boots and Army certified suits
Puffin L's, laid back, enjoyin' the smell
In the Bridge, gettin' down, it ain't hard to tell
You better realize

[Chorus: Mobb Deep]
Yo, yo, we livin' this 'til the day that we die
Survival of the fit, only the strong survive
(We still livin' it)
We livin' this 'til the day that we die
Survival of the fit, only the strong survive
(Thug life, we still livin' it)
We livin' this 'til the day that we die
Survival of the fit, only the strong survive
(We still livin' it)
We livin' this 'til the day that we die
Survival of the fit, only the strong survive

[Outro: Prodigy]
Open your eyes and get wise
Look alive, in '95, word up
Hypnotic thug life, get that ass paralyzed
Nomsayin? Mobb Deep and all that

Mobb Deep

Mobb Deep members Havoc and Prodigy represent the Queensbridge projects in the borough of Queens, New York. Their style is very dark, but Havoc’s sinister productions along with sharp lyricism from Prodigy on their sophomore album The Infamous and its first single “Shook Ones Pt. II” put the Mobb on the map and helped bring hardcore New York hip-hop back into the forefront while also influencing the hip-hop scene in France. Their two follow-up albums, Hell on Earth (1996) and Murda Muzik (1999) helped further solidify their status in the rap game as they received gold and platinum plaques.

The two released a number of projects as a duo as well as solo projects, and both of them released their own collaborative projects with their frequent collaborator The Alchemist.

Sadly, Prodigy passed away on June 20, 2017, in Las Vegas after being hospitalized during the Art of Rap Tour. May he rest in peace. See here for the Mass Appeal obituary.