Released: December 21, 2010

Songwriter: Nipsey Hussle

Producer: Djay Cas E.N.G

[Refrain]
455, I drive by doing a hundred
And I stay blunted 'cause I do what I need
And that’s the reason that they love me
'Cause I’ve been making money
I got the key to the city
It feels good to be on top, I got the key to the city
This is how it is to be a big shot

[Verse 1]
Listen, black on black Mercedes-Benz
Tattoo all my lady friends
Nipsey on they titties
More game than ESPN
I turn these hoes to lesbians, make her fuck her best of friends
Get head for one hour, smoke a blunt and catch my second wind
Hopping off that tour bus, she probably just had sex with him
She’s out of your possession, you cannot protect her then
South Central that's my residence
Deadly like them seven sins
And if I’m not the king of this
I must be the president
OMG, I’m ill as shit, money is my medicine
Shout out to my niggas in the pen text messaging
Shout out to them bitches getting it in in their crevices
Conjugal visits make sex seem so irrelevant
Forget about the risk we took, I never can
Rebel in this white man world until they bury him
Being broke is so un-American
That’s why I’m screaming all money in, 'til the end
Nigga

[Refrain]
455, I drive by doing a hundred
And I stay blunted 'cause I do what I need
And that’s the reason that they love me
'Cause I’ve been making money
I got the key to the city
It feels good to be on top, I got the key to the city
This is how it is to be a big shot

[Verse 2]
Pull up in that old school, me and lil' Shady Blue
Fresh up out the county jail, they held us both without no bail
10 stacks to my lawyer, said a prayer that we prevailed
Jealous niggas hated that, love to see a nigga fail
Miss me with that, "Bro I love you"
Sucka nigga be for real
Fake as four dollar bills
Hit the gas, we’re out of here
On our way to Fox Hills, spending like we got a mil'
Smoking so much kush it got us feeling like we’re off a pill
They know we got dollars still
And bitches know they got the bill
Eatin' Benihana daily, drive my baby mama crazy
Name a nigga that could fade me
Pussy that does not persuade me
Got a swag that make 'em hate me
Plus we never shop at Macy’s
Louis V and Gucci, maybe
Neiman Marcus, blue Mercedes
We was both familiar faces
Spending thousands, dodging cases
"Fuck a bottle, bring the cases", is what we told the waitress
Then pop Clicquot for all of y'all that tried to play us

[Refrain]
455, I drive by doing a hundred
And I stay blunted 'cause I do what I need
And that’s the reason that they love me
'Cause I’ve been making money
I got the key to the city
It feels good to be on top, I got the key to the city
This is how it is to be a big shot

[Verse 3]
Hussle, hussle, Dre past, Def Jam, Capital Atlantic too
Thought that I’ll be dead or doing life, 'cause what I rap is true
Just another you know who
Sam had some time to do
And yea, Steve is cool, but I heard Big U's an animal
Fuck what they was talking about
We just did what we had to do
Became the most valuable, after I dropped Volume 2
From the West Coast at least, now for the West Coast I speak
'Cause on a level four with Gilbon is where I’m 'posed to be
I be on some business shit
Y'all bring out the loc in me
Like a broke weed head, my pistol will smoke for free
Emani ain’t gonna know the streets
Got to keep her close to me
Put that on the man that’s on the cross on my rosary
Wasn’t always banging but I speak about it openly
No shame in my game
I did my thing, on the coldest streets
Who’s the hottest on the West
All you niggas know it’s me
So tell whoever got it lock that Nipsey Hussle stole the key

[Refrain]
455, I drive by doing a hundred
And I stay blunted 'cause I do what I need
And that’s the reason that they love me
'Cause I’ve been making money
I got the key to the city
It feels good to be on top, I got the key to the city
This is how it is to be a big shot

Nipsey Hussle

Ermias Joseph Asghedom (August 15, 1985 – March 31, 2019), better known as Nipsey Hussle, was a Grammy-award winning hip-hop artist and mogul from the Crenshaw district of South Central Los Angeles, California.

With a name inspired by actor Nipsey Russell, Nipsey Hussle released his first project, Slauson Boy Volume 1, in 2005, and he was featured in XXL’s 2010 Freshman Class alongside J. Cole, Big Sean, Freddie Gibbs, Wiz Khalifa, and Jay Rock among others. Nipsey gained national headlines in 2013 as he sold copies of his Crenshaw mixtape for $100 each. One customer was JAY-Z, who purchased 100 copies in support of Nipsey’s hustle. He then charged $1,000 per copy of his Mailbox Money mixtape in 2014 to continue his #Proud2Pay campaign.

After a decade of releasing several mixtapes and singles, Nipsey released his long-awaited debut album Victory Lap in 2018. The album was nominated in the Best Rap Album category at the 2019 Grammy Awards.