Songwriter: Snoop Dogg L.T. Hutton

Producer: L.T. Hutton

[Verse 1: Snoop Dogg]
10-20-71, the day I come out
Two days later, I'm runnin' my mouth
Mom's put a bottle to my grill
I look her in the face and I say chill
So she puts her back up on a pillow
Five minutes later I'm bailin' out the hoes-pital
On my way to the liquor store
The first thing I grab is some skins and a 4-0
Dropped the O-E cause it's just too cold
I get myself some gin instead and then I stroll
But before I get out the door
The man behind the counter says hey, yo, yo
He picks me up and sit me on the seat
And then he grabbed the phone and get to dialin' the police
I wanna run but I can't walk yet
Can't grapple with nothin' said, cause I can't talk yet
First trip in the police car
Cameras all around me as if I was a star
Young black toddler, it's feeling like they dissin' me
Mom's grabbed me, and then she gets to kissin' me
She thanks the police for my good health
I don't know why, I coulda done that by my muthafuckin' self
And I always love my mama cause she raised me right
And I must say that I'm a gangsta

[Bridge: Snoop Dogg]
Livin' in a gangsta'z life
Straight gangsta'z life

[Verse 2: Snoop Dogg]
Let's speed the clock up and pass some time
June 17th, 1979
That's my first time being arrested
I know I done the crime, but I ain't going to confess to this shit
I learned that from the G's
A G is a overseer, the overseer sees
More than you do cause he gets experience
And besides I'm just a juvenile delinquent
'fore I was gone, and I'm on my way home
My momma's coming to get me in a fleetwood brougham
She puts a jacket on my back and hands me a comb
We stop at frosty freeze for a couple of snowcones
She telling me that I didn't need to do what I done
She said: "playing football should be your only fun son"
I'm like "allright" so we head to the house
I mobbed through the door and pops fired to the mouth
I couldn't do nothing but cry like a bitch
I looked at my momma and said: "damn, why you snitch?"
They put me on punishment but that didn't work
Now wearing khakis, wallabees, and a t-shirt
And throwing up the neighborhood gang signs
I do my first robbery and now I gotta do time
5 feet, 6 wearin' 83
They sent me to a place called LP
I bailed in the dorm lookin' hard as hell
I told 'em who I was and where I dwell
Some fool had beef and he ran up on me
Hear nothin' pop cause I spotted one of my homies
Who ran the game to me in the correct manner
And told me to stay down for my bandana
Two weeks later, I'm getting shipped to another institution
I'm fucking up, starting confusion
Vibed on my counselor, feeling like a champ
I finally get settled down at the junior fine camp
I do my little time up in this home sweet home
My momma's coming to get me in a fleetwood brougham
I'm on swauce, so if pops swing it's on
But things did change, why?, cause pops ain't home
Why? he couldn't take it, what? so he moved on out
Left my momma the car, the kids, the bills, and the house
That's half of my life summoned up
That's why young, black teens in the ghetto don't be comin' up
The way their ancestors did
Because mom plays the role of both parents to the kids
But when you make it, your father, he shows up shortly
But when thangs ain't right, they play the role like they don't know me
But when you play me like that ya see
I have no other choice but playin' the role of a G

[Bridge: Snoop Dogg]
This is a gangsta'z life
Straight gangsta'z life

[Verse 3: Snoop Dogg]
I'm full grown, out on my own
But my impression is still at my momma's home
My baby brother, guess what y'all? he wanna be like me
They call him lil Snoop Dogg and he way more harder than I was
A hog, been through YA, nellaz, and all the hogs
He even robbed santa claus on Christmas day
And every Sunday my momma pray that he don't get caught up in gunplay
Hey, I made the bed so I guess I gotta lay
I guess I'll slide through and ride through the hood today
Lay low, hold ya gats, and watch yaself
Stay composed, I freeze-frozed clothes, doze on O'z
Muthafuckas who be lovin' a cup of shit of shit up
All they wanna do is show another nigga lit up, hit up
Names of the homies who rest in peace
Ya got your stars on wit' ya flag, and ya khakis properly creased
Mobbin' through the way or should I say
Strollin' through the park one day
Sippin' on the Hen do' sad'n a muthafucka
Cops raid my house, they shot my baby brother
They say he was strapped but they never found a strap
This life of a gangsta, he'll never get back
And it's like that

[Outro: Snoop Dogg]
This is a gangsta'z life

Snoop Dogg

Calvin Cordazar Broadus, Jr., a.k.a. Snoop Dogg (formerly Snoop Doggy Dogg as well as Snoop Lion) is a rapper from Long Beach, California.

Snoop began his career by meeting former N.W.A-member, Dr. Dre. He was then enlisted as a collaborator for Dre’s first solo album and now hip-hop classic, The Chronic.

In 1993 Snoop Dogg released Doggystyle; He was thus baptized as one of the pioneers of the G-Funk Era.