Hate It Or Love It
50 Cent Lyrics

Yeah, let's take 'em back
Starting the song by reminiscing about his past and how he grew up in a difficult environment.

Comin' up I was confused, my mommy kissin' a girl
Growing up, he experienced confusion and struggled to understand his mother's sexuality.

Confusion occurs comin' up in the cold world
The world he grew up in was cold and unforgiving, causing him to experience confusion and difficulties along the way.

Daddy ain't around, probably out committin' felonies
His father was absent in his childhood and most likely engaged in criminal activities.

My favorite rapper used to sing, "Check, check out my melody"
As a child, he looked up to his favorite rapper who would often brag about his skills in his songs.

I wanna live good, so, shit, I sell dope
To live a better life, he had to resort to selling drugs to make money.

For a four finger ring, one of them gold ropes
He was willing to do anything to obtain material items such as a gold ring or necklace.

Nana told me if I passed I'd get a sheepskin coat
His grandmother promised to reward him with a nice coat if he did well in school.

If I can move a few packs I'd get the hat, now that'd be dope
He believed that if he sold a few more drugs, he could finally afford the material possessions he always wanted.

Tossed and turned in my sleep that night
He was restless and had trouble sleeping that night due to his life circumstances.

Woke up the next mornin, n****s had stole my bike
The next day, he realized his bike had been stolen by someone in the neighborhood.

Different day, same shit, ain't nothin' good in the hood
Every day in the hood feels the same and nothing seems to change for the better.

I'd run away from this b***h and never come back if I could
If given the chance, he would leave his neighborhood and never return due to the hardships he faced there.

Hate it or love it, the underdog's on top
Despite the challenges he faced growing up, he rose to success and is now on top.

And I'm gon' shine, homie, until my heart stop
He will keep striving to succeed and shine no matter what happens.

Go 'head envy me, I'm rap's M.V.P
He acknowledges that people may envy him but confidently claims the title of rap's most valuable player.

And I ain't goin' nowhere, so you can get to know me
He is here to stay and people can get to know him better.

On the grill of my lowrider
He describes his car - a lowrider - being ornately decorated with a grill on the front.

Guns on both sides, right above the gold wires
His car also has guns placed on both sides above the gold wires.

I'll fo'-five 'em, kill a n**** on my song
He is capable and willing to use his gun to commit murder if necessary, even in his music.

And really do it, that's the true meanin' of a ghostwriter
He is a true ghostwriter, meaning he isn't just writing rhymes for others, but he's actually living them.

Ten Gs'll take your daughter out of Air Forces
He can afford to pay someone $10,000 to take their daughter out of a certain neighborhood in Air Forces shoes.

Believe you me, homie, I know all about losses
He has experienced many losses in his life and is familiar with the difficulties of life.

I'm from Compton, wear the wrong colors, be cautious
He is from Compton, where wearing the wrong colors can be dangerous, emphasizing the violence and gang culture of the area.

One phone call'll have your body dumped in Marcy
He has connections and can make a call to have someone killed, which he implies by mentioning Marcy, a notorious housing project in Brooklyn.

I stay strapped like car seats
He stays armed and ready for any danger, comparing his readiness to car seats being strapped in for safety.

Been bangin' since my lil' n**** Rob got killed for his Barkleys
He's been involved in gang violence since his friend Rob was killed over a pair of Nike Barkley sneakers.

That's ten years, I told Pooh in '95
He has been in the gang for ten years and recalls telling his friend Pooh about his gang involvement in 1995.

I'll kill you if you try me for my Air Max 95's
He is so protective of his Air Max 95's that he would kill someone who tried to steal them.

Told Banks when I met him, I'ma ride
He promised Lloyd Banks that he was committed to staying loyal and would ride for him no matter what.

And if I gotta die, I'd rather homicide
He would rather commit murder (homicide) than be killed himself.

I ain't have fifty cent when my grandmomma died
He didn't have a lot of money when his grandmother passed away.

Now I'm goin' back to Cali with my Jacob on, see how time fly?
He reflects on how far he's come since his early days of poverty and is now going back to California wearing a Jacob & Co. watch to symbolize his success.

From the beginnin' to the end
Highlighting how his story has been a journey from the beginning up until now.

Losers lose, winners win
He believes that in life, losers continue to lose and winners always win.

This is real, we ain't got to pretend
The struggles and hardships he has faced in his life are all real and don't need any embellishments or exaggerations.

The cold world that we in is full of pressure and pain
He acknowledges the harsh reality of the world we live in, which is full of stress and pain.

Enough of me, nigga, now listen to Game
The focus now turns to The Game, encouraging the listener to pay attention to his story and perspective.

Used to see Five-O, throw the crack by the bench (hey, Five-O)
He used to see police officers and would quickly hide his drugs by the bench.

Now I'm fuckin' with 5-0, it's all startin' to make sense
Now, he's involved with the police in a different way, possibly suggesting he's been giving them information in exchange for leniency.

My moms happy, she ain't gotta pay the rent
His mother is happy that she no longer has to worry about paying rent.

And she got a red bow on that brand new Benz
She received a new Mercedes Benz as a gift, complete with a red bow.

Waitin' on Sha Money to land, sittin' in the Range
He is waiting for his friend Sha Money to arrive and is sitting in his Range Rover.

Thinkin' how they spent thirty million dollars on airplanes
Reflecting on how much money is spent on unnecessary luxuries like private airplanes.

When there's kids starvin'
He calls out the excess spending on planes while children in some parts of the world are starving.

Pac is gone and Brenda still throwin' babies in the garbage
He mourns the loss of Tupac and references his song 'Brenda's Got a Baby' to highlight the continuous cycle of poverty and neglect in certain communities.

I wanna know what's goin' on like I hear Marvin
He wants to know what's happening in society and compares himself to Marvin Gaye who wrote the song 'What's Goin' On.'

No schoolbooks, they used that wood to build coffins
He comments on the lack of resources for education in some areas, emphasizing how wood meant for schoolbooks is used to build coffins instead.

Whenever I'm in the booth and I get exhausted
While recording, he sometimes becomes exhausted and overwhelmed.

I think what if Marie Baker got that abortion? I love you, ma
He thinks about what his life would be like if his mother had chosen to have an abortion and reflects on his love for her.

Hate it or love it, the underdog's on top
Closing the song with the message once again that despite his upbringing and the hardships he's faced, he has overcome those obstacles and is now at the top of his game.

And I'm gon' shine, homie, until my heart stop
He will continue to shine and succeed no matter what happens.

Go 'head envy me, I'm rap's M.V.P
He confidently claims the title of rap's most valuable player and invites envy from others.

And I ain't goin' nowhere, so you can get to know me
He is here to stay and people can get to know him better.