G-Unit, an abbreviation for Gorilla Unit, is a rap group founded by 50 Cent… Read Full Bio ↴G-Unit, an abbreviation for Gorilla Unit, is a rap group founded by 50 Cent. The group first garnered a following in the underground New York scene by independently releasing several mixtapes. The group's founder, Queens-based rapper 50 Cent, officially brought the group mainstream success by establishing it as a division at Interscope Records. Since signing to the label, G-Unit's members have released solo albums.

G-Unit was founded shortly after 50 Cent left Columbia Records. The original members were: 50 Cent, Bang Em Smurf, Domination, Lloyd Banks, Sha Money XL & Tony Yayo. These rappers collectively established the group as a whole in 2000; however, after Yayo got a prison sentence 50 Cent signed Young Buck and along with himself and Banks became the three faces of G-Unit. Smurf and Domination left the group due to some problems with the General, 50 Cent.

After being shot, 50 Cent signed to Interscope Records. Due to the success of his commercial debut album, Get Rich or Die Tryin', he was granted his own record label. This was when 50 and Sha Money XL founded G-Unit Records.

The group continued to work hard and released several mixtape series which earned them a lot of attention in the rap industry. The most prominent of these being 50 Cent Is the Future, God's Plan, No Mercy, No Fear and Automatic Gunfire. G-Unit have also started a mixtape series with their DJ, DJ Whoo Kid, called G-Unit Radio.

These mixtapes gave them a gigantic buzz throughout New York City, which eventually led to 50's first solo album Get Rich or Die Tryin' selling over 12 million copies.

Before the group had a chance to record its debut album, Tony Yayo was sentenced to prison for a gun-possession charge as well as bail-jumping. During Tony Yayo's prison sentence, the group signed Nashville rapper, Young Buck. They continued their activity, working on yet more mixtape recordings. In particular, their 'G-Unit Remix' to 50 Cent's "P.I.M.P." was successful.

During Tony Yayo's prison sentence, G-Unit recorded their debut album, Beg for Mercy. The album was quickly released on November 14, 2003 to combat bootlegging and had significant commercial success. Tony Yayo made only two appearances on the album, both on songs that were recorded before his arrest. The album peaked at #2 on the Billboard charts and sold over 4 million units.

50 Cent later went on to sign The Game, Mobb Deep, M.O.P., Olivia, Spider Loc andMase. The Game was asked to be put in the group by Dr. Dre and Jimmy Iovine. 50 Cent agreed, and gave 7 of his records which was supposed to go on his second LP The Massacre. After The Game went on the radio and said that he had no problems with some rappers 50 Cent had issues with, 50 felt that Game was disloyal and kicked him out of the group, which lead to the infamous G-Unit vs. The Game/Black Wallstreet meet and beat off.

Tony Yayo Explosion
G-Unit Lyrics

Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴

[50 Cent]
Yeah, F-50

[Chorus - 50 Cent]
As times go by, I twist a lot
Fuck with me and my niggas, somebody gonna die
You think I'm all poinry, cause you see me gettin' high
But my knife, I'll have yo ass seein' out one eye

As times go by, I twist a lot
Fuck with me and my niggas, somebody gonna die
You think I'm all poinry, cause you see me gettin' high (yeah)
But my knife, I'll have yo ass seein' out one eye

[Verse 1 - Tony Yayo]
740 I, with the brand new shake (uh huh)
Got me pissin' on hoes like the R. Kelly tape
If you see me in the club, nothin' but Cris poppin' (yeah)
See me in court, my lawyers plea bargainin' (woo)
Tryin' to turn a 3 to 6, to a 2 to 4 (uh huh)
Or 1 to 3, for an extra G
RIP to Etho, I miss Hevo
When I die, I hope heaven look like the ghetto (yeah)
Picture me trick, and take a loss
I'm cheap like the Chinese man with duck sauce
This Tony homey, I walk around with a big chrome
9 L's will hit ya passenger, hit ya driver
G-Unit, you don't know a fuckin' clique liver
(You heard my nigga, you don't know a fuckin' clique liver)

[Chorus]
As times go by, I twist a lot
Fuck with me and my niggas, somebody gonna die (yeah)
You think I'm all poinry, cause you see me gettin' high (uh huh)
But my knife, I'll have yo ass seein' out one eye (eye)

As times go by, I twist a lot
Fuck with me and my niggas, somebody gonna die
You think I'm all poinry, cause you see me gettin' high
But my knife, I'll have yo ass seein' out one eye

[Verse 2 - Tony Yayo]
I never mix money and product with my friends (uh huh)
These chips, make relationships come to an end (what)
I pull the graveyard shift, gettin' money non-stop (uh huh)
And been on the block, ever since bunny tops (c'mon)
250 grizzies, scrape the plate (scrape that plate)
Got me on 750's straight from the plate (straight from the plate)
You can call on your soldiers, call your recruits (uh huh)
I do you dirty like Raheem did Dirty is "Juice" (Juice)
Allow myself, to introduce myself
This is Tony, the talk of New York, I'm holdin' the belt
I got thug in my blood (blood), game like a pimp (pimp)
And wrote my first verse, takin' baths in the sink (yeah)
And yo I fear no man son, I never heard of a fair one
Never gotta borrow a handgun
Niggas on the street, gettin' smoked like bran son
So I stay dirty like "Sanford and Son" (yeah)
Groupies gossipin' stay runnin' their lips (woo)
Cause they seen the Gucci seats in the 6 (uh huh)
And seen the Fendi grips on the four fifth (what)
Shit, I sell bricks, shit, I sell shit on a stick (stick)
Enough of the talkin', let's take it to the valance (uh huh)
The New York streets, will leave you physically challenged (challenged)
Don't be surprised, If I spit at you
Then come to your wake, and serve fiends at your funeral
Our bread is goin' towards a brick of dope
Cause I've been goin' hand and hand since "Different Strokes"
I'm a 50, an eighth, you a half a blunt

You the nigga in the mirror that practice stunts
WHAT!

Overall Meaning

"Tony Yayo Explosion" is a hardcore rap track that features G-Unit members 50 Cent and Tony Yayo. The lyrics address the street credibility of the rappers, their confidence in their gangster image and their willingness to engage in violence. The chorus warns the listeners that they will face dire consequences if they mess with G-Unit or its affiliates. The verse by Tony Yayo is a boastful account of his drug dealing and his thuggish behavior. He makes references to R. Kelly, Etho, and the Sanford and Son TV show to convey his contempt for authority and disdain for societal norms. Tony Yayo also declares his loyalty to G-Unit and the gangster lifestyle, asserting that he is always strapped and ready to defend himself.

Line by Line Meaning

As times go by, I twist a lot
I smoke a lot of weed as time passes

Fuck with me and my niggas, somebody gonna die
If you mess with me or my crew, you'll face deadly consequences

You think I'm all poinry, cause you see me gettin' high (yeah)
You judge me as foolish just because I enjoy smoking weed

But my knife, I'll have yo ass seein' out one eye
Don't underestimate me because I'll use my knife to hurt you badly

740 I, with the brand new shake (uh huh)
I'm driving a brand new BMW 740i with hydraulics

Got me pissin' on hoes like the R. Kelly tape
I'm treating girls badly like R. Kelly did in his infamous sex tape

If you see me in the club, nothin' but Cris poppin' (yeah)
When I'm in a club, I'm only drinking Cristal champagne

See me in court, my lawyers plea bargainin' (woo)
When I'm in court, my lawyers are bargaining for a plea deal

Tryin' to turn a 3 to 6, to a 2 to 4 (uh huh)
Trying to reduce a 3-year prison sentence to 2 or 1 year

RIP to Etho, I miss Hevo
I'm paying tribute to Etho who died while I miss Hevo

When I die, I hope heaven look like the ghetto (yeah)
I prefer heaven to look like the place I come from - the ghetto

Picture me trick, and take a loss
Don't imagine me falling for cheap tricks and losing money

I'm cheap like the Chinese man with duck sauce
I'm thrifty like a Chinese serving duck sauce on a small portion of food

This Tony homey, I walk around with a big chrome
I'm Tony, and I carry a large gun wherever I go

9 L's will hit ya passenger, hit ya driver
I'll shoot 9 bullets that will hit both your driver and passenger

G-Unit, you don't know a fuckin' clique liver
You don't know any group like G-Unit

I never mix money and product with my friends (uh huh)
I don't mix business with friendship, especially when money is involved

These chips, make relationships come to an end (what)
Money can end relationships by causing disagreements and conflicts

I pull the graveyard shift, gettin' money non-stop (uh huh)
I work hard through the night to make money

And been on the block, ever since bunny tops (c'mon)
I've been hustling on the street since I was young and innocent

250 grizzies, scrape the plate (scrape that plate)
I'm selling 250 grams of drugs and there's nothing left on the plate

Got me on 750's straight from the plate (straight from the plate)
I'm wearing expensive shoes made from the same material as the dirty plate

You can call on your soldiers, call your recruits (uh huh)
You can call as many reinforcements as you can, but it won't make much difference

I do you dirty like Raheem did Dirty is "Juice" (Juice)
I'll treat you badly like Raheem did in the movie 'Juice'

Allow myself, to introduce myself
Let me introduce myself to you

This is Tony, the talk of New York, I'm holdin' the belt
I'm Tony, the most popular person in New York and I'm the top-ranked fighter

I got thug in my blood (blood), game like a pimp (pimp)
I was born to be a gangster and I have the skills of a pimp

And wrote my first verse, takin' baths in the sink (yeah)
I wrote my first rap verse while taking a bath in the sink

And yo I fear no man son, I never heard of a fair one
I don't fear anyone and I don't believe in fair fights

Never gotta borrow a handgun
I never have to borrow a gun from anyone

Niggas on the street, gettin' smoked like bran son
People on the street are getting killed like bread crumbs in a toaster

So I stay dirty like "Sanford and Son" (yeah)
I stay true to my gangster roots like the TV show 'Sanford and Son'

Groupies gossipin' stay runnin' their lips (woo)
Girls who want to be with me keep talking and getting their feelings hurt

Cause they seen the Gucci seats in the 6 (uh huh)
They're obsessed with the Gucci seats in the BMW 6 series I'm driving

And seen the Fendi grips on the four fifth (what)
They're attracted to my Fendi accessories on my gun

Shit, I sell bricks, shit, I sell shit on a stick (stick)
I sell drugs - large quantities of drugs in solid form or as small quantities like lollipops

Enough of the talkin', let's take it to the valance (uh huh)
Let's stop talking and start fighting for real

The New York streets, will leave you physically challenged (challenged)
The streets of New York can be dangerous and leave you injured

Don't be surprised, If I spit at you
Don't be shocked if I disrespect or attack you verbally

Then come to your wake, and serve fiends at your funeral
I'll even show up at your funeral and sell drugs to addicts

Our bread is goin' towards a brick of dope
We're saving our money to buy a large quantity of drugs

Cause I've been goin' hand and hand since "Different Strokes"
I've been dealing drugs since I was young, like the characters of 'Different Strokes'

I'm a 50, an eighth, you a half a blunt
I'm worth $50,000 while you're only worth $10

You the nigga in the mirror that practice stunts
You're the type of person who tries to act tough in front of the mirror

WHAT!
What else do you want me to say?

Lyrics © O/B/O APRA AMCOS

Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind

To comment on or correct specific content, highlight it

TRACKS