Hustle Hard
Ghostface Killah Lyrics


Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴  Line by Line Meaning ↴

(feat. Trife Da God)

A nigga like me, man, I love the game, I love the hustle, man
I be feeling like one of them ball playing niggaz, you know?
A Bird, a Magic, or something, yeah, you know a nigga got dough
A nigga can leave the league, but if I leave.
The fans still gonna love me, man?
I get love out here, I done sold coke on these streets, man
Hash, weed, heroin, as long as niggaz is feeling it
A nigga like me can hustle it, that's my gift in life, eh
You know? Funny man, you a hustling muthafucker, man
(Uh, I heard it was rocking out here, where the dough at, man?)
{You know how what it is}
(These niggaz out here, yeah, they got the move straight up)
{Aiyo, next fiend that come thru, I'm tackling them, I don't give a fuck}
(What the fuck you looking at man?) {I need like five sales in a row, man
Y'all niggaz fall back} (What the hell my niggaz at, man, straight up and down man
We ain't playing out here) {I'm out here, right now, man
Everything is me, when I'm out here, man} (Take a break or get broke)

[Chorus 4X: 50 Cent sample "Places to Go"]
Hustle hard, money stack, sell that dope, sell that crack
Sell that pack, sell that gat, sell that pussy, holla back!

[Trife Da God]
We hustle hard in the city of Gods, with dedicated dealers
Take this shit for a serious job
Thugs with hideous scars, bag the prettiest broads
And teach 'em how to move coke, in they panties and bra's
My pops stayed on the hustle, cuz the family was large
No fancy cars, no shrimp scampi or caviar
Just a cold plate of agony, mixed with a harsh reality
Fuck a donation, we started our own charities
We had to hustle, we ain't caking like Russell
So if you live how we live, you can relate to the struggle
Me and my niggaz running wild like some apes in the jungle
Paper chasing, serving fiends, at the gate when they come through
This one's for all my Newport slingers, dope heads that'll chew off fingers
Just to shoot that thing up, get on ya grind
'Cause while your getting yours, I'm getting mines
If you need some tips on how to hustle, drop me a line

[Chorus 4X with ad-libs]

[Trife Da God]
Hustle hard, that's the only way a nigga know how
Been grinding most of my life, and I ain't gon' stop now
Growing up, I remember them days, slinging that beige
Pumping trays on the first of the month, niggaz was paid
I learned the tricks of the trade, with the flip or the save
When you bag up, wear rubber gloves and clean off the blade
I used to watch my older brother carve stones at the table
And my moms home, it was new to my 'view', like Star Jones
In and out of buildings, lamping in halls with eight balls
Way before they had the cameras installed
That was 9-7, when Biggie Smalls gave us the script
The Ten Crack Commandments on how to manage your bricks
Shopping bags, popping tags, with the brand new in shit
No more hand-me-down rags, my appearance was dipped
I'm on my grind like coffee beans, I'm gon' sale
Worldwide I got fiends on line like aol





[Chorus 4X with ad-libs]

Overall Meaning

The lyrics of "Hustle Hard" by Ghostface Killah featuring Trife da God are an unapologetic celebration of the street hustle. Ghostface Killah feels like a basketball player, revered and loved by his fans, because of his skills at selling drugs. He's proud of his ability to sell any kind of drug and mix with different types of people. He boasts of having sold heroin, hash, weed and whatever people are feeling at the time. His gift is being able to hustle, to make a living despite the odds, and he enjoys doing it.


Trife da God gives some insight on his background, growing up in the city of Gods, where people hustle hard and dedicate their lives to dealing drugs. He talks about his family's situation, which was marked by poverty and the need to hustle to survive. He draws attention to the degree of sacrifice and risk that people in his community undertake in order to hustle. He also reveals some of the tricks of the trade that he has learned, such as cleaning the blade and wearing rubber gloves when bagging up drugs.


Overall, "Hustle Hard" is a song that glorifies the street hustle and the skill and dedication involved in it. It is not judgmental and does not take a moralistic view of the drug trade. Rather, it focuses on the necessity of making it in a tough environment where opportunities are few and far between.


Line by Line Meaning

A nigga like me, man, I love the game, I love the hustle, man
I enjoy hustling and making money through selling drugs and other illicit activities.


I be feeling like one of them ball playing niggaz, you know?
I feel like I'm on top of the world, like one of those famous basketball players.


A Bird, a Magic, or something, yeah, you know a nigga got dough
I have a lot of money, just like famous basketball players like Larry Bird or Magic Johnson.


A nigga can leave the league, but if I leave.
Even if I stop hustling, I will still be remembered by those who knew me – just like a famous basketball player who retires.


The fans still gonna love me, man?
Even if I retire from hustling, those who know me for my past success will still look up to me and show me love.


I get love out here, I done sold coke on these streets, man
I have a lot of respect and recognition on these streets because I used to sell drugs, including cocaine.


Hash, weed, heroin, as long as niggaz is feeling it
I can sell all sorts of drugs as long as there is a market and buyers for them.


A nigga like me can hustle it, that's my gift in life, eh
I'm gifted when it comes to hustling and making money through illegal means – that's just who I am.


Funny man, you a hustling muthafucker, man
You're quite the hustler yourself, my friend.


(Uh, I heard it was rocking out here, where the dough at, man?)
I heard there's a lot of money to be made out here, where can I find it?


{You know how what it is}
You know how it works out here, don't you?


(These niggaz out here, yeah, they got the move straight up)
These guys out here know what they're doing when it comes to hustling.


{Aiyo, next fiend that come thru, I'm tackling them, I don't give a fuck}
I don't care who it is, but the next person who comes around looking for drugs, I'll tackle them and sell them what they need.


(What the fuck you looking at man?) {I need like five sales in a row, man
Don't look at me like that, I need to make five sales in a row to keep my profits going.


Y'all niggaz fall back} (What the hell my niggaz at, man, straight up and down man
Everyone else should step back while I hustle and make my money. Where are my homies at?


{I'm out here, right now, man
I'm currently out here making my money through selling drugs and other illegal means.


Everything is me, when I'm out here, man} (Take a break or get broke)
I'm the one in control of everything when I'm out here hustling. Anyone who doesn't take breaks and keeps hustling will succeed and make money, while those who don't will fall behind.


Hustle hard, money stack, sell that dope, sell that crack
Work hard, save your money, and keep selling drugs like cocaine and crack to make profits.


Sell that pack, sell that gat, sell that pussy, holla back!
Sell anything you can to make money – including drugs, guns, and sex – and let me know if you have any success.


We hustle hard in the city of Gods, with dedicated dealers
We work hard and hustle to make money in the city where people have faith in the divine, thanks to our committed salesmen.


Take this shit for a serious job
Take hustling very seriously and treat it like a job to make sure you make as much money as possible.


Thugs with hideous scars, bag the prettiest broads
Criminals with visible scars and tattoos often attract the most beautiful and attractive women.


And teach 'em how to move coke, in they panties and bra's
They also teach these women how to sell drugs – including cocaine, which they can hide in their underwear.


My pops stayed on the hustle, cuz the family was large
My father kept hustling because he had a big family to support and needed to make as much money as possible.


No fancy cars, no shrimp scampi or caviar
We don't live a luxurious life with expensive sports cars, shrimp, and caviar.


Just a cold plate of agony, mixed with a harsh reality
All we have is a painful reality of struggle and hardship.


Fuck a donation, we started our own charities
We don't need charities or donations because we created our own way to make money and support our community.


We had to hustle, we ain't caking like Russell
We had to hustle hard to make money because we're not rich and famous like basketball player Russell Westbrook.


So if you live how we live, you can relate to the struggle
If you live like we do, hustling and striving to make money every day, you can understand the struggles and hardships we face.


Me and my niggaz running wild like some apes in the jungle
My friends and I are living recklessly and chaotically, much like wild apes living in the jungle.


Paper chasing, serving fiends, at the gate when they come through
We are chasing after money, serving drug addicts who come to buy their fix from us.


This one's for all my Newport slingers, dope heads that'll chew off fingers
This is dedicated to all of the drug dealers and addicts – especially those who smoke Newport cigarettes – who are so addicted they will do anything or tolerate extreme pain to get high.


Just to shoot that thing up, get on ya grind
They will even chew off their own fingers to shoot up drugs, so they can get high faster and more easily.


'Cause while your getting yours, I'm getting mines
While you're making money, I'm making mine through selling drugs and making profits.


If you need some tips on how to hustle, drop me a line
If you want to learn more about the hustle and how to make money through illegal means, feel free to contact me for advice.


Been grinding most of my life, and I ain't gon' stop now
I've been hustling and making money for most of my life, and I don't plan on quitting or stopping anytime soon.


Growing up, I remember them days, slinging that beige
I remember the days when I used to sell beige-colored drugs (e.g. heroin).


Pumping trays on the first of the month, niggaz was paid
On the first of the month, I would sell a lot of drugs and make a lot of money because people had just received their paychecks.


I learned the tricks of the trade, with the flip or the save
I became skilled and learned all of the techniques and secrets for making money through selling drugs, such as by flipping or saving my profits.


When you bag up, wear rubber gloves and clean off the blade
I learned to wear gloves and clean my knife when bagging up drugs to avoid contamination and detection by police.


I used to watch my older brother carve stones at the table
I used to observe my older brother cut and weigh drugs at the table.


And my moms home, it was new to my 'view', like Star Jones
It was a new and exciting experience for me to see drugs being sold and handled right in our own home.


In and out of buildings, lamping in halls with eight balls
I would move around and sell drugs in various buildings and apartments, including carrying and selling small amounts of drugs like eight balls (1/8th of an ounce of cocaine).


Way before they had the cameras installed
This was all happening before surveillance cameras became common in these settings.


That was 9-7, when Biggie Smalls gave us the script
All of this happened in 1997 when rapper Biggie Smalls gave us the guidelines and rules for selling drugs – which I followed closely.


The Ten Crack Commandments on how to manage your bricks
Biggie's song, The Ten Crack Commandments, taught us how to better manage and sell our drugs to maximize profits.


Shopping bags, popping tags, with the brand new in shit
I used my profits to buy new and expensive clothes, wearing shopping bags and popping tags to show this off.


No more hand-me-down rags, my appearance was dipped
I didn't have to wear old and worn-out clothes anymore – I looked fresh and stylish with my new clothes.


I'm on my grind like coffee beans, I'm gon' sale
I'm working hard and diligently to sell drugs and make money, just like coffee beans must be ground up to make coffee.


Worldwide I got fiends on line like aol
I have customers all over the world who are constantly messaging me online in search of drugs, like people using AOL (an old internet service provider).




Contributed by Ella F. Suggest a correction in the comments below.
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