Following the disbanding of Destiny's Child in 2006, Rowland released her second studio album, Ms. Kelly (2007). In 2009, she hosted the first season of The Fashion Show, and was featured on David Guetta's "When Love Takes Over", which topped the charts in several countries. Its success influenced Rowland to explore electronic dance music on her third studio album, Here I Am (2011). Her fourth album, Talk a Good Game (2013), became her third top-ten album on the US Billboard 200 chart. Rowland was a television judge on the eighth season of The X Factor UK (2011), as well as the third season of The X Factor USA (2013). She has continued her television career by hosting Chasing Destiny (2016) and starred as a coach on The Voice Australia (2017–2020).
Throughout her career, Rowland has sold over 40 million records as a solo artist, and a further 60 million records with Destiny's Child. Her work has earned her several awards and nominations, including five Grammy Awards, one Billboard Music Award, and two Soul Train Music Awards. Rowland has also received a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame as part of Destiny's Child, and as a solo artist, she has been honored by the American Society of Composers, Authors and Publishers and Essence for her contributions to music. In 2014, Fuse ranked Rowland in their "100 Most Award-Winning Artists" list at number 20.
Street Life
Kelly Rowland Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Uh, leg on my baby daddy
Pullin' up like hey girl let go
Uh, see I ain't pushin that Caddy
We never leavin' this place
Um, it's so throwed (so throwed)
So throwed (so throwed) so throwed (so throwed)
Ooh, the hood ain't ready
It's the mentality of hate
Coming from the street life we know, exciting
Know we like to go to school for education
But the street life we know don't write no notes
It's like parole with the time we're facing
Ooh ain't nobody gon' help
Ooh tryin' survive and sell
Ooh these a ?
The point of the game as money
The newspaper calls it streetlife
The recession in real life
Tryna get where the breeze is nice
So I can breathe
Everybody round me tryna get to the money
Including me
Ooh, my best friend named Abby
We up and live like, waiter XO
Ooh, and she be rollin' that fatty
And puffin as long as it takes
Yet 'cause life is so cold (so cold)
So cold (so cold) and it's throwed
But the, truth and some man ain't ready
But what she got the next day
Coming from the street life we know, exciting no
We like to go to school for education
But the street life we know don't write no notes
It's like parole with the time we're facing
Ooh ain't nobody gon' help
Ooh tryin' survive and sell
Ooh these a ?
Mama didn't raise no dummy
? This streetlife
The recession in real life
Tryna get where the breeze is nice
So I can breathe
Everybody round me tryna get to the money
We just tryna get to the money
This for my niggas with them full baby mamas
Ceiling full of commas
Saving your receipts because she never keep a promise
This presidential Rollie don't make me Obama
So don't judge me by my jewelry please your honor
The persona of this dope dealin' summertime
Top dropper wintertime, fool ain't fox rocker
Wooh! What it be like?
It's just king pushin Kelly roll,
Giving you the street life, brap!
Coming from the street life we know, exciting no
We like to go to school for education
But the street life we know don't write no notes
It's like parole with the time we're facing
Ooh ain't nobody gon' help
Ooh tryin' survive and sell
Ooh these a ?
Now ain't shit from here funny
Tell em all about this streetlife
The recession in real life
Tryna get where the breeze is nice
So I can breathe
Everybody around me tryna get to the money
Including me
Yea yea yea
The lyrics of Kelly Rowland's song Street Life seem to revolve around the struggles of living in a dangerous and unpredictable urban environment. The opening lines suggest that something is about to happen, something that needs to be "popped off" as the singer refers to pulling up in a car and exiting with their leg on their "baby daddy." The next verse mentions how they love their surroundings, describing it as "throwed," which could mean crazy or exciting, but they also reference the "mentality of hate" that comes with living in a place like this.
The chorus highlights that, despite trying to better themselves through education, the singer and their community still face the difficulties of having a criminal record and the overwhelmingly negative consequences that come with it. They want to breathe easy, get where the "breeze is nice," and escape the struggles of the street life. The final verse switches to an outside perspective with the mention of a "presidential Rollie" and the persona of a drug dealer with their own struggles. The repeated phrase "coming from the street life we know" serves as a reminder that the singer and their peers are products of their environment, and the cycle of poverty and crime that plagues them is not easily escaped.
Line by Line Meaning
Fittin' to pop off
About to start something, ready to go
Uh, leg on my baby daddy
She's sitting on her baby daddy's lap
Pullin' up like hey girl let go
Arriving and greeting her friends
Uh, see I ain’t pushin that Caddy
She's not driving a Cadillac
We never leavin' this place
They don't plan on leaving anytime soon
Um, it’s so throwed (so throwed)
The scene is crazy
Ooh, the hood ain’t ready
The neighborhood isn't prepared for what's happening
It’s the mentality of hate
There's a negative mindset prevalent in the area
Coming from the street life we know, exciting
Living in the streets is exhilarating
Know we like to go to school for education
Although they enjoy school for educating themselves
But the street life we know don’t write no notes
They don't learn these things from schools, but from their experiences on the streets
It’s like parole with the time we’re facing
It's like they're always in trouble with the law
Ooh ain’t nobody gon' help
She has to rely on herself and her friends
Ooh tryin' survive and sell
They're doing what they can to make a living
Ooh these a ?
Unknown
The point of the game as money
The objective of this lifestyle is to earn money
The newspaper calls it streetlife
The newspaper reports on what's happening in the streets
The recession in real life
They're experiencing the harsh reality of the recession
Tryna get where the breeze is nice
They're trying to escape the roughness of their environment
So I can breathe
So they can find some peace
Everybody round me tryna get to the money
Everyone is trying to make money
Including me
She's also trying to make money
Ooh, my best friend named Abby
She's introducing her friend Abby
We up and live like, waiter XO
They're living life to the fullest
Ooh, and she be rollin' that fatty
Abby smokes a lot of weed
And puffin as long as it takes
She'll smoke until she's satisfied
Yet ‘cause life is so cold (so cold)
Life is harsh
But the, truth and some man ain't ready
Some people can't handle the truth
But what she got the next day
Unknown
Ooh ain’t nobody gon' help
They're on their own
Ooh tryin' survive and sell
They have to make a living
Ooh these a ?
Unknown
Mama didn’t raise no dummy
She's not clueless, she knows what she's doing
? This streetlife
Unknown
The recession in real life
They're experiencing the harsh reality of the recession
Tryna get where the breeze is nice
They're trying to escape the roughness of their environment
So I can breathe
So they can find some peace
Everybody round me tryna get to the money
Everyone is trying to make money
We just tryna get to the money
They're focused on earning money
This for my niggas with them full baby mamas
Unknown
Ceiling full of commas
They have a lot of money
Saving your receipts because she never keep a promise
She's not trustworthy, so they have to keep their receipts
This presidential Rollie don’t make me Obama
Having a Rolex doesn't define her as a person
So don’t judge me by my jewelry please your honor
Don't assume things based on what she's wearing
The persona of this dope dealin' summertime
Unknown
Top dropper wintertime, fool ain’t fox rocker
Unknown
Wooh! What it be like?
Unknown
It’s just king pushin Kelly roll
Unknown
Giving you the street life, brap!
Living the street life to the fullest
Now ain't shit from here funny
Don't take it for granted, it's not a joke
Tell em all about this streetlife
Sharing the stories about the street life
The recession in real life
They're experiencing the harsh reality of the recession
Tryna get where the breeze is nice
They're trying to escape the roughness of their environment
So I can breathe
So they can find some peace
Everybody around me tryna get to the money
Everyone is trying to make money
Including me
She's also trying to make money
Lyrics © Universal Music Publishing Group, Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC
Written by: TERRENCE THORNTON, KELLY ROWLAND, PHARRELL WILLIAMS
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
atlnikka
This should have been a single this song is so slept on
Tyshell Washington
This woulda got mad radio play if released as a single
Candies Williams
she fliped the roles to teach us something i will always love this song
htowngurl17
I wish Kelly would have made a video for this song it would have been 🔥🔥🔥🔥
Shanika King
Its her team and manager that does that. She wasn't promoted good cuz she was dark skinned....
Ice Ice
I never understood why this song didn't hit frfr. I've always loved it 💛
Troy Todd
Love this song....
Taylor Boo
😍😍love this song
Theodore Roosevelt
She’s the best for choosing the wrong singles
Robert Mauli
I agree. She's talented BUT her and her team lack a good strategy.