He became an MC in his own right around 1977, and changed his name to Kurtis Blow (as in a body blow) at the suggestion of his manager, future rap mogul Russell Simmons. Blow began his career in New York City in the mid-1970s, when he was a breakdancer until switching to DJing under the name Kool DJ Kurt and then finally rapping. He was the first rapper to record a full length album on a major label (1979). This occurred after recording "Christmas Rappin", his first single; during this time, "Rapper's Delight" by the Sugarhill Gang became the first hit for hip hop. The whole field was derided as a fad, though, and thus there was much resistance to signing Blow. In 1980 he opened for reggae legend Bob Marley at the Madison Square Garden where he performed for an audience of 20,000.
He has appeared in several feature films, including Krush Groove and The Show. A duet with rock icon Bob Dylan called "Street Rock", appeared on Blow's 1986 album, Kingdom Blow[1] by special arrangement of Wayne Garfield (Garfield and Blow co-wrote, "Reasons For Wanting You" on Kingdom Blow)[2] and Debra Byrd, American Idol's head vocal coach and former Dylan backup singer (see album credits).[citation needed]
And in 2004, he recorded the song "Hey Everybody" with Max C and Bomfunk MC's for their album, Reverse Psychology. He also co-wrote songs with The Fat Boys, including their signature songs, "Fat Boys" (1984) and "The Fat Boys Are Back" (1985).
Kurtis Blow also became the first hip hop musician embraced by the mainstream advertising industry with his appearance in a commercial for the soft drink Sprite.
He is currently a DJ on Backspin 43, which is the old school hip hop station on the Sirius Satellite Radio service. According to an interview with I Suppose Productions, he is also currently a theology major at Nyack College working to enter the ministry. According to Blow, "Man's real telos... the real purpose in life, is to serve God."
Tough
Kurtis Blow Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
I don't want a lot,I want just enough
So why has it got to be so damn TOUGH
Livin' on the uptown side of jive
Hustlin' a buck to stay alive
Lookin' for a ten and they give your fiveWell it's tough
You talk to the boss,the boss is gruff
You ask for a raise and they call your bluff
You may get some,but it's never enough
Because it's tough
STRONG:Like a magnum force
ROUGH:Like a new divorce
MEAN:Like a three-time loser
BAD:Like an L.A. cruiser
DOWN:Like a limousine
BLIND:Like a submarine
HARD:Like cold concrete
TOUGH:That's the rhythm of the beat
You hit the street and you look for work
You don't want to be some welfare jerk
But I wonder how you get to be Captain Kirk
It's tough
Now Kirk has a ship called the Enterprise
He cuts the aliens down to size
But I wonder what he'd do with the uptown guys
They're tough
TOUGH:
Try to get some cash
ROUGH:
When you got it like that
And your woman's running 'round with a baseball bat
HARD:
Try to play it cool when the girl's all know you're an out of work fool
TOUGH:
How it seems to be,wish I had somebody lookin' out for me
Try to find a lover if you dare
Even if you do she just won't care
Well no one ever said that that life is fair
Because it's tough
Saw a fine young lady the other day
I started my rap,I had a lot to say
But she said she was goin' with a C.P.A.
Now it's tough
STRONG:Like a superhero
ROUGH:Like a bank book zero
MEAN:Like the Oakland Raiders
BAD:Like the Caped Crusaders
DOWN:Like a homerun ball
BLIND:Like an umpire's call
HARD:Like a cruel deceit
TOUGH:That's the rhythm of the beat
You worked all year to buy a brand new car
A Coupe de Ville or a Jaguar
But you didn't make enough for a good cigar
Because it's tough
So you went to the bank to try to get a loan
But the guy behind the desk had a heart os stone
He said "You don't need a car,use the telephone!"
It's tough
TOUGH:
It's a way of life,lost your job
Your money,but not your wife
ROUGH:
Gettin' in the black,Uncle Sam's in your pocket
And your woman's on your back
HARD:
That's the deal,had to get a loan just to buy a meal
TOUGH:
That's how it goes,when it's gettin' better,nobody knows
STRONG:Like Chocolate Thunder
ROUGH:Like Stevie Wonder
MEAN:Like Brucie The Shark
BAD:Like the Raider's Ark
DOWN:Like Sugar's Glove
BLIND:Like a man in love
HARD:Like a big defeat
TOUGH:That's the rhythm of the beat
TOUGH:That's the word,unemployment is all I heard
ROUGH:When you start your day,watch the finance man tow your car away
HARD:To hold a job when you've been replaced by a little blue knob
TOUGH:Like a dollar steak,ain't someone ever gonna give me a break
Tough.....
In Kurtis Blow's song "Tough", the artist reflects on the struggles of urban life and the constant uphill battles that people face just to make a living. The lyrics paint a picture of the difficulties in finding and keeping a job, getting fair pay, and dealing with insurmountable obstacles on the road to success.
The chorus of "Tough" sets the tone for the song as the artist reveals his disappointment with the way things are. He sings "I don't want a lot, I want just enough. So why has it got to be so damn tough?" The lyrics express a sentiment felt by countless urban dwellers whose daily struggles to make ends meet are compounded by an unrelenting system that often feels stacked against them.
The artist also addresses issues of unemployment, relationships and the struggle to maintain hope in the face of constant setbacks. Kurtis Blow's song reminds us that for many people, life is indeed tough, but the rhythm of the beat keeps moving forward even in the face of seemingly insurmountable obstacles.
Line by Line Meaning
I don't want a lot,I want just enough
I don't want more than what is reasonable.
So why has it got to be so damn TOUGH
Why is life so hard?
Livin' on the uptown side of jive
Living in the city.
Hustlin' a buck to stay alive
Working hard to make a living.
Lookin' for a ten and they give your five
Expecting more, but being given less.
Well it's tough
Life is hard.
You talk to the boss,the boss is gruff
Talking to the boss who is unfriendly.
You ask for a raise and they call your bluff
Asking for more money, but they don't believe you deserve it.
You may get some,but it's never enough
You might get a raise, but it's not enough.
Because it's tough
Life is hard.
STRONG:Like a magnum force
Strong like a powerful gun.
ROUGH:Like a new divorce
Rough like the end of a marriage.
MEAN:Like a three-time loser
Mean like someone who always loses.
BAD:Like an L.A. cruiser
Bad like a car on the streets of LA.
DOWN:Like a limousine
Down like a luxurious car.
BLIND:Like a submarine
Blind like a submarine's periscope.
HARD:Like cold concrete
Hard like cold concrete on the streets.
TOUGH:That's the rhythm of the beat
That's how life goes.
You hit the street and you look for work
Going out into the city to find a job.
You don't want to be some welfare jerk
You don't want to be someone who relies on welfare.
But I wonder how you get to be Captain Kirk
But I wonder how you get to be someone successful like Captain Kirk.
It's tough
Life is hard.
Now Kirk has a ship called the Enterprise
Now Kirk has a famous starship.
He cuts the aliens down to size
He defeats aliens.
But I wonder what he'd do with the uptown guys
But I wonder how he would deal with guys from the city.
They're tough
City people are strong.
TOUGH:
Life is hard.
Try to get some cash
Trying to get some money.
When you're looking for a raise and they give you trash
Asking for more money, but being given worthless things instead.
ROUGH:
Life is tough.
When you got it like that
When life is hard like that.
And your woman's running 'round with a baseball bat
And your girlfriend is acting crazy.
HARD:
Life is hard.
Try to play it cool when the girl's all know you're an out of work fool
Trying to act calm when people know you don't have a job.
TOUGH:
Life is hard.
How it seems to be,wish I had somebody lookin' out for me
Life is hard and I wish I had someone to help me.
Try to find a lover if you dare
Trying to find a girlfriend.
Even if you do she just won't care
Even if you find a girlfriend, she won't care about you.
Well no one ever said that that life is fair
Life is not always fair.
Because it's tough
Life is hard.
Saw a fine young lady the other day
Saw a pretty girl the other day.
I started my rap,I had a lot to say
I tried to talk to her and had a lot to say.
But she said she was goin' with a C.P.A.
But she said she was already dating someone else.
Now it's tough
Life is hard.
STRONG:Like a superhero
Strong like a superhero.
ROUGH:Like a bank book zero
Rough like having no money.
MEAN:Like the Oakland Raiders
Mean like the Oakland Raiders football team.
BAD:Like the Caped Crusaders
Bad like the Caped Crusaders.
DOWN:Like Sugar's Glove
Down like Sugar Ray Leonard's boxing glove.
BLIND:Like a man in love
Blind like a man in love.
HARD:Like a big defeat
Hard like a big loss.
TOUGH:That's the rhythm of the beat
That's how life is.
TOUGH:
Life is hard.
It's a way of life,lost your job
It's a way of life when you lose your job.
Your money,but not your wife
Losing your money, but not your wife.
ROUGH:
Life is tough.
Gettin' in the black,Uncle Sam's in your pocket
Trying to save money, but taxes are still taking it.
And your woman's on your back
And your girlfriend is pressuring you.
HARD:
Life is hard.
That's the deal,had to get a loan just to buy a meal
Getting a loan just to afford food to eat.
TOUGH:
Life is hard.
That's how it goes,when it's gettin' better,nobody knows
Life is unpredictable and we don't know when it will improve.
STRONG:Like Chocolate Thunder
Strong like a basketball player named Chocolate Thunder.
ROUGH:Like Stevie Wonder
Rough like being unable to see like Stevie Wonder.
MEAN:Like Brucie The Shark
Mean like a shark named Brucie.
BAD:Like the Raider's Ark
Bad like the Raider's football team.
DOWN:Like a homerun ball
Down like a baseball hit out of the park.
BLIND:Like an umpire's call
Blind like an umpire's decision.
HARD:Like a cruel deceit
Hard like being deceived.
TOUGH:That's the rhythm of the beat
That's how life is.
TOUGH:
Life is hard.
That's the word,unemployment is all I heard
The word is that there are many unemployed people.
When you start your day,watch the finance man tow your car away
Starting your day with having your car repossessed.
HARD:To hold a job when you've been replaced by a little blue knob
It's hard to keep a job when you are replaced by a machine.
TOUGH:Like a dollar steak,ain't someone ever gonna give me a break
Life is tough and I wish someone would help me.
Tough.....
Life is hard.
Lyrics © MUSIC MANAGEMENT, BMG Rights Management, Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC
Written by: BILL SMITH
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
Jeff Carter
on Rappin' Blow
Those aren't the full lyrics. What are the lyrics after the "Ho, ho's"?