The group formed in East Orange, New Jersey, and first appeared on the music scene in the late 1980's releasing an album titled The Independent Leaders, under their then name The New Style. The album generated the minor hit "Scuffin' Those Knees". After the release of their first album, the group was subsequently mentored by fellow New Jersey native Queen Latifah and consequently changed their name.
Their first hit as Naughty By Nature was a track titled "O.P.P." ("Other People's Parts"), which sampled the The Jackson 5's hit "ABC" and was released in 1991 on their self-titled debut album. The album also generated another hit titled "Ghetto Bastard" (the track is often referred to as "Everything's Gonna Be Alright"). Fellow New Jersey native Tony D, accused Naughty by Nature of stealing a sample from his breakbeat album Music Makes You Move and using it on their track "O.P.P.". The matter was settled out of court. Later they had multiple hits from their third and fourth albums, titled 19 Naughty III and Poverty's Paradise respectively.
"Hip Hop Hooray" was a success from the album 19 Naughty III. Its video was directed by Spike Lee and featured other hip-hop artists popular in the early 1990's, including Queen Latifah, Eazy-E, and Kris Kross.
The group also scored a major hit with the track "Uptown Anthem", from the soundtrack to the 2Pac movie Juice.
In later years, Naughty by Nature started their own music imprint, Illtown Records, and released an album from their proteges the Rottin Razkals. The group (mainly Kaygee) worked closely with a number of rnb groups over the years particularly Zhané and Next.
An ongoing dispute between Kaygee and Treach saw Kaygee leave Naughty by Nature in late 2000 to concentrate on his Divine Mill label. The remainder of the group released an album in 2002 titled IIcons, using a variety of different producers including Da Beatminerz - the album however received a lukewarm reception from the public. Treach is rumoured to be releasing a solo album soon. Kaygee has been extremely successful building his Divine Mill imprint with 2 platinum plus albums on both (Divine Mill acts) Jaheim and Next as well as songs on albums from Syleena Johnson and Charlie Wilson among others. In May 2006 Kay Gee reunited with Treach and Naughty by Nature at a concert at B.B. King's nightclub. They will be working together on their next album.
Ghetto Bastard
Naughty By Nature Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
This is a story about a drifter
Who waited for the worst while the best live 'cross town
Who never planned on having someday
Why me huh?!
Some get a little, and some get none
Some catch a bad one, and some leave the job half-done
Never knew my dad, motherfuck the fag
Well anyway, I did pick-up, lift and click-up
See many stick-ups, 'cos niggas had the trigger hick-ups
I couldn't get a job, nappy hair was not allowed
My mother couldn't afford us all, she had to throw me out
I walked the strip, with just a clip, who wanna hit
Thank God I'm quick, I had to eat this money as good as spent
A 'do in braids, I wasn't paid enough
I kept 'em long 'cause I couldn't afford a hair-cut
I got laughed at, I got jumped, I got dissed
I got upset, I got a tick and a banana clip
With down the flow, don't let them any dealin' tackhead
A celebate rope, so a lotta good it woulda did
Or done, if not bad luck I would have none
Why did I have to live the life of such a bad one
Why when I was a kid and played I was the sad one
And always wanted to live like this or that one
Chorus
A ghetto bastard, born next to the projects
Livin' in the slums with bums I said now why Treach
Do I have to be like this, mama said I'm priceless
So I am, I'm worthless, starvin', that's just what being nice gets
Sometimes I wish I could afford a pistol then though
To stop the hell, I woulda ended things a while ago
I ain't have jack, but a black hat and knap-sack
War scars, stolen cars and a blackjack
Drop that, and now you want me to rap and give
Say something positive, well positive ain't where I live
I live right around the corner from west hell
Two blocks from south shit, and once in a jail cell
The sun never shine on my side of the street see
And only once or twice a week I would speak
I walked alone, my state of mind was home sweet home
I couldn't keep a girl, they wanted kids and cars with chrome
Some life, if you ain't wearin' gold, your style was old
And you got more juice and dope for every bottle sold
Hell no, I say there's gotta be a better way
But hey, never gamble in a game that you can't play
I'm gonna flaunt it, gonna know when, know when and not now
How will I do it, how will I make it, I won't, that's how
Why me huh
Chorus
My third year to adulthood, still a knucklehead
I'm better off dead, huh, that's what my neighbor said
I don't do jack but fightin' lightin' up the streets at night
Playing hide-and-seek with a machete, sets of Freddie's spikes
Some say I'm all in all, nothing but a dog now
I answer that with a fuck you and a bow-wow
'Cause I done been through more shit within the last week
Than the fly flowin' in doo-doo on a concrete
I've been a dead beat, dead to the world and dead wrong
Since I was born, that's my life, oh you don't know this song
So don't say jack, and please don't say you understand
All that man-to-man talk can walk, damn
If you ain't live it, you couldn't feel, so fill it skillet
All that talk about it won't help it out, now will it
In Illtown, feel like you stuck up, propped, and shot
Don't worry, he got hit by a flurry and this punk ass dropped
But I'm the one who has been labaled as an outcast
They teach in school some of the misfits I will outlast
But that's cool, with the fool smack 'im backwards
That's what you get when you're fuckin' with the ghetto bastard
If you ain't never been to the ghetto
Don't ever come to the ghetto
'Cause you wouldn't understand the ghetto
So stay the fuck out of the ghetto
Why me, Why me
The lyrics to Naughty By Nature's song Ghetto Bastard tell the story of a drifter who was born in the projects and grew up living in the slums. The singer never planned on having any successes in life and was constantly confronted with bad luck. He describes a life where some get little, some get none, and some catch a bad one. He was one of those who never had anything and was always mad. His mother couldn't afford to keep him and had to throw him out. He walked the strip with just a clip, who wanted to hit. He wanted to eat, but the money was as good as spent. He got laughed at, jumped, and dissed. He got upset and got a tick and a banana clip.
The chorus of the song repeats "Why me?" as the singer laments his unlucky life. He describes his feelings of worthlessness and how sometimes he wishes he could afford a pistol. Despite all of this, the singer remains resilient. He talks about being two blocks from south shit and living in a jail cell, but he remains determined to find a better way. In the end, he's labeled as an outcast, but he's proud of where he comes from and will outlast the misfits. The lyrics overall are a commentary on the struggles of growing up in the ghetto and the challenges that come with it.
Line by Line Meaning
Smooth it out
Let's calm down and tell a story
This is a story about a drifter
I'm going to tell you a story about someone who has struggled throughout their life
Who waited for the worst while the best live 'cross town
While others had the privilege of living in a better area, this person had to wait for the worst to happen
Who never planned on having someday
This person never expected to have a better future
Why me huh?!
Why did this have to happen to me?
Some get a little, and some get none
Some people get a fair share in life, while others get nothing at all
Some catch a bad one, and some leave the job half-done
Some people have bad luck, and some don't finish what they start
I was one who never had and always mad
This person never had anything and was always angry
Never knew my dad, motherfuck the fag
This person never had a present father figure and holds resentment towards him
Well anyway, I did pick-up, lift and click-up
Despite the circumstances, this person had to resort to stealing to survive
See many stick-ups, 'cos niggas had the trigger hick-ups
Because many people in the neighborhood were desperate, they resorted to robbing others
I couldn't get a job, nappy hair was not allowed
This person was discriminated against due to their hair type and could not find employment
My mother couldn't afford us all, she had to throw me out
This person's mother could not take care of them and had to force them to leave home
I walked the strip, with just a clip, who wanna hit
This person had to walk around with a weapon to protect themselves
Thank God I'm quick, I had to eat this money as good as spent
This person had to use the money they stole to survive since they had no other source of income
A 'do in braids, I wasn't paid enough
This person could only afford hairstyles that were low maintenance and cheap
I kept 'em long 'cause I couldn't afford a hair-cut
This person could not afford to cut their hair
I got laughed at, I got jumped, I got dissed
This person was bullied and harassed
I got upset, I got a tick and a banana clip
This person became mentally unstable and resorted to using a gun
With down the flow, don't let them any dealin' tackhead
This person had to be careful when conducting illegal activities
A celebate rope, so a lotta good it woulda did
This person did not have any support or guidance
Or done, if not bad luck I would have none
This person believed they were only dealt with bad luck and nothing else
Why did I have to live the life of such a bad one
This person wishes they didn't have to live such a difficult life
Why when I was a kid and played I was the sad one
This person was never happy during their childhood
And always wanted to live like this or that one
This person always wanted a better life
A ghetto bastard, born next to the projects
This person was born next to the low-income housing projects
Livin' in the slums with bums
This person had to live in the impoverished area with people of the same socio-economic status
I'm priceless, So I am, I'm worthless
This person's mother valued them, but society did not
Sometimes I wish I could afford a pistol then though
This person wants to protect themselves, but can't afford a gun
To stop the hell, I woulda ended things a while ago
This person has contemplated ending their life due to the hardships they've endured
Playing hide-and-seek with a machete, sets of Freddie's spikes
This person has had to resort to carrying weapons for protection
Since I was born, that's my life
This person has not had a good life since birth
So don't say jack, and please don't say you understand
This person does not want to hear others making assumptions about their life and struggles
All that man-to-man talk can walk, damn
This person does not believe that talking about their problems with others will solve anything
If you ain't live it, you couldn't feel, so fill it skillet
If you haven't experienced it yourself, you can't truly understand
All that talk about it won't help it out, now will it
Talking about problems won't solve them
Don't worry, he got hit by a flurry and this punk ass dropped
Someone who caused harm to this person got what they deserved
But I'm the one who has been labaled as an outcast
Despite being the victim, this person has been labeled as an outsider
They teach in school some of the misfits I will outlast
This person believes they are stronger and will outlast anyone who has mistreated them
That's what you get when you're fuckin' with the ghetto bastard
This person doesn't take any disrespect or mistreatment from others
Contributed by Jayden M. Suggest a correction in the comments below.
Laron Funchess
Most underrated rapper of all time. This dude was so lyrical
s ccc
for sure. this is just good pure east coast rap.. love the keyboard
Tony Myers
POWERFUL song but one of the most underated lyrists ever...
Margaret Clark
This song comforts when the "real" world is just too harsh to want to face alone
Joel Ishman
We gotta give Naughty they roses. One of the greatest groups in the history of hip hop.
TheGiantburger
When times get hard.
This song it.
Joshkat33
And DMX slippin
Rhonda Spear
Absolutely 💯
badazz disciple
so personal for me i can relate
David H
"Mama said I'm Priceless...
So I am.
I'm worthless."
Ouch...