Tupac – Shorty Wanna Be A Thug (Audio, Lyrics)

Throwback to “Shorty Wanna Be A Thug” by late 2pac (Tupac Shakur). Listen, stream, buy, read the lyrics, mp3 download the song produced by Johnny J.

Tupac Shorty Wanna Be A Thug

In a matter of a few years, Tupac created music that would last well over his lifetime, and most likely, ours. All Eyez On Me, the final album released during ‘Pac’s lifetime, was released Feb. 13th, 1996. It’s been 25 years since the album’s release, one that would set a standard for double-disc projects moving forward.

All Eyez On Me remains as impactful 25 years ago than it does today. Over the course of 27 tracks, ‘Pac showcased everything that we loved about his artistry: his passion, storytelling, and the conviction in his tone that evokes emotion. A perfect example of this would be on “Shorty Wanna Be A Thug.” ‘Pac reflects on the tale of a young middle-class kid growing up that would eventually be swallowed by peer pressure and the streets.

The song flips Hank Crawford’s “Wildflower” with producer Johnny J adding some much-needed West Coast synths. “‘Pac started thinking about how these kids think. He was like, “Little homies just want to be a thug.” He just put that title up there, and the subject just jumped off,” Johnny J said of the song. “It gave Napoleon a vibe of making him think it was about him. I kinda looked at it the same way. It was as if he was talking about Napoleon. He saw his parents murdered in front of him. Napoleon had a hard upbringing. He was going through it. It was like a therapeutic vibe. It had Tupac thinking for a minute.”

Tupac – Shorty Wanna Be A Thug (prod. Johnny J)

Lyrics

[Chorus]
Said he wanna be, shorty’s gonna be a thug
Said he wanna be, one day he’s gonna be
Said he’s gonna be, shorty’s gonna be a thug
Said he’s gonna be, one day he’s gonna be
Said he wanna be, shorty’s gonna be a thug!
Said he wanna be, one day he’s gonna be
Said he wanna be, shorty’s gonna be a thug

[Verse 1]
Was a nice middle-class nigga
But no one knew the evil he’d do when he got a little bigger
You’d often find him blazed, for puffing on a Newport
Plotting on another way to catch a case
Was only 16, yet convicted as a felon
With a bunch of old niggas, but you the only one ain’t tellin’
I tell you it’s a cold world, stay in school
You tell me it’s a man’s world, play the rules
And fade fools, break rules until we major
Blaze up, getting with hoes through my pager
Was raised up, commence to money-makin’ tactics, uh
It’s getting drastic, niggas got automatics
My finger’s on the trigger
Tell the Lord to make way for another straight thug nigga
I’m sitting, getting buzzed, looking for some love
From the homies, ‘cause shorty wanna be a thug

[Chorus]
Said he’s gonna be, said he’s gonna be
One day he’s gonna be, shorty’s gonna be a thug
Said he’s wanna be, said he’s wanna be
One day he’s gonna be, shorty’s gonna be a thug
Said he’s gonna be, one day he’s gonna be
Said he wanna be, shorty’s gonna be a thug
Said he wanna be, one day he’s gonna be
Said he wanna be, shorty’s gonna be a thug

[Verse 2]
Straight from the hall to the pen’
An adolescent nigga standing way higher than six feet ten
He carried weight, like a Mack truck
Gonna bust on playa haters, if them mothafuckas act tuff
Then that’s when, a lethal weapon with the razor
This little nigga smoking weed and getting blazed up
No one could figure, when the guns blast, pull the trigger
Could take the life of a young nigga, guns bigger
No mother and father, you see, the nigga’s all alone
Old timers my role model, the war zone
Been laced with this game ’til it’s a part of me
My heart don’t beat no fear, and that ain’t hard to see
The future is looking dim
I’m tryin’ to make a profit out of living in this sin
I’m in the dark, getting buzzed, looking for some love
Out with the homies, ‘cause shorty wanna be a thug

[Chorus]
Said he’s gonna be, said he’s gonna be
One day he’s gonna be, shorty’s gonna be a thug
Said he’s wanna be, one day he’s gonna be
Said he’s gonna be, shorty’s gonna be a thug
Said he’s wanna be, one day he’s gonna be
Said he wanna be, shorty’s gonna be a thug
Said he wanna be, one day he’s gonna be
Said he wanna be, shorty’s gonna be a thug

[Outro]
Shorty’s gonna be a thug
Little bad ass nigga, to the young niggas
Gotta stay sharp, nigga, play your part!
Got plenty of time (you bad mothafuckas)
You only get three mistakes, and then it’s life, big baby
(Niggas craaazy) Watch the signs!
Damn, nigga! Sixteen, nigga?
Sixteen?! Too bad, mothafuckers