"Ghetto Life" is a song written by Rick James that was first released on his 1981 album '' Street Songs'' and was later released as the third single from the album.

Lyrics and music

The lyrics of "Ghetto Life" reflect James' youth in

Buffalo, New York Buffalo is the second-largest city in the U.S. state of New York (behind only New York City) and the seat of Erie County. It is at the eastern end of Lake Erie, at the head of the Niagara River, and is across the Canadian border from South ...

. According to cultural historian Craig Werner, after many factories in Buffalo closed at the time "there was no hope of making any kind of a living. So you could see the hustling culture developing at the time. And Rick catches that beautifully." A poignant line in the song describes how the ghetto persists: "One thing 'bout the ghetto, you don't have to hurry/it'll be there tomorrow, so brother don't you worry." The music represents the "punk

funk Funk is a music genre that originated in African American communities in the mid-1960s when musicians created a rhythmic, danceable new form of music through a mixture of various music genres that were popular among African Americans in the m ...

" dance music sound that James popularized. The music incorporates fuzz tone guitars, horns, handclaps, and backing vocals by

the Temptations The Temptations are an American vocal group from Detroit, Michigan, who released a series of successful singles and albums with Motown Records during the 1960s and 1970s. The group's work with producer Norman Whitfield, beginning with the Top ...

, who also provided backing vocals on James' single " Super Freak."

Reception

"Ghetto Life" received praise from critics but not as much success on the charts. It only reached #102 on ''

Billboard A billboard (also called a hoarding in the UK and many other parts of the world) is a large outdoor advertising structure (a billing board), typically found in high-traffic areas such as alongside busy roads. Billboards present large advertise ...

s popular music charts. It performed better on the Hot Soul Singles chart, peaking at #38. A

medley Medley or Medleys may refer to: Sports *Medley swimming, races requiring multiple swimming styles * Medley relay races at track meets Music *Medley (music), multiple pieces strung together People *Medley (surname), list of people with this nam ...

with "

Give It to Me Baby "Give It to Me Baby" is a song written by American singer Rick James. Taken from his album '' Street Songs'', the song charted on the ''Billboard'' Hot 100, spending two weeks at No. 40 and spent five weeks at No. 1 on the R&B chart. Two other ...

" and "Super Freak" did reach #1 on the

Dance Club Songs Dance Club Songs is a chart published weekly by '' Billboard'' magazine in the United States. It is a national look over of club disc jockeys to determine the most popular songs being played in nightclubs across the country. It was launched as t ...

chart.

Allmusic AllMusic (previously known as All Music Guide and AMG) is an American online music database. It catalogs more than three million album entries and 30 million tracks, as well as information on musicians and bands. Initiated in 1991, the databas ...

critic Alex Henderson described "Ghetto Life" as an "arresting hit." Fellow Allmusic critic Andrew Hamilton described it as "an underrated song with so much going on musically you can't grab it all in one bite" and claimed its lack of chart success was "downright embarrassing." uDiscoverMusic critic Charles Waring agreed that "Ghetto Life"'s chart performance "didn’t reflect the song’s quality." ''

New York Times ''The New York Times'' (''the Times'', ''NYT'', or the Gray Lady) is a daily newspaper based in New York City with a worldwide readership reported in 2020 to comprise a declining 840,000 paid print subscribers, and a growing 6 million paid d ...

'' writer Jonathan Lethem wrote that "here's where the promise of punk-funk is kept" and that with its "ragged, furious guitars, blended with Rick's ragged, furious voice and ragged, furious lyrics...genuine pride and defiance are impossible to mistake." OPS staff writer Krista Summitt praised the "steady soulful beat and excellent

rhythm guitar In music performances, rhythm guitar is a technique and role that performs a combination of two functions: to provide all or part of the rhythmic pulse in conjunction with other instruments from the rhythm section (e.g., drum kit, bass guitar ...

work." "Ghetto Life" was included on several Rick James

compilation albums A compilation album comprises Album#Tracks, tracks, which may be previously released or unreleased, usually from several separate recordings by either one or several Performing arts#Performers, performers. If by one artist, then generally the tr ...

, including '' Bustin' Out: The Very Best of Rick James'' and '' Ultimate Collection''.

"In the Ghetto"

In 2006

Busta Rhymes Trevor George Smith Jr. (born May 20, 1972), known professionally as Busta Rhymes, is an American rapper, singer, songwriter, record producer and actor. Chuck D of Public Enemy gave him the moniker Busta Rhymes, after NFL and CFL wide receiver ...

sampled "Ghetto Life" for his song " In the Ghetto" utilizing vocals James recorded before his death. "In the Ghetto" reached #50 on the Hot R&B/Hip-Hop chart.

References

{{authority control Rick James songs Songs written by Rick James 1980 songs 1981 singles Gordy Records singles Song recordings produced by Rick James