"Grinding All My Life" is a song by American rapper

Nipsey Hussle Airmiess Joseph Asghedom (August 15, 1985 – March 31, 2019), known professionally as Nipsey Hussle (often stylized as Nipsey Hu$$le), was an American rapper, entrepreneur, and activist. Emerging from the West Coast hip hop scene in the mid- ...

, released on February 16, 2018 from his only studio album ''

Victory Lap A victory lap (also lap of honor) is a term used in motorsports to describe an extra lap of the race track after the conclusion of a race. This lap, driven at reduced speed, allows the winning driver to celebrate their victory and gives the sp ...

'' (2018). It was produced by

Murda Beatz Shane Lee Lindstrom (born February 11, 1994), known professionally as Murda Beatz, is a Canadian record producer. He has produced hit singles like " Butterfly Effect" by Travis Scott, "Back on Road" by Gucci Mane, "Nice for What" by Drake, "Moto ...

Background

In an interview with '' NPR'', Nipsey Hussle explained the details behind creating the song:

I told Murda Beatz I needed something for the club. I needed something that was up-tempo that could move people. Sonically, that's the inspiration. I spoke about a real situation that took place in Vegas.
50 Cent Curtis James Jackson III (born July 6, 1975), known professionally as 50 Cent, is an American rapper, actor, and businessman. Born in the South Jamaica neighborhood of Queens, Jackson began pursuing a musical career in 2000, when he produced ...
and Mayweather were there. Some niggas tried to rob one of the people that was with us for his jewelry. The charges got reversed, and it didn't go so well for the other guy. But other than that, I wanted to tell the truth. All my life I've been grinding. I stopped going to school when I was 14 and I was self-educated since then. But I pursued hustling and music full-time since then. It was just what the music sounded like to me. I wanted the album to be a collection of narratives and to represent real stories that took place in my life. So I had a real day, YG was hosting at the same club I was hosting at and 50 was there. We had all the cars out. And it was just a real night.

An original version of the song titled "Grindin" leaked on March 7, 2017, as a song from the soundtrack of the video game ''

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''. The final version, titled "Grinding All My Life", resurfaced online in September 2017 before being officially released in 2018 from ''Victory Lap''.

Composition

The song has been described as "your typical Nipsey Hussle track – an aspirational street anthem that carries the torch of

West Coast rap West Coast hip hop is a regional genre of hip hop music that encompasses any artists or music that originated in the West Coast region of the United States. West Coast hip hop began to dominate from a radio play and sales standpoint during the e ...

." Lyrically, Nipsey Hussle reiterates he has been "grinding", or working hard, his whole life and reflecting on growing up in his neighborhood and environment. He also recounts the aforementioned incident in Las Vegas.

Music video

An official music video was released on January 20, 2018, as the first part of a two-part video alongside Nipsey Hussle's song "Stucc in the Grind". It begins with Hussle counting cash from a

currency-counting machine A currency-counting machine is a machine that counts money—either stacks of banknotes or loose collections of coins. Counters may be purely mechanical or use electronic components. The machines typically provide a total count of all money, or ...

, before heading out to ship orders, dropping his money off at

Bank of America The Bank of America Corporation (often abbreviated BofA or BoA) is an American multinational investment bank and financial services holding company headquartered at the Bank of America Corporate Center in Charlotte, North Carolina. The bank w ...

, and going to his Marathon Clothing store.

Charts

Certifications

References

{{Nipsey Hussle 2018 songs Nipsey Hussle songs Song recordings produced by Murda Beatz Songs written by Nipsey Hussle] Songs written by Murda Beatz