Ain't Hard Enough – English Lyrics

• By: Nipsey Hussle, Mozzy
• Album: Slauson Boy 2

Lyrics & Translation

[English]

What up, Duke?

Y'all niggas ain't hard enough

Y'all knuckles ain't scarred enough

Y'all ain't in foreign cars enough, yeah

Y'all niggas ain't hard enough

...

Y'all knuckles ain't scarred enough

Y'all gang ain't large enough

And I came far as fuck

5 cubans in a Harley truck

Buck 60 down Arlington

Please don't start with us

Sound of gunshots charge me up

Come through once a week like the garbage truck

This some thousand dollar chains with the carbon clutch

Quarter million dollar car with the driver cause

Everything I do done bossed up

Disrespectful and arrogant but who gon' stop us?

Rich nigga off the block, don't block us

Rap dreams disappeared and that 6-0 pop up

See most niggas in this life get locked up

Lost inside the system pull a white man's stock up

Only difference is, I picked hip-hop up

And this why they still can't stop us

Y'all niggas ain't hard enough

Y'all niggas ain't hard enough

...

Niggas ain't as hard as us

My young'n actin', finna charge him up

Gotta drop somethin' to be a part of us

The 40. tore the target up

We was kids tearing party's up

Yeah, the suckers know how far we up

The smokers know how far we've come

These niggas ain't known for parking nothin'

Theyain't follow niggas, cars or nothin'

30 or they chargin' for me

And you ain't pluck me, where your shooters at?

Running marathons around your goofy ass

Pull up to the necklace, I be reckless, real shooter gang

'Fore I 'buy the nookie K ya gotta let me shoot the K

Told my mama "nothing" when she ask me what I do today

Modified G-lock converted to a fully thang

Had to give twin 10 bands the way he do his thing

Shoestring around a stupid thang

Had to give twin 10 bands the way he do his thing

Shoestring around a stupid thang

Y'all niggas ain't hard enough

...

Key Vocabulary

Vocabulary	Meanings
nigga /ˈnɪɡə/ C1	noun - a slang term for a Black man, often used colloquially among peers
hard /hɑːrd/ A2	adjective - firm, solid, not easy to break or bend
gang /ɡæŋ/ B1	noun - a group of people who associate closely, often involved in illegal activities
foreign /ˈfɔːrən/ B1	adjective - coming from or characteristic of another country
Harley /ˈhɑːrli/ C1	noun - brand name of a famous American motorcycle manufacturer
truck /trʌk/ A2	noun - a large motor vehicle for transporting goods
gunshot /ˈɡʌnˌʃɑːt/ B2	noun - the discharge of a firearm; the sound made when a gun is fired
charge /tʃɑːrdʒ/ B2	verb - to rush forward aggressively; to accuse someone of a crime noun - the amount of money demanded for a purchase; an electrical potential difference
carbon /ˈkɑːrbən/ B2	noun - a chemical element (symbol C) that is the basis of organic life and used in many materials
clutch /klʌtʃ/ B2	noun - a mechanical device that connects and disconnects power transmission, especially in a vehicle verb - to grasp tightly; to seize
driver /ˈdraɪvər/ B1	noun - a person who operates a vehicle; a component that controls a device
boss /bɒs/ B1	noun - a person in charge of a worker or organization verb - to act in a dominant manner; to command
disrespectful /ˌdɪsrɪˈspɛktfəl/ B2	adjective - showing a lack of respect or courtesy
arrogant /ˈærəɡənt/ B2	adjective - having an exaggerated sense of one's own importance or abilities
rap /ræp/ B1	noun - a musical style characterized by rhythmic spoken lyrics verb - to perform rap music; to speak in a rhythmic, rhyming style
hip‑hop /ˈhɪp hɒp/ B2	noun - a cultural movement and music genre originating in African‑American communities
stop /stɒp/ A1	verb - to cease moving or doing something
marathon /ˈmærəθɒn/ B2	noun - a long-distance running race of 42.195 kilometres; any long, arduous task
reckless /ˈrekələs/ B2	adjective - showing a lack of caution; dangerously careless
modified /ˈmɒdɪfaɪd/ B2	verb - to change something slightly, especially to improve it adjective - changed or altered from its original form

Key Grammar Structures

• Y'all niggas ain't hard enough

  ➔ Negative contraction with “ain’t” + comparative adjective + “enough”

  ➔ The word “ain’t” is a colloquial negative contraction meaning “are not”. The phrase “hard enough” uses the comparative adjective “hard” followed by “enough” to express a minimum level.

• And I came far as fuck

  ➔ Intensifier “as … as” used colloquially with profanity

  ➔ The pattern “as … as” creates a comparison. Here “far” is the adjective and “as fuck” works as an intensifier, meaning “very far”.

• Please don’t start with us

  ➔ Imperative sentence with negative “don’t” + base verb

  ➔ “Please” softens the request. “Don’t” is the contracted form of “do not”, followed by the base verb “start”. The whole sentence is a polite negative command.

• Sound of gunshots charge me up

  ➔ Noun phrase as subject + verb “charge” + object pronoun “me” + adverbial particle “up”

  ➔ The whole clause treats “Sound of gunshots” as the subject. The verb “charge” is used transitively; “me” is the direct object, and “up” functions as a particle indicating increase or activation.

• We was kids tearing party’s up

  ➔ Non‑standard past tense “was” with plural subject + present participle “tearing” + noun “party’s” + particle “up”

  ➔ In standard English the verb should be “were”. The line uses “was” colloquially. “Tearing … up” is a phrasal verb meaning “to cause chaos”. The apostrophe in “party’s” is a slang spelling of “parties”.

• Told my mama "nothing" when she ask me what I do today

  ➔ Past simple “told” + reported speech + present simple “ask” (non‑standard) + infinitive “do”

  ➔ The speaker uses the past verb “told”. The clause “when she ask me…” should be “asks” in standard English, but the rapper keeps the present simple for rhythm. “What I do today” uses the infinitive “do” after “what”.

• Had to give twin 10 bands the way he do his thing

  ➔ Modal‑like “had to” + infinitive “give” + noun phrase “twin 10 bands” + clause “the way he do his thing” (non‑standard “do”)

  ➔ “Had to” expresses past necessity. The infinitive “give” follows it. The phrase “the way he do his thing” should be “does” in standard English, but the rapper drops the “s” for rhythm.

• Y'all knuckles ain't scarred enough

  ➔ Negative contraction “ain’t” + past participle “scarred” + comparative “enough”

  ➔ “Ain’t” is a colloquial negative meaning “are not”. “Scarred” is a past participle used as an adjective. Adding “enough” after the adjective creates a comparative meaning – they are not scarred to a sufficient degree.