I Don't Stress – English Lyrics

• By: Nipsey Hussle
• Album: Slauson Boy 2

Lyrics & Translation

[English]

I don't stress out, nigga

Poke my chest out, nigga

Weight on my shoulder, bring the best out, nigga

Get it right or you get left out, nigga

Playin' Pac in my cassette loud, nigga

I remember feelin' like a stepchild, nigga

I would hate to see my momma stressed out, nigga

Black Sam would tell me, "poke your chest out, nigga"

I could die today I've made the set proud, nigga

And I could fly away, but I respect vows, nigga

Used to always say I'd make the whole world feel this

Now I'm on the tour around the whole world, nigga

Paparazzi waitin' at my hotel, nigga

Smokin' while I'm drivin' that's with no L's, nigga

20 bands a month just for your bills, nigga

Princess cut diamonds up in your grill, nigga

Now smile in every camera and show you're a trill nigga

You feed 'em what you want cause that's your kill, nigga

And through the darkest days I was like, "oh well, nigga"

Westside neighborhood against the whole world, nigga

I don't stress out, nigga

Poke my chest out, nigga

Weight on my shoulder, bring the best out, nigga

Get it right or you get left out, nigga

I never fold under mental pressure

I get better, ain't no code to y'all misconception

I'm just special, this an ode to my innersection

And God bless and save my soul from this imperfection

I can't measure with a number, all these niggas restin'

But it's a lot when you that young to witness life and death

You shellshocked, but ain't no tears involved

Accept it all, that's how the world revolve

Every 12 months you live another year you ball

Hindsight, it's 20-20 that was really God

Cause lookin' back it' ain't no reason why we ain't get caught

Mission after mission, we was trippin'

Me and Baby Bolt Da Fatts in Lil Killa Dave's kitchen

Police in the front, pistols in the court

When it hit the fan you get to find out who you are

Nervous as a bitch, was sweat drippin' down my palms

And think through it, thug, you got to stay calm

I don't stress out, nigga

Poke my chest out, nigga

Weight on my shoulder, bring the best out, nigga

Get it right or you get left out, nigga

...

Playin' BIG in my cassette loud, nigga

I remember feelin' like the best out, nigga

They ain't feel me then, but I'm a threat now, nigga

I'm the one that represent the West now, nigga

Almost didn't make it cause the set foul, nigga

Shit'll chip you quicker than the West now, nigga

Lock you up in cages, how it went down, nigga

Ship you out of town, you need to pen pal, nigga

Plenty times I've felt like this the end now, nigga

But I catch my 2nd wind around the 10th round, nigga

Only God knows to where it went down, nigga

But if you see us up that's cause we been down, nigga

Stand up, we don't never sit down, nigga

Man up, go and get a bitch now, nigga

Damn cuhz, look at how my campaign killin'

Panoramic views, chillin' under 12-foot ceilings

I don't stress out, nigga

...

I don't stress out, nigga

...

Key Vocabulary

Vocabulary	Meanings
stress /stres/ A2	verb - to feel worried or anxious noun - pressure or worry
weight /weɪt/ A1	noun - how heavy something is
shoulder /ˈʃoʊldər/ A1	noun - the part of the body between the neck and the arm
best /best/ A1	adjective - of the highest quality
left /left/ A1	verb - to depart from a place
play /pleɪ/ A1	verb - to perform a piece of music
loud /laʊd/ A1	adjective - producing a lot of noise
hate /heɪt/ A1	verb - to dislike intensely
proud /praʊd/ A2	adjective - feeling deep pleasure or satisfaction
respect /rɪˈspekt/ A2	verb - to admire someone or something
tour /tʊr/ A1	noun - a journey to visit several places
paparazzi /ˌpæpəˈrætsi/ B1	noun - photographers who follow celebrities
smile /smaɪl/ A1	verb - to have one’s mouth curve upward, usually showing happiness
darkest /ˈdɑrκɪst/ A2	adjective - almost without light
witness /ˈwɪtnɪs/ B1	verb - to see something happen
accept /əkˈsept/ A2	verb - to take or receive something offered
hindsight /ˈhaɪnˌsaɪt/ C1	noun - understanding of a situation or event only after it has happened
mission /ˈmɪʃən/ A2	noun - an important task or job
calm /kɑm/ A2	adjective - not excited or nervous
campaign /kæmˈpeɪn/ B1	noun - a series of actions intended to achieve a particular goal

Key Grammar Structures

• I don't stress out, nigga

  ➔ Present Simple Negation

  ➔ The structure uses "don't + base verb" to express a habitual negative state. In this line, "I don't stress out" indicates the speaker's regular state of not experiencing stress.

• Poke my chest out, nigga

  ➔ Imperative Mood

  ➔ The imperative mood is used for commands or requests. In this line, "Poke my chest out" is a command to oneself or others to display confidence and pride.

• I've made the set proud, nigga

  ➔ Present Perfect

  ➔ The present perfect tense "have/has + past participle" connects past actions to the present. In "I've made the set proud", the speaker indicates an action completed in the past with present relevance - making his community proud.

• I could die today

  ➔ Modal Verb for Possibility

  ➔ The modal verb "could" expresses possibility or potential. In "I could die today", the speaker acknowledges the possibility of death, emphasizing the precarious nature of life.

• Get it right or you get left out, nigga

  ➔ Imperative Conditional Structure

  ➔ This structure uses an imperative in the first clause and a present simple in the second clause to show a consequence. In "Get it right or you get left out", the speaker warns that failure to perform correctly will result in exclusion.

• I remember feeling like a stepchild, nigga

  ➔ Past Simple with Gerund

  ➔ This structure uses a past simple verb followed by a gerund. In "I remember feeling like a stepchild", the speaker recalls a past emotional state of feeling like an outsider or unwanted person.

• Paparazzi waitin' at my hotel, nigga

  ➔ Present Continuous (Informal)

  ➔ The present continuous tense describes actions happening now. In "Paparazzi waitin' at my hotel", the informal contraction "waitin'" (instead of "waiting") indicates an ongoing action - photographers are currently at the hotel.

• Weight on my shoulder, bring the best out, nigga

  ➔ Superlative Form

  ➔ The superlative form "the best" indicates the highest degree of quality. In "bring the best out", the speaker suggests that pressure (weight on shoulders) causes him to perform at his highest level.