Real Big – English Lyrics

• By: Nipsey Hussle, Marsha Ambrosius
• Album: Victory Lap

Lyrics & Translation

[English]

Real big, real big, I knew one day I would do it real big

Real shit, real shit, I know all my real niggas feel this

Night time, locs on, can't even see the stars, but we still wish

Real shit, real shit, who would ever thought that we would build this?

Tryna walk to school, get your jaw socked

Tryna pump your gas, get your car shot

Large profit margin on the long shots

'Cause young niggas rarely make it off of our block

Night time, locs on

Fuckin' young bitches while they folks home

High school, didn't go

Couldn't understand my plan, now you niggas know

Self-made, well-paid

I'm from where they tell you never touch the shell case

I'm from where they teach you never trust a pale face

Let's talk bangin', I can tell you 'bout a field race

Real shit, real shit, I know all my real niggas feel this

Night time, locs on

Fuckin' young bitches while they folks home

Real big, real big, I knew one day I would do it real big

Real shit, real shit, I know all my real niggas feel this

Night time, locs on, can't even see the stars, but we still wish

Real shit, real shit, who would ever thought that we would build this?

Sold-out shows that's a door split

Niggas ain't show up, that's a forfeit

Left my record label, just got more rich

I switched it up, that's me singin' on the chorus

But still I spit bars so gutter

Drive cars, no stutter, top floor, no clutter

Hardwood floors though

White wall, that's where my awards go

Runnin' from the law 'til they foreclose

Sit with myself when them doors close

Sometimes I got a question, only Lord knows

What I'm doing out in Copenhagen spendin' euros?

Night time, locs on

Do it big, nigga, 'til my Locs home

Real shit, real shit, I know all my real niggas feel this

Real big, real big, I knew one day I would do it real big

Real shit, real shit, I know all my real niggas feel this

Night time, locs on, can't even see the stars, but we still wish

Real shit, real shit, who would ever thought that we would build this?

...

If I could stay in this moment, I would, forever

If I could live in this moment, said I would, forever

...

Real shit, real shit

...

Yeah, yeah

If I could give you the stars, baby, I would

Wanna last to share in this moment, baby, this moment

And I would give you the stars, baby, I would

Real big, real big, I knew one day I would do it real big

Real shit, real shit, I know all my real niggas feel this

Night time, locs on, can't even see the stars, but we still wish

Real shit, real shit, who would ever thought that we would build this?

...

Yeah

I’m gonna put my right hand to God, shine on these bloods stay on my job, grind with my squad

100 racks in my car, no license at all, no ten on that thing

Thats how we ball all these fuck niggas flucc succas and frauds

My circle so small ,stick to my strip and just book

First I pick up my bitch and we shut down the mall

Had to pick up the tint ,she tried to pay for it all

Break some yak with my plate ,garlic noodles and steak

Bouncing out the ballet ,with all these tats on my face

People lookin like hey ,black niggas stay in yo place

But it's some shit they gon think and it's some shit they gon say

Time to ear brick from my aidz

See that music my fate ,switched it up From out my truck

Went to the top of my state ,and I'm versachi My waist

Ike tupac in this hay grind Williams town built this our money estate wooh

Key Vocabulary

Vocabulary	Meanings
build /bɪld/ A2	verb - to construct or create something
wish /wɪʃ/ A1	verb - to want something that cannot or may not happen
profit /ˈprɒfɪt/ B1	noun - money gained from business or investment
margin /ˈmɑːrdʒɪn/ B2	noun - the amount of money or profit left after costs
self-made /ˌselfˈmeɪd/ B1	adjective - having become successful or rich by one's own efforts
grind /ɡraɪnd/ B1	verb - to work hard or persistently
forfeit /ˈfɔːrfɪt/ B2	verb - to lose or give up something as a penalty
gutter /ˈɡʌtər/ B1	noun - a low or poor condition
stutter /ˈstʌtər/ B1	verb - to speak with difficulty, repeating sounds
clutter /ˈklʌtər/ B1	noun - a crowded or messy state
foreclose /fɔːrˈkləʊz/ C1	verb - to take possession of a property due to failure to pay a mortgage
squad /skwɒd/ A2	noun - a small group of people working together
ballet /ˈbæleɪ/ B1	noun - a form of dance performance
versace /vərˈsɑːtʃi/ B2	noun - a luxury fashion brand
estate /ɪˈsteɪt/ B1	noun - a large property or area of land

Key Grammar Structures

• Real big, real big, I knew one day I would do it real big

  ➔ Future in the past (would + infinitive)

  ➔ The verb *"would"* shows an action that was imagined in the past: *"I knew … I **would** do it"*.

• Real shit, real shit, I know all my real niggas feel this

  ➔ Simple present + that‑clause (that omitted)

  ➔ The verb *"know"* is followed by a clause that would normally start with *"that"*: *"I know **that** all my real niggas feel this"*.

• If I could stay in this moment, I would, forever

  ➔ Second conditional (if + could, would + base verb)

  ➔ The clause *"If I could stay…"* uses the modal *"could"* to express an unreal possibility, and *"I would"* shows the imagined result.

• Let's talk bangin', I can tell you 'bout a field race

  ➔ Imperative with "let's" + modal verb "can" + infinitive

  ➔ "Let's" (let us) invites the listener to join: *"Let's **talk**"*. The speaker then uses *"can"* to express ability: *"I **can tell** you"*.

• I’m from where they tell you never touch the shell case

  ➔ Relative clause with "where" + reported speech (tell + you + infinitive)

  ➔ The clause *"where they tell you **never touch** the shell case"* uses *"where"* to refer to a place, and *"tell you"* introduces reported speech with the infinitive *"never touch"*.

• I switched it up, that's me singin' on the chorus

  ➔ Demonstrative pronoun + verb "be" + gerund (that's me + verb‑ing)

  ➔ The structure *"that's me **singin'**"* uses the pronoun *"that"* + *"is"* + a gerund to identify the speaker’s role.

• I’m gonna put my right hand to God, shine on these bloods stay on my job

  ➔ Future intention with "going to" (gonna) + base verb

  ➔ The contraction *"gonna"* stands for *"going to"* and shows a plan: *"I **gonna put** my right hand to God"*.

• What I'm doing out in Copenhagen spendin' euros?

  ➔ Present continuous (am + -ing) + informal gerund "spendin'" as a tag question

  ➔ The speaker uses *"I'm doing"* (present continuous) and adds *"spendin' euros?"* as a colloquial tag question, meaning *"...and I'm spending euros, right?"*.