Ghetto Life (song)
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- 3:52 (7-inch single version)
- 4:20 (album & 12-inch version)
| "Ghetto Life" | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
 German 12-inch single cover | ||||
| Single by Rick James | ||||
| from the album Street Songs | ||||
| B-side | "Below the Funk (Pass the J)" | |||
| Released | 1981 | |||
| Genre | Funk | |||
| Length |
| |||
| Label | Gordy | |||
| Songwriter(s) | Rick James | |||
| Producer(s) | Rick James | |||
| Rick James singles chronology | ||||
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"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.
The lyrics of "Ghetto Life" reflect James' youth in Buffalo, New York.[1][2] 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."[1] 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."[1][3]
The music represents the "Punk funk" dance music sound that James popularized.[4][5] The music incorporates fuzz tone guitars, horns, handclaps, and backing vocals by the Temptations, who also provided backing vocals on James' single "Super Freak."[3][4][5]