Life's a Bitch (song)
1994 single by Nas
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"Life's a Bitch" is a song by American rapper Nas, released by Columbia Records on April 19, 1994. It is the third single from his debut studio album, Illmatic (1994). Issued as a 12" single, it features guest vocals from AZ and a cornet performance from Nas' father, Olu Dara. The song has been sampled in other hip hop songs, including "YSIV" by Logic (2018),[1] "Keep It Real" by Miilkbone (1995), and "Carry On" by Statik Selektah featuring Joey Bada$$ (2014).
| "Life's a Bitch" | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
 | ||||
| Single by Nas featuring AZ | ||||
| from the album Illmatic | ||||
| Released | April 19, 1994 | |||
| Recorded | 1993 | |||
| Genre | ||||
| Length | 3:29 | |||
| Label | Columbia | |||
| Songwriters |
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| Producer | L.E.S. | |||
| Nas singles chronology | ||||
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Songwriting and origins
The song's producer, L.E.S., sampled the songs "Yearning for Your Love" by the Gap Band and "Black Frost" by Grover Washington, Jr. for the song's instrumental.
Nas mentioned about his father's cornet work:
"I asked my dad to play on the end of it — I told him to play whatever comes to mind when he thinks of me as a kid. I think he's really proud to see me coming up and really taking my life serious and doing what I want."[2]
References in music
The song's title and concept were later referenced in Nas' collaboration track "Affirmative Action" off his 1996 album It Was Written, where Nas raps "Life's a bitch but god-forbid the bitch divorce me".
References in film
In the 2009 film Fish Tank by Andrea Arnold, the song is played in one of the final scenes. It is also played during the closing credits.[3]
Track listing
A-side
- "Life's a Bitch" (radio edit) (3:37)
- "Life's a Bitch" (main mix) (3:29)
- "Life's a Bitch" (instrumental) (3:29)
B-side
- "Life's a Bitch" (Arsenal radio edit) (3:31)
- "Life's a Bitch" (Arsenal mix) (3:31)
- "Life's a Bitch" (Arsenal instrumental) (3:35)