“Say the hustler’s prayer/ Then I’m back to these streets…”
Young Jeezy has been treading water with Def Jam over the last two years trying to find the “right single” to launch his much delayed Thug Motivation 103. Jeezy’s latest single attempt, “Shake Life,” is definitely his most accessible from a production standpoint. The sample of Toto’s “Georgy Peorgy” is a classic in Hip-Hop due to MC Lyte’s version, so Jeezy has a lot to live up to. Instead of going with a star-crossed lover’s plot, Jeezy on the surface goes the more clichéd route of a celebratory club anthem. However, a closer inspection of the lyrics yields some social commentary lines on inner city vs. international warfare (“Niggas over there dying by true religion/Niggas dying over here over True Religions”), money problems and drug game perils.
Thematically, this is a continuation of the street struggles and desire for escapisim that Jeezy explored on 2008’s The Recession. Considering we’re in arguably an even worse economic crisis three years later, those topics are still worthwhile talking points. Overall, this track is a good balance of dope boy and everyday citizen hopes and fears. Now whether this is the commercial single Def Jam is looking for remains to be seen.
YOUNG JEEZY “SHAKE LIFE”
Beats, Boxing and Mayhem 