Page type: lyric reference
Artist: Mos Def
Canonical path: /mos-def/life-is-real
Related lyric paths: 6
Video embedded: yes
Lyric guide
Life Is Real
Read Life Is Real lyrics by Mos Def on LyroVerse, with linked artist context and related song paths.
person
Curated by Ethan Walker
LyroVerse team
Reference snapshot
The page facts to cite before the commentary
Use this page for the lyric text, linked artist context, and any LyroVerse editor's note attached to the song. Listener comments remain user-generated and should not be treated as the primary source.
Lyrics
Life Is Real
The lyric stays readable and compact here; the note and related paths sit nearby so you do not lose the song while looking for context.
[Intro + shout outs]
Boogie man, boogie man, boogie man
BOOGIE MAN! (Hello children!)
My whole life is real
My life [4X]
A-ha, Brooklyn you know
My life [4X], it's a real thang
[Mos Def]
Listen
My whole life is real, morning news and nights is real
What I spit and I write is real, cuz my life is real
My own life is ILL!!
filled with magic's strife to scale
Sun bright, no time to chill, got all type of bills
I got seeds I gotta feed with this
They be needin shit, I got ex-wife beef and shit
That's how deep it get
My whole life is real, my whole life is ill
A fantastic, a beautiful mess
And life nigga in America: the usual stress
I do it to the up, low, the east and the west, I
Do it to most, I do it to death
I do so it good they don't know what to do with theyselves
Well do this: MOVE!
Back, forward, mo'
Life is real, let's move on
[Hook]
My whole life is real, morning news and nights is real
What I spit and I write is real, cuz my life is ILL
Filled with magic's strife to scale
Sun bright, no time to chill
Got all type of bills
I got seeds I gotta feed with this
I got streets I gotta reach with this
That's how deep it get
[Mos Def]
My whole life is ill, my whole life is real
Mornings, noon's, nights
Birthdays, workdays, holidays, funerals. the usual
Life is real!
Sunday to Monday, school, your gunplay, politics, bullshit
Life is real!
Shootings, stabbing, free tray, arrest
crush, kill, destroy, cheques
Death. rebirth
Reach the world but touch the street first
Life goin in every direction but rewind
Niggaz is waiting for the light to dive down
On a park a hustler plays the hide out
Somebody's gotta notice it's a matter of time before the world fine out
The earth dry out and push the hintin to high ground,life style--Hostile
Real, life real real
So real, too real, news real--edited
The close up block out the rest of it
True evident, false measurement
Crunk superstar, thug president
Tricks allegiance, M-def payment ship
Scribe lively, so timely,that is timeless
And is lovely, and is ugly, as it must be
[Hook]
[Outro]
My whole life is real, ha-haa!
Brooklyn know
My life my [4X]
B.X. know
My life my [4X]
Real niggaz all over the world
My life my [4X], it's a real thang
whoooo!
Boogie man!
Quick answers
What this page can answer fast
Who performs "Life Is Real"?
Mos Def performs "Life Is Real", and this lyric page sits inside the Mos Def catalog on LyroVerse.
Are there related songs to explore after "Life Is Real"?
Yes. The related section below points to A Ha and A Soldier's Dream with a short reason for opening each page next.
Where can I find more songs by Mos Def?
Use the artist link near the top of the page or the related paths section below to keep moving through Mos Def's lyric pages.
Song Room
Open Song Room
Interpretations, questions, and corrections for this song
Interpretations, questions, memories, and correction notes live together here. The room stays noindex while the best insights are reviewed.
Listener comments
What people are saying
No listener comments on Life Is Real yet.
A strong comment here is specific: the phrase you keep hearing, the mood you come back for, or the reason this song stays in rotation.
Sign in to post the first listener note. Reporting stays open to everyone.