Just heard this song yesterday. I bought the origninal LP with the classy ticks & light scratches in it. Damn this is a hot cut!

"Where's the place we funk (where oh where is the place where we funk...the place we like to funk...where oh where is the place where we funk...)

"I said Where's the place we funk?"



The entire 'Street Songs' LP is a funk classic.Rick James was at the top of his game back in 1981.

Gheeetto Liii-yay-yay-yiiife!

when I was a young boy, kinda free 'n fancy
met this little cute girl, she said her name was Nancy
she had pigtails to her shoulders, she couldn'tve been much older
she taught me what I had to know to make a girl not wanna go

she was young & kinnyyy-ya
in the ghetto
she laid her pigtails down on me
in the ghetto...

"When I was a young man,tenement slums and corner bums
playing tag with winos,the only way to have some fun
One thing 'bout the ghetto,you don't have to hurry
It'll be there tomorrow,so brother don't you worry...

Ghetto Life (talkin' bout Ghetto Life)"

CalhounSq said:

that's my favorite part... i used to love it when he'd do that shit... over sing something with limited voice and everybody else would think it sounded terrible... and i'm thinking, "nah, man, that shit is fonky"...

i miss rick james turning out the funky ass jams... he should clean his ass up and put another record out already...

fire up this funk and let's tave a toke...


we're bustin' out on some serious funk, y'all...

EllisDee said:

we're bustin' out, everybody come along

we gon' dance on the funk

& make love on the song... BUSTIN' OUT!

Rick was indeed the shit...

The name is SLICK RICK.. girl you can call me up..

DMSR said:

Hey DMSR,it's great to hear from you again.Where have you been??

And yes,the song "Call Me Up" is another gem from that album..."lay in my bed,talk straight from the head,nothing else needs to be said".

DavidEye said:

The last two lines cuts right to the core as far as I'm concerned. There was a thread not too long ago that ask what are some of the greatest lyrical lines in the history of music, and my vote surely goes to the last two lines here.

"Ghetto Life" is such a pertinent song to the Street Songs album. Imagine that album without that track.

one of the Cuts that most So-Called Street Rappers can't ever seem to find.this Song is One of the Most Honest Cuts that Rick James ever Released.you can feel the vision in His Voice.it will be there tommorow so Brother don't you worry.that line spoke alot of volumes then&now IMHO.