Meaning of “Me and My Girlfriend” by 2Pac
“Me and My Girlfriend”, though not being released as a single, is one of the most-popular tracks from The Don Killuminati: The 7 Day Theory (aka “Makaveli”). That’s the Tupac album that came out on 5 November 1996, less than two months after the rapper was murdered in Las Vegas at the age of 25.
Shakur gets both writing and production credit for this song, as does Hurt-M-Badd and Darryl Harper. Its other co-writer is Ricky Rouse, a prominent sessions’ musician from the mid-20th century who has reportedly been a professional since the age of seven. In fact it was Rouse, according to Pac’s homey E.D.I., who originated this song/instrumental.
Tupac didn’t even live to see a full year as a signee of Death Row Records, but he was prolific during those last few months of his life. Death Row is responsible for many of Shakur’s most-memorable releases, including this one. So the other label involved would of course be Interscope, and this track was released as part of the abovementioned album on 5 November 1996.
The Lyrics of “Me and My Girlfriend”
One of the major differences between Tupac’s artistry and that of conventional rappers is that Shakur actually created unique songs instead of that which could be easily replicated. For example, he often rapped over the types of instrumentals, such as the one featured on this song, which not just any emcee could spit over.
But more importantly he, arguably more so than any rapper before or since, had the ability to faithfully stick to one topic throughout an entire full-length solo outing which, as we’ve pointed out previously on our website, is not an easy thing to do.
And letting the cat out of the bag early, the motif of this track revolves around the late rapper using the metaphor of his gat being his girlfriend. The fact that he was able to achieve that goal, once again from beginning to end, also ranks this as one of Pac’s most-respected tracks in terms of lyrical cleverness.
With that notion in mind, it has been pointed out that Shakur was inspired to write this piece by Nas’s “I Gave You Power” (1996), a song in which the poetically-gifted vocalist actually takes on the role of a gun in a street context.
The Intro of “Me and My Girlfriend”
The intro to this song is held down by one Virginya Slim. According to E.D.I. of Outlaw Immortalz fame, she was a former Death Row receptionist who transitioned into the music side of the game, though not heavily so.
Anyway, Virginya starts off by establishing that the female character in this song is a, let’s say vociferous one who isn’t afraid to rep her ‘hood, with that being the “west side”.
Refrain
The refrain that follows also has yet to really point to the idea of said character being a gun. Rather, Tupac goes about likening him alongside his girlfriend to a 1996 version of “Bonnie and Clyde”. Bonnie and Clyde, a couple of early 20th century figures, are the most-renowned outlaws/lovers in American history, a pair that law enforcement was compelled to use extreme force in the name of neutralizing.
So this passage can be taken as another way of the vocalist asserting that he and ‘his girlfriend’ are akin to jointly-committed gangsters “trapped in this world of sin”, a description of their environment which would imply that sometimes they are compelled to resort to violence.
Verse 1
As the first verse progresses, there are certain lyrical clues which more directly point to the idea that Tupac’s “girlfriend” was actually his trusty pistol. But for the most part, these lyrics do an extraordinary job of using metaphors that can be taken as being both romantic and gun-related in nature.
For example, when Pac expresses his desire to get her “red hot”, on the surface that reads like a sexual aspiration. But that word “red” is also quite telling since, as generally understood, that’s the color which metals take on upon being heated, like how a gun gets hot upon being fired.
But the most obvious clue found within this passage that speaks to the notion of the addressee/subject being a pistol is when Tupac notes that she’s “45 but… still live”.
In other words, he was in his mid-20s when this song was composed, and Shakur didn’t have a reputation for dating older women. So at this point, more astute listeners (listening to this for the first time) should really be able to start piecing together that he is in fact referring to a gun, not a girlfriend who is just as gangsta as he is, as alluded to earlier in the song.
Interlude
Indeed, in the interlude that follows, we find Virginya Slim fearlessly bustin’ at opps. Yes, there are a few really dangerous women out there on the streets also. But it is obvious this passage is an embellishment or symbolic, as even some of the toughest dudes aren’t as fearless as the character being portrayed here.
Verse 2
And that’s actually a fact that Pac verifies at the beginning of the second verse. In situations, i.e. shootouts, in which “ni–as act b*-ch-made”, his girlfriend is the one who rather “got the heart to fight”.
Later in the verse, he also goes about using numbers, “9” and “22”, once again in an age-related manner, but those also happen to be the nicknames of some well-known handguns.
Verse 3
The third verse commences with arguably some of the deepest lyrics in rap music history. These first few lines are perhaps the best example of how the wording of this song can be read both romantically and as alluding to gunplay.
But gushing aside, this verse also effectively establishes what can be taken as the thesis sentiment of the track, and it isn’t that Tupac loves his gun as he would a woman. Instead, based on his personal history, the vocalist has come to trust his gun more than, let’s say anyone or anything else.
And, akin to Clyde Barrow’s relationship with Bonnie Parker, he is likewise committed to the union at hand, i.e. living by the gun, if you will. And remember that, as also insinuated at the beginning of the verse, the rapper was very much under the impression at the time – and justifiable so – that there were people out to kill him.
Verse 4
The fourth verse starts off with Pac using sexual metaphors in terms of his relationship with the gun. But this segment also illustrates that he wasn’t carrying a gat only for defensive purposes. This is the one part of the song most reminiscent, thematically, to Nas’s piece, as Shakur is celebrating how a gun, once pulled if you will, demands attention and fear from those in the vicinity.
And as implied, he’s someone who has little to no qualms in terms of resorting to such an act if he feels the situation calls for it, which presumably would be regularly “in this world of sin”.
Or relayed from a different angle, it’s as if the gun itself is “begging” Tupac to use her. Or put otherwise yet again, Shakur’s mentality had developed to a point where he perceived gunfire – or the threat thereof – as being a viable means of conflict resolution.
Conclusively it can be gleaned that yes, he did feel “trapped” by that understanding or, as Pac also puts in the outro, “lost in the whirlwind”. In other words, the rapper became such that he couldn’t imagine going through life without carrying a firearm and the thrill derived from doing so.
“All I need in this life of sin
Is me and my girlfriend
Down to ride to the bloody end
Just me and my girlfriend
All I need in this life of sin
Is me and my girlfriend
Down to ride to the bloody end
Just me and my girlfriend”
Jay-Z’s “’03 Bonnie & Clyde”
This Pac classic has been sampled and interpolated in various rap songs. One of the most famous examples is Jay-Z’s “’03 Bonnie & Clyde” (which features Beyoncé). The song in question can be found on Jay-Z’s 2002 album “The Blueprint 2: The Gift & The Curse”.
