Hip-hop was in a weird spot in early 2005. 50 Cent was basically the king of the world, and G-Unit felt invincible. Then came "Hate It or Love It." It wasn't just another radio hit; it was a shift. When you look at the Hate or Love It lyrics, you’re not just reading words—you’re reading the blueprints of two very different lives that intersected at exactly the right moment to create a masterpiece.
It’s iconic. Seriously.
The song peaked at number two on the Billboard Hot 100, and honestly, it only got held back from the top spot by 50 Cent’s own "Candy Shop." That’s how dominant the G-Unit era was. But while "Candy Shop" was a club anthem, "Hate It or Love It" felt like a memoir set to a soulful Cool & Dre beat. It’s got that Trammps sample—"Rubber Band"—looping in the back, making everything feel nostalgic and urgent at the same time.
The Raw Truth in the Opening Bars
The Game starts the track with a verse that is basically a crash course in his upbringing. He doesn't waste time. "Compton, CA" isn't just a location here; it’s a character. When he raps about his "daddy's favorite record" or being "strapped with a heater" in the first grade, he isn't just trying to sound tough. He’s painting a picture of a kid who was forced to grow up way too fast.
Most people don't realize how much of the Hate or Love It lyrics actually reference real, painful history. Game mentions his brother getting shot. He mentions the foster care system. It’s heavy stuff for a song that everyone was dancing to in the club. That’s the magic of the track—the juxtaposition of the upbeat, soul-infused production against the grit of the lyrics.
The Game's delivery is surprisingly laid back. He sounds like a guy sitting on a porch telling you how he survived, rather than a rapper trying to prove he’s the best. That authenticity is why it resonated so deeply. It felt real. It felt like he was finally letting people in after years of being the "new guy" on the Shady/Aftermath roster.
50 Cent’s Chorus and the Art of the Hook
Let’s talk about the hook. It’s arguably one of the best 50 Cent ever wrote, which is saying a lot considering the guy was a literal hit machine back then.
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"Hate it or love it, the underdog's on top."
It’s simple. It’s catchy. But more importantly, it was the anthem for every person who felt overlooked. 50 Cent brought a melodic sensibility to the Hate or Love It lyrics that smoothed out the rough edges of Game’s verses. He wasn't just a guest; he was the glue.
The irony, of course, is that the "love" didn't last. The tension between Game and 50 Cent was already simmering when this song was recorded. Dr. Dre and Jimmy Iovine basically forced them to work together to ensure The Game’s debut album, The Documentary, would be a commercial success. It worked. The album moved over 500,000 copies in its first week. But the chemistry we hear in the lyrics was purely professional—the behind-the-scenes reality was much more volatile.
Why the Lyrics Matter Two Decades Later
What makes a song stay relevant? It’s rarely the beat alone. It’s the story.
The Hate or Love It lyrics captured a specific moment in time when West Coast rap was reclaiming its seat at the table. For a long time after the deaths of Tupac and Biggie, the West Coast struggled to find a voice that could compete with the South and the East. The Game changed that. He used his lyrics to bridge the gap between the N.W.A. era and the modern era.
Think about the references. The mentions of Eazy-E. The nods to the 1980s crack epidemic. These weren't random choices. They were deliberate attempts to ground the song in hip-hop history. Even today, if you play this song at a party, everyone knows the words. It has that "timeless" quality because it focuses on a universal theme: the transition from struggle to success.
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- The Sample: Cool & Dre took a 1970s soul track and turned it into a street anthem.
- The Contrast: Game’s gravelly, detailed verses vs. 50’s smooth, melodic hook.
- The Stakes: This was the make-or-break moment for Aftermath Records’ expansion.
The Breakdown of the Second Verse
In the second verse, Game gets even more specific. He talks about his mother, the reality of the streets, and his desire to be more than just a statistic. He’s "thinking 'bout my life, wondering where did I go wrong." That kind of vulnerability was rare for a West Coast "gangster" rapper in 2005. Usually, it was all about bravado.
But Game realized that the Hate or Love It lyrics needed a soul. He showed that he wasn't just a product of his environment; he was a human being trying to navigate it. He mentions 50 Cent again, acknowledging their partnership, which makes the subsequent fallout even more tragic for fans of the music.
The lyrical complexity here is often underrated. Game uses internal rhymes and clever wordplay that showed he was more than just a protégé. He was a student of the game. He was referencing Biggie and Jay-Z while carving out his own lane.
The Fallout and the Legacy
You can’t talk about this song without talking about the beef. Shortly after the video for "Hate It or Love It" was released, the relationship between Game and G-Unit imploded. 50 Cent famously went on Hot 97 to announce he was kicking Game out of the group. What followed was a decade of diss tracks, lawsuits, and missed opportunities.
But the song remained.
Even at the height of their feud, both artists continued to perform it. It was too big to ignore. The Hate or Love It lyrics became a weird sort of neutral ground. When Kanye West remixed it, or when other artists covered it, they were paying homage to the songwriting, not just the drama.
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It’s one of those rare tracks where everything clicked. The production was flawless, the guest feature was perfect, and the lead artist was hungry. It’s the sound of a "changing of the guard" that never quite happened the way people expected, but it left us with a classic regardless.
Actionable Insights for Hip-Hop Fans and Songwriters
If you’re looking at these lyrics today, there are a few things you can actually take away from them, whether you’re a fan or a creator yourself.
First, vulnerability wins. The reason this song outperformed other tracks on The Documentary is that it felt more honest. If you’re writing music or even just creating content, lean into the stuff that feels a little uncomfortable to share. That’s usually where the gold is.
Second, collaboration requires balance. 50 Cent didn't try to out-rap Game on this track. He played his role. He provided the melody and the commercial appeal, allowing Game to handle the storytelling. Understanding your role in a project is key to its success.
Finally, leverage nostalgia correctly. Using a soul sample isn't just about the sound; it’s about the feeling it evokes. The producers knew that the Trammps sample would make people feel a certain way before a single lyric was even spoken.
To really appreciate the impact, you should:
- Listen to the original sample "Rubber Band" by The Trammps to see how Cool & Dre flipped it.
- Watch the music video again, paying attention to the childhood parallels between Game and 50.
- Read the full lyrics while listening to the track to catch the subtle internal rhymes in Game's second verse.
The song is a masterclass in mainstream hip-hop. It’s got the grit, the soul, and the hook that stays in your head for days. Whether you hate it or love it, you can't deny that it changed the trajectory of the genre for a long time.