"Gangster Friday", also known simply as "Grand Theft Auto", is the original theme song written for the Grand Theft Auto series. The song was written by Craig Conner, one of Rockstar's in-house musicians, and is a stereotype of 'gangster rap', with blatant lyrics concerning (appropriately) car theft, drug use, running from the law and the possession and use of firearms. Conner also played all of the instruments in the song.
The track first appears in Grand Theft Auto 1, where it is credited to the fictitious band Slumpussy, and is always the first song the player will hear upon starting the game. It later reappeared on the soundtrack for Grand Theft Auto III as a nod to the original game. The song was included as part of the radio station Lips 106, although in this appearance it was retitled "Grand Theft Auto". The fictitious performing artist was also changed; the track is credited to Da Shootaz, a fictitious band fronted by rapper Robert DeNegro (an obvious pun on actor Robert De Niro, who starred in many of the gangster films that have been cited as inspiration for GTA III). It should also be noted that in this second appearance the two uses of the profanity "fuck" in the song are censored through the overdubbing of Lips 106 taglines, somewhat ironic given the otherwise gratuitous and mature nature of the game.
The opening hook of the song also appears throughout the GTA series. In GTA III, the player's pager plays out a primitive rendition of the hook whenever a message is received, while the Commodore 64-like opening of Grand Theft Auto: Vice City features the same hook in a more vibrant 8-bit tone. GTA III's pager ringtone is also recycled as a selectable ringtone on the player's mobile phone in Grand Theft Auto IV, simply titled "Pager".
Lyrics
As one would expect from a song written as a theme for Grand Theft Auto, the track's lyrics make many references to the kind of criminality associated with the games, and even mentions the phrase 'GTA' specifically.
(Good shot kid, you got him)
(Good shot kid, you got him)
Hotel, downtown, speeding all around
An AK-47 got the power in it's barrel
To move any mother that gets in the way
Just another power machine on the freeway
Riding with me is my MC homeboy
Knowing the rules ain't part of his program
Finding the right way around this map
Might be pretty hard 'cause he's fucked on crack
G - grand theft auto
You gotta make a mark and move where you want to
T - theft
Determination to steal what you can and run from the nation
A - hey, what do ya say?
We automate the sequence and speed for my getaway
Take it to the edge, there's nowhere to hide
And call up the boys, let's go for a joyride
Let's go for a joyride
Stop the violence from the police
Is what my dad used say but now he's deceased
He got caught in a jam, threw in the can
When the cops from Brooklyn said he'd killed another man
Street knowledge was my main game
To figure out the law, to figure out the frame
Just when I thought I knew justice
A cop behind me said, you just been busted
NYPD (NYPD)
LAPD (LAPD)
SFPD (SFPD)
Don't fuck with me