Meaning of Gangsta (From “Suicide Squad The Album”)

by Kehlani · 2024

The song “Gangsta” by Kehlani is about yearning for a passionate and intense love from someone tough and loyal who accepts her flaws, keeps her secrets, forgives her, and stands by her side no matter what.

This song has been Shazamed over 4,897,776 times. As of this writing, Gangsta (From “Suicide Squad The Album”) is ranked 13

Gangsta (From “Suicide Squad The Album”)’ by Kehlani is a song about wanting someone tough and loyal to love you in a special way. We’re going to explore the feelings, story, and meaning behind this powerful track together. ⬇️

The mood of the song is dark and moody, swirling with longing and danger. Kehlani’s voice floats through a shadowy world where secrets and scars are worn like badges, all while searching for a love that feels fierce and fearless.

❤️‍ In the chorus, Kehlani pleads for a “gangsta” who can love her better than anyone else, forgive her flaws, and stick by her no matter what—someone who matches her wild heart and can handle all her messiness. There’s an aching vulnerability here, a sense that we all crave someone strong enough to accept our darkness. When she says, “Ride or die with me, that’s just what gangsters do,” we feel the weight of yearning for a partner who is more than just a lover—they’re a lifeline.

The verses unravel confessions: “I’m fucked up, I’m black and blue, I’m built for it, all the abuse.” These lines reveal a bruised soul, someone who has been hurt but wears their resilience with pride. Instead of seeking comfort in the ordinary, she rejects “what I can get” in favor of someone mysterious, someone whose own secrets match hers, turning pain into power and forging intimacy from shared shadows.

As the song drifts between raw admissions and hypnotic hooks, it teeters on the edge of danger and desire—“My freakness is on the loose… Please take me to places that nobody knows.” There’s a rebellious thrill in wanting love that’s not safe, but electric, unpredictable, and maybe even a little destructive; she wants to be taken higher, to hang from the ceiling, to risk breathlessness for something real.

✨ Kehlani’s “Gangsta” isn’t just about loving a bad boy—it’s an anthem for anyone who’s ever longed for a love that sees their broken pieces, forgives the chaos, and stays anyway, no matter how wild the ride gets.

Writer(s) of Gangsta (From “Suicide Squad The Album”): Holly B. Hafermann, Andrew Swanson, Jason Evigan, Jeremy Coleman, Jacob Elisha Luttrell, Kehlani Ashley Parrish