1996 September 22,Wayne Johnson,“Thug Life– Why This Raised So Much ****”, insoc.culture.african.american, Usenet:
Too many young Black men have adopted this thug life pose.
2005, Black Dot, Hip Hop Decoded: From Its Ancient Origin to Its Modern Day Matrix, page 165:
For all of these rappers claiming to live the thug life, there's really no difference.
2011, Michael Jeffries, Thug Life: Race, Gender, and the Meaning of Hip-Hop, page 107:
Whether death refers to biological death or serves as a metaphor for oppression and marginalization (social death), the potential for collective reconciliation with death is linked to his identity as a nigga living thug life.
Etymology
Popularised by American rapper Tupac Shakur (1971–1996) in 1993, and reinterpreted as a backronym for “The Hate U Give Little Infants **** Everybody”.