Hugo - 99 Problems Lyrics Meaning

Luckily I am Thai, the same nationality as Hugo who writes the song. Thus, I had a chance to watch when he was interviewed in Thai and talked about this song.

The artist stated in the interview that, just like how Jay-Z talked about his struggling as a drug runner, Hugo wants to talk about his own version of struggling.

So, the song is the story of him struggling to "not losing himself while being in this entertainment industry". Quite an unexpected, huh?

This is my interpretation considering the concept declared, and some of his actual life story.

Hugo started off his entertainment career in Thailand, his home country. And the time he wrote this song was the time he had just moved to join an American music label. So "Tip my hat to the sun in the West" could possibly refer to either something that came close to it's end, as interpreted by most people, or him leaving Thailand(east), to the US(west).

"Feel the beat right in my chest" could means either his intense heart beat because of excitement, or the music beat he is playing.

"At the cross roads a second time" refers to the times he has to choose between who he really was, and the man that people want him to be, or the man he has to be to survive in the entertainment industry.

"Make the devil change his mind" the devil is the dark side of himself.

"It's a pound of flesh but it's really a ton" yeah, his heart, obviously.

"Lookin' for the prize but I don't want blood" maybe about him wanting his career success without having to do or to be something he considered bad.

"Oh I won't drink then I drink the flood"  sometimes he lose to his evil side.

"Well you can come inside but your friends can't come" He used to be a lead singer in a Thai band. And none of his bandmates are as popular as he is. So I could easily imagine him literally dealing with this sentence everywhere he goes. And that would be a really good example of the 99 problems he had to deal with.

The song could also be interpreted as a man being head over heels in love. I believe the double meaning is intended, which is quite cool.