Jay Electronica

Songwriter: Jay Electronica

[Intro]
There's no earthly way of knowing
Which direction we are going
There's no knowing where we're rowing
Or which way the river's flowing
Is it raining?
Is it snowing?
Is a hurricane a-blowing?
Not a speck of light is showing
So the danger must be growing
Are the fires of hell a-glowing?
Is the grisly reaper mowing?
Yes, the danger must be growing
Cause the rowers keep on rowing
And they're certainly not showing
Any signs that they are slowing!

[Verse 1: Jay Electronica]
I was on the corner with Reem by Tipitina's
He said "Ri, what up my nig, I ain't seen ya since Katrina
Lil' Mikey doin' time for flashin' nines in Pasadena
I tried to tell 'em chill and wait 'til niggas get they cream up
I ain't gonna lie bra, niggas took that petty cash from FEMA
And copped a couple choppers. Why? Cause coppers on the clean up
You ain't know? They hittin' niggas left and right with bids
On the news I seen a family of a grandma and some kids
They tore down where she lived for sixty years and told her here goes
A voucher for some powdered milk and Kleenex for your tears
You seen them tents outside of city hall? That's where they live
A trailer in the park or cardboard box under the bridge
They closed down all the projects
And all these wicked contractors can see us makin' profit
Insurance companies fucked us up the ass, nobody stopped it;
That's why I'm yellin' fuck the world every time I let my Glock spit
My nigga, we ain't got shit
I spent the night in jail three times just cause I lost my ID
I went to pastor Raphael who said 'Son, thou shalt not kill'
And I said 'Why me?'
He told me God gonna try me
And when I left the church I heard the flashin' lights and sirens
They said "Let me see some ID"
I said 'Yeah, sure, I'll oblige thee; here, sir, that's my passport'
They threw me on the gate I said "Man why you gonna do that for?"
They said Cause you the son of slaves, your daddy was a bastard'
I couldn't take no more Jay, click clat sprrat blast blast, that's what they asked for
We laughed he said "Yeah bra, you feel what niggas come from, it's good to see your face again
Tell me what Elijah said 'bout how we came from space again? "

Timothy Elpadaro Thedford (born September 19, 1976), better known by his stage name Jay Electronica, is an American rapper and record producer. He is from New Orleans, Louisiana and currently based in London, United Kingdom.

Electronica first gained significant attention after the release of the musical composition Act Eternal Sunshine (The Pledge), which was made available on a MySpace page in 2007 and has been called a “timeless classic” by Vice Magazine. It is fifteen continuous minutes of music, without drums, built from Jon Brion’s soundtrack to the film Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind. In late 2009 he released two singles, both produced by Just Blaze, “Exhibit A” and “Exhibit C”, the latter of which won a Sucker Free Summit Award for Instant Classic. In November 2010, it was announced Jay Electronica had signed to hip hop mogul Jay Z’s Roc Nation record label.

More than a decade after his last project, What the Fuck is a Jay Electronica, and almost exactly eight years to the DAY after he reportedly finished and turned in his album, Jay Electronica finally released his debut studio album A Written Testimony on March 13, 2020. The album features Jay-Z on eight of its ten tracks, leading some to label it a collab album between the two Jays. The-Dream also makes three appearances, and even Travis Scott makes a surprising appearance on “The Blinding.”

more tracks from the album

What The F*ck Is A Jay Electronica

From the album

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