JAY-Z

Released: November 6, 2007

Songwriter: Curtis Mayfield Just Blaze JAY-Z

Producer: Just Blaze

[Intro]
And you say New York City
Uh-huh
Put your hands together
Young!
Uh-huh
Yeah, uh-huh
Yes! (Yes!)

[Verse 1]
I'm from the '80s
Home of the her-on
Era of the hustlers, uh
The world is my custies
New Rich Porter
The way I flip quarters
Front on all these other rap artists, but me
Momma was a mink wearer, papa ran numbers
So it's plain to see where my whole plan come from
American dream, I'm living the life still
Way I shine is like a zillion dollar light bill
Still I'm grinding, army jacket lining
40 below Timbs on, getting my M's on
My best friend's gone
I seen bad days, still find songs that I hear him on
Getting my Mary J. Blige Reminisce on
I hear his voice in my mind like, nigga live on
So I get on that fly shit I been on
Spin on corners in Enzo with rims on
But for info, puffing on Endo-Nesia
Give me amnesia
I ease up, that right, I'm high nigga
I want the sky
The world when I'm done
I'm give it to my sons
Let 'em live it up, split it up, switch it up, uh
Sixes kit it up, man I did it up, done
The rest of my belongings belong in the hall of fame
A list of hits next to all my names
I came

[Bridge]
(Woo!) uh-huh (geah)
I want the sky baby
I want the sky baby

[Verse 2]
If the sky should fall
And it all goes tomorrow and they foreclose on the house
And auction off all my cars
Don't cry for me Argentina, I mobbed the Beamer
Took trips abroad, got mobbed in Sardinia
In Ibiza, I had pizza in the club
Ladies know I'm that guy, they wanna piece of my love
Now they wanna do your boy like Mike in his prime
Billie Jean, the goddamn boy ain't mine
And the Roc break up, had the people losing hope
Can't lie, they had Muhammad Hovi on the ropes
Now I'm back in the go mode, back in the go-go's
Throwing the diamond up, repping the logo
Rose gold, Rosé flow, I'm okay though
What don't kill me makes stronger than before so
Here we go and I'm not Domino
When it all falls down, I'm like Kanye's jaw
I might break but I don't fold, 'til I hold the sky in my hand
Yeah, that's my goal
And then I bid you Freddy Adu
Prodigal Child, y'all not ready for the fu-ture, ture
Then I disappear in the Bermuda Triangle
My name will be viewed as such
Here's to the man who refused to give up
I want the sky nigga, chuuurch

[Outro]
I want the sky baby
I want the sky baby

Having sold over 100 million records worldwide, and holding the solo artist record of 14 Billboard 200 #1 albums, Shawn “JAY-Z” Carter is possibly the most talented, accomplished and respected rapper of all-time. He has released 13 studio albums and five collaborative albums over his 30-year career.

Three of his albums, Reasonable Doubt, The Blueprint, and The Black Album, are considered landmarks in the genre, with all of them featured in Rolling Stone’s list of the 500 greatest albums of all time. Hov has won 21 Grammy Awards from sixty-four nominations, making him the 10th most awarded artist of all-time.

Legendary for never writing down his lyrics, JAY-Z’s flow is considered one of the greatest to grace the genre, his wordplay and metaphorical ability is unmatched, and his live shows push the envelope of what it means to be a hip hop artist. His MTV Unplugged appearance introduced the idea of having a full band (The Roots) backing up a hip hop artist at major concerts, and during his 2004 documentary Fade to Black he doubled down, selling out Madison Square Garden (in mere minutes) while featuring an enormous live band performance.

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