JAY-Z

Released: November 4, 1997

Featuring: Gwen Dickey

Songwriter: Trackmasters Billie Rae Calvin JAY-Z

Producer: Trackmasters

[Chorus: Gwen Dickey]
I'm wishing on a star to follow where you are
I'm wishing on a dream to follow what it means

[Intro: Jay-Z]
Uh-huh uh, yeah
I remember y'all niggas
Used to slap box y'all niggas
And smack y'all up, y'all used to see stars
We play corners (?) shit

[Verse 1: Jay-Z]
Check it out, you can catch me on top now, playin' a club
Throwin' a shot down, tryin' to stay above
Ground, another round-breakin' day in the club
Surrounded by my own thoughts, playin' a cut
Reminiscin' on days I ain't have a pot to piss in
No watch to glisten, no V's with hot systems
Missin' my homies that passed right in front of my eyes
Due to the fast life we told wonderful lies
On how we would live forever, time proved us wrong
Had to get our shit together and move it along
Had dreams of being Big niggas, Jig niggas
Drivin' the hottest cars, movin' out with our moms and I'm

[Chorus: Gwen Dickey]
Wishing on a star to follow where you are
I'm wishing on a dream to follow what it means

[Verse 2: Jay-Z]
Thoughts interrupted by this chicken that I used to cluck with
Back in the days when I was movin' much shit, "What up chick?"
Maintainin', it's the same old thang
A little stress, a little bullshit, ain't too much changed
I see you kept it movin', you see I kept improvin'
She nodded her head in agreement
Remember when I used to walk up and down the cement, puttin' it down
Knew the 'Streets was Watching', stay hooded down
Just to earn a rep, but what good is it now?
She said, "Damn, I just stopped to say hi.... bye"
I was too deep for you from day one
That's why we never had relations, continued in my own zone

[Chorus: Gwen Dickey (Jay-Z)]
I'm wishing on a star to follow where you are
I'm wishing on a dream to follow what it means
And I wish on all the rainbows that I see
I wish on all the people who really dream
And I'm wishing on tomorrow praying it will come
And I'm wishing on all the loving we've ever done (uh-huh)

[Verse 3: Jay-Z]
We used to play tap-tap for rap tracks
Run, catch, and kiss in the back park until it got dark
Wanted to be like the older males, sneak and drink older champ-ale
Dangerous games we played on the third rail
Fiend for the summer breeze, hopped out the Lee's Dungarees
Into the Hawaiian shorts, relyin' on sports
To take us away from here, but I cut too much
So I had a plan B, used to rhyme with a brush
In the mirror, my siblings used to back me up
Like Doug E. Fresh and Ricky D., Eric, Mickey and Me
All my niggas is you with me, each of y'all
Let's reach for the stars now... Jigga!

[Chorus: Gwen Dickey]
I'm wishing on a star to follow where you are
I'm wishing on a dream to follow what it means
And I wish on all the rainbows that I see
I wish on all the people we ever greeted
And I'm hoping on all the days to come and days to go
And I'm hoping on days of loving you so
I'm wishing on a star to follow where you are
I'm wishing on a star, baby
And I wish on all the rainbows that I see
I'm wishing on a star to follow where you are
I'm wishing on a star, whoa-oh
And I wish on all the rainbows that I see
Wishing on a star, yes I am
To follow where you are, whoa-oh
Wishing on a star, oh baby, I'm
Wishing on a star to follow where you are, ohh-I'm
Wishing on a star, baby, to follow where you might be
Wishing on a star to follow where you are, ohh-I'm
Wishing on a star, 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.

more tracks from the album

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From the albums

In My Lifetime, Vol. 1 (1997)
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