JAY-Z

Released: November 21, 2006

Featuring: Pain In Da Ass

Songwriter: B-Money JAY-Z

Producer: B-Money

[Intro: Pain In Da Ass]
You know, you've got this fantasy in yo' head about
Gettin' outta the life and settin the corporate world on its ear
What the fuck you gonna do except hustle?
Besides pimpin', you really ain't got the stomach for that

[Verse: Jay-Z]
The game's fucked up
Nigga's beats is bangin', nigga, your hooks did it
Your lyrics didn't—your gangsta look did it
So I would write it if y'all could get it
Bein' intricate'll get you wood, critic
On the internet, they like "You should spit it"
I'm like "You should buy it, nigga that's good business"
Forget this rap shit, I need a new hustle
A little bit of everything, the new improved Russell
I say that reluctantly 'cause I do struggle
As you see I can't leave so I do love you
But I'm just a hustler disguised as a rapper
In fact you can't fit this hustle inside of a wrapper
Back when crack was
What these pills are, I was a real star
Complete with real cars, no video ones
You can come and set up a camera, let the video run
And my real life, complete with real ice
VVS boulders all invisibly set
Head and shoulders, my invisible neck
You see Hova wasn't digital yet
Befo' Steve Jobs made the iPod
Was getting head jobs, we call that interneck
Back when rappers wouldn't dare play lyrical roulette
With a automatic weapon I was rappin' with a TEC
Fresh like Mannie be, chain like anti-freeze
Shoebox full of cash, dealer man hand me keys
Pantries full of Arm & Hammer, don't take Nancy Drew to see
What it do, I'm a damn G
Just sent a million dollars through a hands free
That's big money talk, can you answer me?
Before the answer was a 3
I was down in Georgetown with a Hoya chick, lawyer chick
Sure he's rich now 'cause he saw the shit, all this shit
That's why they call him Hov, 'cause he came before all this shit
Bought a 6, quarter seven, skipped on them quarter eights
Bought a 9 for non-stop Glock work all the time
Woo! Guess who's back?
Since this is a New Era, got a fresh new hat
Ten year veteran, I've been set
I've been through with this bullshit game but I never can
I used to think rappin' at 38 was ill
But last year alone I grossed 38 mill'
I know I ain't quite 38 but still
The flow so Special got a .38 feel
The real is back, hehehehe

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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