JAY-Z

Released: September 11, 2001

Songwriter: Bink! Phil Hurtt Bunny Sigler JAY-Z

Producer: Bink!

[Produced by Bink!]

[Intro]
Uh-huh uhh, uhh, uh-uhh
Uh-huh uhh, uhh, uhh
Wooo! Wooo! Wooo! Wooo!
I, am, back, niggas
Ha ha ha ha ha.. uh-oh, uh-oh - wooo!
Ladies and gentlemen -- H, to the Izzo
I wanna thank everybody out there for they purchase
I surely appreciate it - woo!
What you about to witness is my thoughts
Just my thoughts, man—right or wrong
Just what I was feelin' at the time, uhh
You ever felt like this, vibe with me
Walk with a nigga, man, just vibe with me

[Verse 1]
Yo, gather round hustlers—that's if you still livin'
And get on down to that ol' Jig rhythm
Here's a couple of jewels to help you get through your bid in prison
A ribbon in the sky, keep your head high
I, Young 'Vito, voice of the young people
Mouthpiece for hustlers - I'm back, motherfuckers
Your reign on the top was shorter than leprechauns
Y'all can't fuck with Hov', what type of X y'all on?
I got great lawyers for cops so dress warm
Charges don't stick to dude, he's Teflon
I'm too sexy for jail like I'm Right Said Fred
I'm not guilty, now gimme back my bread
Mr. District Attorney, I'm not sure if they told you
I'm on TV every day, where the fuck could I go to?
Plus - Hov' don't run, Hov' stand and fight
Hov' a soldier, Hov' been fightin' all his life so
What could you do to me? It's not new to me
Sue me? Fuck you, what's a couple dollars to me?
But you will respect me, simple as that
Or I got no problem goin' back
I'm representin' for the seat where Rosa Parks sat
Where Malcolm X was shot, where Martin Luther was popped
So off we go, let the trumpets blow
And hold on, because the driver of the mission is a pro
The ruler's back

[Interlude]
Uhh, uh-huh uhh uhh
I, am, BACK, niggas - woo! woo! woo! woo!
Yeah, yeah, yeah
Turn the motherfuckin' music up
The ruler's back
I, am, back, niggas
Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah
Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah

[Verse 2]
Well, in these times—well, at least to me
There's a lot of rappers out there tryin' to sound like Jay-Z
I'll help you out, here's what you do
You gonna need a wide lens 'cause that's a VER' big shoe
And you got a couple of beans and you don't have a clue?
Your situation is bleek, I'ma keep it real 'cause
Fuckin' with me, you gotta drop a mill'
'Cause if you gonna cop somethin' you gotta cop for real
Don't only talk it, walk like it - from the bricks to the booth
I could predict the future like Cleo the psychic
You can't date skee-os and wife it
And you can't sell me bullshit, we know the prices
So what your life is?
We gon' roll 'til the wheels fall off - y'all muh'fuckers check the tires
Off we go, let the trumpets blow
And hold on, because the driver of that Bentley is a pro

[Interlude]
The ruler's back
Uhh, uhh
I, am, back, niggas
Feels good! Ha
Pah, holla at me!
The ruler's back
Yeah.. whoo!
Yeah.. yeah.. yeah..

[Outro]
Now bounce, c'mon, bounce
Uhh, woo! Woo!
Bounce, c'mon, bounce
Uhh, uhh, yeah, yeah
Bounce, c'mon, bounce
Uhh, yeah, just my thoughts ladies and gentlemen
Just what I'm feelin' at the time, you know what I mean?
You naa'mean?

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

The Blueprint

From the albums

The Blueprint (2001)
NBA 2K14 Soundtrack (2013)

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