JAY-Z

Released: June 25, 1996

Featuring: Memphis Bleek

Songwriter: K-Rob The 24-Carat Black Memphis Bleek JAY-Z

Producer: K-Rob

[Produced by K Rob]

[Intro: Jay-Z]
Yeah, is y'all niggas finished, yo?
Is y'all niggas finished?
Got your little radio play, your little BDS, huh
You finished nigga? Huh huh, y'all finished
Can I live, huh
Can I live, yo, you're being stingy with the fucking music again yo

[Verse 1: Jay-Z]
Yo, yo... yo I blacks out, I pulls the MAC out
Scream "what's that about?", then I clap out
I get my plot on and my drop on, through the rotten
Don't even hate on those who hate me, I got Pac on
Feeling it (feeling it), chickens are ice grilling it
Cops pulling it over, Jigga react militant
Speed off, officer told me turn the beat off
I turned it a level higher, then return the devil's fire
I'm raised different, react in situations niggas lay stiff in
Rookies blame it on the age difference
My subliminal flows, create criminal odes
Sing along if y'all with me, 'til the end of the road
I'm cynical, when in the view of the public
And this is because, I'm defensive when I'm in interviews
The percentage who don't understand, is higher than the percentage who do
Check yourself, what percentage is you?

[Refrain: Jay-Z]
Can I live, for all my niggas with all white Air Force Ones
And black guns, stack ones yo
Can I live, for all my chicks pigeon-toed
Stand bowlegged like a bulldog, know what I mean, huh?
Can I live, to all the cee-lo champs
Two green dice and one red stop the bank and roll, heads, yo
Can I live, to all my niggas who drink Hennessy straight
Cop mixtapes and sell weight, niggas

[Verse 2: Jay-Z]
I got the Feds sending me letters, 'cause I'm schooling the youth
But they can't lock me down, 'cause my tool is the truth
Yeah I sold drugs for a living, that's a given
Why is it? Why don't y'all try to visit the neighborhoods, I live in?
My mind been through hell, my neighborhood is crime central
Where cops lock you up more than try to defend you
I push you to the limit when I'm needing the wealth
And all I see is life cycle just repeating itself
Ran into shorty bopping down the ave
On his way to clocking math then
He proceeded to show me a block of slab and said

[Verse 3: Memphis Bleek]
Ayo there's money out there I just got to have
When I catch up to these fiends I'ma knock 'em on they ass
Not to brag, sometimes I look at my life and laugh
How I think about school and it taught me not to grab
When I backed out, let one out, let the barrel turn
Holla at you faggots that it's my block to burn
That credit you dead it
I know heads getting annoyed and knew all
About a dope fiend before reading Donald Goines
Flipping boy and, using the right cut
One thing that's fucked up is bad dope that I can't pump
This slab gotta re-up and re-bag
Blend it in with the raw, bubble it fast cop more
Once I get it I got it I lock it, nobody pop shit
Selling twenties on my block, bitch, on some blacktop shit
What you want nigga? What you want nigga?
What you want, what you want nigga?

[Outro: Jay-Z]
Can I live...
To all my niggas that hold coke in they bubble coat
Trying to win with the construction Timbs yo
Can I live...
Yo USA, all my chicks that strip
Boos go to the store with the doobie pins still in
All my chicks with the credit card scams
Two kids, one job, and no man
All my chicks getting that washing set with their welfare check
Haha, all the mamis dame un beso, alright
All my niggas rocking them fitted caps
Trying to get at this rap, know what I mean
All my cats with open cases, big cars, and no license
I like that shit, I see y'all
All my niggas that say pause after they say some fucked up shit Hahahahaha, rock on and uh, Jigga shit, Roc-A-Fella forever yo
Uhh, Major Coins, yeah, uh-huh
Memph Bleek nigga, uh-huh uh

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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