JAY-Z

Released: September 8, 2009

Featuring: Luke Steele

Songwriter: No I.D. Kanye West F. Mercier K. Randolph JAY-Z

Producer: No I.D. Kanye West

[Produced by Kanye West and No I.D.]

[Intro: Jay-Z]
Blueprint, trois
Yeah, yeah

[Verse 1: Jay-Z]
What we talkin' 'bout? Real shit or we talkin' 'bout rhymes?
You talkin' 'bout millions or you talkin' 'bout mine?
What we talkin' 'bout? 'Cause I ain't got time
For what people be talkin' 'bout all the time
What we talkin' 'bout? Fiction or we talkin' 'bout fact?
You talkin' 'bout fiction? Hold up, pardon my back
I'm talkin' 'bout life (Life, life)
And all I hear is, "Oh yeah, he keeps talkin' 'bout crack"
I ain't talkin' 'bout profit, I'm talkin' 'bout pain
I'm talkin' 'bout despair, I'm talkin' 'bout shame
I ain't talkin' 'bout gossip, I ain't talkin' 'bout Game
I ain't talkin' 'bout Jimmy, I ain't talkin' 'bout Dame
I'm talkin' 'bout real shit, them people playin'
What is you talkin' 'bout? I don't know what y'all sayin'
People keep talkin' 'bout, "Hov, take it back!"
I'm doin' better than before, why would I do that?
Ain't nothin' cool 'bout carryin' a strap
'Bout worryin' your moms and buryin' your best cat
I'm talkin' 'bout revenge while carryin' his casket
All teary-eyed, 'bout to take it to a mattress
I'm talkin' 'bout music, I ain't talkin' 'bout rap
You talkin' 'bout who's hot, I ain't talkin' 'bout that
The conversation is changed, let's yap about that
I don't run rap no more, I run the map

[Chorus: Luke Steele & Jay-Z]
They talk, we live
We see what they say, they say, they say
I see what y'all talkin' about, ha ha
They talk, we did
Who cares what they say, they say, they say?

[Verse 2: Jay-Z]
Chyeah, still they can't focus on them, they be talkin' 'bout me
Talkin' 'bout what I wear, talkin' 'bout where I be
Yeah, check out my hair, these ain't curls, these is peas
Peasey head still get paid, I'm combin' through G's
Please, we ain't focused on naps
'Cause I don't run rap no more, I run the map
A small part of the reason the President is black
I told him I got him when he hit me on the jack
Talkin' 'bout progress, I ain't lookin' back
You know I run track, try not to get lapped
People keep talkin' 'bout Hov left 'em flat
Tryna rewrite history, let's talk about facts
Dame made millions, even Jaz made some scraps
He could've made more but he ain't sign his contract
As far as street guys, we was dealin' crack
That's just how the game goes, I don't owe nobody jack
Grown men, want me to sit 'em on my lap
But I don't have a beard and Santa Claus ain't black
I repeat, you can't sit on my lap
I don't have a beard, now get off my sack—scream at me!

[Chorus: Luke Steele & Jay-Z]
They talk, we live
We see what they say, they say, they say
They talk, we did
Who cares what they say, they say, they say?
Blueprint 3

[Verse 3: Jay-Z]
And now that that's that, let's talk about the future
We have just seen the dream as predicted by Martin Luther
Now you could choose to sit in front of your computer
Posin' with guns, shootin' YouTube up
Or you could come with me to the White House, get your suit up
You stuck on being hardcore, I chuck the deuce up
Peace out Medusa
Welcome to the Blue-ah-Print-ah tre-piece, Jay-Z your tutor
Tooter of my own horn, beep beep, moo ya
Rass clot when rude boy come through with the roof up
So I could see the sky
'Cause everybody talkin' Hov, I think we know why

[Chorus: Luke Steele]
They talk, we live
We see what they say, they say, they say
They talk, we did
Who cares what they say, they say, they say?

[Outro: Luke Steele]
They say
They say

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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