JAY-Z

Released: December 28, 1999

Featuring: Pain In Da Ass

Songwriter: J. Hendrix K-Rob JAY-Z

Producer: K-Rob

[Intro: Jay-Z]
Yeah, I know you just ripped the packaging off your CD
If you like me you reading the credits right now
If you in your car, I don't care if it's winter
I want you to put all your windows down
Zone out, buckle up, let's go

[Verse: Jay-Z]
Hello it's Hova; that's right young'un the wait is over
The new millennium is upon us, the album is here
Before we get into the shit, let's get a few things clear
Rappers with no relation:
There's "Seven Degrees of Separation" and I'm Kevin Bacon
This is the murderer's version
Jigga the shit, even when he rhyme in third person
Hova the God, I should be rapping with a turban
Haters can't disturb him, waiters can't serve him
Mike Jordan of rap, outside Jay working
Now watch how quickly I drop 50
I don't like playing, niggas can't stick me
Niggas can not jam me, niggas can't get me
Slimmy at the Rucker wanna leave and spend with me
I consistently take em out the park like Ken Griffey
Do you believe? It's Hova the God

[Outro: Pain In Da Ass]
Makes you think about the people in your life
Then I think about BIG; what'd he say if he was here
He'd say, "Jay, what's it about? What's life about?
If you don't go through as a man's a man"
He'd say, "Suck it up, take the fall, do the time
That's what makes you who you are, makes you what you are"
How many years you been around this thing of ours?
Commission, 125 years
What's it about?
It's about rules, parameters
You take the beating for the friend you don't lay down
You don't betray who you are, what you are
You gotta remember guys like Taj, Chill, Ran, Emory
They don't roar, they don't rap
You know why? That's the rules, you don't break them
You was born to be something I wasn't even supposed to be.. humble
Okay so you humble me now, what you got?
You got a war, you got global war
You got a worldwide crime syndicate now
There's no rules, there's no parameters, there's no feelings
There's no feelings for this game
So.. five ten years from now
You're gonna wish there was American Commission
Five ten years from now...
They're gonna miss Jay-Z
OKAY, I'M RELOADED!

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

Vol. 3… Life and Times of S. Carter

From the album

Vol. 3… Life and Times of S. Carter (1999)

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