Released: September 29, 1998

Featuring: Too $hort

Songwriter: Ernie Isley JAY-Z Too $hort J-Runnah O’Kelly Isley Rudolph Isley Marvin Isley Ronald Isley Chris Jasper

Producer: J-Runnah

[Intro: Jay-Z & Too $hort]
Uh-huh
That's right
It was all good just a week ago
Uh-huh-uh, it was all good just a week ago
Last week I had everything
Uh, uh-huh-uh, had this all good just a week ago
I had the money.. had the cars, the bitches
Uh-huh, yeah, it was all good just a week ago
And the jewelry..
And then my motherfuckin' niggas started snitchin'
Uh-huh, uh uh, yo, yo
Beatch!

[Verse 1: Jay-Z]
Growin' up in the hood, just my dog and me
We used to hustle in the hood for all to see
Problems; I called on him, he called on me
We wasn't quite partners, I hit him off my P
Let him unlock doors off my keys
Yeah, we spoke, much more than cordially
Man, he broke bread with me, my business spread swiftly
The Feds came to get me, we both fled quickly
Wasn't quick enough to jump over the hedges with me
Got caught, and that's when our relationship strayed
Used to call me from the joint 'til he ran out of change
And when he called collect and I heard his name
I quickly accepted, but when I reached the phone
He's talkin' reckless, I can sense deceit in his tone
I said: "Damn, dog! What, nine weeks and you're home?"
He said: "Main man, you think shit's sweet 'cause you're home."
I just sat, spat no more speech in the phone
Them crackers up there bleachin' your dome, you're reachin'
I said: "The world don't stop, I got to keep..keep on."
From there I sensed the beef was on
I ran to the spy store to add some more features on my phone
To see if I had bugs and leeches on my phone
Can't be too safe, ‘cause niggas is two-faced
And they show the other side, when they catch a new case
It's on

[Chorus: Too $hort + Jay-Z]
It was cool when you had hella weed to smoke
And you bought a new home where you could keep the folks
I don't see how this side of you could be provoked
Uh-huh, uh-huh, it was all good just a week ago
Funny what seven days can change
A stand up nigga, now you sit down to aim
Used to have a firm grip, now you dropping names
It was all good just a week ago

[Verse 2: Jay-Z]
Like I put the toast to your head and made you sell
We both came in this game, blind as hell
I did a little better, had more clientele
Told you put away some cheddar, now you cryin' for bail
Seventeen and I'm holdin' on to around a mill'
I could bail out, blow trial and come around on appeal
Had niggas thinkin' I was from uptown for real
I had so much hustle, plus I was down to ill
Like a Brooklyn nigga, straight out of Brownsville
Down and dirty, down to fight to round 30
Freezin' on them corners, still holdin' my crack
Lookin' up and down the block, the fuck is the dough at?
Came from flat broke to lettin' the dough stack
You tell them Feds I said: "I'm never going back"
I'm from Marcy, and Marcy don't raise no rats
You know the consequences of your acts, you can't be serious

[Chorus: Too $hort + Jay-Z]
It was cool when you had hella weed to smoke
And you bought a new home where you could keep the folks
I don't see how this side of you could be provoked
Uh-huh, uh-huh, it was all good just a week ago
Funny what seven days can change
A stand up nigga, now you sit down to aim
Used to have a firm grip, now you dropping names
It was all good just a week ago

[Verse 3: Jay-Z]
The lawyer I retained you said you leakin' some things
All this after a week in the bing
I'm mad at myself, 'cause I didn't spot the weakling
I would've bet the house you wouldn't speak a thing
Nigga, this was the oath, to the top or broke
Even pricked our finger, anything that got between us
We supposed to cock the ninas, what happened to that?
Instead you copped out to a misdemeanor
Fuck it, the same thing make you laugh make you cry (that's right)
The same game that make you math could make you die
(That's life) It's a dice game, and sometimes you crap
Who would've thought you'd get popped one time and rat?
Now you know that's bad when your sister is mad
And your son gotta grow up, like, "This is my dad?"
The labeling of a snitch is a lifetime scar
You'll always be in jail, nigga, just minus the bars

[Chorus: Too $hort + Jay-Z]
It was cool when you had hella weed to smoke
And you bought a new home where you could keep the folks
I don't see how this side of you could be provoked
Uh-huh, uh-huh, it was all good just a week ago
Funny what seven days can change
A stand up nigga, now you sit down to aim
Used to have a firm grip, now you dropping names
It was all good just a week ago

[Outro: Too $hort]
Shit is crazy man
All these niggas out here snitchin'
We was one step away from takin' this crack money
And recyclin' it through the ghettos
And buildin' back up our own hoods
Now all you niggas start snitchin' on each other
I got partners doin' 15-20
Wouldn'ta been doin' SHIT
If you didn't snitch, beatch!
It's about time y'all check that shit out man
It ain't all good, shut your mouth
Just watch the game
And don't snitch
We'd sure go a lot whole further
Believe that baby
Jay-Z, Short Dawg's in the house mane
You know I got it
Got it goin' on
We got the money
Ain't got nuthin' to do with crime baby
But I'm recognizin'

[Jay-Z]
You rat bastard!

JAY-Z

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.