Released: February 20, 1996

Songwriter: Pete Rock Lonnie Liston Smith Nas Ski Beatz JAY-Z

Producer: Ski Beatz

[Produced by Ski Beatz]

[Chorus: Nas]
Presidents to represent me (Get money!)
I'm out for presidents to represent me (Get money!)
I'm out for presidents to represent me (Get money!)
I'm out for dead fuckin' presidents to represent me (Whose-)

[Intro: Jay-Z]
Rock on, Roc-A-Fella y'all
The saga continues (What the fuck?)

[Verse 1: Jay-Z]
Ahh, who wanna bet us that we don't touch lettuce?
Stack cheddars forever, live treacherous, all the et ceteras
To the death of us, me and my confidants, we shine
You feel the ambiance, y'all niggas just rhyme
By the ounce, dough accumulates like snow
We don't just shine, we illuminate the whole show, you feel me?
Factions from the other side would love to kill me
Spill three quarts of my blood into the street, let alone the heat
Fuck 'em, they hate a nigga lovin' his life
In all possible ways, know the Feds is buggin' my life
Hospital days, reflectin' when my man laid up
On the uptown high block, he got his side sprayed up
I saw his life slippin', this is a minor setback
Yo, still in all we livin', just dream about the get-back
That made him smile, though his eyes said "pray for me"
I'll do you one better and slay these niggas faithfully
Murder is a tough thing to digest, it's a slow process
And I ain't got nothin' but time
I had near brushes, not to mention
Three shots, close range, never touched me, divine intervention
Can't stop I, from drinkin' Mai-Tai's, with Ty-Ty
Down in Nevada, haha, poppa, word life
I dabbled in crazy weight without rap, I was crazy straight
Partner, I'm still spendin' money from '88, what?

[Chorus: Nas]
Presidents to represent me (Get money!)
I'm out for presidents to represent me (Get money!)
I'm out for presidents to represent me (Get money!)
I'm out for dead fuckin' presidents to represent me (Whose-)

[Verse 2: Jay-Z]
Geyeah, know what?
I'll make, you and your wack mans fold like bad hands
Roll like Monopoly, advance
You're coppin' me like white crystal
I gross the most at the end of the fiscal year than these niggas can wish to
The dead presidential candidate
With the sprinkles and the Presidential, ice that'll offend you
In due time when crime flees my mind
All sneak thieves and player haters can shine
But until then, I keep the trilliant cut diamonds shinin' brilliant
I'll tell you half the story; the rest, you fill it in
Long as the villain win
I spend Japan yen, attend major events
Catch me in the joints, convinced my iguanas is bitin'
J-A-Y hyphen, controllin', manipulatin'
I got a good life, man, pounds and pence
'Nough dollars make sense, while you ride the bench
Catch me swingin' for the fence
Dead presidents, ya know? Uh-huh

[Bridge: Nas]
Dead fuckin' presidents to represent me (Whose-)
Dead fuckin' presidents to represent me (Whose-)

[Chorus: Nas]
I'm out for presidents to represent me (Get money!)
I'm out for presidents to represent me (Get money!)
I'm out for presidents to represent me (Get money!)
I'm out for dead fuckin' presidents to represent me (Whose-)

[Verse 3: Jay-Z]
Haha, yeah (Haha) yeah, so be it
The Soviet, the Unified steady flow
You already know: you light, I'm heavy, roll heavy dough
Mic-macheted your flow
Your paper falls slow like confetti, mine's a steady grow, perico
Pay 580 for blow, better believe I have 1160 to show
My dough flip like Tae-Kwon
Jay-Z the icon, baby, you like Dom?
Maybe this Cristals'll change your life, huh? Roll with the winners
Heavy spinners like hit records: Roc-A-Fella
Don't get it corrected, this shit is perfected
From chips to chicks to strippin' a Lexus
Naked without your gun, we takin' everything you brung
We cakin', you niggas is fakin', we gettin' it done
Crime family, well-connected, Jay-Z
And you, fake thugs is unplugged like MTV
I empty three, take your treasure, my pleasure
Dead presidentials, politics as usual—BLAOW!

[Bridge: Nas]
Dead fuckin' presidents to represent me (Whose-)
Dead fuckin' presidents to represent me (Whose-)
Dead fuckin' presidents to represent me (Whose-)
Dead fuckin' presidents to represent me (Whose-)

[Chorus: Nas]
I'm out for presidents to represent me (Get money!)
I'm out for presidents to represent me (Get money!)
I'm out for presidents to represent me (Get money!)
I'm out for presidents to represent me (Get money!)
I'm out for presidents to represent me (Get money!)
I'm out for presidents to represent me (Get money!)
I'm out for presidents to represent me (Get money!)
I'm out for dead fuckin' presidents to represent me (Whose-)

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.