Released: September 11, 2001

Songwriter: Michael Price David Walsh Kanye West JAY-Z

Producer: Kanye West

[Verse 1: JAY-Z]
First the Fat Boys break up—now every day I wake up;
Somebody got a problem with Hov
What's up? You niggas all fed up ‘cause I got a little cheddar
And my record's movin' out the store?
Young fucks spittin' at me, young rappers gettin' at me
My nigga Big predicted this shit exactly
"Mo' Money, Mo' Problems" – gotta move carefully
‘Cause faggots hate when you gettin' money like athletes
Youngins ice-grillin' me — oh, you not feelin' me?
Fine, it cost you nothin', pay me no mind
Look, I'm on my grind, cousin, ain't got time for frontin'
Sensitive thugs, y'all all need hugs
Damn, little mans, I'm just tryin' do me
If the record's two mil I'm just tryin' move three
Get a couple of chicks, get 'em to try to do E
Hopefully they'll ménage before I reach my garage
I don't want much, fuck, I drove every car
Some nice cooked food, some nice clean drawers
Bird-ass niggas, I don't mean to ruffle y'all
I know you waitin' in the wing, but I'm doin' my thing
Where's the love?

[Hook: Bobby Bland + JAY-Z]
Ain't no love in the heart of the city
I said, where's the love?
Ain't no love in the heart of town

[Verse 2: JAY-Z]
And then the Fugees gonna break up
Now everyday I wake up, somebody got somethin' to say
What's all the fuckin' fussin' for?
Because I'm grubbin' more and I pack heat like I'm the oven door?
Niggas pray and pray on my downfall
But every time I hit the ground I bounce up like roundball
Now, I don't wanna have to kill soundboys
Don't wanna have to cock back the four pound bar
Look, scrapper, I got nephews to look after
I'm not lookin' at you dudes, I'm lookin' past ya
I thought I told you characters I'm not a rapper
Can I live? I told you in '96 that I came to take this shit
And I did handle my biz, I scramble like Randall with his
Cunningham, but the only thing runnin' is numbers, fam
Jigga held you down six summers, damn, where's the love?

[Hook: Bobby Bland + JAY-Z]
Ain't no love in the heart of the city
I said, where's the love?
Ain't no love in the heart of town

[Verse 3: JAY-Z]
Fuck; then Richard Pryor gon' and burn up
And Ike and Tina Turner break up
Then I wake up to more bullshit
You knew me before records, you never disrespected me
Now that I'm successful you'll pull this shit
Nigga, I'll step on your porch, step to your boss
Let's end the speculation, I'm talkin' to all of y'all
Males shouldn't be jealous, that's a female trait
What, you mad ‘cause you push dimes and he sell weight?
Y'all don't know my expenses, I gotta buy bigger plates
Hehehe, and more baggies — why you all aggie?
Nigga, respect the game, that should be it
What you eat don't make me shit; where's the love?
Where's the love?

[Hook: Bobby Bland + JAY-Z]
Ain't no love in the heart of the city
I said, where's the love?
Ain't no love in the heart of town

[Produced by Kanye West]

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.