(Intro: Notorious B.I.G. interview)
Well I'm basically trying to stay above water y'know
Just stay busy, stay workin
Puff told me like, the key to this joint
The key to staying, on top of things
Is treat everything like it's your first project, knahmsayin?
Like it's your first day like back when you was an intern
Like, that's how you try to treat things like, just stay hungry
(Verse One: Jay-Z)
Uh, uh, yes, yes
Y'all wanna know, why he don't stop
Y'all wanna know, why he don't flop
Let me tell you pe-peeople why
Came from the bottom of the block I
When I was born, it was sworn, I was never gon' be shit
Had to pull the opposite out this bitch
Had to get my ri-ide on
Eyes on the prize, Shawn knew I had to
Had to had to get these chips
Had to make moves like Olajuwon
Started out sellin dimes and nicks
Graduated to a brick
No exaggeration, my infatuation with the strip
Legendary like a schoolboy
Crushin merely nearly every every chick
Heavy shit - that's how schoolboy got whipped
And got left on some "Just +Me, Myself and I+"
On some Trugoy shit
Had your boys threw place up, to a place of no return
Had to play with fire and get burned
Only way the boy ever gon' learn
Had to lay way in the cut, till I finally got my turn
Now I'm on top in the spot that I earned
It's my life - it's my pain and my struggle
The song that I sing to you it's my ev-ery-thing
Treat my first like my last, and my last like my first
And my thirst is the same as - when I came
It's my joy and my tears and the laughter it brings to me
It's my ev-ery-thing
(Verse Two: Jay-Z)
Like I never rode in a limo
Like I just dropped flows to a demo
Like it's ninety-two again and
And I got O's in the rental
Back in the Stu' again, no prob' living was a whole lot simpler
When you think back, you thought that
You would never make it this far, then you
Take advantage of the luck you handed
Or the talent, you been given
Ain't no, half steppin, ain't no, no slippin
Ain't no different from a block that's hidden
Gotta get it while the getting's good
Gotta strike while the iron's hot, 'fore you stop
Then you gotta bid it, good riddance
Goodbye, this is my second major breakup
My first was, with a pager
With a hooptie, a cookpot, and the GAME
This one's with the stool, with the stage, with the fortune
Maybe not the fortune, but certainly the FAME
It's my life - my pain and my struggle
The song that I sing to you it's my ev-ery-thing
Treat my first like my last, and my last like my first
And my thirst is the same as - when I came
It's my joy and my tears and my laughter it brings to me
It's my ev-ery-thing
Treat my first like my last, and my last like my first
And my thirst like the first song I sang
(Outro: Jay-Z speaking w/ Jay-Z ad-libs)
Woo! It's like the blues - we gon' ride out on this one
(Ty-Ty, Bee-High)
Yo High, 'member you was making them dashes
For them niggaa at radio and shit?
(Clark Kent), that was good looking out nigga
(Carlene) who ever thought we'd make it this far homey?
(Sha) They can't stop us, knahmsayin? (Lenny S)
Dame whattup? (Robbin the bank)
Niggaz thought we was crazy man, 'member uh
You had that fucked up ass handwritin
You was writin all the numbers that we was spendin now
For the videos we was doing ourselves,
(Ski whattup? Original Flavor now), your accountant was crazy wrong and shit
But we we still put it together
Bigs, whassup? 'Member we went to St. Thomas and uh
(John Manilli), your dog peed on homey leg and shit
At his crib - I think that was Rudy
And they was having a lil trouble with the pool
You and Ty-ty was laughing
Emory was there, whattup Emory? What up Ty?
Hip-Hop, whattup man?
Ay, ay Hop, you ain't, you ain't have no uh
You ain't have no muh'fucking seat on your, on your bicycle
Now you uh, the head of black music
That's what I'm talking bout right there homey - (G, whattup G?)
Yessir, (e'rybody in the Roc)
Hey Guru, I know you spoiled man
I be taking them shits in one take
You gon' have to punch niggaz shit, (STICK IT), you gon' be tight
OG Juan, whattup?
I'm a little upset that you wasn't involved in this whole process
But it's all good - (whassup Dash?)
My whole family, my nephew, cousin Angie, whassup? Te-Tee
(Bey, Bey, Bey, Bey) Mom, you made the album, how crazy is that?
Bob Allah, rest in peace
My pops, rest in peace (Sup A.J.?)
Biggie Smalls, rest in peace
Uh-uh, uh-uh, uh-uh, uh-uh
Nigga, I'm bout to go golfin man
Ay, I might even have me a cappuccino, fuck it!
I'm going somewhere nice where no mosquitos at nigga
Holla at me - it's your boy!
