Can you hear me now?  Good!  (Blueprint 2 baby!)

The best of times, it was the worst of times (aoww)

It's "The Gift & the Curse"



[Chorus: Jay-Z]

R.O.C. YEAH, number one click HERE

If you represent US, throw them diamonds up YEAH

Now let's be CLEAR, I ain't goin no-WHERE

Now that you KNOW, holla at your boy

HOV'.. (Hov', Hov', Hov')

(Hov', Hov', Hov', Hov')



[overlapping first Chorus]

Yeah, Roc-A-Fella Records

You know what diamond is

We ain't goin nowhere, put your diamonds up



[Jay-Z]

Standin in my b-boy stance

Free, Beans, Memphis where you at nigga?

(Right here) Snatch Cam and it's a rap

This here rap belong to us, nobody strong as us, it's a fact

Hold up I'm just warmin up, gimme a second to get it back

Young Chris, Neek what?  Oschino and Sparks

Next summer's yo' summer, tear this motherfucker up

Young is eternal, my young'uns'll burn you

"The Blueprint" birthed, nigga I earthed you, you can't be serious

Young cause I'm thirty-two, dressed like I'm twenty-two

Flow like a 18, do what I wanna do

Goin on my 8th ring, got Phil Jackson's and

flow is black magic, I'm at it again

Rose Bowl with black karats, "Horse & Carriage" to spend

like Mason Betha, chasin this cheddar, to the end

of the road because the end I'm told is nearer than we know

What can I say but live for today, HOV'!



[Chorus]



[Jay-Z]

Yeah, "The Blueprint 2" homey, follow the moves

You put on two tube socks, you couldn't walk in my shoes

I was dealt a bad hand, fuck what else could I do

but keep somethin up my sleeve that'll help me through

But can you believe, everywhere I'm at, models come through

Cat-fightin, cat-walkin, it happens often

It's true how society don't want me to move

into the penthouse building with spectacular views

They're like uhh, "He's a menace he could never be a tenant"

I'm like ooh, what's a young nigga to do?

I bring the brothers to the building give a feeling that I don't

give a fuck we just chillin watchin chandelier ceilings high as fuck

Old lady, don't blow my high

'specially if you don't know my life, don't make me bring

Sharpton in it cause I'm dark-skinneded or

dude with the 'fro and the Rainbow Coalition, I'ma

victim of a single parent household, born in a mousehole

Mousetrap, niggaz wanna know

How so, how Jay get up out that, here, yeah

I snatched purses I per-se-vered, yeah

I had work, fiends purchased, it was clear

I was out there sellin hope for despair, but stop there

I swear, I only make good from my mouth to God's ears

Had to get out the hood

And I can't justify genocide

But I was born in the city where the skinny niggaz die

Born in the city where the skinny niggaz ride

And as a skinny nigga I had beef with high size



[Chorus]