[Notorious B.I.G. interview]

I'm just, tryin 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]

Uhh, uhh, 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-eople 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, 'til I finally got my turn

Now I'm on top in the spot that I earned



[Chorus]

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 problemo its a whole lot simple

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 CANE

This one's with the stool, with the stage, with the fortune

Maybe not the fortune, but certainly the FAME



[Chorus]

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]

Woo! It's like the blues - we gon' ride out on this one

Ta-tah, be-hah

Yo Hah, 'member you was makin them dashes

for them niggaa at radio and shit?

Clark Kent, that was good lookin 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 uhh

You had that fucked up ass handwritin

You was writin all the numbers that we was spendin now

for the videos we was doin ourselves, whattup?

Original Flavor, your accountant was crazy wrong and shit

But we we still put it together

Bigs, whassup? 'Member we went to St. Thomas and uh

But y'all my nizzle, your dog peed on homey leg and shit

at his crib - I think that was Rudy

And they was havin a lil trouble with the pool

You and Ta-tah was laughin

Emory was there, whattup Emory? What up Ta?

Hip-Hop, whattup man?

Ay, ay Hop, you ain't, you ain't have no uhh

You ain't have no muh'fuckin seat on your, on your bicycle

Now you uhh, the head of black music

That's what I'm talkin bout right there homey - G, whattup G?

Yessir, e'rybody in the Roc

Hey Guru, I know you spoiled man

I be takin them shits in one take

You gon' have to punch niggaz shit, STICK IT, you gon' be tight

OG One, 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

(B, B, B, B) 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 goin somewhere nice where no mosquitos at nigga

Holla at me - it's your boy!