Alicia Keys
Alicia Keys & Jay-Z - Empire State of Mind lyrics
About this lyric:
Empire State of Mind by Jay-Z feat Alicia Keys, Music Lyrics and Video
Empire State of Mind is the third single by hip hop rapper Jay-Z, from his eleventh studio album, The Blueprint 3. The song was produced by Shux and co-produced by Janet "Jnay" Sewell-Ulepic & Angela Hunte.
The record features the dynamic vocals of R&B-soul singer Alicia Keys, complimented with some choice words on life perspectives from Jay himself. Some of his best collaborative work to date with vocalists.
It's the city's image personified by Jay's words, which manage to tap the core of those still wearing Timbs because, deep down, everyone wants to reach the level of opulence that Jay has... he just beat us there & seemingly left us behind. Yet, he reminds that he's still connected to the city that never sleeps by going back & describing the life that lives there day and night.
Jay-Z and Alicia Keys performed the song live at MTV Video Awards 2009.
The music video was was directed by Hype Williams and was filmed on October 1, 2009, in Harlem, Times Square and around Ground Zero of New York City.
You can listen the song here, this is the official video.
Yeah, Yeah, Imma up at Brooklyn, now Im down in Tribeca, right next to DeNiro, But i’ll be hood forever, I’m the new Sinatra, and since i made it here, i can make it anywhere, yeah they love me everywhere, i used to cop in Harlem, all of my dominicanos right there up on broadway, brought me back to that McDonalds, took it to my stash spot, 5-60 State street, catch me in the kitchen like a Simmons whipping Pastry, cruising down 8th street, off white lexus, driving so slow but BK is from Texas, me I’m up at Bed Stuy, home of that boy Biggie, now i live on billboard, and i brought my boys with me, say wat up to Ty Ty, still sipping Mai-tai sitting courtside Knicks and Nets give me high fives, N-gga i be Spiked out, i can trip a referee, tell by my attitude that I most definitely from… In New York, Concrete jungle where dreams are made of, Theres nothing you can’t do, Now you’re in New York, these streets will make you feel brand new, Big lights will inspire you, lets hear it for New York, New York, New York I made you hot n-gga, Catch me at the X with OG at a Yankee game, sh-t i made the yankee hat more famous than a yankee can, you should know I bleed Blue, but I aint a crip tho, but i got a gang of n-ggas walking with my clique though, welcome to the melting pot, corners where we selling rocks, afrika bambaataa sh-t, home of the hip hop, yellow cab, gypsy cab, dollar cab, holla back, for foreigners it aint fitted they forgot how to act, 8 million stories out there and their naked, cities is a pity half of y’all won’t make it, me i gotta plug Special Ed and i got it made, If Jeezy’s payin LeBron, I’m paying Dwayne Wade, 3 dice cee-lo 3 card Monte, labor day parade, rest in peace Bob Marley, Statue of Liberty, long live the World trade, long live the king yo, I’m from the empire state thats… Welcome to the bright light.. Lights is blinding, girls need blinders so they can step out of bounds quick, the side lines is blind with casualties, who sipping life casually, then gradually become worse, don’t bite the apple Eve, caught up in the in crowd, now your in-style, and in the winter gets cold en vogue with your skin out, the city of sin is a pity on a whim, good girls gone bad, the cities filled with them, Mami took a bus trip and now she got her bust out, everybody ride her, just like a bus route, Hail Mary to the city your a Virgin, and Jesus can’t save you life starts when the church ends, came here for school, graduated to the high life, ball players, rap stars, addicted to the limelight, MDMA got you feeling like a champion, the city never sleeps better slip you a Ambien One hand in the air for the big city, Street lights, big dreams all looking pretty, no place in the World that can compare, Put your lighters in the air, everybody say yeaaahh come on, come, yeah,