Naya Rivera Lyrics

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Yeah I'm out that Brooklyn, now I'm 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 Dominicano's
Right there up on Broadway, pull me back to that McDonald's
Took it to my stash box, five sixty State Street
Catch me in the kitchen like a Simmons with them pastries

Cruisin' down eighth Street, off white Lexus
Drivin' so slow, but B.K. is from Texas
Me, I'm out that Bed-Stuy, home of that boy Biggie
Now I live on billboard and I brought my boys with me
Say whatup to Ty-Ty, still sippin' mai tai's
Sittin' courtside, Knicks and Nets give me high five
Jigga I be Spike'd out, I could trip a referee
Tell by my attitude that I'm most definitely from

New York
Concrete jungle where dreams are made of
There's nothin' you can't do
Now you're in New York (New York!)
These streets will make you feel brand new
Big lights will inspire you
Let's hear it for New York, New York, New York

Catch me at the X with O.G. at a Yankee game
Dude I made the Yankee hat more famous then a Yankee can
You should know I bleed blue, but I ain't a Crip though
But I got a gang of brothers walkin' with my clique though
Welcome to the melting pot, corners where we sellin' rock
Africa Bambata home of the hip-hop
Yellow cab, gypsy cab, dollar cab, holla back
For foreigners it ain't for they act like they forgot how to act
Eight million stories, out there in it naked
City is a pity, half of y'all won't make it
Me, I got a plug, Special Ed "I Got It Made"
If Jesus payin' Lebron, I'm payin' Dwayne Wade
Three dice Cee-lo, three card molly
Labor Day Parade, rest in peace Bob Marley
Statue of Liberty, long live the World Trade
Long live the Kingdom, I'm from the Empire State that's

New York
Concrete jungle where dreams are made of
There's nothin' you can't do
Now you're in New York
These streets will make you feel brand new
Big lights will inspire you
Let's hear it for New York, New York, New York

Lights is blinding, girls need blinders
So they can step out of bounds quick
The sidelines is, lined with casualties, who sip to life casually
Then gradually become worse, don't bite the apple leaf
Caught up in the in-crowd, now you're in style
End of the winter gets cold, en vogue, with your skin out
City of sin, it's a pity on the wind
Good girls gone bad, the city's filled with them
Mommy took a bus trip, now she got her bust out
Everybody ride her, just like a bus route
Hail Mary to the city, you're a virgin
And Jesus can't save you, life starts when the church end
Came here for school, graduated to the high life
Ball players, rap stars, addicted to the limelight
M.D.M.A. got you feelin' like a champion
The city never sleeps, better slip you an Ambien

New York
Concrete jungle where dreams are made of
There's nothin' you can't do
Now you're in New York
These streets will make you feel brand new
Big lights will inspire you
Let's hear it for New York, New York,
New York

One hand in the air for the big city
Streetlights, big dreams, all lookin' pretty
No place in the world that could compare
Put your lighters in the air
Everybody say "Yeah, Yeah, Yeah, Yeah"

New York
Concrete jungle where dreams are made of
There's nothin' you can't do
Now you're in New York
These streets will make you feel brand new

Big lights will inspire you
Let's hear it for New York, New York, New York

Overall Meaning

The opening of the song sets the scene with Jay-Z declaring he has left Brooklyn and is now in Tribeca, a wealthy neighborhood in Lower Manhattan. He also claims that he will always be true to his roots “hood forever” despite his newfound success. Jay-Z likens himself to Frank Sinatra, an iconic singer who was known as the “Chairman of the Board” and is now a legend, just like Jay-Z lives on in hip-hop history. In the first verse, he refers to his past life in Harlem where he would buy drugs from Dominican dealers, and to a place where he would stash his earnings. Jay-Z then mentions driving through Eighth Street, a well-known street in New York City. He continues on, claiming his roots in the working-class area of Bedford-Stuyvesant, Brooklyn and acknowledging the rapper Notorious B.I.G., who was also from the same neighborhood, and how he now owns a billboard in Times Square. He makes reference to going to basketball games with his friend “Ty-Ty” and gives a nod to filmmaker Spike Lee with the line “Jigga I be Spike'd out, I could trip a referee.” The chorus, sung by Alicia Keys, celebrates the city, highlighting that the bright lights of New York inspire and uplift people.

In the second verse, Jay-Z references a famous Yankees baseball hat, which he made even more famous by wearing it. He also notes that he has friends that are walking with him, his “clique,” and that his city is a melting pot that welcomes everyone, including African American musician Africa Bambaataa, who started the hip-hop movement. He further nods to the city’s diversity mentioning the different types of cabs, including dollar cabs, which are cheaper taxis that travel short distances. He also makes reference to the rapper Special Ed, noted for his 1989 hit song “I Got It Made” and compares himself to someone who can afford to pay NBA superstar LeBron James, but chooses instead to pay his teammate Dwayne Wade. Jay-Z pays homage to the famous Labor Day Parade in Brooklyn and to the legendary Bob Marley. Finally, he acknowledges the Statue of Liberty as a symbol of freedom and the World Trade Center as a symbol of commerce and power in the city.

Line by Line Meaning

Yeah I'm out that Brooklyn, now I'm down in Tribeca
I used to live in Brooklyn, but now I live in the posh neighborhood of Tribeca

Right next to Deniro, but I'll be hood forever
I'm now neighbors with Robert De Niro, but I'll always be true to my roots

I'm the new Sinatra, and since I made it here
I'm like the new Frank Sinatra, and now that I've succeeded in New York, I can succeed anywhere

I can make it anywhere, yeah they love me everywhere
I can be successful anywhere I go, and I'm widely loved

I used to cop in Harlem, all of my Dominicano's
I used to buy drugs in Harlem, from my Dominican drug dealers

Right there up on Broadway, pull me back to that McDonald's
I remember when I used to eat at McDonald's on Broadway in Harlem

Took it to my stash box, five sixty State Street
I would hide my drugs in my stash box at 560 State Street

Catch me in the kitchen like a Simmons with them pastries
You can find me in the kitchen baking like Russell Simmons with his pastry business

Cruisin' down eighth Street, off white Lexus
I'm driving slowly down 8th Street, in my off-white Lexus

Drivin' so slow, but B.K. is from Texas
I'm driving slowly, but I'm from Brooklyn and have a Texas connection

Me, I'm out that Bed-Stuy, home of that boy Biggie
I'm from Bed-Stuy, the same neighborhood that The Notorious B.I.G. was from

Now I live on billboard and I brought my boys with me
Now I'm famous and I've taken my friends with me on this journey

Say whatup to Ty-Ty, still sippin' mai tai's
Say hi to my friend Ty-Ty, who's still drinking mai tais

Sittin' courtside, Knicks and Nets give me high five
I'm sitting courtside at basketball games and the players give me high fives

Jigga I be Spike'd out, I could trip a referee
I wear a lot of Spike Lee's clothing line and I could cause a referee to trip

Tell by my attitude that I'm most definitely from
You can tell just by how I act that I'm definitely from

New York
New York City

Concrete jungle where dreams are made of
New York City is a fast-paced, competitive city where people come to make their dreams a reality

There's nothin' you can't do
Anything is possible in New York City

Now you're in New York (New York!)
Now that you're in New York City, you've made it to a place where anything is possible

These streets will make you feel brand new
These streets inspire a sense of newness and possibility

Big lights will inspire you
The bright lights of the city inspire creative energy

Let's hear it for New York, New York, New York
Cheers to New York City!

Catch me at the X with O.G. at a Yankee game
You can find me with my friend O.G. at a Yankees game in the Bronx

Dude I made the Yankee hat more famous then a Yankee can
I made the Yankee hat so famous that even Yankees players can't compete with its popularity

You should know I bleed blue, but I ain't a Crip though
I support the Yankees, who wear blue, but I'm not a member of the Crips gang

But I got a gang of brothers walkin' with my clique though
But I have a group of close friends who support me

Welcome to the melting pot, corners where we sellin' rock
Welcome to the diverse city where people sell drugs on the street corners

Africa Bambata home of the hip-hop
Africa Bambata is a famous hip-hop artist who comes from New York City

Yellow cab, gypsy cab, dollar cab, holla back
There are different kinds of cabs in New York City, but they all respond when you call them

For foreigners it ain't for they act like they forgot how to act
Some visitors to New York City forget their manners and act inappropriately

Eight million stories, out there in it naked
There are eight million people in this city, each with their own unique story, living in a city that can be tough and unforgiving

City is a pity, half of y'all won't make it
The city can be difficult and some people won't succeed or survive here

Me, I got a plug, Special Ed "I Got It Made"
I have a connection who can help me succeed, like the rapper Special Ed with his song "I Got It Made"

If Jesus payin' Lebron, I'm payin' Dwayne Wade
If God could afford to pay Lebron James, then I could afford to pay Dwayne Wade

Three dice Cee-lo, three card molly
These are two popular street gambling games in New York City

Labor Day Parade, rest in peace Bob Marley
The annual Labor Day Parade in New York City celebrates Caribbean culture, including that of Bob Marley

Statue of Liberty, long live the World Trade
The Statue of Liberty and the World Trade Center are important landmarks in New York City

Long live the Kingdom, I'm from the Empire State that's
I'm proud to be from New York, the Empire State

One hand in the air for the big city
Raising a hand in celebration of the big city, New York

Streetlights, big dreams, all lookin' pretty
The city at night is beautiful, full of lights and dreams

No place in the world that could compare
New York City is unique and incomparable to any other place in the world

Put your lighters in the air
Hold up your lighters as a show of praise and celebration

Everybody say "Yeah, Yeah, Yeah, Yeah"
Everyone should voice their approval by saying "Yeah!"

Lyrics © Kobalt Music Publishing Ltd., Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC, Warner/Chappell Music, Inc., GLOBAL TALENT MUSIC PUB INC
Written by: ALEXANDER WILLIAM SHUCKBURGH, ALICIA J AUGELLO-COOK, SHAWN C CARTER, ANGELA HUNTE, BERT KEYES, SYLVIA ROBINSON, JANETTE SEWELL

Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind

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