The Queens native built his reputation with street-level mixtapes and quickly became one of the city's leading DJs, graced with the latest tracks by the biggest names. Popular New York hip-hop station Hot 97 brought him aboard for a while in the late '90s alongside fellow DJ heavyweight Funkmaster Flex. The air time furthered his reputation, and Jay-Z in turn invited him to join forces with Roc-a-Fella, which released Clue?'s major-label debut, The Professional (1997). The album featured primarily exclusive tracks, each boasting one of New York's top rappers, everyone from Nas and Mobb Deep to DMX and Ja Rule.
A second volume followed in 2000, and in the meantime Clue? toured with Roc-a-Fella in support of Jay-Z's Hard Knock Life album as documented on Backstage (2000). He then parted ways with Roc-a-Fella and embarked on his own path, establishing Desert Storm Records and debuting Fabolous in 2001. Years later, once Jay-Z ascended to the position of president of Def Jam, Clue? recorded The Professional, Pt. 3 (2006).
Jay-Z Freestyle
DJ Clue Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
I burn like Left Eye Lisa Lopez
Burn slow like blunts of hydro
Jigga Man, BK shit, why'all know
Jigga Man, ya heard? the fugitive...
Allow me to spit on this Clue shit
Allow me to thank the people for all of their support, and your prayers
D.A. act like a nigga starvin' for Jay
If they lock me in a cage, fuck it, party away
I'm still hot, I'm still S dot ya'll
Still got Millions buried in the sock drawer
Still holdin' my own on the corner nigga
What can't kill me can only make me stronger nigga
And when I get back home
Get your ass up out the throne
It's just goin' back to the way shit was
I'ma stay hot no matter what my shit does
I could drop a straight dud, I'ma stay up
Niggas tryin' to break my will
You know that ain't my steel
I'm Destiny's Child, my fate's been sealed
You're dealin' with a higher power
I'm like Dwight Eisenhower
My life can move a thousand miles and hour
Reflect me folks
As my world turns like the wheels on a bicycle spoke
It's much deeper than a soap, it's a constant drama series
All they see is money, they want me to blind the jury
All this bullshit can make the mind weary
But my theory is the sun shines clearly
(The Sun will shine clearly!)
Now everybody want to rhyme like Hov'
'Cause I rhyme like I be rhymin' in the Rov'
Climbin' in them hoes
My minds like the diamonds, I'll blind you at them shows
I don't shine, I glow
I remind you of that dough
Don't I? Murder niggas won't I?
My persona, hustler turned rapper, smell the crack aroma
Send shots like toma! in any language
Leave niggas in a coma when I'm bangin' that Fifth
Get chicks lit off Coronas and bamboo spliffs
And get the camcorder to camcord their hand movements
And for what? ya'll actin' like ya'll better than Hov'
Ya'll niggas should open up for the Letterman show
Niggas is funny
All I do is get money and ya'll niggas sound funny to me
Everybody's rappin' like they better than Hov'
But that's shit's real funny to me
I'm at the forefront of this rap shit, truth is truth
Look around at all the platinum, proof is proof
Listen to how niggas is rappin', that's do to who?
But I'ma let niggas live 'cause it's beautiful
Live niggas...
Jigga Man ya heard? Clue...Duro...
In these lyrics from DJ Clue?'s song "Jay-Z Freestyle," Jay-Z boasts about his talent and success in the rap industry. He starts by saying that both old school and new school rappers should know who he is, and then compares himself to the late Lisa "Left Eye" Lopez, who was known for her fiery personality. He says that he moves slowly like the smoke from a blunt and describes himself as the "Jigga Man" representing Brooklyn. Jay-Z goes on to thank his supporters and criticize those who have judged him unfairly in the past.
Jay-Z then shifts the focus to his current situation and the challenges he faces, using the metaphor of being locked in a cage. He asserts that he is still popular and wealthy, and that he will continue to be successful regardless of his circumstances. He compares himself to the former president Dwight Eisenhower and says that his life moves at a breakneck pace. In the final verses, Jay-Z explains that he is one of the most influential rappers of all time and that others imitate his style. Despite this, he does not feel threatened by other rappers who think they are better than him.
Overall, these lyrics showcase Jay-Z's confidence in his abilities and his determination to succeed in spite of obstacles. He is proud of his accomplishments and recognizes his influence in the world of rap music.
Line by Line Meaning
Old school, new school need to know this
I'm a legendary rapper and everyone needs to know that
I burn like Left Eye Lisa Lopez
I'm hot and I'm a force to be reckoned with, like the late Lisa Lopez
Burn slow like blunts of hydro
I take it slow and steady like the high from a blunt of hydro weed
Jigga Man, BK shit, why'all know
I'm Jay-Z from Brooklyn, everyone knows that already
Jigga Man, ya heard? the fugitive...
Call me Jigga Man, I'm a fugitive trying to make it in the rap game
Allow me to spit on this Clue shit
Let me rap over this DJ Clue beat
Allow me to thank the people for all of their support, and your prayers
Shoutout to my fans and thank you for supporting me and praying for me
And all the people that prejudge me, fuck you, suck my dick...
To everyone who judges me before they know me, I don't care about your opinion
D.A. act like a nigga starvin' for Jay
The District Attorney is obsessively trying to bring me down
If they lock me in a cage, fuck it, party away
Even if I'm locked up, I'll still have a good time
I'm still hot, I'm still S dot ya'll
I'm still popular and successful, still Jay-Z
Still got Millions buried in the sock drawer
I still have a ton of money even tucked away in my sock drawer
Still holdin' my own on the corner nigga
I'm still holding my own in the rap game
What can't kill me can only make me stronger nigga
The more I'm challenged, the stronger I become
And when I get back home
When I'm back in Brooklyn
Get your ass up out the throne
Get out of my way, I'm the king here
It's just goin' back to the way shit was
Things are just going back to how they used to be
I'ma stay hot no matter what my shit does
I'll always be successful no matter what happens to my music career
I could drop a straight dud, I'ma stay up
Even if I make a bad album, I'll still be successful
Niggas tryin' to break my will
People are trying to bring me down
You know that ain't my steel
That's not my style
I'm Destiny's Child, my fate's been sealed
My destiny is already predetermined
You're dealin' with a higher power
You're dealing with someone with a lot of influence and power
I'm like Dwight Eisenhower
I'm like a powerful leader or strategist
My life can move a thousand miles and hour
My life moves very quickly and is always busy
Reflect me folks
Look at me and see what I'm about
As my world turns like the wheels on a bicycle spoke
As my life keeps moving
It's much deeper than a soap, it's a constant drama series
My life is not just surface-level, it's always dramatic and intense
All they see is money, they want me to blind the jury
People only care about my money and want me to influence the jury in my favor
All this bullshit can make the mind weary
All this drama and stress can be exhausting
But my theory is the sun shines clearly
But my belief is that everything will eventually be okay
(The Sun will shine clearly!)
(Everything will be okay!)
Now everybody want to rhyme like Hov'
Now everyone wants to rap like me
'Cause I rhyme like I be rhymin' in the Rov'
Because my lyrics are smooth and effortless, like when I'm driving my Range Rover
Climbin' in them hoes
I'm climbing up the charts and making hits
My minds like the diamonds, I'll blind you at them shows
My mind is sharp like a diamond, and my performances will leave you dazzled
I don't shine, I glow
I don't just shine, I radiate confidence
I remind you of that dough
I remind you of the money I've made
Don't I? Murder niggas won't I?
Don't I remind you of my success? Won't I kill the competition?
My persona, hustler turned rapper, smell the crack aroma
My image is a hustler turned rapper, and I've still got that gritty street flavor
Send shots like toma! in any language
I can take shots at anyone, in any language
Leave niggas in a coma when I'm bangin' that Fifth
When I'm shooting my gun, I leave people knocked out and hurt
Get chicks lit off Coronas and bamboo spliffs
I can get women drunk on Corona beer and high on bamboo spliffs
And get the camcorder to camcord their hand movements
And I'll take videos of them doing whatever I want
And for what? ya'll actin' like ya'll better than Hov'
And for what? Acting like you're better than me?
Ya'll niggas should open up for the Letterman show
You guys don't even compare to me, you should open up for a talk show host
Niggas is funny
People are acting funny towards me
All I do is get money and ya'll niggas sound funny to me
All I care about is making money, and your rapping sounds funny to me
Everybody's rappin' like they better than Hov'
Everyone thinks they're better than me when they rap
But that's shit's real funny to me
But that's pretty funny to me
I'm at the forefront of this rap shit, truth is truth
I'm one of the biggest and most influential rappers in the game, and that's just the truth
Look around at all the platinum, proof is proof
My sales speak for themselves, and it's proof of my success
Listen to how niggas is rappin', that's do to who?
Listen to how rappers are rhyming now, who do you think influenced them?
But I'ma let niggas live 'cause it's beautiful
But I'll let other rappers have their moment, because it's beautiful to see the rap game thriving
Live niggas...
Shoutout to all the real, living rappers out there
Jigga Man ya heard? Clue...Duro...
I'm Jay-Z, and DJ Clue and Duro are backing me up
Lyrics © Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC, Warner/Chappell Music, Inc.
Written by: SEAN COMBS, CHRISTOPHER WALLACE, ERNESTO SHAW, SHAWN CARTER, HERB MAGIDSON, NASHIEM SA-ALLAH MYRICK, ALLIE WRUBEL
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind