The Story of O.J.
JAY-Z Lyrics

Skin is, skin, is
All skin is fundamentally the same.

Skin black, my skin is black
My skin is black, just like many others'.

My, black, my skin is yellow
It doesn't matter what color my skin is, I'm still black.

Light nigga, dark nigga, faux nigga, real nigga
No matter how light or dark, fake or genuine a black person is, they're still black.

Rich nigga, poor nigga, house nigga, field nigga
Regardless of economic status or job occupation, a black person is still black.

Still nigga, still nigga
No matter what, I'm still black.

O.J. like, "I'm not black, I'm O.J."
O.J. Simpson tried to distance himself from his blackness and be seen as something else.

Okay
But that's not really how it works.

House nigga, don't fuck with me
Even if I lived in the big house, I wouldn't forget where I came from or turn my back on other black people.

I'm a field nigga with shined cutlery
I may work in the fields, but I still have dignity and class.

Gold-plated quarters where the butlers be
I may have some wealth but that doesn't mean I'm not still seen as a lesser person to white people.

I'mma play the corners where the hustlers be
I'll take my chances in the rougher parts of town where other black people are just trying to make a living.

I told him, "Please don't die over the neighborhood
I want black people to think bigger than just their immediate surroundings and not risk their lives over a small patch of land.

That your momma rentin'
Don't let your mother's financial situation hold you down.

Take your drug money and buy the neighborhood
Invest in the community that you grew up in.

That's how you rinse it"
That's how you clean up your money and make it work for you.

I bought every V12 engine
I was reckless with my money at first, buying expensive cars.

Wish I could take it back to the beginnin'
I regret not being smarter with my finances earlier.

I coulda bought a place in Dumbo before it was Dumbo
I had a chance to invest in a real estate opportunity before it became trendy, but I missed it.

For like two million
It was only worth a couple million at the time.

That same building today is worth twenty-five million
The value of the property increased drastically over time.

Guess how I'm feelin'? Dumbo
I feel regret for not investing when I had the chance.

You wanna know what's more important than throwin' away money at a strip club? Credit
Having good credit is more important than spending frivolously.

You ever wonder why Jewish people own all the property in America? This how they did it
Jewish people were smart about investing in real estate and built their wealth that way.

Financial freedom my only hope
I want to be financially free and not burdened by debt or poverty.

Fuck livin' rich and dyin' broke
I don't want to live extravagantly and then lose everything.

I bought some artwork for one million
I invest in assets that have the potential to appreciate in value.

Two years later, that shit worth two million
The value of the artwork went up in a short amount of time.

Few years later, that shit worth eight million
The artwork continued to gain value over time.

I can't wait to give this shit to my children
I'm building generational wealth so that my kids will have a better future.

Y'all think it's bougie, I'm like, it's fine
Some people may criticize me for being high class, but I'm not ashamed of it.

But I'm tryin' to give you a million dollars worth of game for nine ninety-nine
I'm sharing my knowledge and experience with others so that they can benefit from it.

I turned that two to a four, four to an eight
I keep doubling my investments and building wealth exponentially.

I turned my life into a nice first week release date, mm
I turned my life into a success story that people admire.

Y'all out here still takin' advances, huh?
Some people are still taking small amounts of money upfront instead of investing in their future.

Me and my niggas takin' real chances, uh
I and my friends are taking big risks and investing wisely.

Y'all on the 'gram holdin' money to your ear
Some people are pretending to be wealthy on social media instead of actually being successful.

There's a disconnect, we don't call that money over here, yeah
We don't associate our wealth with material objects or flaunt it on social media.