Jay Z is the newer, correct spelling of Jay-Z. According to a Pitchfork art… Read Full Bio ↴Jay Z is the newer, correct spelling of Jay-Z. According to a Pitchfork article, "Jay-Z is shedding some baggage in his post-Magna Carta Holy Grail life. According to Billboard editor Joe Levy, "Jay Z has dropped the hyphen from his name, according to his label." Billboard has since dropped the hyphen from articles mentioning Jay, SPIN points out. Jay's website is billed as "JAY Z's Life+Times". And "JAY Z" is how his music is listed on iTunes."

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JAY Z Lyrics

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Turn my music high, high, high, higher
(You don't know what you're doing, doing, doing)
Sure I do

I'm from the streets where the hood could swallow 'em and
Bullets'll follow 'em and
There's so much coke that you could run the slalom
And cops comb the shit top to bottom

They say that we are prone to violence, but it's home sweet home
Where personalities clash and chrome meets chrome
The coke prices up and down like it's Wall Street, holmes
But this is worse than the Dow Jones, your brains are now blown
All over that brown Brougham, one slip, you are now gone
Welcome to Hell, where you are welcome to sell
But when them shells come, you better return 'em
All scars, we earn 'em
All cars, we learn 'em like the back of our hand
We watch for cops hopping out the back of vans
Wear a G on my chest, I don't need Dapper Dan
This ain't a sewn outfit, holmes, holmes is about it
Was clapping them flamers before I became famous
For playing me, y'all shall forever remain nameless (you don't know)

I am Hov (what you're doing, doing, doing)
Sure I do

I tell you the difference between me and them
They're trying to get their ones, I'm trying to get them Ms
One million, two million, three million, four
In just five years, forty million more
You are now looking at the forty million boy
I'm raping Def Jam 'til I'm the hundred million man

R-O-C (you don't know what you're doing, doing, doing)
That's where you're wrong

I came into this motherfucker hundred grand strong
Nine to be exact, from grinding G-packs
Put this shit in motion, ain't no rewinding me back
Could make forty off a brick, but one rhyme could beat that
And if somebody woulda told 'em that Hov would sell clothing
Not in this lifetime, wasn't in my right mind
That's another difference that's between me and them, ha
I smarten up, open the market up
One million, two million, three million, four
In eighteen months, eighty million more
Now add that number up with the one I said before
You are now looking at one smart black boy
Mama ain't raised no fool
Put me anywhere on God's green earth
I'll triple my worth, motherfucker

I will not lose (you don't know what you're doing, doing, doing)
Put something on it

I sell ice in the winter, I sell fire in Hell
I am a hustler, baby, I'll sell water to a well
I was born to get cake, move on and switch states
Cop the coupe with the roof gone and switch plates
Was born to dictate, never follow orders, dick face
Get your shit straight, fucker, this is Big Jay

I, hahaha (you don't know what you're doing, doing, doing)

Will not lose, ever
Fucker

Overall Meaning

In Jay-Z's song U Don't Know, he talks about his background, where he comes from and how he became successful in the music industry. He mentions his childhood neighborhood, which is plagued with violence and drugs. Jay-Z boldly flaunts his wealth and success throughout the song and emphasizes his entrepreneurial spirit. He also explains that he has no interest in Dapper Dan's clothing line but rather, he's more focused on making money. Jay-Z talks about his success with Roc-A-Fella Records and Def Jam Recordings, which allowed him to become a millionaire over time.

Jay-Z refers to himself as a hustler, meaning that he has always had a knack for making money. He also brags about his intelligence and ability to think on his feet as an entrepreneur, which allows him to remain successful in the industry. Throughout the song, Jay-Z emphasizes the idea that he will not lose, and he will not stop hustling. His gritty, no-nonsense approach to life is evident through his lyrics and is what has contributed to his success in music and beyond.

Line by Line Meaning

Turn my music high, high, high, high-er
I want my music to be extra loud to block out the realities of the streets.

I'm from the streets where the Hood could swallow a man, bullets'll follow a man
I come from the type of neighborhood where people disappear and gunshots are a normal occurrence.

There's so much coke that you could run the slalom And cops comb the shit top to bottom
Drugs are everywhere, so abundant that it's almost an obstacle course, and the police are constantly searching for them.

They say that we are prone to violence, but it's home sweet home Where personalities crash and chrome meets chrome
People say that we're violent, but this is our home and sometimes fights break out, leading to cars colliding.

The coke prices up and down like it's Wall Street homes But this is worse than the Dow Jones your brains are now blown All over that brown Brougham, one slip you are now gone
Cocaine prices fluctuate like the stock market, but the consequences of messing up are far worse - death.

Welcome to hell where you are welcome to sell But when them shells come you better return 'em
Selling drugs is okay in this community but if bullets start flying, you better shoot back.

All scars we earn 'em, all cars we learn 'em like the back of our hand We watch for cops hopping out the back of van Wear a G on my chest, I don't need Dapper Dan This ain't a sewn outfit homes, homes is about it Was clapping them flamers before I became famous
We all learn from our mistakes, especially with cars but we're also always scanning the area for police - I'm proud of where I'm from, I don't need designer clothes - way before I was famous, I was already firing weapons.

For playing me y'all shall forever remain nameless I am Hov'
Those who underestimated me in the past will be forgotten and I am now the great rapper JAY Z.

Sure I do, I tell you the difference between me and them They trying to get they ones, I'm tryin' to get them M's One million, two million, three million, four In just five years, forty million more You are now looking at the forty million boy I'm rapping Def Jam 'til I'm the hundred million man R., O., C.
I want more wealth than just a million, I want tens of millions - I've already made it to forty million and I will continue rapping for the billion-dollar dream.

I came into this motherfucker a hundred grand strong Nine to be exact, from grinding G-packs Put this shit in motion ain't no rewinding me back Could make 40 off a brick but one rhyme could beat that
I started from the bottom but hustling (selling drugs) helped me reach the top - I can never go back, I only grow stronger - I can earn more money with one successful rap than selling a whole brick of cocaine.

And if somebody would of told 'em that Hov' would sell clothing Heh, not in this lifetime, wasn't in my right mind That's another difference that's between me and them Heh, I'm smarten up, open the market up One million, two million, three million, four In eighteen months, eighty million more Now add that number up with the one I said before You are now looking at one smart black boy Momma ain't raised no fool
Nobody ever would have guessed that I would sell clothing since it wasn't something I saw myself doing but it's all about being smart in business - I didn't settle on just music, I diversified my portfolio - and my smart moves have made me tens of millions of dollars more in just a year and a half - and all of this success comes from being intelligent, not naively falling into traps.

Put me anywhere on God's green earth, I'll triple my worth
I am a hustler, I have the ability to make money no matter where I go or what I do, I am unstoppable.

I sell ice in the winter, I sell fire in hell I am a hustler baby, I'll sell water to a well I was born to get cake, move on and switch states Cop the Coupe with the roof gone and switch plates Was born to dictate, never follow orders Dickface, get your shit straight, fucker this is Big Jay
I can sell anything to anyone, no matter how good or bad the situation is - I was always born to make money, so making moves and changing locations has always been easy - I am a leader, not a follower, so don't try to tell me what to do; I do what I want and I will always be successful.

Will, not, lose, ever, fucker!
I will not be defeated, ever - nobody can stop me.

Lyrics © BMG Rights Management, Royalty Network, Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC, Broma 16, Peermusic Publishing, Warner Chappell Music, Inc.
Written by: Bobby Byrd, Shawn Carter

Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind

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