Dead Presidents II
Jay-Z Lyrics

Presidents to represent me
I want to make money and have power to represent me.

Ahh, who wanna bet us that we don't touch lettuce?
Who wants to bet that we cannot make a lot of money?

Stack cheddars forever, live treacherous, all the et ceteras
Accumulate wealth constantly and live dangerously with other things to do.

To the death of us, me and my confidants, we shine
My trustworthy friends and I will succeed until the end.

You feel the ambiance, y'all niggas just rhyme
You can feel the energy we create, while you just make rhymes.

By the ounce, dough accumulates like snow
Money grows quickly, just like snow accumulating by the ounce.

We don't just shine, we illuminate the whole show, you feel me?
We don't just stand out, we make everything around us shine and brighten up the whole scene.

Factions from the other side would love to kill me
Enemies from the opposing side want to harm me.

Spill three quarts of my blood into the street, let alone the heat
They want me dead so badly that they'll make a mess of my blood on the streets, without worrying about getting caught.

Fuck 'em, they hate a nigga lovin' his life
They can hate all they want, but they're just envious of me enjoying my life.

In all possible ways, know the Feds is buggin' my life
I know that the Federal authorities are keeping an eye on my life and activities in every way possible.

Hospital days, reflectin' when my man laid up
The time I spent in the hospital reminded me of when my friend was also injured and recovering.

On the uptown high block, he got his side sprayed up
He got shot on the block in the upper area of the city.

I saw his life slippin', this is a minor setback
I witnessed his life slipping away, but I consider it only a minor setback.

Yo, still in all we livin', just dream about the get-back
Regardless, we're still living, and we're just dreaming about the day when we get our revenge.

That made him smile, though his eyes said 'pray for me'
Even though he smiled, deep down he asked me to pray for him.

I'll do you one better and slay these niggas faithfully
I'll do you one better and kill these people who hurt us, while remaining loyal to my team.

Murder is a tough thing to digest, it's a slow process
Killing someone takes a toll on you and is not easy to forget; it's a gradual process of coping.

And I ain't got nothin' but time
I have nothing else to do but wait and deal with the consequences of my actions.

I had near brushes, not to mention
I've had close calls, not to mention anything else.

Three shots, close range, never touched me, divine intervention
Someone shot at me three times from close range but miraculously missed, it must have been fate.

Can't stop I, from drinkin' Mai-Tai's, with Ty-Ty
Nothing can stop me from enjoying a tropical drink with my friend Ty-Ty.

Down in Nevada, ha ha, poppa, word life
I'm taking a trip to Nevada, and I'm excited about it.

I dabbled in crazy weight without rap, I was crazy straight
I used to make a lot of money illegally before I was successful as a rapper and I was doing well.

Partner, I'm still spendin' money from '88, what?
I'm still spending money from 1988, can you believe it?

Yeah, know what?
Do you know what I mean?

I'll make, you and your wack mans fold like bad hands
I'll make you and your weak friends lose everything like bad poker hands.

Roll like Monopoly, advance
I'm making moves and advancing like I'm playing Monopoly.

You're coppin' me like white crystal
You're following me and my every move like a drug dealer being monitored by the police.

I gross the most at the end of the fiscal year than these niggas could wish to
I make more money than these haters could ever dream of by the end of each fiscal year.

The dead presidential candidate
The deceased presidential candidate.

With the sprinkles and the Presidential, ice that'll offend you
With his fancy appearance and exclusive ice, it would hurt your feelings.

In due time when crime flees my mind
Eventually, when I'm no longer involved in crime, I will let it go.

All sneak thieves and player haters can shine
All the petty criminals and envious people can succeed, as long as they stop hating and stealing from others.

But until then, I keep the trilliant cut diamonds shinin' brilliant
But until I stop, I'll keep shining bright with diamond jewelry that's cut superbly.

I'll tell you half the story, the rest, you fill it in
I'll tell you part of the story, and you can guess the rest.

Long as the villain win
As long as I win, I don't care if people see me as the villain.

I spend Japan Yen, attend major events
I travel and spend money everywhere, even in Japan, and attend big parties.

Catch me in the joints, convinced my iguanas is bitin'
You can catch me chilling and smoking, convinced that my pet iguanas are biting me.

J-A-Y hyphen, controllin', manipulatin'
My name is J-A-Y and I'm in control and manipulative.

I got a good life, man, pounds and pence
I have a great life, with a lot of money and success.

'Nough dollars make sense, while you ride the bench
Having enough money makes a lot of sense, while you sit on the sidelines and do nothing.

Catch me swingin' for the fence
You can find me taking big risks

Dead presidents, ya know? Uh-huh
Dead presidents, as in money, you know what I mean?

The Soviet, the Unified steady flow
My rhyme flow is steady and strong, like the Soviet Union used to be.

You already know: you light, I'm heavy, roll heavy dough
You already know that you're nothing compared to me, because I make more money and have more influence.

Mic-macheted your flow
I cut your flow and rhymes to shreds like a machete.

Your paper falls slow like confetti, mine's a steady grow, perico
Your money and success are fleeting and slow like falling confetti, whereas mine grows constantly and steadily like the drug Perico.

Pay 580 for blow, better believe I have 1160 to show
I paid $580 for cocaine, but I'm making twice as much money from selling it.

My dough flip like Tae-Kwon
My money multiplies quickly like a martial artist flipping in Tae-Kwon Do.

Jay-Z the icon, baby, you like Dom?
I'm the legendary Jay-Z, do you like me, baby? Is it like enjoying a premium brand of champagne like Dom Pérignon?

Maybe this Cristals'll change your life, huh? Roll with the winners
Maybe drinking Cristal champagne will make you feel richer and happier and you'll follow the successful people.

Heavy spinners like hit records: Roc-A-Fella
We are throwing big rims on our cars like successful hit records, since we represent Roc-A-Fella.

Don't get it corrected, this shit is perfected
Don't question it, what we do is perfected and can't be disputed.

From chips to chicks to strippin' a Lexus
From making money in many ways, to dating attractive women, to driving a luxurious Lexus, we're at the top of our game.

Naked without your gun, we takin' everything you brung
Without a weapon to protect yourself, we'll take everything you have, including what you own.

We cakin', you niggas is fakin', we gettin' it done
We're making a lot of money while you're pretending and not making anything.

Crime family, well-connected, Jay-Z
We are a group of criminals who are connected to powerful people, and Jay-Z is our leader.

And you, fake thugs is unplugged like MTV
You fake gangsters have no connections anymore, like MTV unplugging from cable networks.

I empty three, take your treasure, my pleasure
I shoot three bullets at you and take your money and possessions with pleasure.

Dead presidentials, politics as usual, blaow!
Money talks, and I'll do whatever it takes to get it, even if it's illegal. That's how politics is done. Blaow!