The track was released as the second single from Watch the Throne on July 20, 2011. The song peaked at number 12 on the US Billboard Hot 100 and reached position 2 on both the Billboard Hot Rap Songs and Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs charts. The song has since been certified 2Ă platinum for sales exceeding 2,000,000. The song received a music video directed by Spike Jonze in August 2011. The video primarily shows West and Jay-Z modifying a Maybach luxury car and then driving around in it with no doors or windows, while four girls are smiling in the backseat. The music video also features comedian Aziz Ansari. After its release, the video was met with positive reception. The cover art was designed by Italian fashion designer Riccardo Tisci.
Jay and West performed the song at all the stops on their 2011 Watch the Throne Tour. It was also performed at the 2011 MTV Video Music Awards and at the 2012 Radio 1's Big Weekend musical festival. At the 54th Grammy Awards in 2012, "Otis" was nominated for a Grammy Award for Best Rap Song and won a Grammy for Best Rap Performance.
Otis
Jay-Z Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
You won't regret it, no, no
Some girls, they don't forget it
Love is their own happiness, yeah
Sq-sq-sq-squeeze her (sounds so soulful, don't you agree?)
Don't tease her
Never leave her
Poppin' bottles, puttin' supermodels in the cab, proof
I guess I got my swagger back, truth
New watch alert, Hublots
Or the big face Rollie, I got two of those
Arm out the window, through the city I maneuver slow
Cock back, snap back
See my cut through the holes
Damn, Yeezy and Hov
Where the hell ya been?
Niggas talkin' real reckless, stuntmen
I adopted these niggas, Phillip Drummond 'em
Now I'm bout to make them tuck they whole summer in
They say I'm crazy, well, I'm 'bout to go dumb again
They ain't see me 'cause I pulled up in my other Benz
Last week I was in my other other Benz
Throw your diamonds up 'cause we in this bitch another 'gain
Photoshoot fresh, looking like wealth
I'm 'bout to call the paparazzi on myself
Uh, live from the Mercer
Run up on Yeezy the wrong way, I might murk ya
Flee in the G450, I might surface
Political refugee, asylum can be purchased
Uh, everything's for sale, I got five passports
I'm never going to jail
I made "Jesus Walks" I'm never going to Hell
Couture level flow, it's never going on sale
Luxury rap, the Hermès of verses
Sophisticated ignorance, write my curses in cursive
I get it custom, you a customer
You ain't 'customed to going through customs
You ain't been nowhere, huh?
And all the ladies in the house, got 'em showing off
I'm done, I hit ya up maĂąana
Welcome to Havana
Smoking Cubanos with Castro in cabanas
Viva Mexico, Cubano
Dominicano, all the plugs that I know
Driving Benzes, with' no benefits
Not bad, huh? For some immigrants
Build your fences, we diggin' tunnels
Can't you see? We gettin' money up under you
Can't you see the private jets flyin' over you?
Maybach bumper sticker read "What would Hova do?"
Jay is chillin', 'Ye is chillin'
What more can I say? We killin' 'em
Hold up, before we end this campaign
As you can see, we done bodied the damn lames
Lord, please let them accept the things they can't change
And pray that all of their pain be champagne
The lyrics to the song "Otis" by Jay-Z and Kanye West are complex and layered, with multiple meanings woven through the verses of the song. The chorus features the repeated phrase "it makes it easier, easier to bear," which likely refers to the power of music to lift people's mood and ease their pain. The next lines, "you won't regret it, no, no, some girls they don't forget it, love is their own happiness," suggest that the love of a good woman can be a source of comfort and joy, and that men who treat their women well can always be remembered fondly.
The rest of the song is a braggadocious back-and-forth between Jay-Z and Kanye West, with both rappers boasting about their wealth, status, and influence. Kanye declares that he "invented swag," while Jay riffs on his own past accomplishments and the fact that people are always trying to copy his style. The song is filled with references to luxury brands like Hublot and Hermès, and with boasts about private jets, expensive cars, and glamorous vacations.
Overall, "Otis" is a song about the power of art and music to help people escape their troubles and find joy in the world. It's also a song about the pleasures of success and the satisfaction of achieving one's goals, even while acknowledging the hardships and pain that can come along with that success.
Line by Line Meaning
It makes it easier, easier to bear
Love makes life easier to go through
You won't regret it, no, no
Love is not something one can regret
Some girls, they don't forget it
Girls are known for remembering moments of love
Love is their own happiness, yeah
Girls find happiness in love
Sq-sq-sq-squeeze her (sounds so soulful, don't you agree?)
Embrace and appreciate love
Don't tease her
Don't tease your loved one
Never leave her
Always hold on to your love
I invented swag
I created my own style
Poppin' bottles, puttin' supermodels in the cab, proof
I'm living a lavish life
I guess I got my swagger back, truth
I got my confidence back
New watch alert, Hublots
I got a new Hublot watch
Or the big face Rollie, I got two of those
I have two Rolex watches
Arm out the window, through the city I maneuver slow
Driving slowly with my arm out the window
Cock back, snap back
Preparing for a snapback cap to be snapped back into place
See my cut through the holes
Showing off a diamond-encrusted watch
Damn, Yeezy and Hov
Wow, Kanye West and Jay-Z
Where the hell ya been?
Where have you guys been?
N****s talkin' real reckless, stuntmen
People are being disrespectful
I adopted these n****s, Phillip Drummond 'em
I took them under my wing like Mr. Drummond in Different Strokes
Now I'm bout to make them tuck they whole summer in
I am going to teach them a lesson they won't forget
They say I'm crazy, well, I'm 'bout to go dumb again
They think I'm crazy, but I'm going all out again
They ain't see me 'cause I pulled up in my other Benz
They didn't see me because I'm in a different Mercedes-Benz
Last week I was in my other other Benz
Last week I was driving yet another Mercedes-Benz
Throw your diamonds up 'cause we in this bitch another 'gain
Celebrating our success with diamond gestures
Photoshoot fresh, looking like wealth
Looking wealthy at a photoshoot
I'm 'bout to call the paparazzi on myself
Going to call the press to show off my wealth
Uh, live from the Mercer
Live from the Mercer Hotel in New York City
Run up on Yeezy the wrong way, I might murk ya
Don't mess with me or there will be consequences
Flee in the G450, I might surface
Fly away in a Gulfstream G450 if necessary
Political refugee, asylum can be purchased
I am wealthy enough to buy asylum if needed
Uh, everything's for sale, I got five passports
I am rich enough to buy anything I want, including five passports
I'm never going to jail
I would never go to jail because of my wealth
I made "Jesus Walks" I'm never going to Hell
My song "Jesus Walks" is so good, it'll get me into heaven
Couture level flow, it's never going on sale
My style is so high-end, it's never going to be available to everyone
Luxury rap, the Hermès of verses
My raps are like luxury goods, the Hermès of verses
Sophisticated ignorance, write my curses in cursive
I am eloquently ignorant and write curse words in cursive
I get it custom, you a customer
I get everything done custom, while you are a simple customer
You ain't 'customed to going through customs
You're not used to going through customs because you're not wealthy like me
You ain't been nowhere, huh?
You haven't been to many places, have you?
And all the ladies in the house, got 'em showing off
All the ladies here are showing off
I'm done, I hit ya up maĂąana
I'm done for now, I'll talk to you tomorrow
Welcome to Havana
Welcome to Havana, Cuba
Smoking Cubanos with Castro in cabanas
Smoking Cuban cigars with Fidel Castro in his villa
Viva Mexico, Cubano
Long live Mexico and Cuban cigars
Dominicano, all the plugs that I know
Dominican Republic, all of my connections there
Driving Benzes, with' no benefits
Driving Mercedes-Benz cars without any perks
Not bad, huh? For some immigrants
Not bad for some immigrants
Build your fences, we diggin' tunnels
You build walls, but we find ways to get through them
Can't you see? We gettin' money up under you
We are getting rich even though you think you are better than us
Can't you see the private jets flyin' over you?
Private jets are flying over you while I'm on one of them
Maybach bumper sticker read "What would Hova do?"
My Maybach car's bumper sticker says "What would Jay-Z do?"
Jay is chillin', 'Ye is chillin'
Jay-Z and Kanye West are cool and relaxed
What more can I say? We killin' 'em
What else can I say? We're killing it
Hold up, before we end this campaign
Wait a second, before we finish this effort
As you can see, we done bodied the damn lames
As you can see, we have defeated those who doubted us
Lord, please let them accept the things they can't change
Please help them accept things they cannot change
And pray that all of their pain be champagne
And hope that their tears will turn into tears of joy
Lyrics Š BMG Rights Management, Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC, Kobalt Music Publishing Ltd., Warner Chappell Music, Inc., THIRD SIDE MUSIC INC
Written by: James Campbell, Reg Connelly, Harry Woods, James Brown, Shawn Carter, Roy C Hammond, Joseph Maloy Roach, Kirk S Robinson, Kanye West
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
@claaws
[Verse 1: JAY-Z]
Uh, I invented swagâ¨Poppin' bottles, puttin' supermodels in the cabâ¨Proofâ¨I guess I got my swagger back, truth
New watch alert: Hublotsâ¨Or the big face Rollie, I got two of thoseâ¨Arm out the window through the city, I maneuver slow
Cock back, snap back, see my cut through the holes
[Verse 2: Kanye West]
Damn, Yeezy and Hov, where the hell you been?
Niggas talking real reckless; stuntmen
I adopted these niggas, Phillip Drummond them
Now Iâm 'bout to make them tuck their whole summer in
They say Iâm crazy, but Iâm 'bout to go dumb again
They ain't seen me 'cause I pulled up in my other Benzâ¨Last week I was in my other other Benz
Throw your diamonds up 'cause we in this bitch another âgain
[Verse 3: JAY-Z]
Photo shoot fresh, looking like wealth
I'm 'bout to call the paparazzi on myself
Uh, live from the Mercer
Run up on Yeezy the wrong way, I might murk ya
Flee in the G450, I might surface
Political refugee, asylum can be purchased
Uh, everything's for sale
I got five passports, I'm never going to jail
[Verse 4: Kanye West]
I made Jesus Walks, I'm never going to hell
Couture level flow is never going on sale
Luxury rap, the Hermès of verses
Sophisticated ignorance, write my curses in cursive
I get it custom, you a customer
You ain't accustomed to going through customs
You ain't been nowhere, hah?
And all the ladies in the house got 'em showing off
I'm done, I'll hit you up maĂąa...nah!
[Verse 5: JAY-Z]
Welcome to Havana
Smoking Cubanos with Castro in cabanas
Viva MĂŠxico, cubano
Dominicano, all the plugs that I know
Driving Benzes with no benefits
Not bad, huh, for some immigrants?
Build your fences, we diggin' tunnels
Canât you see we gettin' money up under you?
[Verse 6: Kanye West, Jay-Z & Both]
Canât you see the private jets flying over you?
Maybach bumper sticker read: "What would Hova do?"
Jay is chillin' (Uh), Ye is chillin' (Uh)
What more can I say? We killin' 'em
Hold up before we end this campaign
As you can see, we done bodied the damn lames
Lord, please let them accept the things they can't change
And pray that all of their pain be champagne
@hooperdagoat
Dat âDrah drah nuh nuh nuhâ in da background is unforgettable
@mattace9113
Otis Reddingâs
@kellyf5004
@Dave Kahn shut up
@irlfoster
From the actual song heâs actually saying try apparently
@evrongrant301
Now only real fans hear the bongos in the background
@TitusB226
I sing that part everytime I drive my ATV crazy in the yard lol
@NenedzhyanStudios
"Sophisticated ignorance, write my curses in cursive." Absolutely fire line, that one does it for me.
@funtimefreddie9637
Love it.
@tammifields4142
đŻđŻ
@perussi_gaming4459
A whole different league of flexing