Illest Motherfucker Alive
Jay-Z & Kanye West Lyrics


Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴  Line by Line Meaning ↴

1985 white Lamborghini countach, two of 'em
I need a slow motion video right now
Cause I'm moving in slow motion, slow motion
Feelin' like Hype Williams shooting a nigga
Shooting a nigga, hey hey hey
I need a slow motion video right now ay ay

Damn baby pussy can't be your only hustle
Unless you bad as Naomi Russell
I mean a lot of niggas got money
So basically, Russell ain't the only Russell
Russell brand, Russell crow
Zero zero zero zero, a whole lot of 0's
What you after, actor money?
You in line behind currency, yeah you after money
Bullet proof condom when I'm in these hoes
Got staples on my dick (why?) Fuckin' centerfolds
And I swear to god they so cold
Got a nigga in Miami wearing winter clothes
I got my fur on feelin' like Jerome
She got her fur too, we get our his and her on
Don't look at the jewelry, or get your blur on
Too close, you comatose so dope you overdose
Get back, you over close
Oh no, the hood was strugglin'
But then I blessed them with that polo
Niggas was making music and then my first solo
Collo Drolo sponsored by Manolo
She got Zeppi Notos ready for some photos
Yeah and I'm cold bitch, please try to keep the door closed
Lanvin thousand dollar tee with no logos
Let me show you what I see when my eyes closed

Take it how you want til a nigga dead
('Til then I'm the illest motherfucer alive)
Whole world aiming at a nigga head
(Because I'm the illest motherfucker alive)

Yeah yeah uh huh hold up
King Hov, I'm exactly what the fuck you think
Eleven in a row, Bill Russell rings, Michael Jordan swag
Y'all think Michael Jordan bad
Nigga I got a 5 more rings than Michael Jordan had
Elvis has left the building now I'm on the Beatles ass
Niggas hear watch the throne
Yeah it's like the Beatles back
Bey' Bey' my yoko ono,
Rih' Rih' complete the family
Imagine how that's gon' look front row at the Grammys
Fuck your awards like Eddie Morphy's couch
The Roc is in the building we should have stayed in the house
I don't even know what we doing here
Seems to me a complete waste of gear
Just a fuckin' waste of time, a complete waste of bottles
Niggas fashion is weak, they be wastin' all the models
Got the oversized Rolley let me show the how to do it
When I say it then you see, it ain't only in the music
Basquiats, Warhols serving as my muses
My house like a museum, so I see 'em when I'm peeing
Usually you have this much taste you European
That's the end of that way of thinking, nigga never again
Know when to leave when the heat is coming, I learned that
This is where De Niro would be if he ain't turn back
Fuck Sosa, this Hova this is real life
This is what the ending of Scarface should feel like

I need a slow motion video right now
Cause I'm moving in slow motion slow motion
Feelin' like Hype Williams shooting a nigga




Shooting a nigga hey hey hey
I need a slow motion video right now ay ay

Overall Meaning

In Jay-Z and Kanye West’s song "Illest Motherfucker Alive," they take turns rapping about their wealth and status, with references to celebrities like Russell Crowe and Naomi Russell. The song begins with a reference to the Lamborghini Countach, an iconic sports car of the 1980s, with Jay-Z feeling like Hype Williams, a famous music video director. The chorus of the song asserts the duo's status as the "illest motherfucker[s] alive," with Jay-Z taking pride in having more rings than Michael Jordan and being on par with The Beatles.


The second half of the song is more complex, with Kanye West expressing his distaste for award shows and the fashion industry, saying that it’s a β€œcomplete waste of gear.” He references Basquiat and Warhol, two famous artists, as his muses and compares his house to a museum. The end of the song takes a dark turn with Jay-Z mentioning Scarface and the need for a bulletproof condom when he’s with women.


Overall, the song highlights the lavish lifestyles of Jay-Z and Kanye West, with references to luxury brands, celebrities, and excess.


Line by Line Meaning

1985 white Lamborghini countach, two of 'em
I have two 1985 white Lamborghini Countach cars.


I need a slow motion video right now, Cause I'm moving in slow motion, slow motion, feelin' like Hype Williams shooting a nigga, Shooting a nigga, hey hey hey, I need a slow motion video right now ay ay
I'm feeling so cool and confident that I want a slow motion video of myself right now, similar to Hype Williams’ iconic camera work in music videos.


Damn baby pussy can't be your only hustle, Unless you bad as Naomi Russell, I mean a lot of niggas got money, So basically, Russell ain't the only Russell, Russell brand, Russell crow, Zero zero zero zero, a whole lot of 0's, What you after, actor money? You in line behind currency, yeah you after money
Women, you can't rely on just your sexual prowess to make a living, you have to be as successful as Naomi Russell or anyone else. Money is what you should really aim for.


Bullet proof condom when I'm in these hoes, Got staples on my dick (why?) Fuckin' centerfolds, And I swear to god they so cold, Got a nigga in Miami wearing winter clothes
I have to be cautious with the women I sleep with, even use a bulletproof condom. My sexual conquests are with top-tier models and women, and they make me feel like they're so hot that it's freezing where I am.


I got my fur on feelin' like Jerome, She got her fur too, we get our his and her on, Don't look at the jewelry, or get your blur on, Too close, you comatose so dope you overdose, Get back, you over close
I wear fur and feel like a pimp. My girlfriend and I wear matching fur coats. Don't stare too hard at my bling because it's blindingly impressive. Don't get too close or you'll be overwhelmed by my success.


Oh no, the hood was strugglin', But then I blessed them with that polo, Niggas was making music and then my first solo, Collo Drolo sponsored by Manolo, She got Zeppi Notos ready for some photos, Yeah and I'm cold bitch, please try to keep the door closed, Lanvin thousand dollar tee with no logos, Let me show you what I see when my eyes closed
I came from the hood, but now I'm so successful that I can afford high-end clothing and even sponsor my own album. My girl is also impressively styled. I'm so cool that I wanna keep the cold out, and I wear expensive clothes with no logos to show that quality, not branding, matters to me. I'm so successful that I can close my eyes and still see new opportunities.


Take it how you want til a nigga dead, ('Til then I'm the illest motherfucer alive), Whole world aiming at a nigga head, (Because I'm the illest motherfucker alive)
I'm the most impressive and successful person around. Everyone wants to take me down, but until then, I will continue to be the most badass person on earth.


Yeah yeah uh huh hold up, King Hov, I'm exactly what the fuck you think, Eleven in a row, Bill Russell rings, Michael Jordan swag, Y'all think Michael Jordan bad, Nigga I got a 5 more rings than Michael Jordan had, Elvis has left the building now I'm on the Beatles ass, Niggas hear watch the throne, Yeah it's like the Beatles back, Bey' Bey' my yoko ono, Rih' Rih' complete the family, Imagine how that's gon' look front row at the Grammys, Fuck your awards like Eddie Morphy's couch
I'm the king of this game, just like everyone thinks I am. I'm so successful that I have more rings than Michael Jordan. I'm so successful that I'm even bigger than Elvis and the Beatles. BeyoncΓ© and Rihanna are also part of my squad. Awards don't matter to me, they’re meaningless like Eddie Murphy's couch.


The Roc is in the building we should have stayed in the house, I don't even know what we doing here, Seems to me a complete waste of gear, Just a fuckin' waste of time, a complete waste of bottles, Niggas fashion is weak, they be wastin' all the models
I brought my record label to this party, but I don't know why we came. It's a wasteful experience that’s just draining us of our resources. Most people's fashion style is pathetic and they are just wasting good-looking women.


Got the oversized Rolley let me show the how to do it, When I say it then you see, it ain't only in the music, Basquiats, Warhols serving as my muses, My house like a museum, so I see 'em when I'm peeing, Usually you have this much taste you European, That's the end of that way of thinking, nigga never again, Know when to leave when the heat is coming, I learned that, This is where De Niro would be if he ain't turn back, Fuck Sosa, this Hova this is real life, This is what the ending of Scarface should feel like
I am wearing an oversized luxury watch and I'm going to show you how it's done. My inspirations for my music and fashion are not just in my art, but also in my fine art collection that fills my house. Europeans usually have great taste, and it's a mindset that I've adopted as well. Sometimes you have to know when to leave a situation, just like my character De Niro did in a movie. I'm better than a fictional character like Sosa. This is real life and it feels like the satisfying ending of a movie like Scarface.




Lyrics Β© Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC, Kobalt Music Publishing Ltd., Warner Chappell Music, Inc.
Written by: Kanye West, Shawn Carter, Mike Dean, Joshua Luellen, Scott Mescudi

Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
To comment on or correct specific content, highlight it

Genre not found
Artist not found
Album not found
Song not found
Most interesting comment from YouTube:

@thomasnelson5758

Co-producer Southside on Kanye's contributions to the beat in an interview with Respect Magazine:

"Q: I immediately recognized your drums on that beat, like the snare. How much of the record is your original beat, and what did Kanye add?

A: Kanye added mostly all the synths. I did the drums, the snares, the hi-hat, and the breakdowns. Basically I added the drums, and he put his Kanye classical, musical space-synth stuff to it.

Q: Yeah, the opera.

A: Yeah, the opera. You know how Kanye is. He go crazy with stuff like that. It’s like he sees a movie in his head or something."



All comments from YouTube:

@giovannimacdermott3030

Lowkey the best song on the album imo. Never get tired of it.

@slater3607

You my friend have good taste

@black914015678

This song is gold!!!!

@Svidrigailov1

This song is a beautiful ego trip. Gets me pumped

@eazyE93

Well said

@ihaveautism666

Ego trip, I like that

@ihaveautism666

@Clutch7 my ego has never lead me wrong my ego is my strength and power

@alanparsons994

There is a Finnish pop band "Egotrippi" which means ego trip ;)

@dedetmt2535

One of my max out songs lol

1 More Replies...

@BEFORETHEMHYPEBEASTS

probably the greatest collab album of all time.

More Comments

More Versions