Empire State Of Mind
Jay-Z and Biggie Lyrics

Yeah
Excitement to begin the song

Yeah, I'm out that Brooklyn, now I'm down in Tribeca
I've moved from Brooklyn to live in Tribeca

Right next to DeNiro, but I'll be hood forever
Even though I'm now living next to DeNiro, I'll always represent the hood

I'm the new Sinatra, and since I made it here
I'm the new Sinatra and now that I've made it to the top of my game here

I can make it anywhere, yeah, they love me everywhere
Since I'm loved everywhere, I can make it anywhere

I used to cop in Harlem, hola, my Dominicanos (dímelo)
I used to buy drugs in Harlem from my Dominican connections

Right there up on Broadway, brought me back to that McDonald's
While on Broadway, I remembered the McDonald's where I stashed my drugs

Took it to my stashbox, 560 State Street
I took the drugs to my stash box at 560 State Street

Catch me in the kitchen like a Simmons whippin' pastry
You can find me in the kitchen like Russell Simmons, cooking up hits

Cruisin' down 8th St, off-white Lexus
Driving down 8th Street in my off-white Lexus

Drivin' so slow, but BK is from Texas
I may be driving slowly, but I represent Brooklyn as if we're from Texas

Me, I'm out that Bed-Stuy, home of that boy Biggie
I'm from Bed-Stuy, the same place as Biggie Smalls

Now I live on Billboard and I brought my boys with me
I now live on the Billboard charts and brought my team with me

Say what up to Ty-Ty, still sippin' Mai Tais
Shout out to Ty-Ty, still enjoying Mai Tais

Sittin' courtside, Knicks and Nets give me high five
Sitting courtside at basketball games, getting high fives from the Knicks and Nets players

Nigga I be Spike'd out, I could trip a referee (come on, come on, come on)
I'm dressed in Spike Lee gear and could trip a referee in excitement

Tell by my attitude that I'm most definitely from
My attitude shows that I'm definitely from

Concrete jungle (yeah) where dreams are made of
New York City is a place where anyone can achieve their dreams

There's nothin' you can't do (yeah) (okay)
In New York, there's nothing you can't accomplish

Now you're in New York (ah-ha, ah-ha, ah-ha) (uh, yeah)
Welcome to New York

These streets will make you feel brand new (new)
The city will make you feel refreshed and new

Big lights will inspire you (come on) (okay)
The bright lights will inspire you to pursue your dreams

Let's hear it for New York (you're welcome, OG) (come on)
Let's give it up for New York

New York (yeah), New York (uh) (I made you hot, nigga)
I made New York hot

Catch me at the X with OG at a Yankee game
You can find me with OG at a Yankees game at the X

Shit, I made the Yankee hat more famous then a Yankee can
I made the Yankee hat more famous than the Yankees themselves

You should know I bleed blue, but I ain't a Crip though
I love the Yankees, but I'm not a member of the Crips gang

But I got a gang of niggas walkin' with my clique though
I have a lot of people walking with me

Welcome to the melting pot, corners where we sellin' rock
Welcome to the melting pot, where we sell drugs on the street corners

Afrika Bambataa shit, home of the hip-hop
New York City is the birthplace of hip-hop

Yellow cab, gypsy cab, dollar cab, holla back
All types of cabs are available here, just holler back to get their attention

For foreigners it ain't fair, they act like they forgot how to act
For non-locals, it's hard to act accordingly when you're unfamiliar with the culture

Eight million stories, out there in the naked
There are countless stories in the city waiting to be told

City is a pity, half of y'all won't make it
The city can be harsh, and not everyone makes it here

Me, I got a plug, Special Ed 'I Got It Made'
I have a connection to Special Ed's 'I Got It Made'

If Jeezy's payin' Lebron, I'm payin' Dwyane Wade
If Jeezy is able to pay LeBron James, I can afford to pay Dwyane Wade

Three dice Cee-lo, three-card Monte
Playing gambling games like Cee-lo and three-card Monte on the streets

Labor Day Parade, rest in peace Bob Marley
Celebrating Labor Day and paying respect to Bob Marley

Statue of Liberty, long live the World Trade (come on, come on, come on)
Celebrating the Statue of Liberty and World Trade Center

Long live the king yo, I'm from the Empire State that's
Long live the king, I'm from the Empire State

One hand in the air for the big city (uh)
Raising one hand up for the big city

Street lights, big dreams, all lookin' pretty (uh)
The street lights add to the beauty of the big dreams we all have

No place in the world that could compare
There's no city in the world that can compare to New York

Put your lighters in the air everybody say
Hold your lighters up and repeat after me

'Yeah, yeah' (come on, come on, come on)
Saying 'yeah, yeah' together

Lights is blinding, girls need blinders
The lights are so bright that girls need to wear blinders

So they can step out of bounds quick, the sidelines is
The sidelines are dangerous, so they need to stay in bounds

Lined with casualties, who sip the life casually
The streets are full of people who casually sip the dangerous lifestyle they lead

Then gradually become worse, don't bite the apple, Eve
They gradually get worse, like Eve who bit the forbidden apple

Caught up in the in-crowd, now you're in style
Being caught up in popular culture makes you fit in

End of the winter gets cold, en vogue, with your skin out
Even when it's cold at the end of the year, people still dress fashionably with their skin showing

City of sin, it's a pity on a whim
The city's reputation for sinful behavior is a pity

Good girls gone bad, the city's filled with them
The city is full of girls who used to be good but turned bad

Mommy took a bus trip, now she got her bust out
A woman took a bus trip and now she's monetarily well off

Everybody ride her, just like a bus route
Everyone is taking advantage of her like a bus route

'Hail Mary' to the city, you're a virgin
Asking for help from the city, which is like a virgin

And Jesus can't save you, life starts when the church end
If Jesus can't save you, then life doesn't truly start until the church ends

Came here for school, graduated to the high life
Came to New York for school, but graduated into an extravagant lifestyle

Ball players, rap stars, addicted to the limelight
Famous people like ball players and rappers are addicted to being in the spotlight

MDMA got you feelin' like a champion (come on, come on, come on)
MDMA makes you feel like a champion

The city never sleeps, better slip you an Ambien
The city never sleeps, so you better take an Ambien to fall asleep

New York (yeah), New York (uh)
New York City

Big lights will inspire you
The big lights will motivate you to fulfill your dreams