Where I'm From
Jay-Z feat. Beanie Sigel Lyrics

Uh-huh, ge-ge ge-ge-geah
Affirmative response to the question 'How real is this (Brooklyn)?'

Ye-ye-yeah, ye-ye-yeah (Brooklyn)
Agreeing to the statement 'Brooklyn is where it's at'

How real is this, how real is this (Brooklyn)
Asking how authentic Brooklyn really is

Uh-huh huh (Brooklyn)
Affirming the importance of Brooklyn

Respect this here, check
Asking to be given attention and to be respected

I'm from where the hammer's rung, news cameras never come
Jay-Z is from a place where guns are used and the media never reports on it

You and your mans hung in every verse in your rhyme
Jay-Z is from a place where rap lyrics often revolve around violence and struggles of everyday life

Where the grams was slung, niggas vanish every summer
Where drug deals happen and people disappear every summer

Where the blue vans would come, we throw the work in the can and run
Drug dealers would use blue vans to transport their product and would flee from the police

Where the plans was to get funds and skate off the set
The ultimate goal was to make money and leave the neighborhood

To achieve this goal quicker, sold all my weight wet
Jay-Z sold drugs at a young age to make money quickly

Faced with immeasurable odds still I get straight bets
Jay-Z took risks and bet on himself to succeed despite the low odds

So I felt I'm owed something and you nothing, check
Jay-Z believes he deserves recognition and success because he worked hard for it

I'm from the other side where other guys don't walk too much
Jay-Z is from a dangerous side of town where people are afraid to walk around

And girls in the projects wouldn't fuck us, said we talked too much
Girls in the projects didn't want to be with Jay-Z and his friends because they were known for talking too much

So they ran up to Tompkins and sought them dudes to trust
Girls would go to Tompkins Park and search for trustworthy guys to be with

I don't know what the fuck they thought, them niggas is foul just like us
Jay-Z recognizes that the guys in Tompkins Park were just as bad as him and his friends

I'm from where the beef is inevitable, summertime's unforgettable
Jay-Z is from a place where there will always be conflict and summer memories are always remembered

Boosters in abundance, buy a half-price sweater new
There were many shoplifters who would sell items for half the price

Your world was everything, so everything you said you'd do
In Jay-Z's world, people would follow through with their promises because their reputation was everything they had

You did it, couldn't talk about it if you ain't live it
If you didn't experience it, you couldn't talk about it

I'm from where niggas pull your card, and argue all day about
Jay-Z is from a place where people would call your bluff and argue all day about who's the best rapper

Who's the best MC's, Biggie, Jay-Z, and Nas?
Debating who the best rappers are in the history of Brooklyn

Where the drugs czars evolve, and thugs are at odds
Drug lords are constantly changing and there is conflict between thugs

At each other's throats for the love of foreign cars
People are willing to kill each other for a fancy car

Where cats catch cases, hoping the judge R and R's
People get arrested and hope for a judge who will give them a break

But most times find themselves locked up behind bars, is that all?
But most times they end up in jail and that's their fate

I'm from where they ball and breed rhyme stars
Jay-Z is from a place where basketball and rap are major parts of the culture

I'm from Marcy son, just thought I'd remind y'all
Jay-Z is from the Marcy Projects and wants to make sure people remember where he's from

Cough up a lung, where I'm from, Marcy son, ain't nothing nice
Jay-Z is from a place where the air quality is bad and life is tough

(Mentally been many places but I'm Brooklyn's own)
Jay-Z may have traveled the world, but Brooklyn is his home

(Brooklyn, so where you from?)
Questioning others about where they're from in Brooklyn

I'm from the place where the church is the flakiest
Jay-Z is from a place where even the church is unreliable

And niggas been praying to God so long that they Atheist
People have been praying for so long without seeing any results that they don't believe in God anymore

Where you can't put your vest away and say you'll wear it tomorrow
Jay-Z is from a place where danger is always present and you never know when you'll need your bulletproof vest

'Cause the day after we'll be saying, damn I was just with him yesterday
The violence is so frequent that people often regret not having their vest with them when they were just with someone who got shot

I'm a block away from hell, not enough shots away from straight shells
Jay-Z is close to danger and gun violence is always a possibility

An ounce away from a triple beam, still using a hand-held weight scale
Jay-Z still uses a small-scale to weigh drugs despite having access to a larger scale

You're laughing, you know the place well
Jay-Z recognizes that some people are amused by the things he's saying because they know the place well

Where the liquor stores and the base dwell
Jay-Z is from an area where there are many liquor stores and drug dealers

And government, fuck government, niggas politic theyselves
People don't trust the government and so they take matters into their own hands

Where we call the cops the A-Team
The police are so violent that they're compared to a TV show about a team of vigilantes

'Cause they hop out of vans and spray things
The police would come out of vans and immediately start shooting

And life expectancy so low we making our wills at eightteen
Jay-Z is from a place where life expectancy is low and people have to plan for their death at a young age

Where how you get rid of guys who step out of line, your rep solidifies
If you stand up to someone who disrespects you, you earn respect from others in the neighborhood

So tell me when I rap you think I give a fuck who criticize?
Jay-Z doesn't care about criticism because he's from a place where survival is key

If the shit is lies, God strike me
Jay-Z is willing to swear to God that what he's saying is true

And I got a question, are you forgiving guys who live just like me?
Jay-Z is asking if people can forgive him for living a rough life and making mistakes

We'll never know
The answer is unknown

One day I pray to you and said if I ever blow, I'd let 'em know
Jay-Z promised himself that if he became successful, he would tell the world where he came from

The stakes, and exactly what takes place in the ghetto
Jay-Z wants people to know the reality of growing up in a poor area

Promise fulfilled, still I feel my job ain't done
Jay-Z accomplished his goal of becoming successful, but he still feels like he has more to do

Check, I'm from where they cross-over and clap boards
Jay-Z is from a place where basketball and rap intersect

Lost Jehovah in place of rap lords, listen
People in the neighborhood used to care more about religion, but now they care more about rappers

I'm up the block, 'round the corner, and down the street
Jay-Z is from a place where danger is always present, no matter where you are

From where the pimps, prostitutes, and the drug lords meet
Jay-Z is from a place where these types of people from the neighborhood come into contact

We make a million off of beats, 'cause our stories is deep
Jay-Z and other rappers from the neighborhood have made a lot of money telling their stories through music

And fuck tomorrow, as long as the night before was sweet
People in the neighborhood live for the moment and don't think about the future

Niggas get lost for weeks in the streets, twisted off leak
People get lost in drug use and spend weeks in the streets

And no matter the weather, niggas know how to draw heat
People in the neighborhood know how to use guns in any situation

Whether your four-feet or Manute size, it always starts out with
No matter how big or small you are, conflict almost always starts with dice games

Three dice and shoot the five
The most common dice game in the neighborhood

Niggas thought they deuce was live, then I hit 'em with trips
People thought they had a good hand in the game, but then Jay-Z would beat them with a better hand

And I reached down for their money, pa forget about this
Jay-Z would take their money after winning the game

This time around it's platinum, like the shit on my wrist
Jay-Z's music is now more successful than ever

And this Glock on my waist, y'all can't do shit about this
Jay-Z is now powerful and dangerous and no one can do anything about it

Niggas will show you love, rhat's how they fool thugs
People in the neighborhood will act friendly to gain someone's trust, even if they plan on hurting them later

Before you know it your lying in a pool of blood
People in the neighborhood will kill without hesitation

(Brooklyn)
Affirming the importance and pride in being from Brooklyn