Primetime
Jay Z (Feat. Kanye West) Lyrics


Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴  Line by Line Meaning ↴

We in the time of our lives baby
Turn the music up, Primetime

Yeah, Primetime,beat by Dion, our third eon
That's what the fuck we on
Mo' money, forty year old phenom
My fifteen minutes of fame has stretched beyond
At forty two be better than twenty fours,
I carried the four five, that's the forty eighth law
Still wearing my twenty three's they can't fuck with the boy
Far as them sixteen's, I'm twenty three of it all
Primetime, riding that six deuce
That nine eleven I only subtract the roof
Started in eighty eight,
Got warm in ninety two,
I landed in ninety six
That's the year I came through
I hit the club, ordered some gray Goose
Switched it for Ciroc to give Puff's stock a boost
New money, I found the fountain of youth
I'm headed to Miami to fuck up the Fontaine Bleu
A case of Ace, make it two, nigga we rolling, beat the deuce
The night is young, what the fuck we gon' do (ooh)

The night is young, what the fuck you wanna do, huh
The night is young, what the fuck we gon' do, huh
The night is young, what you really wanna do, huh

Primetime, basking in the lime
Cassius in his prime, coloring out of the line
Cause they don't want nobody that's colored out of the lines
So I'm late as a motherfucker, colored people time
Damn Yeezy, they all gotta be dimes?
Well, Adam gave up a rib so mine better be prime
Niggas gon' kill me, I swear they better be lying
I never live in fear, I'm too out of my mind
Primetime, never hit these heights
I mean it's like, it's like our first 1st class flight
I'm trippin' on it, socks on marble floors
I'm slippin' on it, champagne, I'm sippin' on it
Shit taste different, don't it?
You know what, you right
It's like the best damn champagne I had in my life
"When you coming home" That's a text from my wife
I told her, run a bubble bath
And float in that motherfucker like a hovercraft
And soak in that motherfucker til I call you back
I mean who says shit like that, and doesn't laugh (un-huh)

The night is young, what the fuck you wanna do, huh
The night is young, what the fuck we gon' do, huh
The night is young, what you really wanna do, huh

Overall Meaning

The song "Primetime" by Jay Z (Feat. Kanye West) can be interpreted as a celebration of their successes and achievements in the music industry. They begin by declaring that they are in the prime of their lives, and the beat produced by Dion marks their third decade of music collaboration. They emphasize their wealth and success in the industry, with Jay Z stating he is a "forty-year-old phenom," and that his fame has stretched beyond the fifteen minutes it was predicted to last. He also boasts about being better at forty-two than he was at twenty-four, with "the 48th law" being a reference to his previous album "The Blueprint 2: The Gift & The Curse". The pair compare themselves to vintage cars, with Jay Z still wearing his Air Jordan 23s, while Kanye has moved on to newer Air Jordan 16s.


The chorus repeats the phrase "the night is young, what the fuck we gon' do," suggesting that despite their age, they still have plenty of energy and drive to keep creating music and enjoying life. They also reference the racial barriers that they face in the industry, with Kanye noting that they are expected to conform to certain standards of what is acceptable, and Jay Z referencing "colored people time," which is a derogatory term for the tendency of black people to be late. Overall, the song seems to be a celebration of their success, their continued creativity, and their ability to defy expectations.


Line by Line Meaning

We in the time of our lives baby
We're living our best life right now


Turn the music up, Primetime
Let's enjoy this moment to the fullest


Yeah, Primetime,beat by Dion, our third eon
We're at our peak, with a beat by Dion, in our third era


That's what the fuck we on
This is the level we're operating on


Mo' money, forty year old phenom
We have more money and we're still on top as forty-year-olds


My fifteen minutes of fame has stretched beyond
My fame has lasted much longer than fifteen minutes


At forty two be better than twenty fours,
I'm better at forty-two than I was at twenty-four


I carried the four five, that's the forty eighth law
I followed the law of carrying a gun and staying safe


Still wearing my twenty three's they can't fuck with the boy
I'm still wearing Jordan 23's and no one can beat me


Far as them sixteen's, I'm twenty three of it all
I'm twenty-three times better than Jordan 16's


Primetime, riding that six deuce
We're living our best life in style, riding in a 1962 car


That nine eleven I only subtract the roof
I have a convertible 911 Porsche with the roof taken off


Started in eighty eight,
I started my career in 1988


Got warm in ninety two,
I gained popularity in 1992


I landed in ninety six
I reached even greater success in 1996


That's the year I came through
That was the year of my breakthrough


I hit the club, ordered some gray Goose
I went to the club and ordered some Grey Goose vodka


Switched it for Ciroc to give Puff's stock a boost
I changed my drink to Ciroc vodka to support Puff Daddy's brand


New money, I found the fountain of youth
My success has brought me new money and a youthful spirit


I'm headed to Miami to fuck up the Fontaine Bleu
I'm going to enjoy myself and party hard at the Fontaine Bleu hotel in Miami


A case of Ace, make it two, nigga we rolling, beat the deuce
We're drinking expensive champagne and having fun, let's keep the party going


The night is young, what the fuck we gon' do (ooh)
We still have plenty of time to have fun and enjoy ourselves


Primetime, basking in the lime
We're in our prime and enjoying the limelight


Cassius in his prime, coloring out of the line
I'm like Cassius Clay (Muhammad Ali) at his best, and not afraid to be different


Cause they don't want nobody that's colored out of the lines
People are afraid of those who think outside the box and are different


So I'm late as a motherfucker, colored people time
I'm not concerned with being on time, because I embrace black culture's relaxed sense of time


Damn Yeezy, they all gotta be dimes?
Kanye is questioning the belief that all women have to be amazing and perfect


Well, Adam gave up a rib so mine better be prime
Kanye jokes that since Adam gave a rib for Eve, his woman better be perfect


Niggas gon' kill me, I swear they better be lying
Kanye acknowledges that some people may hate on him, but they won't stop him from succeeding


I never live in fear, I'm too out of my mind
Kanye doesn't let fear control him, because he's too creative and unpredictable


Primetime, never hit these heights
We've never achieved this level of success before


I mean it's like, it's like our first 1st class flight
It feels like our first time experiencing luxury and success


I'm trippin' on it, socks on marble floors
Kanye is amazed by his success, even while wearing casual socks on fancy marble floors


I'm slippin' on it, champagne, I'm sippin' on it
Kanye is enjoying himself so much, he's slipping on the marble floors and drinking champagne


Shit taste different, don't it?
Kanye is realizing that success and luxury changes how things taste and feel


You know what, you right
Jay Z agrees with Kanye's realization


"When you coming home" That's a text from my wife
Jay Z receives a text from his wife asking when he'll be coming home


I told her, run a bubble bath
Jay Z tells his wife to take a relaxing bath


And float in that motherfucker like a hovercraft
Jay Z wants his wife to relax and enjoy the bath like she's floating in a hovercraft


And soak in that motherfucker til I call you back
Jay Z wants his wife to stay in the bath until he calls her back


I mean who says shit like that, and doesn't laugh (un-huh)
Jay Z is amazed by his own playful and romantic words to his wife, and finds it amusing


The night is young, what the fuck you wanna do, huh
Let's keep enjoying ourselves and having fun because we still have plenty of time


The night is young, what the fuck we gon' do, huh
We need to decide what to do next and keep the party going


The night is young, what you really wanna do, huh
Let's make the most of tonight and do whatever makes us happy




Lyrics © Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC, Warner/Chappell Music, Inc., Universal Music Publishing Group, BMG Rights Management
Written by: SHAWN CARTER, MAUREEN ELIZABETH REID, RUSSELL W SIMMONS, LAWRENCE SMITH, KANYE WEST, ERNEST WILSON

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:

@jaybird4571

At 42 be better than 24
I carried the .45
Mastered 48 laws
Still wearing my 23's - they can't can't fuck fuck the bull
Far as them 16's I'm 23 of it all!

👆🏾😱😱😱😱😱😱😱😱😱
🔥 🔥 🔥
🐐



All comments from YouTube:

@ForWhatItsWorth_

Underrated track... Shouldve been on the radio

@sejidsokoli963

The instrumental and lyricism isn't exactly radio friendly.

@tobiasfarragut292

NOOOO it shouldnt have.. then we wouldnt like it as much because everyone would know about it instead of smart ppl like us who hate radio music and live for that hot B-side of the album shit

@robertblazer1773

Tobias Farragut hipster af

@tobiasfarragut292

Robert Blazer what.. the song? or my response?... dont give AF but JW

@robertblazer1773

Tobias Farragut your comment, it just sounded really hipster

32 More Replies...

@BeatsByJxy

This is timeless. One of the hardest beats I’ve ever heard

@kinduvabigdeal100

you ain't lie

@momishcarreviews

Yes had this stuck in my head all day

@nolinpowe

Primetime beat by Dion (No I.D.)

More Comments

More Versions