Cornell Iral Haynes, Jr. (born November 2, 1974 in Austin, Texas), better k… Read Full Bio ↴Cornell Iral Haynes, Jr. (born November 2, 1974 in Austin, Texas), better known by his stage name Nelly, is an American rapper, singer, actor and entrepreneur signed to Universal and Derrty Records. Born to a half Tunisian father and American mother, he has been active since 1993 as a bandmate of the rap group St. Lunatics, and became a hip-hop superstar after the success of his solo release, Country Grammar, in 2000. The album peaked at #1 on the Billboard 200, spawned multiple chart toppers and won three Grammy awards. His second effort, 2002's Nellyville, was equally successful and it included the hits "Dilemma" and "Hot in Herre" and was nominated for five Grammy awards, including Album of the Year. In 2004 Nelly released two albums at the same time, Sweat and Suit, and in September they briefly held the two top spots on the charts. His latest album is Brass Knuckles, released in 2008.
Nelly has been equally active as a businessman; among other ventures, in 2003 he released his own energy drink called "Pimp Juice," and in 2004 he became a minority owner of the NBA's Charlotte Bobcats basketball team. He is also the CEO of Derrty Entertainment, his own company formed in 2003. Nelly has two clothing lines: Vokal (for men) and Apple Bottoms (for women).

Greed Hate Envy
Nelly Lyrics

Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴

I, opened up shop at 13
Dimes, dubs, quarter sacks and O-Z's
From hand-held, digital to triple-beam
Now my pa-ger's an e-mail flip screen
Expanded my game off into amphetamines
Looked around and had a small Wallgreens
Put tha word out on tha street, don't you fuck wit my fiends
Them niggas around tha corner, come let tha thing beam

Now they done let it burn out, phone a ching ching
Just another, hustle to add to my schemes
Just another piece of the puzzle to my dreams
'Cause the house, the cars, and the coffee take green
I might ride tha Range wit tha Roley on the rocks
Or push a candy colored cutless wit a matchin G-Shock
When the, spot get hot don't stop, move shop
Find another block restock and take it from the top now

Greed, hate, envy, what cake will do
Fuck tha game don't let the game fuck you
Follow the rules stay cool and rock jewels
Greed, hate, envy, what cake will do

Greed, hate, envy, what cake will do
Fuck tha game don't let the game fuck you
Follow the rules stay cool and rock jewels
Greed, hate, envy, what cake will do

So you think you're the shit nigga, ya smell me?
Shouts out to my nigga NORE
I'll never take another man's glory
Shit don't mix like Shaq and Kobe
Now you know me, I be low key
On these icey Roleys, dude that showed me
And hoes ignored me, now they blow me
Them niggas that loaned me, now they owe me
Oh me, oh my I can see tha greed and tha envy in yo eyes
Now call me a lie
While you fly, stand by, I stand by tha captain
Hoe play now did somebody page Samson
I stay cheefin' higha than a hooker on the weekends
Seven days a weekend man, I walk in yo church reekin'
Now Lester called me a heathen old fish eyed fool
Bitch had the nerve to repeat old fish eyed fool

Greed, hate, envy, what cake will do
Fuck tha game don't let the game fuck you
Follow the rules stay cool and rock jewels
Greed, hate, envy, what cake will do

Greed, hate, envy, what cake will do
Fuck tha game don't let the game fuck you
Follow the rules stay cool and rock jewels
Greed, hate, envy, what cake will do

One time checkin' out in the Range Rover
(WOOP WOOP, WOOP!) Aww shit they pulled me over
What tha hell y'all fuckin wit me fo?
Speed limit 30 just doin' 34
"Yeah son, where the gun?" It's at home wit tha dope
"Oh you a smart ass ha?" Nah that's my lil joke
"How bout I tow yo truck in?" Ain't no need to be provoked
Besides everything up in here done been smoked
I ain't got nuttin' but tapes and CDs
Pocket full of G's and two tickets across seas
So me and my boo can lay under the palm trees
Ain't no more questions then hand me my ID
You could tell he was pissed
'Cause the black man in the black Range
Doin' black things wit his black change
Doin' the right thing, drivin' his ass insane
And if I wasn't in his face he probably be callin' me names

Greed, hate, envy, what cake will do
Fuck tha game don't let the game fuck you
Follow the rules stay cool and rock jewels
Greed, hate, envy, what cake will do

Greed, hate, envy, what cake will do
Fuck tha game don't let the game fuck you
Follow the rules stay cool and rock jewels
Greed, hate, envy, what cake will do

Greed, hate, envy, what cake will do
Fuck tha game don't let the game fuck you
Follow the rules stay cool and rock jewels
Greed, hate, envy, what cake will do

Greed, hate, envy, what cake will do
Fuck tha game don't let the game fuck you

Follow the rules stay cool and rock jewels
Greed, hate, envy, what cake will do

Overall Meaning

In Nelly's song "Greed Hate Envy," the lyrics tell a story about drugs, money, and the dangers of greed. Nelly explains how he started selling drugs at a very young age, and expanded his business which eventually becomes a Wallgreen-type store. He warns the listeners not to mess with his customers and those who do will pay the price. Nelly boasts about his success and the revenue it brings him, from driving in a Range Rover to walking into church smelling like smoke, he personifies the trap lifestyle he has become accustomed to.

The chorus of the song, "Greed, hate, envy, what cake will do, Fuck tha game don't let the game fuck you, Follow the rules stay cool and rock jewels," reminds the listener that the game of hustling can be dangerous and that greed, hate, and envy can cause people to do things that they may one day regret. Nelly warns listeners not to let the game control them, but to always stay cool and play by the rules.

Interestingly, the song features a sample from the song "Luchini AKA This Is It" by Camp Lo. It was the lead single from his album, "Da Derrty Versions: The Reinvention," which was a re-release of his debut album, "Country Grammar." The music video for the song was directed by Chris Robinson, who has directed videos for Beyonce, Jay-Z, and many others. The song has been featured in several movies and TV shows, including "Stomp the Yard" and "The Wire." "Greed Hate Envy" was performed by Nelly on his "Da Derrty Versions Tour" which ran from 2002 to 2003.

Chords (if known): Unfortunately, the chords for this song are not available at this time.

Line by Line Meaning

I, opened up shop at 13
I started selling drugs at a young age

Dimes, dubs, quarter sacks and O-Z's
I sold different quantities of drugs

From hand-held, digital to triple-beam
I upgraded my equipment to weigh the drugs

Now my pa-ger's an e-mail flip screen
I use modern technology for communication

Expanded my game off into amphetamines
I started selling a new type of drug

Looked around and had a small Wallgreens
I had a lot of drugs to sell

Put tha word out on tha street, don't you fuck wit my fiends
I warned people not to mess with my customers

Them niggas around tha corner, come let tha thing beam
I threatened people who posed a threat to my business

Now they done let it burn out, phone a ching ching
I made money from my drug sales and received calls from prospective customers

Just another, hustle to add to my schemes
Selling drugs was just another way for me to make money

Just another piece of the puzzle to my dreams
Selling drugs was a step towards achieving my goals

'Cause the house, the cars, and the coffee take green
I needed money to afford my lifestyle

I might ride tha Range wit tha Roley on the rocks
I flaunt my wealth

Or push a candy colored cutless wit a matchin G-Shock
I show off my possessions

When the, spot get hot don't stop, move shop
If things get risky, I'll move my drug operation somewhere else

Find another block restock and take it from the top now
I'll start selling drugs in a new location and restart my operation

Greed, hate, envy, what cake will do
Money can make people act out of greed, hate, and jealousy

Fuck tha game don't let the game fuck you
Don't let the drug business control or manipulate you

Follow the rules stay cool and rock jewels
Be smart and don't get caught

So you think you're the shit nigga, ya smell me?
Do you feel like you're doing well?

Shouts out to my nigga NORE
A shout out to a friend

I'll never take another man's glory
I won't take credit for someone else's success

Shit don't mix like Shaq and Kobe
Some things don't work well together

Now you know me, I be low key
I am discreet about my drug business

On these icey Roleys, dude that showed me
I wear expensive watches that a friend introduced me to

And hoes ignored me, now they blow me
Women who didn't pay attention to me before now want to be with me because of my wealth

Them niggas that loaned me, now they owe me
People who lent me money now have to pay me back with interest

Oh me, oh my I can see tha greed and tha envy in yo eyes
I can tell when people want what I have and are envious of my success

Now call me a lie
Don't call me a liar

While you fly, stand by, I stand by tha captain
I am in control of my own life while others follow the trends

Hoe play now did somebody page Samson
A reference to a pimp being paged

I stay cheefin' higha than a hooker on the weekends
I smoke more weed than a prostitute on her days off

Seven days a weekend man, I walk in yo church reekin'
I smoke weed every day and even go to church high

Now Lester called me a heathen old fish eyed fool
Someone disrespected me

Bitch had the nerve to repeat old fish eyed fool
Someone called me a name behind my back

One time checkin' out in the Range Rover
I was driving my Range Rover

(WOOP WOOP, WOOP!) Aww shit they pulled me over
The police stopped me

What tha hell y'all fuckin wit me fo?
Why are you bothering me?

Speed limit 30 just doin' 34
I was only slightly speeding

"Yeah son, where the gun?" It's at home wit tha dope
The police asked if I had a gun, and I lied by saying it was at home

"Oh you a smart ass ha?" Nah that's my lil joke
The police accused me of being disrespectful, but I made a joke to defuse the situation

"How bout I tow yo truck in?" Ain't no need to be provoked
The police threatened to tow my car, but I remained calm

Besides everything up in here done been smoked
There are no drugs in my car currently

I ain't got nuttin' but tapes and CDs
I am innocent and only have music in my car

Pocket full of G's and two tickets across seas
I am financially successful and have money and plane tickets with me

Ain't no more questions then hand me my ID
The police let me go once they realized I did not have anything illegal on me

You could tell he was pissed
The police officer was angry

'Cause the black man in the black Range
The police officer was angry because I was a Black man driving a nice car

Doin' black things wit his black change
The police officer was stereotyping me as a drug dealer because of my race

Doin' the right thing, drivin' his ass insane
I am doing the right thing by driving my car, but it frustrates the police officer

And if I wasn't in his face he probably be callin' me names
The police officer would insult me if I weren't there in front of him

Lyrics © Universal Music Publishing Group, Kobalt Music Publishing Ltd.
Written by: CORNELL HAYNES, LAVELL WEBB

Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind

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