Renegade Lyrics

[Verse 1: JAY-Z]
Motherfuckers say that I'm foolish, I only talk about jewels (Bling-bling)
Do you fools listen to music or do you just skim through it?

See, I'm influenced by the ghetto you ruined
The same dude you gave nothin', I made somethin' doin'
What I do through and through and
I give you the news with a twist, it's just his ghetto point of view

The renegade, you been afraid I penetrate pop culture
Bring 'em a lot closer to the block where they pop toasters

And they live with they moms, got dropped roadsters
From botched robberies, niggas crouched over
Mami's knocked up 'cause she wasn't watched over
Knocked down by some clown
When child support knocked, "No, he's not around"

Now, how that sound to ya? Jot it down
I bring you through the ghetto without ridin' 'round
Hidin' down, duckin' strays from frustrated youths stuck in they ways

Just read a magazine that fucked up my day
How you rate music that thugs with nothin' relate to it?

I help them see they way through it, not you
Can't step in my pants, can't walk in my shoes
Bet everything you worth, you'll lose your tie and your shirt


[Verse 2: Eminem]
Since I'm in a position to talk to these kids and they listen
I ain't no politician, but I'll kick it with 'em a minute

'Cause see, they call me a menace and if the shoe fits, I'll wear it
But if it don't, then y'all'll swallow the truth, grin and bear it

Now who's the king of these rude, ludicrous, lucrative lyrics?
Who could inherit the title, put the youth in hysterics
Usin' his music to steer it, sharin' his views and his merits?
But there's a huge interference, they're sayin' you shouldn't hear it
Maybe it's hatred I spew, maybe it's food for the spirit
Maybe it's beautiful music I made for you to just cherish
But I'm debated, disputed, hated and viewed in America
As a motherfuckin' drug addict, like you didn't experiment?

Now, now, that's when you start to stare at who's in the mirror
And see yourself as a kid again, and you get embarrassed
And I got nothin' to do but make you look stupid as parents
You fuckin' do-gooders, too bad you couldn't do good at marriage (Haha)
And do you have any clue what I had to do to get here?
I don't think you do, so stay tuned and keep your ears glued to the stereo
'Cause here we go, he's Jigga-Jur-Jigga-Jih-Jigga
And I'm the sinister Mr. Kiss-My-Ass is just a
[Verse 4: Eminem]
See, I'm a poet to some, a regular modern-day Shakespeare
Jesus Christ, the king of these Latter-day Saints here
To shatter the picture in which of that as they paint me as
A monger of hate, satanist, scatter-brained atheist

But that ain't the case, see, it's a matter of taste
We as a people decide if Shady's as bad as they say he is
Or is he the latter, a gateway to escape?

Media scapegoat who they can be mad at today
See, it's as easy as cake, simple as whistlin' "Dixie"
While I'm wavin' the pistol at sixty Christians against me
Go to war with the Mormons, take a bath with the Catholics
In holy water, no wonder they tried to hold me under longer

I'm a motherfuckin' spiteful, delightful eyeful
The new Ice Cube, motherfuckers hate to like you

What did I do? (Huh?), I'm just a kid from the gutter
Makin' his butter off these bloodsuckers, 'cause I'm a motherfuckin'

[Chorus: Eminem & JAY-Z]
Renegade, never been afraid to say
What's on my mind at any given time of day

'Cause I'm a renegade
Never been afraid to talk about anything
(Anything?), anything (Anything)
Renegade, never been afraid to say
What's on my mind at any given time of day
'Cause I'm a renegade

Never been afraid to holler about anything
(Anything?), anything (Anything)
Renegade, never been afraid to say
What's on my mind at any given time of day

'Cause I'm a renegade
Never been afraid to talk about anything
(Anything?), anything (Anything)
Renegade, never been afraid to say
What's on my mind at any given time of day
'Cause I'm a renegade

Never been afraid to holler about anything
(Anything?), anything (Anything)

How to Format Lyrics:

  • Type out all lyrics, even repeating song parts like the chorus
  • Lyrics should be broken down into individual lines
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  • Use italics (<i>lyric</i>) and bold (<b>lyric</b>) to distinguish between different vocalists in the same song part
  • If you don’t understand a lyric, use [?]

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About

Genius Annotation

“Renegade” serves as a “fuck you” to critics who said JAY-Z had forgotten his ghetto roots with his new found riches, and moralizers who said Eminem was a bad influence on children.

This was considered a major coup for Eminem, who had released The Marshall Mathers LP a year earlier to widespread controversy. Not only was Em the only guest rapper on the whole album, but he produced the beat (to which a song with Detroit rapper Royce Da 5'9" had already been recorded.)

The widespread perception, popularized by Nas, was that Eminem killed Jay, but that’s debatable, Em spits very in-your-face, overt punchlines, while Jay drops metaphors, multiple entendre gems that can only be appreciated by taking a closer look. However, Jay admitted in an interview that Em’s verse was better, he stated -

“No, I think Eminem is very intelligent rapper… It’s just, when you make 4000 songs.. I’m constant collaborator, you know and… some people gonna have better days. It’s just the way it is. But if we count the amount as the competitor and if we count the amount of records that I’ve been on versus people who had better performances then it’s gonna be 400 to 3.”

Rebelliously spelled “Renagade” on the back of The Blueprint.

Q&A

Find answers to frequently asked questions about the song and explore its deeper meaning

What did JAY-Z say about "Renegade"?
Genius Answer

In an interview before the album’s release, Jay explained to MTV how the collaboration between him and Em was a long time coming:

Me and him, in passing we always say we’re gonna do something together. [The song] just came up. I respect the dude as a lyricist, he’s dope. I have even more respect after this album.

Translations
Genius Answer
Did Eminem not write his verses?
Genius Answer

Eminem is credited as a writer and producer on the song and he has never been known to have writers; so it’s a pretty safe bet that he wrote these verses.

There’s no reason to suspect otherwise.

Does Eminem have a version with Royce Da 5'9"?
Credits
Featuring
Produced By
Phonographic Copyright ℗
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Drum Programmer
Recording Engineer
Mixing Engineer
Mastering Engineer
Mastered at
Recorded At
Baseline Studios, NYC
Release Date
September 11, 2001
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