Welcome to New York City Lyrics

[Chorus: Juelz Santana & Cam'ron]
It's the home of 9/11, the place of the lost Towers
We still banging, we never lost power, tell 'em
Welcome to New York City
Welcome to New York City

Y'all fucking with BK's banger and Harlem's own gangster
Now that's danger, there's nothing left to say but, oh (Killa, uh)
Welcome to New York City
Welcome to New York City
(Yo, Killa)

[Verse 2: Cam'ron]
There's a war goin' on outside no man is safe from (Word?)
It don't matter if you three feet or eight-one (One)
You'll get eight from the nine-M, straight blown
Wig split, melon cracked, all that on day one (One)
Carry eight guns, two in the trunk
Two on the waist, two on the ankle, two to just spank you (Faggot)
You get jammed with them jammers, blammed with them blammers
Hot here, ask Mase, he ran to Atlanta (Minister)
You think you know what life do, mink on the motorcycle
Trinkets they so delightful, blinging in so much ice fool (Bling)
In front of Sparks body Castellano
Block away watch by Gotti and Gravano

It's la costra nostra, someone close approach ya
They'll toast ya
gopher, bread loaf ya chauffeur (Over)
Coke they raise up and snort
Blaze up ya fort, Jay, Puff, Shyne, cases was caught
Midnight, pick fights, another victim
Watch him 'fore he watch you (Get 'em), Killa
[Pre-Chorus]
Welcome to New York City
Welcome to New York City


[Chorus: Juelz Santana & Cam'ron]
It's the home of 9/11, the place of the lost Towers
We still banging, we never lost power, tell 'em
Welcome to New York City
Welcome to New York City

Y'all fucking with BK's banger and Harlem's own gangster
Now that's danger, there's nothing left to say but, oh
Welcome to New York City
Welcome to New York City
(Listen, yo)

[Verse 3: Cam'ron & Jay-Z]
I'm from 101, West to Hund-fortieth, the shit is live
5th floor, fifty-six, you know the zip, district five

You're on 22nd (22nd), hit you from two-one (One)
That's on Lenox, 7th Ave was News One

Coverage at Centre Street, got Brafman defending me
'Cause New York'll miss me if I'm locked in the penitentiary

The judge said, "Is this that thug from the Kit-Kat club?"
But I got enough chips stacked up to make the bitch back up
(Killa)
I pitch that bud and I grip that snub to hit that thug
Lay up in a pitch black tub
You looking at rich black thugs that get that love
And we won't stop 'til I get back blood, holla at 'em, Hov
I'm from Flushing, Marcy, Nostrand, Myrtle and Park
Niggas'll drive by in the day, murder you in the dark
That's why the Johnny gun I'm holding
Wet niggas up like the Johnny-pump is open, homie, I play hard

[Chorus: Juelz Santana & Cam'ron]
It's the home of 9/11, the place of the lost Towers
We still banging, we never lost power, tell 'em
Welcome to New York City
Welcome to New York City

Y'all fucking with BK's banger and Harlem's own gangster
Now that's danger, there's nothing left to say but, oh
Welcome to New York City
Welcome to New York City
(Uh-huh)

[Outro: Cam'ron]
Y'all niggas, man, y'all can't fuck around, man
It's the Roc, bitch, Killa (Welcome to New York City)
My nigga Jigga, Sigel, Beans (Welcome to New York City)
Diplomats, man, Hoffa, Dash
Get the fuck off our dick, no homo (Welcome to New York City)
Bullshit, whatever y'all wanna say for two minutes, man (Welcome to New York City)
I own this shit right now, man, I ain't going nowhere
Welcome to New York City

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About

Genius Annotation

Bienvenue à New York!

Just Blaze gives some background on the track here.

There’s no sample used for this track and it’s actually Just Blaze himself singing the line “Welcome to New York City”.

Q&A

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

What did Just Blaze say about the collaboration between Jay and Cam?
Genius Answer

Via Complex:

They’d been wanting to get Jay on a record, because up until that point, Jay hadn’t done anything. Cam came into the room like, ‘Yo, yo, I got 'em, I got 'em, I got 'em. I think he’s going to do it.’ He was going around saying it. Obviously, it’s funny because of how the history ended up between them. Cam was genuinely excited that Jay was [going to be on that record]. He was like, ‘He’s agreed to do it. He said he’ll do it today, he just needs the beat. I need a beat, I need a beat!’ I played a beat I was making for Freeway, and I was like, ‘What about this?’ He was like, ‘Yeah, that could be it.’ I went into the hook really quick and sang the ‘Welcome to New York City’ part, and that was that.

Was Juelz Santana meant to have a more prominent role?
Genius Answer

Juelz told Red Bull Academy:

I was actually supposed to be on [that record]. Cam, anything he do or anybody, he always let me put a verse on, and if they kept it they kept it. If that was record, they just go, “No, we put my man Juelz on there.” I was supposed to do the third verse. Cam went in, two minutes, heard the beat, did his verse. Jay went in, maybe three minutes later, did his verse. I’m like, “Damn! This is Cam and Jay,” I’m writing, I’m still like, “Oh, I’ve got to come with mine, I’ve got to come with it.” Cam looking at me like, “You ain’t ready?” I’m like, “Nah!” I heard the first two bars, my bars that I have for my rhyme wound up being the chorus: “It’s the home of 9/11.” Make a long story short, they were just too quick on the draw for me that day. I remember saying to myself, “I missed out on that third verse, but I caught the hook.” So it was all good.

What did Dipset say about finally getting Jay on a track?
Genius Answer

Via Red Bull Academy:

Cam'Ron: “We did the draw in like 30/35 minutes, knock it out, it came out crazy.”

Juelz Santana: “Yeah, Cam went in first.”

Jim Jones: “They was going back to back, I don’t think nobody wrote anything. Like, Cam went in, then Jay went right in, and then you see Jay coming out, go inside the game room looking at those nas like, "I got that, these little nas.” Then Cam would go right back in, and then Jay would come. It was like a fight, like one punch for another. Cam would do his verse, Jay would do his verse, Cam would go on right back in, Jay’s going right back in."

What did Cam say about the release of the track?
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