Genius | Song Lyrics & Knowledge

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There has been a common claim by rappers and rap fans that hip hop music has been dying (notably asserted by Nas on his 8th studio LP Hip Hop is Dead.

Wayne responds to this notion with a brilliantly executed extended metaphor for “saving hip hop” by acting as the game’s doctor and treating his patients: other rappers.

This song is considered by many to be a classic rap song. Legendary MC, Talib Kweli, even called it “one of the greatest rap songs [he] ever heard,” and used it to defend Wayne against all of the mocking and insulting he receives.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NbmTj-u1LMg
(Noah Wyle is the Dr. Carter of television)

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So I stopped writing, now I'm like lightning Lil Wayne – Dr. Carter

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Wayne used to write his rhymes down but since recording “10,000 Bars” he has switched to freestyling in the studio, which is faster

UPDATE: He switched back post-prison (he wrote so much in there! Shame to waste it..)

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10 years

some of my favorite lines. he really nails it on this one. since he is is acting like a Doctor on the track, I can attest that Doctors do have horrible writing, honestly a lot of have move to recording their voice on dictation services, and also electronic medical records.

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But I'm a doctor, they don't understand my writing Lil Wayne – Dr. Carter

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A play on Wayne’s lyrics being so inscrutable that no one understands them (except Rap Genius rimshot) and doctors' handwriting being so illegible no one can read it.

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Gotta stand out like Andre 3K Lil Wayne – Dr. Carter

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Outkast’s Andre 3000 is known for his creative and experimental sound and wardrobe. Therefore, he “stands out” amongst the crowd.

Andre 3000 is also a member of Outkast.

Get it? Stand “Out”? “OutKast”?

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Average Cat (Jay-Z Diss!!) Beanie Sigel – Average Cat (Jay-Z Diss!!)

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Beanie Sigel and Jay-Z used to be seemingly inseparable friends. Sigel was a prominent member of Roc-a-fella Records for years and guest-versed on numerous Jay-Z songs. Their relationship has been strained for a while. In 2004, when Sigel did a year in prison, Sigel claims Jay-Z didn’t visit him. While they continued to occasionally collaborate after Sigel’s return, Sigel’s frustration over what he perceived as a lack of proper promotion at Roc-a-fella under Jay-Z recently boiled over

This led Sigel to drop this record aimed at Jay-Z in October 2009. The song samples the beat from Jay-Z’s “What We Talking Bout?” off of Blueprint 3 and parallels the structure of Jay-Z’s version of the song by constantly explaining what’s being talked about (namely, that he’s only going after Jay-Z)

Throughout the song, Sigel alludes to past songs that featured both Sigel and Jay-Z: incorporating those songs into a diss record serves to underscore the seriousness of the betrayal which Sigel feels

For more on this song and both parties' take on the claims involved, read this article

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Beanie Sigel and Jay-Z used to be seemingly inseparable friends.  Sigel was a prominent member of Roc-a-fella Records for years and guest-versed on numerous Jay-Z songs.  Their relationship has been strained for a while.  In 2004, when Sigel did a year in prison, Sigel claims Jay-Z didn't visit him.  While they continued to occasionally collaborate after Sigel's return, Sigel's frustration over what he perceived as a lack of proper promotion at Roc-a-fella under Jay-Z recently boiled over

This led Sigel to drop this record aimed at Jay-Z in October 2009.  The song samples the beat from Jay-Z's ["What We Talking Bout?"](/lyrics/Jay-z/What-we-talking-bout) off of *Blueprint 3* and parallels the structure of Jay-Z's version of the song by constantly explaining what's being talked about (namely, that he's only going after Jay-Z)

For more on this song and both parties' take on the claims involved, read [this article](http://www.eurweb.com/story/eur57126.cfm)

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Worst enemies wanna be my best friends
Best friends wanna be enemies like that's what's in JAY-Z (Ft. Nas) – Success

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Tying back into the dialogue from the movie that starts the track, Nas touches on the fact that when you’re successful, people who hated you want you to like them, and your real friends get jealous of you.

A reference to Nas doing a track with former rival Jay-Z & his former best friend, Fat Joe, becoming his enemy.

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Ain't gotta brag about the Feds, young man JAY-Z (Ft. Nas) – Success

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Telling young rappers, “look, your boasts about getting targeted by the Feds– I’ve seen/done it all”.

This line may be in response to Young Jeezy’s comments in a 2006 interview:

Nas ain’t no street nigga… Do Nas bust his guns? Nas been on the block? Do Nas have street credibility? Is any of Nas homies in the FEDS?

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Niggas mentioned on One Love
Came home to the paper in hand JAY-Z (Ft. Nas) – Success

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Nas’s friends in prison, to whom he wrote letters on the 1994 Illmatic song “One Love”, come home from prison and Nas hooks them up with cash.

Similar to Jay’s narrative on “Do U Wanna Ride” about his associate Emory Jones, who certainly came home to some paper.

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The best jewelers wanna make my things
I make Jacob shit on Lorraine just to make me a chain JAY-Z (Ft. Nas) – Success

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He’s so rich he has the top designers – Jacob Arabo and Lorraine Schwartz – fighting with each other to make him jewelry. He employs imagery that Jay introduced in the first verse to further highlight his point: he is sought out by the elite, they place him above themselves.

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I used to give a fuck, now I give a fuck less
What do I think of success? It sucks, too much stress
I guess I blew up quick
'Cause friends I grew up with
See me as a premie, but I'm not, and my nuts big JAY-Z (Ft. Nas) – Success

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Borrowing some lines from Eminem’s “I’m Back”:

I used to give a – fuck, now I could give a fuck less
What do I think of suc-cess
It sucks, too much press I’m stressed
Too much cess, depressed, too upset
It’s just too much mess, I guess I must just blew up quick (yes)
Grew up quick (no) was raised right

In this play on the meaning of ‘premie,’ Jay complains that friends who knew him before he was famous unfairly think he’s now a ‘prima donna,’ and then boasts that he’s also not a ‘premature baby’ because he has big nuts.

The word “nuts”, however, is most likely being used figuratively. “To have nuts” means “to be brave” or “to be daring”. They also signify maturity of age, and a little bit of arrogance and ignorance at the same time.

Jay-Z explains this line saying:

This refers to old friends on the street and in the rap game who still think of me as their sidekick or protege, or the little nigga they put on. At one point that’s maybe who I was- but then my nuts dropped and I became my own man. And that happened a long time ago.

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Borrowing some lines from [Eminem](/artists/Eminem)'s ["I'm Back":](http://genius.com/38923)

> [I used to give a - fuck, now I could give a fuck less
What do I think of suc-cess
It sucks, too much press I'm stressed
Too much cess, depressed, too upset
It's just too much mess, I guess I must just blew up quick (yes)
Grew up quick (no) was raised right](http://genius.com/44904)

In this play on the meaning of 'premie,' Jay complains that friends who knew him before he was famous unfairly think he's now a 'prima donna,' and then boasts that he's also not a 'premature baby' because he has big nuts.

The word "nuts", however, is most likely being used figuratively. "To have nuts" means "to be brave" or "to be daring". They also signify maturity of age, and a little bit of arrogance and ignorance at the same time.

Jay-Z explains this line saying:

> This refers to old friends on the street and in the rap game who still think of me as their sidekick or protege, or the little nigga they put on. At one point that’s maybe who I was- but then my nuts dropped and I became my own man. And that happened a long time ago.

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7 years

I think here Hov is playing on the spanish term for cousin. Usually when someone tags along with the big homie, someone will introduced them as their little cousin so everyone else feels more comfortable with that person tagging along. And Jay is saying he isn’t the little homie or protege anymore. He’s a grown man now, his nuts dropped and he can stand on his own two.

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