[Verse 1 - Jay-Z]
Yeah, I'm out that BrooklynNow I'm down in Tribeca
Right next to DeNiroBut I’ll be hood foreverI’m the new Sinatra
And since I made it here
I can make it anywhereYeah,
they love me everywhereI used to
cop in HarlemHola my Dominicanos
Right there up on BroadwayBrought me back to
that McDonaldsTook it to
my stash spot
560 State streetCatch me in the kitchen like a Simmons whipping pastryCruising down 8th streetOff-white Lexus
Driving so slow but BK is from TexasMe I’m out that
Bed-Stuy
Home of that boy BiggieNow I live on Billboard
And I brought my boys with meSay what up to Ty Ty, still sipping mai taisSitting courtside Knicks and Nets give me high fives
Nigga I be Spiked out, I can trip a refereeTell by my attitude that I most definitely from
[Hook - Alicia Keys]
New York
Concrete jungle where dreams are made of
There's nothing you can’t do
Now you’re in New York
These streets will make you feel brand new
Big lights will inspire youLet's hear it for New York
[Verse 2 - Jay-Z]
Catch me at the X with OG at a Yankee gameShit, I made the Yankee hat more famous than a Yankee canYou should know
I bleed Blue, but I ain't a Crip, thoughBut I got a
gang of niggas walking with my clique thoughWelcome to
the melting potCorners where we selling rocksAfrika Bambaataa shit
Home of the hip-hopYellow cab,
gypsy cab,
dollar cab, holla back
For foreigners it ain't fair, they act like they forgot how to add8 million stories out there in the naked
City, it's a pity half of y’all won’t make it
Me I gotta plug Special Ed "I Got It Made"If Jeezy's paying LeBron, I’m paying Dwyane Wade3 dice Cee-lo, 3 card MarleyLabor Day Parade, rest in peace Bob MarleyStatue of Liberty, long live the World trade
Long live the king yoI’m from the Empire State, that's:
[Hook]
Welcome to the bright light[Verse 3 - Jay-Z]
Lights is blinding
Girls need blindersSo they can step out of bounds quick
The side lines is lined with casualtiesWho sip the life casually, then gradually become worse
Don’t bite the apple, EveCaught up in the in-crowd
Now you're in-style
And in the winter gets cold en vogue with your skin outThe city of sin is a pity on a whim
Good girls gone bad - the City's filled with themMommy took a bus trip and now she got her bust out
Everybody ride her, just like a bus routeHail Mary to the city you're a VirginIf Jesus can’t save you, life starts when the church ends
Came here for school, graduated to the high life
Ball players, rap stars, addicted to the limelight
MDMA got you feeling like a championThe city never sleeps, better slip you a Ambien[Hook]
[Alicia Keys]
One hand in the air for the big city
Street lights, big dreams all looking pretty
No place in the World that can compare
Put your lighters in the air, everybody say "yea!"
Wassup Foo?