The use of the term “cream” originates with the Wu-Tang classic from 3 years before RD. Irv Gotti samples “The Look of Love” by Isaac Hayes as Jay asks a simple yet resonant question. This may be directly influenced by a story Jay told in Decoded (page 90): One day at the end of school I got arrested by the school cop for trespassing; I had crack in my pockets, but since it was my first arrest and I had no prior offenses, they released me on my own recognizance. [Jay-Z:] Geyeah, y'all nigaas finished yo Is y'all niggas finished Got your little radio play your little BDS, huh You finished nigga, huh huh, y'all finished Can I live, huh Can I live, Joe your bein' stingy with the music bin yo [Jay-Z:] Yo, yo...yo, I blacks out, I pulls the mack out Scream "Whats that about," then I clap out What happened was, I was doing that song with someone else, and they heard the first verse and they was like, ‘Man, you take that song. Watch Video. Rayful Edmond is the notorious drug dealer who introduced crack into the D.C. area in the ‘80s. Jay-Z - Hell Yeah (Remix) 63. The drive to escape that hopelessness is, for the hustler, the same thing that drives a drug addict to get high-a need to escape. Or the feeling when you come around the corner back home and all eyes turn to you because everyone knows who you are — you represent something successful and free and dangerous, all at once. In an interview with Juan Epstein, {TIMESTAMP NEEDED} engineer Young Guru said that this reference was what intrigued him enough to start his collaborative relationship with Jay Z. It’s another example of Jay equating selling drugs to taking them. Shawn Corey Carter (born December 4, 1969 in Brooklyn, New York, United States), is an American rapper and former president and CEO of Roc A Fella Records. Laughin' hard, happy to be escapin' poverty, however brief Per Irv Gotti in the August 2006 issue of XXL: Jay actually wanted Nas on it. It got me appreciate Jay even more then i did!… Jay-Z - Can't Knock The Hustle (Remix) 60. My pain, wish it was quick to see Classic footage of Jay-Z explaining the lyrics in his song “Can I Live” on his first album Reasonable Doubt. Related Videos. Channel 7 News, round seven jewels, head dead in the mic Ended up with the tax write off and a new car in 3 years. ” In other songs, Jay-Z mentioned hustlas becoming “addicted to the game like the fiends they serve,” and what he described was a manifestation of addiction that involves “the lifestyle” of dealing drugs instead of using them…When Jay mentioned “brothers admiring him from four fiends away,” the “fiends” that he was referring to could have been hustlas. Can I Live by Jay-Z - discover this song's samples, covers and remixes on WhoSampled ... GET AD-FREE WHOSAMPLED PREMIUM! In “These days, a brother gotta admire me from four fiends away,” Jay is talking about his rise in a drug dealing organization. “What happened was, I was doing that song with someone else, and they heard the first verse and they was like, ’Man, you take that song. The lyrical content is down right disgusting ... By the way if you do not know the in my lifetime (remix) song please check it out Hov echo this sentiment on “Public Service,” rapping: Hope you don’t think users are the only abusers Hoes'll get you sidetracked, then clapped from close feet And life. Not only that, but all that money he made in the drug game was just for living off of, but the government is trying to take it away, why won’t they just leave him alone and let him live his life? Jay’s “squad” was his drug-dealing crew, and the key is “escaping poverty.” During “Money, Cash, Hoes” he explained: The fast money on the streets is just that: fast. He was the spokesperson for everything that we were doing. The Buddhist reference is about stillness, a break from the spending and buying, a retreat to reveal jay’s ultimate goals. Here he implies that even “righteous” minds go through doubt. If you enjoy our content please support us by disabling your ad blocker. The second line is saying while he isn’t the drug addict, he’s a fiend in his own right for money, and even righteous people get addicted to making dough. Start the wiki, Yeah, (hah, yeah) Roc-A-FellaWe invite you to, somethin epic y'all know? A…. You taste a strange kind of fame. Jay-Z Feat. [Verse 1] by Jay-Z. Alicia Keys. Also note the world play on the homophonic ‘dead-a-nation’ and ‘detonation’, and also Jay’s masterful use of internal rhyme: ‘confederation’, ‘dead a nation’, ‘detonation’, ‘said patient’. Pointin at cars like yeah that’s our sex Reasonable Doubt Roc-A-Fella 1996. They stayed at the MGM Grand, the same hotel where the fight was held on August 19, 1995. My shit is butter for the bread, they wanna toast me “Big Willie” is slang for a street cat who is making big money and living large. Categories Hip-Hop. The way drugs scramble a fiends brains is equal to that of the stress a hustler deals with. He is one of the most respected rappers in the music industry, and is admir…, Shawn Corey Carter (born December 4, 1969 in Brooklyn, New York, United States), is an American rapper and former president and CEO of Roc A Fella Records. Ni**as In Paris. Irv Gotti samples “The Look of Love” by Isaac Hayes as Jay asks a simple yet resonant question. Jay-Z Instrumentals Audio Preview ... U Dont Know Remix feat MOP (In-MF What More Can I Say (Instrumental)-MF Addeddate 2016-05-20 08:20:09 Identifier Jay-Z_Instrumentals Scanner Internet Archive Python library 0.9.1. plus-circle Add Review. But the Nas thing didn’t happen. He is suggesting throughout the whole album how his own doubt about life, turned into a drive to succeed. We both out of town, dog, what you tryin' to get into? Also, he could be saying that when you get fed up enough with your circumstances (growing up in the mean streets of NYC), that hustling is what it comes down to. And sidestep cops on the way to the top – yes! Can I live To all the ce-lo champs, two green dice and one red stop the bank and roll Heads yo Can I live To all my niggas who drink hennesy straight, cop mix tapes, and sell weight Niggas [Jay-Z] I got the feds sending me letters 'cause I'm schooling the youth But they can't lock me down 'cause my tool is the truth It features guest vocals by John Legend, Don Crawley, GLC and Kanye West.The song was released by Roc-A-Fella Records and produced by West for Konman Productions. What do you bring to the table? At the time, Jay was like the ambassador of our life, of our movement. So when we come to the table to gamble, it’s with our very lives. He is more commonly known by a variety of stage names including Jay-Z, S. Carter, Jigga, Hova, J-Hova, Hov, and Young Hov. A simple question, but what’s the answer? Jay-Z - Beware Of The Boys (Remix) 59. Empire State Of Mind. Seventeen and I’m holding on to around a mill Sort of like the fiends we accustomed to servin' According to Irv Gotti, who produced the track, the song was supposed to be a collaboration between Jay and a member of the rap group Original Flavor. In Jay-Z’s book, Decoded he cites this line as “round seven jewels.” (page 106). 1 (1997) BUY NOW! Jay-Z - Hovi Baby (Remix) 65. Lock my body can't trap my mind, easily Explain why we adapt to crime I'd rather die enormous than live dormant that's how we on it Live at the main event, I bet a trip to Maui on it Presidential suites my resedential for the weekend Confidentially speakin in codes since I sense you peekin The nsx rental, don't be fooled my game is mental [Jay-Z] Geyeah, y'all nigaas finished yo Is y'all niggas finished Got your little radio play your little BDS, huh You finished nigga, huh huh, y'all finished Can I live, huh Can I live, Joe your bein' stingy with the music bin yo [Jay-Z] Yo, yo...yo, I blacks out, I pulls the mack out Scream "Whats that about," then I … I'd rather die enormous than live dormant, that's how we on it Well, we hustle out of a sense of hopelessness Shawn Corey Carter (born December 4, 1969), known professionally as Jay-Z (stylized as JAY-Z), is an American rapper, songwriter, record executive, businessman, and record producer.He is widely regarded as one of the most influential hip-hop artists in history, and often cited as one of the greatest rappers of all time. A sequel was created with a feature from Memphis Bleek and was added as a bonus track to reissued versions of Reasonable Doubt. Start the show!") It comes and it goes, but when you’re living in the moment and not worrying about the consequences it can be beautiful. Well, it’s almost two decades later and it looks like the answer is yes, as Jay is living just fine: Jay-Z has identified this verse as the last verse he ever wrote down, and the track’s producer suggests Nas nearly ended up with this verse. Jay could have been describing his level in the organization where admiring him directly meant that a drug user (the first “fiend”) observed him making “hand-to- hand” transactions (“fiend to fiend”). And that’s where Emory got his name Vegas, Vegas Jones, during that same trip. Go directly to shout page. Jay-Z - Can I Live Lyrics. ARTIST. Also known as I Can't Get Wit That, This remix was released as a b side for the in my lifetime single. “You know, that type of thing. Keep your spirit alive read your books Top Songs By JAY-Z. Jewels also makes sense because at the time, Rayful Edmond was the face of hustlers' wealth and street bourgeois. Check out Hova and Irv Gotti speaking about this lyric here: What have the artists said about the song? During his long nights selling drugs, he would right rhymes as a form of escapism, so even though he feels locked into the hustlers way of life, he’s still mentally free. GO AD-FREE WITH WHOSAMPLED PREMIUM! Meet me by the one that starts a G up Jay-Z - Da Graveyard; 68. It can also be flipped into commentary on the drug game, and you could argue Jay was in one of his only valleys when he released this record. Lock my body, can't trap my mind Biggs also explained this line was born during a trip to Vegas in 1995, saying that Emory Jones received his nickname “Vegas” at the craps table during the Tyson vs McNeely fight: Probably around in about ’95 and we went to the first Tyson fight when he just came home from jail to fight McNeeley and that’s actually where the song “Can I Live” came from. Gotti mentioned he believed Nas was also set to appear on the track. At the bar, gettin' my thug on properly Ni**as In Paris. Isaac Hayes's The Look of Love is a cover of: However, when you look deeper, “confederation” alludes to the “Confederacy” in the Civil War, which like Jay’s crew tried to “dead a nation,” i.e. Jay-Z & KanYe West. His explanation of that line in *Decoded is applicable here as well. In Decoded Jay notes that Edmond once appeared on the news getting out of his own helicopter. An addict doubles down on his pain, and like the hustler feels death or jail couldn’t be much worse than the pain of poverty. My squad and me lack of respect for authority He was flossing on the record, but he was dropping a lot of jewels in the record as well. JAY-Z quotes I will not lose, for even in defeat/There's a valuable lesson learned, so it evens up for me Install the free Online Radio Box application for your smartphone and listen to your favorite radio stations online - wherever you are! But we feel we have nothin' to lose It was like [the album’s] mastering time, so I just sat down in the booth and wrote that [verse].”. He is more commonly known by a variety of stage names including Jay-Z, S. Carte…, Ice Cream (feat. This opening couplet is one of Jay’s most iconic, and has two possible meanings: Drug dealer – his enemies are watching him, waiting for him to make a mistake. Illin' for revenues, Rayful Edmond-like A new version of Last.fm is available, to keep everything running smoothly, please reload the site. / Wait a minute; I see my man over there But it’s also about great ambition, and the alternative, which is stagnation. Jay-Z - Holla Holla (Remix) 64. Through that desperation, we become addicted “I’d rather die enormous than live dormant that’s how we on it” Irv Gotti the founder of Murder Inc is also in the video. I'd rather die enormous than live dormant, that's how we on it. Yeah, hah, yeah, Roc-A-Fella Buy this Track. And what’s more, it stood for a morally disgusting cause simply because it sustained the southern economy. In the August 2006 issue of XXL, Dame Dash says: Biggs [Kareem Burke, fellow Roc-A-Fella co-owner with Jay and Dame] came up with that line, “We don’t lease, we buy the whole car.” It was like a collaboration. comment. The revenue earned from advertising continues to enable us to provide FREE, quality content. He’s wondering if he can continue to live despite all of the stresses of life and seeing people get shot, overdose, and living in poverty every day. So I keep one eye open like CBS — you see me stressed, right? Yeah, geah, Roc-A-Fella We invite you to somethin' epic y'all know? I just wanted to leave it here for those who are interested. Live at the main event, I bet a trip to Maui on it [Produced by Irv Gotti] You have the best car, the best jewelry, the whole package. It’s a take on the “Live Free or Die Trying,” “Liberty or Death” spirit that’s woven into the fabric of what it means to be American. The Look of Love by Isaac Hayes (1970) Multiple Elements Soul / Funk / Disco. A brother gotta admire me from four fiends away He is regarded as one of the most prolific and successful American blend artists of the mid-90s and early 2000s and is known for his use of metaphors, freestyling abilities, word play, flow, and blending of street and popular hip hop. [Intro] Since his drugs (“shit”) make him a lot of money (“butter for the bread”), they want to kill him (continuing the carbs metaphor – “toast” him). I’m here to tell n—s it ain’t all swell Hustlers profits made our eyes stretch. ... Chris Brown – Go Crazy (Remix) ft. Young Thug, Future, Lil Durk, Mulatto SoSacramento. Rapper – he’s on stage, his fans are watching him at a concert (or otherwise keeping track of his song releases). And we can have a pleasant time, sippin' margaritas, seriously, some of these “verified” annotations are horrible and are just mumbling and don’t even explain the lyrics they’re supposed to, Hey, this is an interresting documentairy ‘bout the reasonable doubt album, also talking about the meaning of some lyrics of this song. Enjoy the videos and music you love, upload original content, and share it all with friends, family, and the world on YouTube. About “Can I Live” Irv Gotti samples “The Look of Love” by Isaac Hayes as Jay asks a simple yet resonant question. Prefer you call me William He also tackled this topic on “Do U Wanna Ride?”, You know why they call The Projects a project, because it’s a project! The thrill was more important than the pain. But the Confederacy was ultimately beaten by the Union. He just did one verse, and we was leavin' the second verse for Nas. What happened was, I was doing that song with someone else, and they heard the first verse and they was like, ‘Man, you take that song. Cars lose value the minute they leave the lot. Jay-Z will explain the lyrics … Songs that sampled Jay-Z's Can I Live: Rain on Me (Remix) by Ashanti feat. It’s as addictive as the shit you’re selling, and just as deadly. As he said in Decoded: The rewards – the money, the girls, the excitement… I wanted to tell stories and boast, to entertain and to dazzle… Balled ridiculously in Vegas, I went dead broke and got hood rich on those streets. Easily explain why we adapt to crime Jay Z also revealed the last time he actually did write was for “Can I Live,” a standout track on his 1996 debut, Reasonable Doubt. Users who like Jay - Z - Can I Live; Users who reposted Jay - Z - Can I Live; Playlists containing Jay - Z - Can I Live; More tracks like Jay - Z - Can I Live; License: all-rights-reserved But he also advises his adversaries, or anyone else, not to be fooled- based on the flash that he shows; he is both substance and style. Outwardly, Jay appears calm and at ease, but his brain is turned to mush from the anxiety and paranoia he experiences daily in his chosen profession. His music (“shit”) makes him money, and his fans want to “toast” (honour) him. Enjoy. 2018-12-24T03:19:10Z. Niggas getting high within the game. Scrobbling is when Last.fm tracks the music you listen to and automatically adds it to your music profile. On the surface, Jay merely comments on a dream that his drug crew is going to rise to the highest echelon of money in America, basically overthrowing the establishment and the stigma that black people don’t amount to anything. Ghostface Killah, Method Man & Cappadonna), Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike License. Sample chain found! Following this line when Jay says “You guessed it, manifested in tangible goods”, he was referring to how the “atrocities” that he and his crew were committing were manifested in material (tangible goods,) such as platinum Rolexes.. Hov officially retracted this advice in Decoded, writing: Advising to buy a car rather than lease one speaks to my naïveté at the time. Suddenly we were in a hole… When we got back, we worked even harder, determined to never be in a position where a loss would set us that far back. Sick! So we came back in, and he did the second verse. Matter of fact, let me take you somewhere Much like Jay’s mind. Jay Z - Can’t Knock the Hustle Remix . There’s a triple meaning to this line. Start the show! All Rights Go To Jay-Z and Tidal Jay-Z perform “Can I Live” and “In My Life Time” Tidal B-Sides Concert 2015. (something, something)Well we hustle out of a sense of, hopelessnessSort…. ! We invite you to somethin' epic, you know? He is more commonly known by a va…, Shawn Corey Carter (born December 4, 1969 in Brooklyn, New York, United States), is an American rapper and former president and CEO of Roc A Fella Records. "Encore" is a song from Jay-Z's The Black Album. While I'm watchin' every nigga watchin' me closely Watch the video for Can I Live from JAY-Z's Reasonable Doubt for free, and see the artwork, lyrics and similar artists. I keep my head, both of them, where they supposed to be Jay Z- Can I Live II (feat. Viva Las Vegas, see ya later at the crap tables The youth I used to be, soon to see a mill'in Finally, it refers to the poverty that project housing enforces upon it’s occupants. secede from the Union thus breaking up the country (incidentally, the Confederate States of America is a dead nation). This line resonates deeply with my listeners. It’s up to a 100% tax deductible right off especially if you lease through your business. Additionally, Jay might have used CBS as a homophone as a way to say “See BS”, which also ties in the next line where he says “You see me stressed right?” Jay is saying that since he is able to see through the lies and the mimicry, he is not going to stress out unlike other people. Empire State Of Mind. Javascript is required to view shouts on this page. Connect your Spotify account to your Last.fm account and scrobble everything you listen to, from any Spotify app on any device or platform. Check out Hova and Irv Gotti speaking on the inspiration behind this track here: Hopelessness and desperation is what you’re supposed to feel in poverty. (click this link to youtube to watch the doc)[]. Jay-Z - Girls, Girls, Girls (Remix) 61. Sly double entendre. And we can have a pleasant time, sippin margaritas Ge-ge-geyeahhh, can I live? First, Jay speaks on being physically locked up in jail. But the damage was done – They confiscated the work I was holding. Well, we hustle out of a sense of hopelessness Sort of a desperation Thr Throughout his whole life Jay has been hustling to make the money he needs to get out of the hood. During his Rap Radar Podcast episode, Kareem Burke shed some light on this line, explaining that the scene from the “Dead Presidents” video in which they’re playing monopoly features real money (“200 or something thousand dollars”), and unopened bottles of Cristal to prove they were really living that life (no Fraud Willies present). Jay feels he has outgrown this group of people he once admired, as he has graduated from making his money through illegal drug dealing to becoming a legitimate businessman. I know this game got valleys and peaks The NSX rental, don't be fooled, my game is mental One day you’re cruising in your 7, next day you’re sweating, forgetting your lies. There’s heaven, and then there’s hell n—s At the time, Jay’s lawyer was none other than Combat Jack, Reggie Ossé. Jay-Z - Can I Get Open; 67. He is conveniently feigning amnesia, telling the police that “he doesn’t remember” in response to questioning about his drug business. I could bail out and blow trial and come around on appeal, Willies wanna rub shoulders, your money’s too young Kendrick Lamar might have alluded to these lines on “M.A.A.D. [Jay-Z] Young Hov, y’all know when the flow is loco Young B and the R-O-C, uh-oh Ol’ G, big homey, the one and only Stick bony, but the pocket is fat like Tony Soprano, the ROC handle like Van Axel I shake phonies, man, you can’t get next to The genuine article I go, I do not sing though I sling though, if anything I … Obviously Jay-Z is explaining that he has illegal drug money so I doubt he pays much in taxes, but the real life Jay-Z could have leased the car instead and written it off through Roc-A-Fella records. Forgettin' all I ever knew, convenient amnesia The way “NSX” is pronounced also sounds like “in excess”, which is a clever play on the lavish lifestyle as a hustler Jay espouses on this track. Jay subtly lets us know that he is on top of the drug game–he is aware that people are out to get him, and is keeping tabs on the people who are keeping tabs on him, effectively turning the hunter into the hunted. "I suggest you call my lawyer, I know the procedure." He is more commonly known by a variety of stage names including Jay-Z, S. Carter, Jigga, Hova, J-Hova, Hov, and Young Hov. Tags Hip-Hop Jay Z Trap. DJ Unknown & DJ Mekalek – That’s Life, I Live It.... Ashanti (Ft. Charli Baltimore, Hussein Fatal & Ja Rule) – Rain on Me (Remix), Ashanti (Ft. Charli Baltimore, Hussein Fatal & Ja Rule) – Rain On Me (Remix) (edit), Can't Knock the Hustle (Fool's Paradise Remix), Told you put away some cheddar now you crying for bail, Seventeen and I’m holding on to around a mill, I could bail out and blow trial and come around on appeal, Willies wanna rub shoulders, your money’s too young. Alicia Keys. Emory spent most of the week gambling; and at one point he was $20,000 up at the crap tables, meaning the whole trip became “free” for the Roc-A-Fella crew. So, we offer you, well, we offer our lives, right? This is a time to look back, to reminisce on his earlier days. Finish it, ’cause it sounds like you got a lot more to say,’ ” Jay explained in a lengthy interview in which he discussed lyrics and songwriting. Jay-Z - In My Lifetime (Remix) 66. Can I Live: 9: Ain't No Nigga: 10: Friend or Foe: 11: Coming of Age: 12: Cashmere Thoughts: 13: Bring it On: 14: Regrets (15) Can I Live II: Jay-Z - In My Lifetime, Vol. An experiment, we’re in it, only as objects Another example of Jay’s premise on Reasonable Doubt, to explain both the good and the bad (or the gift and the curse) of selling drugs. Expectation for dips, for precipitation we stack chips, hardly If you notice he said “bond with jewelers” and “watch” as a piece of jewelry from the jeweler. I don't sleep, I'm tired, I feel wired like codeine, these days And the object for us to explore our prospects Finish it, 'cause it sounds like you got a lot more to say.’. My mind is infested, with sick thoughts that circle Like a Lexus, if driven wrong it's sure to hurt you Dual level like duplexes, in unity, my crew and me Commit atrocities like we got immunity You guessed it, … I know it’s like a drug-dealer song, but it’s really about work ethic more than anything. No more Big Willie, my game has grown Can I live? As kids we would daydream, sittin on our steps The risk is death, so the reward should have equal gravity, a life lived to the fullest. He revisited this very line on his tribute to Emory Jones, “Do U Wanna Ride?”, They caught your body they can’t trap your mind Can't lie, at the time it never bothered me 22 Two's Lyrics: Yo wassup everybody, this is Maria Davis, Mad Wednesdays, we here tonight to have a good time / ("Yo! Jay-Z avoids the trap his neighborhood has set for him: instead of being bogged down in a self-defeating approach toward life, Jay-Z takes a breath – Ommmm – and tries to accumulate “cream” (wealth) with his like-minded employees. In these days cars lose value so rapidly and only a small portion can be written off on buys. This track was originally meant to be a collaboration between Jay, a member of the group Original Flavor, and Nas—but when producer Ski Beatz heard this first verse they gave the song to Hov to record by himself. Do you know any background info about this track? Stream Jay-z Instrumental Collection Mixtape by Jay-Z Hosted by DJ Heavy Ammunition Over 40+ of jigga's beats making this collection a must have for any music head with rare tracks and remixes..... support that real hip hop 24-7!!!! Can I Live. "Encore" received much popularity in 2004 when it was mixed with Linkin Park's hit single "Numb" on the mash-up album Collision Course as "Numb/Encore", which went on to win a Grammy … That’s where the line started getting a lot of notoriety at that time and Jay would put it in songs after that. City”: We adapt to crime, pack a van with four guns at a time, The car he’s rented for his little weekend getaway is an Acura NSX (rice rocket – but impressive), Driving rental cars is a recurring theme in raps about selling crack, since it was a smart way for dealers not to be tracked when moving around the city. So I just wanted to get it down quick, I didn’t want to keep going over it. Charli Baltimore, Hussein Fatal and Ja Rule (2003) Can I Live Freestyle by Pusha T (2011) Can I Live by Lil B (2011) see more. In this line, I turn a noun, bread (meaning “money”) into a verb, toast (meaning “shoot”), which draws out the relationship between money and danger. songs sampled in Jay-Z's Can I Live: The Look of Love by Isaac Hayes (1970) see more Other songs that sampled Jay-Z's Can I Live: Rain on Me (Remix) by Ashanti feat. Jay claims that black culture has been corrupted: people feel compelled to blow their money on frivolous purchases like expensive jewelry and feel the need to always be paranoid and wary of the other people in their community. MP3 : Can I Live by Jay Z September 13, 2019 Can I Live is another classic off the debut album by American veteran rapper Jay z. Download and listen to the song below. Couldn't find this song in good quality so I had to take it upon myself to upload it! TRACK. Some user-contributed text on this page is available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike License; additional terms may apply. Discussion.