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Introducing Jay-Z’s American Gangster-inspired album, this well-received first single took its name from a potent form of heroin distributed by kingpin Frank Lucas at the height of his drug trafficking in New York.
Produced by frequent collaborators The Neptunes, “Blue Magic” is one of the stronges...
[Produced by The Neptunes]
[Intro: Jay-Z]
Roc-A-Fella Records
The imperial Skateboard P
Great Hova
Y'all already know what it is! (Oh shit!)
C'mon! (Woooo!)
Yeah
[Verse 1: Jay-Z]
So what if you flip a couple words? I could triple that in birds
Open your mind, you see the circus in the sky
I'm Ringling Brothers, Barnum & Bailey with the pies
No matter how you slice it, I'm your motherfuckin' guy
And just like a b-boy with 360 waves
Do the same with the pot, still come back beige
Whether right or southpaw, whether pot or the jar
Whip it around, it still comes back hard
So easily do I W-H-I-P
My repetition with wristses'll bring the kilo bidness
I got Creole C.O. bitches for my niggas
Who slipped, became prisoners, treats taped to the visitors
You already know what the bid-ness is
Unnecessary commissary, boy, we live this shit
Niggas wanna bring the '80s back
That's okay with me, that's where they made me at
Except I don't write on the wall
I write my name in the history books, hustlin' in the hall
Nah, I don't spin on my head
I spin my work in the pot, so I can spend my bread
[Chorus: Jay-Z & Pharrell]
And I'm gettin' it, I'm gettin' it
I ain't talkin' about it, I'm livin' it
I'm gettin' it, straight gettin' it
G—G—G—Get— Get— Get it, boy
Don't waste your time
Fighting the life
Stay your course
And you'll understand (Get it, boy)
[Verse 2: Jay-Z]
It's '87 state of mind that I'm in (mind that I'm in)
In my prime, so for that time, I'm Rakim (I'm Rakim)
If it wasn't for the crime that I was in
But I wouldn't be the guy who rhymes it is that I'm in (that I'm in)
No pain, no profit
P, I repeat if you show me where the pot is (pot is)
Cherry M3's with the top back (top back)
Red and green G's all on my hat
North Beach leathers, matching Gucci sweater
Gucci sneaks on to keep my outfit together
Whatever, hundred for the diamond chain
Can't you tell that I came from the dope game?
Blame Reagan for making me into a monster
Blame Oliver North and Iran-Contra
I ran contraband that they sponsored
Before this rhymin' stuff we was in concert
[Chorus: Jay-Z & Pharrell]
And I'm gettin' it, I'm gettin' it
I ain't talkin' about it, I'm livin' it
I'm gettin' it, straight gettin' it
G—G—G—Get— Get— Get it, boy
Don't waste your time
Fighting the life
Stay your course
And you'll understand (Get it, boy)
[Verse 3: Jay-Z]
Ugh, push
Money over broads, you got it—fuck Bush
Chef, guess what I cooked?
Baked a lot of bread and kept it off the books
Rockstar, look
Way before the bars, my picture was getting took
Feds, they like wack rappers
Try as they may, they couldn't get me on the hook, ugh
D.A. wanna indict me
'Cause fishscale's in my veins like a Pisces
The Pyrex pot, rolled up my sleeves
Turn one into two like a Siamese twin
When it end, I'ma stand as a man
Never dying on my knees, last of a dying breed
So let the champagne pop
I partied for a while; now, I'm back to the block
[Chorus: Jay-Z & Pharrell]
And I'm gettin' it, I'm gettin' it
I ain't talkin' about it, I'm livin' it
I'm gettin' it, straight gettin' it
G—G—G—Get— Get— Get it, boy
Don't waste your time
Fighting the life
Stay your course
And you'll understand (Get it, boy)
[Outro: Denzel Washington from American Gangster]
"Blue Magic"—that's a brand name. Like "Pepsi"—that's a brand name. I stand behind it. I guarantee it. They know that, even if they don't know me any more than they know the— the Chairman of General Mills. My man...
Blue Magic was written by JAY-Z & Pharrell Williams & Foster & McElroy & Denzil Foster & Thomas McElroy & Terry Ellis (En Vogue) & Maxine Jones & Dawn Robinson & Cindy Herron.
Blue Magic was produced by The Neptunes.
JAY-Z released Blue Magic on Tue Nov 06 2007.
In an interview in 2010 Southern rapper Yung Joc revealed that Pharrell had offered him the “Blue Magic” beat first, but he didn’t know how to tackle it:
I was like, ‘Oh, that’s Rakim. Yeah, I know that shit.‘ I was listening to the beat and the concept. I was like, ‘I don’t know if that’s me… I wa...
I was like, ‘Wow.’ Jay-Z, that’s my dude. For him to say, ‘So at that time I’m Rakim,’ that’s love right there. Jay: Good looking. You’re inspiring me.
I wanted to make something that felt like King Kong. You heard the drums on it? Big boulders! That shit sounds like King Kong is waking up, like, ‘Rrrrrooar!’
[With the sound we were] just trying to set a reference of the place of nostalgic drug dealing. When Rakim said ‘I came through the door, I...
While on “Blue Magic” Jay and Pharrell perfectly captured the dopeboy sound of the ‘80s, the album was supposed to be set in Frank Lucas’ ‘70s. This was the quagmire Hov made for himself: while “Blue Magic” was a standout track, it didn’t really fit the feel of the rest of the album.
While Jay and...