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The Blueprint 3’s third single is a love song to Jay-Z and Alicia Keys' home city of New York, which is also known as “the Empire State.” The title alludes to the Billy Joel ballad, “New York State of Mind,” and Nas‘ “N.Y. State of Mind.”
“Empire State of Mind” stands as one of Hov’s most successfu...
[Intro: JAY-Z]
Yeah
[Verse 1: JAY-Z & Alicia Keys]
Yeah, I'm out that Brooklyn, now I'm down in Tribeca
Right next to De Niro, but I'll be hood forever
I'm the new Sinatra, and since I made it here
I can make it anywhere, yeah, they love me everywhere
I used to cop in Harlem, hola, my Dominicanos (Dímelo!)
Right there up on Broadway, brought me back to that McDonald's
Took it to my stash spot, 560 State Street
Catch me in the kitchen, like a Simmons whippin' pastry
Cruisin' down 8th Street, off-white Lexus
Drivin' so slow, but BK is from Texas
Me? I'm out that Bed-Stuy, home of that boy Biggie
Now I live on Billboard and I brought my boys with me
Say "What up?" to Ty Ty, still sippin' Mai Tais
Sittin' courtside, Knicks and Nets give me high fives
Nigga, I be spiked out (Come on), I could trip a referee (Come on)
Tell by my attitude (Come on) that I'm most definitely from
[Chorus: Alicia Keys & JAY-Z]
In New York (Ayy, uh, yeah; aha)
Concrete jungle (Yeah) where dreams are made of
There's nothin' you can't do (Yeah, okay)
Now you're in New York (Aha, aha, aha; uh, yeah)
These streets will make you feel brand-new (New)
Big lights will inspire you (Come on) (Okay)
Let's hear it for New York (You welcome, OG; uh)
New York (Yeah), New York (Uh, I made you hot, nigga)
[Verse 2: JAY-Z & Alicia Keys]
Catch me at the X with OG at a Yankee game
Shit, I made the Yankee hat more famous than a Yankee can
You should know I bleed blue, but I ain't a Crip though
But I got a gang of niggas walkin' with my clique though
Welcome to the meltin' pot, corners where we sellin' rock
Afrika Bambaataa shit, home of the hip-hop
Yellow cab, gypsy cab, dollar cab, holla back
For foreigners, it ain't fair, they act like they forgot how to add
Eight 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 payin' LeBron, I'm payin' Dwyane Wade
Three dice cee-lo, three-card Monte
Labor Day Parade—rest in peace, Bob Marley
Statue of Liberty, long live the World Trade (Come on, come on)
Long live the king, yo (Come on)—I'm from the Empire State, that's
[Chorus: Alicia Keys & JAY-Z]
In New York (Ayy; uh, yeah)
Concrete jungle where dreams are made of
There's nothin' you can't do (That boy good, okay)
Now you're in New York (Uh, yeah, welcome to the bright lights, baby)
These streets will make you feel brand-new
Big lights will inspire you (Okay)
Let's hear it for New York (Uh)
New York (Yeah), New York (Uh)
[Verse 3: JAY-Z & Alicia Keys]
Lights is blinding, girls need blinders
Or they could step out of bounds quick, the side lines is
Lined with casualties who sip the life casually
Then gradually become worse—don't bite the apple, Eve!
Caught up in the in-crowd, now you're in-style
Into the winter gets cold, en vogue with your skin out
City of sin is a pity on a whim
Good girls gone bad, the city's filled with them
Mami took a bus trip, now she got her bust out
Everybody ride her, just like a bus route
"Hail Mary" to the city, you're a virgin
And Jesus can't save you, life starts when the church end
Came here for school, graduated to the high life
Ball players, rap stars, addicted to the limelight
MDMA (Come on) got you feelin' like a champion (Come on)
The city never sleeps (Come on), better slip you a Ambien
[Chorus: Alicia Keys & JAY-Z]
In New York (Ayy, ow, uh, yeah)
Concrete jungle where dreams are made of
There's nothin' you can't do (Okay)
Now you're in New York (Uh, yeah)
These streets will make you feel brand-new
Big lights will inspire you (Okay)
Let's hear it for New York (Uh)
New York (Yeah), New York (Uh)
[Bridge: Alicia Keys]
One hand in the air for the big city (Oh)
Street lights, big dreams, all lookin' pretty (Oh)
No place in the world that could compare (Nah)
Put your lighters in the air, everybody say
"Yeah, yeah" (Come on, come on)
"Yeah, yeah" (Come on)
[Chorus: Alicia Keys]
In New York (Uh, yeah, oh)
Concrete jungle where dreams are made of
There's nothin' you can't do (Okay)
Now you're in New York (Uh, yeah, yeah)
These streets will make you feel brand-new
Big lights will inspire you (Okay)
Let's hear it for New York (Uh)
New York (Yeah), New York (Uh)
Empire State of Mind was written by JAY-Z & Alicia Keys & Al Shux & Angela Hunte & Janet Sewell & Sylvia Robinson & Bert Keyes.
Empire State of Mind was produced by Janet Sewell & Angela Hunte & Al Shux.
JAY-Z released Empire State of Mind on Tue Oct 20 2009.
Jay stated in an interview that after he first heard the track’s piano loops (which are sampled from “Love on a Two-Way Street” by The Moments), he immediately thought of Keys and wanted her to be featured on the song.
He has also said that his friend Mary J. Blige was initially considered for Keys...
In an interview with MTV, shortly before the duo performed the track at Game Two of the World Series at Yankee Stadium, Alicia Keys explained how her part on the track came about:
There was a first phone call, and Jay hit me up like, ‘I feel like I have this record that’s going to be the anthem of...
The music video was directed by frequent Jay-Z collaborator Hype Williams. It was filmed on October 1, 2009 in various locations around New York City, including Times Square, Brooklyn, TriBeCa, Harlem, Yankee Stadium and Ground Zero.
It is a masterpiece video. The way it’s put together, it is so Ne...
What sticks out to me about the record is the aspiration and hope—that there’s a place where you can become something. But you have to be aware that there’s a downside to living in New York, or any major city. You can get sidetracked and swallowed up, which is why the third verse is the way it is. I...
The rap mogul explained his famous “if Jeezy’s paying LeBron, I’m paying Dwayne Wade” line in an interview in January 2010:
Well Jeezy has this genius song where he was talking about… Well, I probably shouldn’t say it. If he’s paying $23,000 I’m paying $3,000. But that’s why me and him are together...
“Empire State of Mind” was certified 3x platinum by the RIAA on April 16, 2010.
The song peaked at #1 on the Billboard Hot 100 during the week of November 28, 2009. It charted for a total of 30 weeks.