Guns & Roses by JAY-Z (Ft. Lenny Kravitz)
Guns & Roses by JAY-Z (Ft. Lenny Kravitz)

Guns & Roses

JAY-Z & Lenny Kravitz * Track #13 On The Blueprint² The Gift & The Curse

Download "Guns & Roses"

Guns & Roses by JAY-Z (Ft. Lenny Kravitz)

Release Date
Tue Nov 12 2002
Performed by
JAY-ZLenny Kravitz
Produced by
Heavy D
Writed by
Lenny Kravitz & Heavy D & John McCrea & JAY-Z
About

The second track, of the second disc, of the second Blueprint album, “Guns & Roses,” is about turning negatives into positives.

There’s also a surprising number of fashion references.

And it samples, I mean really samples!, “Arco Arena” by Cake who were an indie band at the time

Guns & Roses Lyrics

[Intro: Heavy D & Jay-Z]
Yeah, it's magic
Huh? Jay-Z and Lenny Kravitz
And it's a Heavy D production, you bastards
Come on
Hah, hey yo, stop playing man
This is real serious, huh? (It's the Roc)
Yeah (Yo) yo, let's go

[Verse 1: Jay-Z]
Post Positano, Hov' hanging with Bono
U2 can live like Salvatore Ferragamo
And you too can cool out poolside at the Delano
If you too flow like you was out of your mind yo
'Cause who knew dude that loved apple pies from McDonald's
Would soon be the boss of the Big Apple? Ya know
And who knew dude that played ball for the NBA
Would make a mistake on the who knew estates? Throw it away
Who knew that would be his last shot, who drew up that play?
They giveth and they taketh, life is cruel that way
But even a broken clock is right at least two times a day
You could have turned guns into roses like two times today
Now here's something you gotta say two times to Jay
I got my shades on, waiting for the sun to shine my way
Got my boom box, suntan lotion, waiting for action
They say when you play with skills, good luck could happen
Let's go

[Bridge: Lenny Kravitz & Jay-Z]
C'mon (It's the Roc)
C'mon (It's the Roc)
C'mon (It's the Roc)
C'mon (Let's rock)
C'mon!

[Verse 2: Jay-Z]
Things got too hot so I jumped off in this rap shit
You got it criss-crossed, ain't no turning me backwards
Too many District Attorneys concerned with the actions
Of one individual, he's criminally attached
I turned in all my rap chips, I'm earning my bachelors
By dating all the models and actresses
I'm learning all the potholes in every single barrio
Trying not to mess up my axis kid
On the road to the riches through trafficking
Through rapping and whatever's happening
Rocawear, I'm the young black Ralph Lauren
Every time I get out, they pull me right back in
The Michael Corleone of the microphone
The Michelangelo of flow, I paint pictures with poems
I gather no moss like a rolling stone
Case the Grim Reaper visits my home, nigga I'm gone, c'mon

[Bridge: Lenny Kravitz & Jay-Z]
C'mon (It's the Roc)
C'mon (It's the Roc)
C'mon (It's the Roc)
C'mon (Let's rock)
C'mon!

[Chorus: Lenny Kravitz]
Life is all about guns and roses
Bittersweet like friends and foes is
Some get left behind, some get chosen
Just like life, guns and roses
Life is all about guns and roses
Bittersweet like friends and foes is
Some get left behind, some get chosen
Just like life, guns and roses

[Verse 3: Jay-Z]
Tote more guns than roses, foes is
Visibly shook of the invisible bully (Let's go)
Flowers need water to grow, it gotta rain
In order to experience joy, you need pain
Every time a baby is born, somebody's slain
You know the saying, somebody's loss is another's gain
The sun comes out when the water goes down the drain
A rainbow then the clouds come out, we do it again
Everything evens up, you just wait
Even a garbage can gets a steak
You ain't even a garbage can, you have faith
But when it turns your way, before it turns away
Gotta turn that into something, you gotta learn from Jay
You'll get return on your investment if attention you pay
Let's go

[Bridge: Lenny Kravitz & Jay-Z]
C'mon (It's the Roc)
C'mon (It's the Roc)
C'mon (It's the Roc)
C'mon (Let's rock)
C'mon!

[Chorus: Lenny Kravitz]
Life is all about guns and roses
Bittersweet like friends and foes is
Some get left behind, some get chosen
Just like life, guns and roses
Life is all about guns and roses
Bittersweet like friends and foes is
Some get left behind, some get chosen
Just like life, guns and roses
Life is all about guns and roses
Bittersweet like friends and foes is
Some get left behind, some get chosen
Just like life, guns and roses (I say yeah!)

[Outro: Lenny Kravitz]
Life is all about guns and roses

Guns & Roses Q&A

Who wrote Guns & Roses's ?

Guns & Roses was written by Lenny Kravitz & Heavy D & John McCrea & JAY-Z.

Who produced Guns & Roses's ?

Guns & Roses was produced by Heavy D.

When did JAY-Z release Guns & Roses?

JAY-Z released Guns & Roses on Tue Nov 12 2002.

Is this Jay and Lenny Kravtiz's only collaboration?

No, the two would link up again on 2004’s “Storm,” produced by Just Blaze and Kravtiz himself.

Have they ever played this song live together?

Jay-Z and Lenny Kravitz performed “Guns & Roses” during the rap mogul’s musical guest appearance on Saturday Night Live on November 2, 2002.

Is this the first "rock" beat Jay has ever rapped over?

“So Ghetto” from 1999 began with a jazz rock bass line, “Pop 4 Roc” from the same year was also tinged with rock elements.

The first time Jay really went in on a rock beat was “Dynasty (Intro),” regarded as one of his best performances. He would also rap on “Champions,” a track that heavily sampled...

Read more ⇣
What did producer Heavy D say about the record?

Heavy D spoke on the creation of “Guns & Roses” with British radio host Tim Westwood in his last ever interview in October 2011:

I remember calling Jay-Z, I knew he was in Los Angeles to work on his album, so I said ‘Let me cook something up.’ So the day he got there I made the record, then I r...

Read more ⇣
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