In the last verse from “A Week Ago”, Jay-Z shows us how those closest to us can change when faced with trouble. “A Week Ago” is not simply about snitching. The song gives insight on the importance of mental toughness in the midst of tough physical conditions. We all are stronger from our struggles than from our successes.

Here are the lyrics to the last verse from “A Week Ago”:

“The lawyer I retained you, said you leaking some things
All this after a week in the bing
I’m mad at myself cause I didn’t spot the weak-a-ling
I would’ve bet the house you wouldn’t speak a thing
Nigga this was the oath, to the top of broke
Even pricked our finger, anything that got between us
We were supposed to cock the ninas, what happened to that?
Instead you copped out to a misdemeanor
Fuck it, the same thing make you laugh, make you cry
That’s right, the same game that make you mad could make you die
It’s a dice game and sometimes you crap
Who would’ve thought you’d get popped one time and rat?
Now you know that’s bad when your sister is mad
And your son gotta grow up like, “This is my dad?”
The labeling of a snitch is a lifetime scar
You’ll always be in jail nigga, just minus the bars”

“A Week Ago”
Vol 2… Hard Knock Life
Jay-Z

*Last verse starts at 2:50

Let’s get right into it…

The lawyer I retained you said you leaking some things
All this after a week in the bing

Jay rhymes that after spending just one week in jail, his former partner/associate is already singing like a hummingbird to the authorities!

(Many start “singing” within minutes!)

The line (in fact, this entire verse) is kind of funny. I mean, don’t get me wrong, I get the seriousness of the situation. “Funny” is probably the wrong word, maybe “amusing” is better. Because, in this verse, right from the jump, Jay reveals just how quickly a person can crack under the pressure if they’re not strong mentally.

By the way, ain’t it telling that in the rhyme Jays says:

“The lawyer I retained you…”

Dude had NO money for bail and apparently had NO money for an attorney so Jay covered his retainer. Jay made sure dude had a legal defense and yet the guy still turned on him.

Toughness is often seen as a physical trait. Mental weakness will undermine physical toughness. Always remember that mental toughness plays a vital role in how you’re able to handle physical tough circumstances.

Let’s move on…

I’m mad at myself cause I didn’t spot the weak-a-ling
I would’ve bet the house you wouldn’t speak a thing

In this line Jay makes a statement that I think is important to point out:

“I blame myself”

You should be held accountable for your actions and others should be held accountable for their actions BUT there are times when YOUR bad judgment in character becomes a major factor in your setback or downfall.

Follow me??

In other words: When you misread someone’s character; exemplified through their words and actions, and that someone does you wrong in some way, then you are partly responsible for the predicament that you find yourself in even if you’re in that predicament largely due to someone else’s words or actions.

I didn’t lose you even more, did I?

The importance of a thorough mental game cannot be overstated; in fact, it’s a MUST-HAVE when your success or failure is so heavily tied to the words and actions of others.

Do you hear the way Jay uses the word “weak”, describing the dude’s mental and physical state?

It sounds like he’s blending two different words/phrases “weakling” and “weakest link”.

Clever, huh?

(The great Michael Jackson famously used the same technique on “Smooth Criminal”)

Ok, let’s keep it moving…

Nigga this was the oath, to the top or broke
Even pricked our finger, anything that got between us
We supposed to cock the ninas, what happened to that?
Instead you copped out to a misdemeanor

In these lyrics Jay is simply reminding the guy of the commitment they both made to get to the top together and stay loyal. Rhyming about “the oath” and “pricking” of the finger is all Mafioso lingo but the importance of loyalty is the point being made here.

The last line in this part of the verse just shows that most of the time people are going to do whatever is in their best interest regardless of how it impacts others.

Once again, if you’re caught up in the streets, you MUST take heed to the message being sent in this cautionary tale. But even if you’re not caught up in the streets, you can still get “caught up” and find yourself in certain situations based on the words or actions of others who have their own self-agendas.

Let’s continue…

Fuck it, the same thing make you laugh make you cry
That’s right, the same game that make you mad could make you die
It’s a dice game, and sometimes you crap
Who would’ve thought you’d get popped one time and rat?

Jay gives us swagger and insight throughout the entire song, but this part is my favorite because the powerful statement it makes personally gives me perspective on how to handle situations in my life.

Jay is telling us that the things we aspire to have (for example, money) are sometimes the same things that bring us down. It seems like common knowledge but once you caught up you can lose sight on the full reality of certain situations.

He rhymes about the drug game being like a dice game, and, really life in general is like a dice game regardless of the hustle. There are no guarantees in life, no sure thing that will absolutely happen except for death.

Here is how Jay ends the verse…

Now you know that’s bad when your sister is mad
And your son gotta grow up like, “This is my dad?”
The labeling of a snitch is a lifetime scar
You’ll always be in jail nigga, just minus the bars”

Jay rhymes how his former associate will have to deal with the “lifetime scar” of being labeled a snitch and how his family is shamed. This lyric might directly reflect what happens in the criminal underworld, but understand this: Your words and actions have ramifications, impacting others, most likely those closest to you.

I like the last line where Jay states that even when his former associates is released from jail, he’ll never be free, meaning that he’ll always be mentally imprisoned due to his weaknesses.

Remember this line from “Can I Live?” (Off Reasonable Doubt):

“Trap my body/Can’t trap my mind/Easily explains why we adapt to crime”

There are some people who are locked up in prison that are mentally stronger than some of us who are walking around on the “outside”! Imagine that!

I don’t want to get too much into that lyric from “Can I Live?” (I’m going to tackle the entire verse that it’s from in the future) but that line is basically the reverse “mental scenario” of the last line in “A Week Ago”

“Trap my body/Can’t trap my mind”

“You’ll always be in jail nigga, just minus the bars”

Many of us are living our lives in prison, not in the physical sense but in the mind, trapped by our own ignorance, anger, impatience, selfishness, arrogance, shame and fear.

You may get a taste of success but failure looms ahead if you can’t consistently win the mental game.

The truth is if you can’t escape your mental prison than it was never “all good just a week ago”. You were bound to fail and just didn’t know it.

The second verse on “A Week Ago” shows us how a person’s true character is revealed when he is faced with adversity caused by his own misjudgments and actions. How we handle adversity in our lives reveal how our strengths can give us the power to overcome in spite of our weaknesses. The story told on “A Week Ago” about the fall-out of a relationship and partnership between 2 drug dealers can give us insight on issues that may arise in our own lives.

Here are the lyrics at the end of the chorus:

Funny what, seven days can change
A stand up nigga, now you sit down to aim
Used to have a firm grip now you dropping names
Uh-huh, uh-huh (It was all good just a week ago)

Here are the lyrics from the second verse:

Like I put the toast to your head and made you sell
We both came in this game, blind as hell
I did a little better, had more clientele
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
Had niggas thinking I was from Uptown for real
I had so much hustle plus I was down to ill
Like a Brooklyn nigga, straight out of Brownsville
Down and dirty, down to fight ‘til round thirty
Freezing on them corners still holding my crack
Looking up and down the block…
The fuck is the dough at?
Came from flat broke to letting the dough stack
You tell them feds I said I’m never going back
I’m from Marcy, and Marcy don’t raise no rats
You know the consequences of your acts.
You can’t be serious!

“A Week Ago”
Vol. 2… Hard Knock Life
Jay-Z

Let’s dig right in…

Funny what, seven days can change
A stand up nigga, now you sit down to aim
Used to have a firm grip now you dropping names
Uh-huh, uh-huh (It was all good just a week ago)

I included part of the chorus because it’s just as insightful as the lyrics in the second verse. You know, I’ve heard this song many, many times and I knew the point Jay was making in the chorus but I didn’t realize the cleverness in this line until recently.

A lot can happen in your life in just a short time span. I’m sure you’ve heard the sayings, “what a difference a day makes”. Life can change in an instant. Relationships can change and as the great Nas would say, “best friends become strangers” in days sometimes within hours.

Jay cleverly rhymes that his boy used to be a “stand-up” guy but now he “sit down” to aim which I think implies that he’s “sitting down” to talk to the authorities and intends to sit down on the stand in a courtroom to testify against Jay….

What a very witty way to describe the act of betrayal that often occurs in the criminal underworld.

Jay then goes on to rhyme how this guy used to have “a firm grim”, he used to be in control of his emotions and his actions. But now, according to Jay, the guy is cracking under the pressure, intent on “dropping names”, snitching on Jay and/or anyone else in order to lessen the pain of his troubles or get out of his troubles altogether.

Jay’s firm grip/dropping double entendre is on point, witty.

This is what happens to some people when faced with adversity. On one hand, their inability to handle the pressure reveals their true character, but, on the other hand, their strengths are basically outweighed by their weaknesses such as fear.

Let’s go into the second verse…

Like I put the toast to your head and made you sell
We both came in this game, blind as hell

Jay is making this statement to his boy recounting the past when they both got involved in the drug game. He’s stating that his boy made a choice to get involved in the drug game and knew the risks involved. Jay didn’t force his boy to get in the drug game. I think it’s telling that Jay rhymes that they BOTH were “blind as hell” when they got involved in the drug game.

You might be thinking, “Jay says they both were blind when they got into the game but you, Duane, just said that Jay’s boy knew the risks involved.”

I think “blind as hell” doesn’t mean ignorant, it means naïve, which are two different states of being.

When you’re ignorant about something, you’re uneducated on that subject. You don’t know or have a firm understanding about the subject. Neither Jay nor his boy was ignorant about the drug trade, at least for the most part. They knew what they were getting into. They understood how the game goes.

But when you’re naïve, you lack experience or solid judgment. We all can be naïve when it comes to certain things but naiveté is typical among young people who are less experienced in life in general.

So I think that when Jay says they were both “blind as hell”, he’s saying that although they both knew what they were getting into (the in-and-outs, the traps, etc.), their understanding of how the game goes didn’t trump their inexperienced of actually being in the game.

I know I took some time to analyze that one line but it’s one of those instances where Jay is actually telling us more than what our ears hear.

Ok, let’s move on…

I did a little better, had more clientele
Told you put away some cheddar now you crying for bail

Remember, Jay and his boy “wasn’t quite partners”; essentially they both were doing their own thing. Jay claims that he was doing “a little better” in the drug game and that his boy wasn’t doing the prudent thing, saving his money and now that he’s in trouble, he can’t even make bail.

Jay is giving us a financial lesson here. I’ve known guys in the drug game (far from Kingpin status but still doing it) who were supposedly making so much money but didn’t have money for bail or to retain a lawyer when they got in legal trouble.

Remember this line from “Never Change” (off Blueprint album):

“Chains is cool to cop, but more important are lawyer fees.”

(I’m going to tackle the verse this line is from at a later date.)

Jay has been consistent in schooling those in the drug game AND those in the square game on the importance of financial literacy and responsibility. And when it comes to the drug game, it’s basic common sense to “stack chips” in the event of a setback or downfall, yet most hustlers are broke and disconnected when they get in trouble.

Remember this line from “Can I Live?” (Off Reasonable Doubt album):

“I know this game got valleys and peaks, expectation
for dips, for precipitation, we stack chips, hardly.”

(I did tackle these lyrics in a previous post)

This line basically tells us of the importance in being prepared for anything.

Jay shows us his prep style in the next line…

Seventeen and I’m holding on to around a mill
I could bail out and blow trial and come around appeal

In this line, Jay tells us that he’s so prepared for a setback or an outright downfall that basically, regardless of what happens he’ll able to handle the adversity.

Of course, in the story, he rhymes that he’s only seventeen and while his maturity seems highly unrealistic you can never underestimate one’s wisdom in making the right choices and taking the right actions in the context of their hustle.

Here is another line where Jay is saying more than what we hear. If you’re in the streets, this line (and the previous one) should speak to you directly but even if you’re not in the streets, this lyric (and the previous one) shows just how much a difference in mindset and action can completely impact the outcome of a tough predicament.

Had niggas thinking I was from Uptown for real
I had so much hustle plus I was down to ill
Like a Brooklyn nigga, straight out of Brownsville
Down and dirty, down to fight to round thirty

Jay rhymes that his hustle had others thinking that he was from “Uptown”, which I think refers to Harlem, a place known for its hustle.

But not only did he know how to hustle, Jay claims that like a dude from Brownsville (a rough-and-tough area in Brooklyn, NY), he was “down to ill”, willing, ready and able to engage in violence.

Now of course this lyric is in the context of the drug game, where violence is typical, it goes with the territory. You have to be prepared for it, knowing that you may have to defend yourself against it or even initiate it.

But here’s the thing: You should be “down to ill” regardless of your hustle which simply means that you have to as Jay rhymes on Lil Wayne’s “Mr. Carter”, “go farther, go further and go harder” than everyone else.

This is essentially the point Jay makes when he rhymes about getting “down and dirty” and cleverly uses the sport of boxing in a double entendre to reveal his sheer will and determination to fight to the end and win in the game, his hustle.

Can you imagine a 30-round boxing match!!

This line is all about toughness, persistence, determination… it’s about never giving up.

Almost at the end of the verse…

Freezing on them corners still holding my crack
Looking up and down the block
The fuck is the dough at?
Came from flat broke to letting the dough stack
You tell them feds I said I’m never going back

Jay tells us of the conditions he’s willing to hustle in to make money and be successful. He rhymes about hustling in tough conditions and  still NOT making money.

Again, these lines tell the story of hustling in the drug game but how it can apply to our lives is apparent and quite profound.

Regardless of your hustle, you have to have pure will and determination to succeed through even the toughest adversities. Jay rhymes about “freezing on them corners”, well, there are times in your life that will indeed be “cold”, where you will “freeze” (suffer) yet you have to keep “holding on” (endure) and have the strength, will and determination to succeed.

Jay tells us that he was “flat broke” but now he’s “letting the dough stack”. It seems pretty self-explanatory, and it is, but the key words in the line are “letting” and “stack” because these words implies that he was not just making money but intent on “stacking” money or saving it.

Jay tells his so-called business associate to tell the Feds that he’s “never going back” which shows his defiance, true, but more importantly, it shows his determination to succeed in spite of staring in the face of  failure (which in the context of the “A Week Ago” means imprisonment).

Are you determined to succeed in spite of failure looming?

I’m from Marcy, and Marcy don’t raise no rats
You know the consequences of your acts.
You can’t be serious!

Jay represents where he’s from and claims that his ‘hood “don’t raise no rats”. This, of course, is probably far from true, I’m sure someone from Marcy housing projects has snitched on someone else, but I Jay uses this line to simply show pride in the values his ‘hood instilled in him in the context of the drug game though those values has certainly been utilized in his ambitions in the rap game and business world.

That line is Jay proclaiming that he’s a product of his environment.

Your background plays a role in the person you become. Don’t abandon the values and principles that shape who you are, instead, keep them with you as you pursue the fulfillment of your ambitions. These strong principles and values are a MUST during periods of adversity that you are almost guaranteed to face.

Lastly, what Jay tells his so-called friend and business associate is applicable to our lives. There are consequences to our actions that we must face head-on without wavering. Jay ends this verse saying, “You can’t be serious!”, in a tone which shows his total disbelief in his former friend’s mental weakness.

See, the cracking under pressure by Jay’s associate exposes vital flaws in his mental game that are detrimental in his ability to overcome his adversity. Jay sounds both angry and shocked by this. You really don’t know what others are thinking and how they will respond to certain situations.

No matter how well you think you know someone, that person can change- drastically, when circumstances threatens his or her comfort zone.

What we can also get from that line is that not only must we face the consequences of our acts, we should also be mindful that others are impacted by the choices we make and the actions we take.

I think Jay’s breakthrough album, Vol… 2 Hard Knock Life doesn’t get the attention it deserves. The album as a whole deserves in-depth retrospection. True Jay fans were there from the very beginning when Jay was two albums deep before Hard Knock Life was released. But that album has some big hits and broaden Jay’s audience. The Hard Knock Life album made Jay a bona fide star. The story of “A Week Ago” is this: Jay isn’t “quite partners” with another hustler in the drug game, he essentially puts the guy on, and this guy gets caught and goes to jail. The other hustler shows his true colors and it’s implied that he does or intends to snitch on Jay. I just kind of summed up the song but of course the lyrics are way too deep to just leave it at that.

Here are the lyrics we’re going to discuss:

“Growing up in the hood just my dog and me
We used to hustle in the hood for, all to see
Problems, I called on him, he called on me
We wasn’t quite partners, I hit him off my P
Met him unlocked doors, off my keys
Yeah we spoke, much more than cordially
Man he broke bread with me, my business spread swiftly
The Feds came to get me, we both fled quickly
Wasn’t quick enough to jump over the hedges with me
Got caught, and that’s when our relationship strayed
Used to call me from the joint ’til he ran out of change
And when he called collect and I heard his name
I quickly accepted, but when I reached the phone
He’s talking reckless; I can sense deceit in his tone
I said, “Damn dawg, what, nine weeks and you’re home?”
He said, “Main man, you think shit’s sweet cause you’re home.”
I just sat; spat no more speech in the phone
The crackers up there bleaching your dome, you’re reaching
I said, “The world don’t stop I’ve got to keep, keep on.”
From there I sensed the beef was on
I ran to the spy store to add some more features on my phone
To see if I had bugs and leeches on my phone
Can’t be too safe cause niggas is two-faced
And they show the other side when they catch a new case
It’s on”

“A Week Ago”
Vol 2… Hard Knock Life
Jay-Z

“A Week Ago”, featuring Too Short is definitely one of my favorite songs on the Hard Knock Life album. I have to keep it real: I was a Too Short fan back in the day. I was listening to the white “Life is Too Short” cassette tape when it came out in ’88.

Lyrically, Too Short doesn’t blow you away but I just liked his swag back then and those heavy bass-filled beats. Being on the east coast, his reign over Oakland intrigued me for some reason. Plus, I was an impressionable, 11, 12-year old kid going through puberty and Short Dawg’s dirty raps about the females excited my young and horny mind!

Dude is one of the dirtiest rappers I’ve ever heard!

The point of my Too Short reference is that his feature on “A Week Ago” unexpectedly works well. Too Short is featured on two of my favorite Jay-Z songs (the other being “Real Niggas” off the In My Lifetime album). They are such an unlikely collaboration (and I can’t remember how they linked up) but it worked perfectly twice.

Short doesn’t rhyme on “A Week Ago”, he “rides” the track with Jay in the beginning and he rides out the track. His talk game on the song compliments Jay’s rhyme game. Short gives us the raw street lingo of the situation that Jay brilliantly tells lyrically.

The actual story Jay tells on “A Week Ago” is fiction but happens in the real-life criminal underworld. If you’re in the streets this song is very applicable to your lifestyle and will strongly resemble a situation that you’ve been in, will be in or might be in right now! But for those not in the streets, this tale is still very applicable to your own pursuit of “legitimate” ambition.

When the Hard Knock Life album came out I was more closely “associated” with the “dope boys” than I am at this point in my life. I definitely wasn’t THE man and I’m not going to say that I was the man next to THE man, but…

Matter of fact, let me just leave it at the “association” level…

The point is, I had, not a front-row, more like a second or third row seat to situations like the one Jay tells on “A Week Ago”. I’ve seen people I knew personally get caught up in situations like this- ending up on either side of the conflict.

Look, I don’t care if you’re a “legal” entrepreneur, a professional in the corporate game, pastor of a church, a politician, a student, working the drive-thru at McDonalds…

It doesn’t matter what you do, if you think “A Week Ago” is only applicable to those caught up in the streets then you’re missing out on some real gems that YOU can use as you go through your life’s journey.

As we get into this discussion, try to put yourself in both roles as it applies to situations related to YOUR hustle.

Ok, let’s do this…

Growing up in the hood just my dog and me
We used to hustle in the hood for, all to see
Problems, I called on him, he called on me
We wasn’t quite partners, I hit him off my P
Met him unlocked doors, off my keys
Yeah we spoke, much more than cordially.

Jay and his boy grew up together in the ‘hood, where they both hustled. Obviously, Jay is talking about drug dealing. He and his boy sold drugs, they supported each other through good and bad times. Jay and his boy are more than acquaintances, they’re close. They were both doing their thang, shining brightly in the ‘hood.

There is a saying that “birds of feather flock together”. People who have similar backgrounds, interests, goals, philosophies, etc. associate with each other often becoming close. Being around people that are not compatible to you hinders your own personal growth and development.

I wanted to make that point now early in the rhyme because a lack of compatibility or fundamental differences in mindset and ideology is the primary cause of conflict in “A Week Ago” AND in real-life situations that you and I can relate to.

Jay rhymes that he fronted his boy dope from his own “package” or supply (hit him off my P). Jay goes further than most MCs when it comes to injecting wit into his lyrics. Once again, he uses a double entendre very nicely when he rhymes about how his boy played a role in “moving” kilos of dope. I think the unlock doors/keys double entendre is brilliant (Think: unlocking the doors to opportunity).

Let’s continue…

Man, he broke bread with me, my business spread swiftly
The Feds came to get me, we both fled quickly
Wasn’t quick enough to jump over the hedges with me
Got caught, and that’s when our relationship strayed

Jay tells us that he and his boy became successful in the drug trade. Jay’s criminal enterprise grew fast but the Feds were in pursuit, he avoided arrest but his boy got caught and now their relationship is in peril.

I don’t know about you, but I can make the connection to my own experiences as I listen to these lyrics.

Let’s say that you and a close friend are both successful. Maybe you’re in the same career field (even business partners), or you’re in different fields but you’re really tight with each other. If your friend experiences a setback or downright failure in any shape or form it could impact the relationship. The same can be said if YOU are the one who is going through tough times.

By the way, the “jump over hedges” line is quite witty.

Let’s keep going…

Used to call me from the joint ’til he ran out of change
And when he called collect and I heard his name
I quickly accepted, but when I reached the phone
He’s talking reckless, I can sense deceit in his tone
I said, “Damn dawg, what, nine weeks and you’re home?”
He said, “Main man, you think shit’s sweet cause you’re home.”

Jay’s boy is locked up, calling him collect and Jay rhymes that the guy is talking “reckless” and that he can sense deceit in dude’s voice. It’s pretty self-explanatory but I think it gives insight on the importance of having great instincts in regards to understanding human nature; understanding what motivates people and what causes people to respond and react in certain ways to challenging situations.

Basically, in this story, Jay’s boy is hostile now that he’s locked up. He accuses Jay of thinking “shit’s sweet” because he’s still out on the streets. Dude is bitter at his own predicament.

Do you know someone who feels this way?

Is that someone YOU?

Bitterness is a hell of a thing. You can’t escape your predicament if you’re trapped in your own bitterness. Don’t be held hostage by someone else’s predicament or direct hostility toward others due to YOUR predicament.

Let’s move on…

I just sat, spat no more speech in the phone
The crackers up there bleaching your dome, you’re reaching
I said, “The world don’t stop I’ve got to keep, keep on.”
From there I sensed the beef was on

Jay rhymes that he stopped talking for a moment in the phone conversation with his incarcerated “friend”. Why did he stop talking? Because as he stated earlier, he could “sense deceit” in dude’s voice and the guy’s “you think shit’s sweet” statement verified Jay’s suspicions.

In the story, Jay’s in a situation where he has to be smart. At this point in the conversation with the bitter, incarcerated hustler, Jay has to rely on his mental game more than his talk game. What he does not say is just as important as what he does say.

The next line may not be so much what he said than what he was thinking, which is that his boy was allowing his predicament to affect his judgment. The conditions of being locked up, the pressure from the authorities, etc. was causing his boy to abandon the principles that they both lived by in the hustle.

His boy was cracking under the pressure.

The line, “crackers bleaching your dome” is intriguing, and, like many of Jay’s lyrics, could be interpreted several ways. To bleach means to whiten and the term “crackers” is of course a derogatory term toward whites but here in this line the term is in reference to the Feds. I think my interpretation fits but please share your thoughts on that line…

Jay finally tells his boy that “the world don’t stop” and that he has to keep going or as I’ve stated in earlier posts: the hustle is a continuous grind.

Don’t allow someone else’s predicament to stop your hustle. Don’t get me wrong, there’s nothing wrong with being concerned about others and doing what you can to help them. However, I hate to be blunt, but: life goes on.

People should have a clear understanding of what could happen if they’re involved in certain things. It’s not a disconnect to continue your grind on the field even if someone close to you have been sidelined. If you’re the one in the tough predicament, understand that it’s completely unreasonable to expect the lives of others to come to a halt because of your circumstances.

See, this is a conflict situation that is far too common in the criminal underworld but it happens just as frequently in the “square” world; in our relationships with our family, friends, colleagues, etc.

Let’s finish up…

From there I sensed the beef was on
I ran to the spy store to add some more features on my phone
To see if I had bugs and leeches on my phone
Can’t be too safe cause niggas is two-faced
And they show the other side when they catch a new case
It’s on”

Ok, at this point Jay knows what’s up: beef. He can no longer count on this guy to stay strong and keep his mouth shut so he has to take the necessary precautions and has to be extremely careful of what he says to this guy and anybody else because the streets is watching and the Feds might be listening.

The “bugs and leeches” line is ill!

He tells us that in the drug game you can never be too careful when a hustler that you have a relationship with gets in trouble with the law because his troubles could mean trouble for you.

I really like how Jay uses the term, “two-faced” to describe how a person can behave when he or she is in serious trouble. When a hustler “catches a new case”, his freedom is at risk. He may not be the same person that he was on the street. He may pretend to be (two-faced) based on what he says or even does but his motives are solely what’s in his best interests even if that means perpetrating an act of betrayal.

And we’ll get more into that in part 2…

How can we apply these lyrics to our lives?

We have to develop solid instincts in order to gain insight into human nature. That sounds sort of scientific, doesn’t it? Well, understanding others and how their thoughts, words, actions and beliefs relate to you IS a science. Understanding thought and behavior and the relation between the two is vital in having healthy relationships AND severing toxic ones.

If you’re caught up in the streets, first of all, GET OUT, but while you’re in your situation, you MUST understand the science of human nature because if you don’t either you won’t be able to escape your predicament or you’ll be brought down largely by factors that you can’t control.

If you’re not in the streets, don’t get too comfortable, because YOU TOO can be victim of your own bitterness or victim to the hostilities of others if you don’t get a firm grip on the science of human nature. Your success (or the lack of) is not solely based on your thoughts, ideas, planning, actions, persistence, etc.

There are factors that are out-of-your control that will absolutely impact your life. These factors are not excuses for failure however. It’s simply the fact of life. You’re very likely to find yourself in tough predicaments but how you handle these circumstances will determine your future.

In my last 2-part post, I wrote about how Jay made a profound statement regarding his mindset and ambitions on “U Don’t Know”, off the classic Blueprint album. Well, he did the same thing on “Public Service Announcement (Interlude)” off The Black Album. I decided not to do an analysis on the first verse, not because it isn’t insightful (it is to some degree), but because I thought it was important to highlight the last verse in the interlude (by the way, only Jay is capable of making an interlude that’s more profound than most MCs’s entire albums!).

Here’s the lyrics to the second verse that we’re going to discuss:

Ving ain’t lie
I done came through the block in everything that’s fly
I’m like, Che Guevara with bling on
I’m complex. I never claimed to have wings on
Nigga I get mine – by any means on, whenever there’s a drought
Get your umbrellas out because that’s when I brainstorm
You can blame Shawn, but I ain’t invent the game
I just rolled the dice, trying to get some change
And I’ll do it twice, ain’t no sense in me
Lying as if, I am a different man
And I could blame my environment but
There ain’t no reason why I be buying expensive chains
Hope you don’t think users are the only abusers
Niggas, getting high within the game
If you do then, how would you explain?
I’m ten years removed; still the vibe is in my veins
I got a hustler spirit, nigga period
Check out my hat yo, peep the way I wear it
Check out my swag’ yo, I walk like a ballplayer
No matter where you go, you are what you are player
And you can try to change but that’s just the top layer
Man, you was who you was ‘fore you got here
Only God can judge me, so I’m gone
Either love me, or leave me alone

“Public Service Announcement (Interlude)”
The Black Album
Jay-Z

In the first verse, Jay’s “got his swagger back” (stay tune for an analysis on “All I Need” from Blueprint) showing other MCs how to stunt on the mic. There’s some insight in the lyrics but it’s mostly Jay bringing flavor; style.

Listen to the first verse right now…

But just when you think Jay is simply going to stunt hard on this interlude, before he continues with the “regular scheduled program”, he gives us some real gems of introspection in the last verse…

Jay often “dumbs down” AND gets profound on the same song. Sometimes he does this “lyrical juggling” from one line to the next (in fact, he does this right in the beginning of this verse). If you listen to Jay’s music as frequently and as deeply as I do you’ll notice that Jay uses this “technique” in songs throughout his entire discography.

Why do I call it a “technique”?

Jay has the unique ability to make entertaining songs that move bodies AND stimulate minds at the same time. It’s a skill that he’s perfected over the years.

Ok, let’s get into it…

Ving ain’t lie
I done came through the block in everything that’s fly

Here, Jay is still telling us that no one on the block has swagger like him! He’s stunting hard in this line, right? But here’s what he says next…

I’m like, Che Guevara with bling on
I’m complex. I never claimed to have wings on

Jay stunts on us in the first line and then hits us up with something deep on the next! Che Guevara is considered by many to be a revolutionary in world history. Surely, Jay isn’t comparing himself to Guevara, is he?

Jay is simply stating that even though he’s living a life of opulence, he’s someone with vision that has serious convictions with a purpose in life greater than him.

He’s complex.

Human beings are complex. It’s our complexity that makes us interesting and different from each other. Don’t limit your own potential. Grow as a person in terms of your mindset and personality.

This line by Jay is really about being well balanced as an individual. Sometimes we struggle with who we really are because we’re so caught up in who we want others to think we are. And at other times we allow ourselves to be labeled by people even if those labels are completely erroneous or don’t tell the full story of who we are.

There are nuances between contradiction and complexity in regard’s to an individual mental make-up.

Nigga I get my – by any means on, whenever there’s a drought
Get your umbrellas out because that’s when I brainstorm

This is an extremely clever line where Jay rhymes about his past life in the drug game. The “drought” that he’s referring to is when there is little to no supply of dope on the streets. If there’s a drought of any “product” in a certain area that means sellers don’t have a product to sell and buyers don’t have a product to buy.

The supply doesn’t meet the demand.

Jay is telling us that when there was a “drought” in his past life in the drug game, he would “brainstorm”, conceive, strategize and come up with a calculating plan to gain access to product so that he can keep hustling.

In fact, the act of brainstorming is a form of hustling because you’re putting your mind to work.

(Remember when I wrote in a previous post that hustling is a continuous grind)

The line is remarkable because of his use of metaphor. The literal meaning of the word, “drought” is a shortage of rainfall which most affects farmers because they need rainfall for their crops. Whenever there’s a drought a rainstorm is a must.

But instead of a rainstorm, Jay tells us that he “brainstorms” whenever there’s a “drought”.

Wow.

I’m sure Jay has applied this mindset in regards to his ambitions after the drug game. I guarantee he has applied this mindset beyond the dope game. You don’t have the level of success Jay-Z has experienced without this mindset.

We can think of a “drought” as being a lengthy period of struggle, a shortage of ideas, opportunities, money, etc. Jay is sharing with us his experience but “droughts” happen in our own lives.

When we go through our own personal “droughts” we should do like Jay and take on a “by any means necessary” mindset in order to “brainstorm” ways to overcome the struggles and have success.

Get your umbrellas out!

Let’s keep moving…

You can blame Shawn, but I ain’t invent the game
I just rolled the dice, trying to get some change

Jay rhymes that he’s not to blame for the nature of the illicit drug trade. He says that the illicit drug trade has existed and thrived long before he got into the game. When he rhymes about “rolling the dice” he means that he took a chance, a risk in an effort to succeed.

We can make judgments if we want, but, obviously, getting involved in the drug game is one of the biggest risks that one can make. Involvement can (and often does) end in lengthy incarceration or death. I’m not saying that to condone or justify the choices he made, I’m simply trying to bring some perspective.

Those caught up in the streets can certainly relate to this.

And I’ll do it twice, ain’t no sense in me
Lying as if, I am a different man

Jay states that if he could do it all over again, (get involved in the drug game) he would. He tells us that there’s no point in him lying about being a “different man”.

Now, this statement may seem incredulous to you but it makes perfect sense to me. I’m sure you’ve heard people make statements before like the one Jay made. The things that you’ve gone through in your life make you who you are.

The absolute truth is that we all would rather not have gone through certain things but the fact is we can’t change it. Jay is taking ownership of his past. Don’t run from your past. What you have gone through in life in the past prepared you for what you’re going through now and what you will go through in the future.

Just as long as you actually learn from the choices you made in the past.

And I could blame my environment but
There ain’t no reason why I be buying expensive chains

Jay tells us that the environment he grew up in is not to blame for the choices he had made in his life. I think this is a very important point. Jay is taking responsibility for his actions, holding himself accountable.

The fact is there’s people from Marcy Projects that didn’t get involved in the drug game and are very productive and successful in life.

Some people use the conditions they’re in as a scapegoat for what they do. I know you’ve heard people say that they are “a product of their environment”. That’s true but being a product of your environment doesn’t excuse your behavior. You have to man-up (or woman-up) to the choices you make in life regardless of your circumstances.

Hope you don’t think users are the only abusers
Niggas, getting high within the game
If you do then, how would you explain?
I’m ten years removed; still the vibe is in my veins

These lines are my favorite part of this verse. What Jay does here is make a profound revelation that I don’t think many people realize. He’s telling us that the users aren’t the only ones addicted to drugs. The dealers- the hustlers, are also addicted to the drug game. Hustlers are just as caught up in the game as the users they’re selling to.

I’ve been “associated” with hustlers in the streets and I’ve witnessed the “high” gotten from dealing dope. Of course, the “high” or the motivation is different for a hustler than it is for drug user. The drug user is motivated by how the product makes him or her feel while the hustler is primarily driven by ROI from the sale of the product makes- the money.

Jay uses the word “abusers” to describe drug users and hustlers, which I find very telling. The fact is the drug game is treacherous for all those involved. Here’s the definition of abuse:

Abuse: use wrongly or improperly or excessively

I think most people don’t look at drug dealing as being a high. We don’t tend to think of a drug dealer as getting high, but the game itself, the act of hustling, is a high. Essentially, the drug dealer is victim to the same excessiveness that ails the drug user.

Jay reveals that even though he’s been out of the game for well over 10 years (it’s been closer to 20 years now) the “vibe” is still “in his veins.” That is a very telling statement Jay is making because he’s letting us in on the mindset of hustler.

Basically, he’s saying, “the game don’t stop”. Many of the principles and practices that he had and used in the drug game he continues to use today in his new hustles. I think this line can give us some clarity on the forms of abuse in our own lives- for better and for worst. I also believe that this line can help us realize that we can (and probably should) keep the “vibe” in our veins- that hunger for more in regards to growth, development and success.

Ok, we’re entering the final stretch…

I got a hustler spirit, nigga period
Check out my hat yo, peep the way I wear it
Check out my swag’ yo, I walk like a ballplayer

These lines are pure swagger, however, Jay is exemplifying supreme confidence, which is vital in the pursuit of success. He rhymes of having a “hustler’s spirit”. He’s referring to the spirit of a drug dealer but hustlers come in all shapes and forms. If you have the spirit of the hustler and the walk “like a ballplayer” then you’re confident and highly motivated to get things done… and you look good doing it!

No matter where you go, you are what you are player
And you can try to change but that’s just the top layer
Man, you was who you was ‘fore you got here

I stated earlier that the line about “abusers” is my favorite part of the verse but I like this part a whole lot as well.

Those not caught up in the streets, that live, work and play in the “square” world should pay close attention to these lines. Change is good but don’t think you can erase whom you are deep down as an individual. You are who you are.

When some people become successful they make every attempt to disown their past as if it didn’t exist. You can grow as a person and your circumstance can (and should) change but don’t forget who you were and don’t deny who you are as a whole.

I like how Jay says that the person you are is the person you’ve always been even “’fore you got here”. He’s telling us that regardless of how much we try to change our identity, the reality is, our destiny has been predetermined. The façade we present to others is just the “top layer” and can’t conceal who we truly are.

Only God can judge me, so I’m gone
Either love me, or leave me alone

You don’t owe anyone an explanation justifying the person you are. Ultimately, only God is your judge. People can either accept you for who you are or not.

Keep doing you.

(But don’t hinder your own growth)

How can we apply these lyrics to our lives?

Be who you are and embrace who you are in all of your complexity. Seek balance and well roundedness in your life. When you’re going through tough times in your life, don’t be defeated, instead, “brainstorm” on how to get out of your circumstances and overcome your struggle.

Take responsibility for your actions and don’t disown whom you were and what you’ve been through because your past has shaped who you are today. Keep the “vibe” of determination and resolve as you travel on life’s journey. Hustle hard and with style.

Always remember that no matter where you go in life, you can change the “top layer” but you can’t change who you truly are and you can’t prevent destiny.

Finally, while constructive criticism from others is often necessary for your personal growth and development, the ultimate consequences of your actions will come on judgment day.

Jay’s debut album, “Reasonable Doubt” is the first time that I heard criminality (particularly the drug trade) intellectualized in music on a high level. During the time of its release, I can remember talking with hustlers in the drug trade who I was “associated” with that told me that “Reasonable Doubt” captured the essence of their lifestyle from both a physical and mental perspective

Here are the lyrics we’re going to discuss:

“I came into this motherfucker a hundred grand strong
Nine to be exact, from grinding G-packs
Put this shit in motion ain’t no rewinding me back
Could make 40 off a brick but one rhyme could beat that
And if somebody woulda told ‘em that Hov would sell clothing
Not in this lifetime, wasn’t in my right mind
That’s another difference that’s between me and them
I’m smartened up, opened the market up
One million, two million, three million, four
In eighteen months, eighty million more
Now add that number up with the one I said before
You are now looking at one smart black boy
Momma ain’t raised no fool
Put me anywhere on God’s green earth
I’ll triple my worth- motherfucker…
I-Will-Not-Lose!!

I’ll sell ice in the winter, I’ll sell fire in hell
I am a hustler baby, I’ll sell water to a well
I was born to get cake, move on and switch states
Cop the Coupe with the roof gone and switch plates
Was born to dictate, never follow orders
Dickface, get your shit straight, fucka this is Big Jay
I… WILL NOT LOSE, EVER!”

“U Don’t Know”
Blueprint
Jay-Z

Now, I know there are many who disagree and point out other albums released before “Reasonable Doubt” that covered the criminal world with just as much insight and perspective…

Please share because that’s a stimulating debate that I’ll love to have.

Keep in mind: I didn’t say it was the only album that intellectualized criminality, I’m saying that, in my opinion, it was the first album I heard that really challenged my mental game in regard to the criminal underworld.

On the “Blueprint”, I think Jay gave us more insight into the drug trade, but even more noticeably, he gave us more of his personal experiences and observations when he was in the streets.

I’m going to be writing an in-depth analysis on “Can I Live” off the Reasonable Doubt album at a later date but in that song Jay tells us not to be fooled, his “game is mental”.  I think what separates albums like Reasonable Doubt and Blueprint from its contemporaries, is that the songs on both of these albums put a bright spotlight on the mental game needed to succeed in the street hustle.

In the second part of “U Don’t Know”, Jay shows us how to play the mental game in order to make the transformation that will change our life’s situations.

I have more to say (as you have probably realized if you’ve read my past writings), but let me go ahead and just jump into these lyrics so that we can do some building…

I came into this motherfucker a hundred grand strong
Nine to be exact, from grinding G-packs

Jay rhymes that he was “successful” when he came into the music game.  I think he is speaking to two audiences in this lyric.

First of all, he’s distancing himself from his peers who make claims and try to attach themselves to experiences that they’ve never had in order to create an image that they (and their record labels) believe will help them sell more CDs.

Jay states that he brings experience and real insight to the music game.  Yes, he claimed to be stable financially before the rap game, but I think more importantly, his experiences prepared him for success in the music game.

It’s the rap game is like the crack game thing…

Put this shit in motion ain’t no rewinding me back
Could make 40 off a brick but one rhyme could beat that

Jay is telling us that though he was in the drug game, he’s moving forward to bigger and better things.  We shouldn’t dwell on our past failures or success.  It’s all about moving forward not backwards. When he rhymes about putting “shit in motion”, I think he’s telling us that the hustle is a continuous grind.

You rest when you’re dead.

To all those caught up in the streets, pay close attention here:

Jay rhymes that even though he could make a significant amount of money moving kilos of coke, he could earn even more moving rhymes through music.  Once again, this statement is not just financially driven- it’s about solid judgment, making the right choices and taking advantage of greater opportunities.

If you’re in the streets doing your thing, you have to ask yourself: What is the goal of my hustle?

More on this in the next line…

And if somebody woulda told ‘em that Hov’ would sell clothing
Not in this lifetime, wasn’t in my right mind

This line in my opinion is the most important part of the song.  Why? Because it reveals how not having “the right mind” can keep you from maximizing your full potential.

Jay states that he could not have even conceived the opportunity to get into the fashion game because he wasn’t in his “right mind”.  That doesn’t mean that he was crazy, Jay is telling us that he wasn’t focused, he wasn’t open-minded to the possibilities in life.

Not being in the right frame of mind could easily apply to the period when Jay was in the streets.  In fact, Jay has talked about this in interviews.  You can be so caught up in what you’re trying to accomplish that you miss out on better opportunities.

Now, to be fair, there are some opportunities that are pretty difficult to conceive due to your physical circumstances.  But the point Jay is making is that the right mindset opens up the door to opportunity.

That’s another difference that’s between me and them
I smartened up, opened the market up
One million, two million, three million, four
In eighteen months, eighty million more
Now add that number up with the one I said before
You are now looking at one smart black boy

Jay reveals that the difference between he and others is not just his swagger, his lyrical prowess or the amount of money in his bank account- it’s his mindset.

Some many of us (myself included) are self-sabotaging are our own personal growth and development.  Jay tells us that he “smartened up”; he came to the realization of what he could accomplish if he put his mind to it.

When Jay rhymes that he “opened the market up”, first he had to broaden his horizons and by doing so he was in the right place both mentally and physically to recognize great opportunities and take advantage of them.

Once Jay took advantage of the opportunities his net worth skyrocketed to millions.

We will always limit our own potential and opportunities until we smarten up.

Momma ain’t raised no fool
Put me anywhere on God’s green earth
I’ll triple my worth, Motherfucker –
I-WILL-NOT-LOSE!

Jay shares his mother’s influence and impact on his hustle.  “Mama ain’t raised no fool” is a popular saying but its meaning is profound within the context of “U Don’t Know”. Jay is actually crediting his mother with his success (also see “Guess Who’s Back” verse 1, which I’m going to analyze soon).

Jay’s confident in his ability to “triple his worth” in any place, at any time and in any circumstance because he’s in the right frame of mind; able to recognize opportunities and take advantage of them…but his mom laid the foundation that he built his success upon.

There are people in our own lives who play a role in our success.  Seek wise and experienced people around you for guidance.

Jay has several profound sayings that I think we can all use in our own lives but the one that I like the most is:

I WILL NOT LOSE!

It’s a simple but powerful statement that demonstrates strength, confidence, determination and persistence.

The proclamation is all about- mindset.

“I Will Not Lose” is actually the title of the manuscript I wrote a couple of years ago about how to find inspiration in Jay-Z’s lyrics.

We have to be strong, confident, determined and persistent if we want to achieve sustained success in our lives.  This is something that I struggle with in my own life.  No matter how tough life gets we have to believe that- we won’t lose!

I sell ice in the winter, I sell fire in hell
I am a hustler baby, I’ll sell water to a well

Here, Jay is simply telling us that he has the confidence in his own ability to make extraordinary things happen.  Extraordinary actions are first conceived in an extraordinary mind.

I was born to get cake, move on and switch states
Cop the Coupe with the roof gone and switch plates

Jay truly believes that he was born to succeed and then he goes on to describe the lifestyle associated with his hustle.

Were you born to succeed?

Too many of are led to believe that we’re born to struggle and ultimately fail because of such factors like where we grew up or the color of our skin.

Don’t fall for that.

You can succeed regardless of your circumstances, in fact, the struggle can make you stronger and actually give you greater determination to succeed.

Was born to dictate, never follow orders
Dickface, get your shit straight, fucka this is Big Jay
I… WILL NOT LOSE, EVER!

While most listeners will zero in on words like “dickface” in this line, Jay is ending “U Don’t Know” rhyming about being a leader and independent.

How can we apply these lyrics to our lives?

The pivotal point of “U Don’t Know” is that in order to succeed you must first get your mind right.  Once you’re in the right frame of mind you’re able to focus, seize the moment and succeed.

WE  WILL  NOT  LOSE…  EVER!!

There have been at least 5 defining moments in Jay-Z’s 14-year music career:
-The release of his debut album, “Reasonable Doubt”
-The release of “Vol. 2 Hard Knock Life”
-The release of “Blueprint”
-The release of “The Black Album”
-The release of “Blueprint 3”

Here are the lyrics for this discussion:

I’m from the streets where
The ‘hood could swallow a man
Bullets’ll follow a man
There’s so much coke that you could run a slalom
And cops comb the shit top to bottom
They say that we are prone to violence
But it’s home sweet home
Where personalities clash and chrome meets chrome
The coke prices up and down like it’s Wall Street homes
But this is worse than the Dow Jones
Your brains are now blown
All over that brown Brougham
One slip you are now gone
Welcome to hell where you are welcome to sell
But when them shells come you better return ‘em
All scars we earn ‘em
All cars we learn ‘em like the back of our hand
We watch for cops hopping out the back of van
Wear a G on my chest, I don’t need Dapper Dan
This ain’t a sewn outfit homes, homes is about it
Was clapping them flamers before I became famous
For playing me y’all shall forever remain nameless
I-Am-Hov’

Sure I do, I tell you the difference between me and them
They trying to get they ones
I’m trying to get them M’s
One million, two million, three million, four
In just five years, forty million more
You are now looking at the forty million boy
I’m raping Def Jam ’til I’m the hundred million man
R., O., C.

“U Don’t Know”
The Blueprint
Jay-Z

Jay-Z officially introduced himself to the rap game on “Reasonable Doubt”.  That album, widely considered a classic, was not just a defining moment in Jay’s career, it’s also considered to be one of the most important albums apart of the movement that began in the mid 90’s; the coke rap sub-genre that Cedric Muhammad goes in-depth about in one of his latest columns.

“Vol.2 Hard Knock Life” was in my mind, Jay’s breakthrough album. He was an experienced MC in the rap game up to that point, but that album established him as a superstar.  That album had several bonafide hits and street anthems.  If you hadn’t heard of Jay by then, you did after the success of that album.

“The Black Album” was Jay’s going away party in the rap game.  The “retirement album” (how did that work out?) was Jay making the statement that he was going out on his own terms- on top.  The reception the album got showed the love and respect our generation had for the God MC from Brooklyn.

“Blueprint 3” was Jay’s “Yes, I still got it” album.  He showed that not only is he still relevant, he’s still, RIGHT NOW, one of the best MCs in the game.

Just like athletes in pro sports, most MCs “lose a step” lyrically in the rap game as they get older.  Jay’s one of the few (the very FEW) that can only hold his own with the younger MCs- he still has enough game and credibility to school them.

The “Blueprint” album was Jay at his peak; he was in a zone.  He was Michael Jordan, game 1,’92 NBA Finals dropping 35 points in the first half against the Trailblazers.

For those of us that were hungry for the “old Jay” we discovered with his debut album, “Reasonable Doubt”; Jay didn’t disappoint when Blueprint came out.  Jay gave us what we wanted but he also gave us what we needed; in taking it back, he moved us forward.

Jay was in a zone on several of the songs on Blueprint (“Never Change”, “Renegade” and “All I Need” to name a few).

But on “U Don’t Know”, Jay-Z solidified his legacy in the rap game.  I think Jay wanted to clearly show why he was at another level than the average MC (or even above average) on “U Don’t Know”.

He took us back to where it all started (the past), showed us how he got to where he was at during the time of the release of the Blueprint album (the present) and predicted (accurately, I might add) where he was going (the future).

“U Don’t Know” was THE record on the Blueprint album that I think opened (or reopened) peoples’ eyes to Jay’s genius.

Of course, I’m going to share with you how “U Don’t Know” can help you find and use YOUR genius.

Let’s do this…

I’m from the streets where
The ‘hood could swallow a man
Bullets’ll follow a man

Jay takes us into the environment where he grew up.  All poverty-stricken communities around the world share common traits; crime, violence, hopelessness and despair… and resilience.  The streets can “swallow” you whole. Yeah, we all know what the word “swallow” means, but I looked it up anyway and the meaning particularly struck me:

swallow: engulf and destroy

There is a never-ending game of high stakes on the streets where winning or losing means life or death.

There’s so much coke that you could run the slalom
And cops comb the shit top to bottom

In most ghetto ‘hoods around the world, the number one industry is the drug trade.  Drugs are a major part of the street economy.  It’s an very unfortunate fact of life.  There are more drugs in the ‘hood than often there are jobs.  Law enforcement invests a lot of time, energy and money to shut down the biggest moneymaker in the ‘hood.

Now, of course, that doesn’t tell the whole story.  Drug dealing and drug use destroys communities but the point Jay is making here… as a matter of fact, let me try to illustrate his point this way:

Imagine being a farmer and your cash crop is corn; its your moneymaker.  If production and distribution of corn is criminalized and the police are intent on raiding your farm and taking your corn, over and over again and shutting you down, then you’ll be out of business, broke and in jail.

(It’s not the best way to prove his point but I hope you get the idea…)

(Incidentally, cannabis is the U.S. top cash crop)

Anyway, essentially, crack cocaine is the ‘hood’s cash crop.  Now, I don’t mean to offend anyone with the above statement.  I’m just keeping it real. Cocaine isn’t literally grown and produced on inner-city streets but the “crop” is definitely plentiful.

Supply + Demand = Distribution, which = Money, lots of it.

The statement Jay is making is that the hood’s number one “industry” essentially puts the freedom of its most “ambitious” residents at risk.

They say that we are prone to violence
But it’s home sweet home
Where personalities clash and chrome meets chrome

In this line, Jay is stating that “we are products of our environment”.  People are “prone to violence” if they’re exposed to it. The act of violence is not innate, it’s conditioned based upon exposure.

The coke prices up and down like it’s Wall Street homes
But this is worse than the Dow Jones
Your brains are now blown
all over that brown Brougham
One slip you are now gone

The prices of the product; the cash crop, in the drug trade is as volatile as shares of stocks bought and sold on Wall Street.  Of course, the stakes are much higher in the drug trade on the ghetto streets than on Wall Street.

There’s a lot of money being made and lost on Wall Street every day but rarely will “one slip” mean double-digit years of incarceration or death, which is routinely the outcome of those involved in the drug trade.

Welcome to hell where you are welcome to sell
But when them shells come you better return ‘em

As I’ve stated before, the drug trade is a major industry in the ‘hood and that presents an almost necessary (at least in the eyes of many) opportunity to take advantage in order to get paid.

I like the imagery Jay is painting with this lyric.  He’s stating that even though the environment is besieged by pain and turmoil, an “industry” exists that produces a product for sale that gives its “salespeople” the chance to escape that very same environment and live a better life.

Of course the chance at a better life does not come without struggle and danger. In fact, it’s guaranteed that you won’t escape this environment mentally or physically unscathed.

All scars we earn ‘em, all cars we learn ‘em like the back of our hand
We watch for cops hopping out the back of van

While this lyric simply seems like just another clever line from Jay he’s actually revealing to listeners the “skills” and “instincts” experienced and successful hustlers must have in the drug trade.

Wear a G on my chest, I don’t need Dapper Dan
This ain’t a sewn outfit, homes. Homes, is about it

I don’t think Jay is literally boasting on his sense of style. Instead, I think Jay is simply using a double entendre to tell us that he hustles- with style, completely prepared, completely focused and on the top of his game.

Was clapping them flamers before I became famous
For playing me y’all shall forever remain nameless
I am Hov’

Jay is just telling us where he was in his life mentally and physically before the rap game.  Once again, think of it like this: This is the mindset and ‘skills’ Jay needed to have in order to succeed during the time that he was in the street.

Now let’s wrap these lyrics up…

Sure I do, I tell you the difference between me and them
They trying to get they ones, I’m trying to get them M’s

We’re going to dig into this point more in part 2, but this is where Jay starts to take you from where he’s been to where he’s at both mentally and in the physical sense.

Jay is differentiating himself from his foes and his critics. He’s telling us that what separates him from others is his vision and lofty ambitions.  We can look at it on a financial level but we can also look at this line as gauging the intensity level of drive and determination.

As I stated before, I’m going to go into this more in part 2, but what I call the “intensity level of drive and motivation” is the central message Jay is trying to send to listeners on “U Don’t Know”.

You can focus on the actual dollar figures but success is about more than just what’s in the bank account.

Let’s move on because the “money talk” gets clearer in the next few lines…

One million, two million, three million, four
In just five years, forty million more

Jay gives us a quick summation of the meteoric increase financially as a result of his hustle.

Where would YOU like to be in 5 years??

Now to most of us, these figures seem unreachable but the focus should not be on how many zeros Jay claims is in HIS bank account.  The focus should be on how the right mindset + the right plan + the right actions = accomplishments that are often beyond expectations.

Ok, the last line for analysis in part 1…

You are now looking at the forty million boy
I’m raping Def Jam ’til I’m the hundred million man
R., O., C.

Jay told us what his hustle generated in 5 years and in this rhyme he reveals what his future goals are.

Jay used the word “raping” in regards to his financial goals and relationship with Def Jam Records. I think Jay simply used the word to emphasize the aggressiveness of his hustle.

How can we apply this lyric to our hustle?

Well, first of all, I think we shouldn’t try to distance ourselves from our past struggles and conditions. You can run but you can’t escape your past.  Who you were has a lot to do with who you are and who you will become.

I think Jay is making some real important points to those who are in the streets AND to those who aren’t.

I think he is trying to give those caught up in the streets some perspective.  He’s rhyming about a lifestyle that they know far too well but in a way that I think can serve as stimulation for their hardened hearts and their unstable minds.

In no way am I (or Jay) defending or condoning involvement in the drug trade.  Jay is painting a vivid picture of that lifestyle and I think he reveals the power of his intellect to understand it, navigate through it, which enabled his eventual escape from it.

To those not in the streets, Jay’s lyrics in part 1 of “U Don’t Know” can impact your hustle too.

First of all, I think he’s saying, “Hey, you might be having a difficult time but you ain’t been through this shit!” But more importantly, I think the lyrics reveal that regardless of your past the time is NOW.

Any hustle of any kind requires a specific set of skills and experiences in order to have sustained success. Embrace struggle as if it is a prerequisite for success.

In part 2 I hope to show those in the streets how a change in one’s frame of mind and the courage to seize the moment can give them the key that opens the door to legitimate success with longevity.

I’m going to share with those not in the streets how to “triple your worth” by having the very same mindset and principles that Jay-Z utilized to get out of the streets.