Jay-Z feat Alicia Keys - Empire State of Mind Lyrics and Video

Empire State of Mind by Jay-Z feat Alicia Keys, Music Lyrics and Video

Empire State of Mind is the third single by hip hop rapper Jay-Z, from his eleventh studio album, The Blueprint 3. The song was produced by Shux and co-produced by Janet “Jnay” Sewell-Ulepic & Angela Hunte.
The record features the dynamic vocals of R&B-soul singer Alicia Keys, complimented with some choice words on life perspectives from Jay himself. Some of his best collaborative work to date with vocalists.
It’s the city’s image personified by Jay’s words, which manage to tap the core of those still wearing Timbs because, deep down, everyone wants to reach the level of opulence that Jay has… he just beat us there & seemingly left us behind. Yet, he reminds that he’s still connected to the city that never sleeps by going back & describing the life that lives there day and night.
Jay-Z and Alicia Keys performed the song live at MTV Video Awards 2009.

The music video was was directed by Hype Williams and was filmed on October 1, 2009, in Harlem, Times Square and around Ground Zero of New York City.

You can listen the song here, this is the official video.

Jay-Z - Empire State of Mind featuring Alicia Keys Lyrics

[Jay-Z]
Yeah,
Yeah, Imma up at Brooklyn,
now Im down in Tribeca,
right next to DeNiro,
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,
all of my dominicanos
right there up on Broadway,
brought me back to that McDonalds,
took it to my stash spot,
Five Sixty Stage street,
catch me in the kitchen like a simmons whipping pastry,
cruising down 8th street,
off white lexus,
driving so slow but BK is from Texas,
me I’m up at Bedsty,
home of that boy Biggie,
now i live on billboard,
and i brought my boys with me,
say wat up to Ty Ty, still sipping Malta
sitting courtside Knicks and Nets give me high fives,
N-gga i be spiked out, i can trip a referee,
tell by my attitude that I most definitely from…

[Alicia Keys]
In New York,
Concrete jungle where dreams are made of,
There’s nothing you can’t do,
Now you’re in New York,
these streets will make you feel brand new,
the lights will inspire you,
lets here it for New York, New York, New York

[Jay-Z]
I made you hot n-gga,
Catch me at the X with OG at a Yankee game,
sh-t i made the yankee hat more famous than a yankee can,
you should know I bleed Blue, but I ain’t a crip tho,
but i got a gang of n-ggas walking with my click though,
welcome to the melting pot,
corners where we selling rocks,
Afrika Bambaataa sh-t,
home of the hip hop,
yellow cap, gypsy cap, dollar cab, holla back,
for foreigners it ain’t fitted they forgot how to act,
8 million stories out there and their naked,
cities is a pity half of y’all won’t make it,
me i gotta plug Special Ed “i got it made,”
If Jesus payin LeBron, I’m paying Dwayne Wade,
3 dice Cee-lo
3 card Marley,
labor day parade, rest in peace Bob Marley,
Statue of Liberty, long live the World trade,
long live the king yo,
I’m from the empire state that’s

[Chorus]

In New York,
Concrete jungle where dreams are made of,
There’s nothing you can’t do,
Now you’re in New York,
these streets will make you feel brand new,
the lights will inspire you,
lets here it for New York, New York, New York
Welcome to the bright light..

[Jay-Z]
Lights is blinding,
girls need blinders
so they can step out of bounds quick,
the side lines is blind with casualties,
who sipping life casually, then gradually become worse,
don’t bite the apple Eve,
caught up in the in crowd,
now your in-style,
and in the winter gets cold en vogue with your skin out,
the city of sin is a pity on a whim,
good girls gone bad, the cities filled with them,
Mommy took a bus trip and now she got her bust out,
everybody ride her, just like a bus route,
Hail Mary to the city your a Virgin,
and Jesus can’t save you life starts when the church ends,
came here for school, graduated to the high life,
ball players, rap stars, addicted to the limelight,
MDMA got you feeling like a champion,
the city never sleeps better slip you a Ambien

[Chorus]

In New York,
Concrete jungle where dreams are made of,
There’s nothing you can’t do,
Now you’re in New York,
these streets will make you feel brand new,
the lights will inspire you,
lets here it for New York, New York, New York

[Alicia Keys]
One hand in the air for the big city,
Street lights, big dreams all looking pretty,
no place in the World that can compare,
Put your lighters in the air, everybody say yeah
come on, come,
yeah,

[Chorus]

In New York,
Concrete jungle where dreams are made of,
There’s nothing you can’t do,
Now you’re in New York,
these streets will make you feel brand new,
the lights will inspire you,
lets here it for New York, New York, New York

[End]

Song Information

Released September 8, 2009 (airplay)
Recorded 2009 (2009)
Genre Hip hop
Length 4:37
Label Roc Nation, Atlantic
Writers S. Carter, A. Shuckburgh, A. Keys, A. Hunte, J. Sewell-Ulepic
Producer Al Shux, Janet “Jnay” Sewell-Ulepic, Angela Hunte


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10 Responses to “Jay-Z feat Alicia Keys - Empire State of Mind Lyrics and Video”

  1. timon Says:

    Jesus can’t save you life starts when the church ends,
    came here for school, graduated to the high life,
    ball players, rap stars, addicted to the limelight,
    MDMA got you feeling like a champion,

    well it sucks xD

  2. dale Says:

    no man you suck this song is the shizzy

  3. murph canada Says:

    nice to see more NY songs about the gratest city anywhere hope to go
    great song

  4. jontae Says:

    i luv this song

  5. yvonne Says:

    this song is best it rocks

  6. danny jauregui Says:

    this song is the bomb jay z rocks and alicia keys lookes fine in the video

  7. eshin Says:

    Its bad that a song with such a good beat is used to defame Christ. Jesus still saves!!! Christ’s love is whole and reaches down to the core of your soul when you see the light and no there isn’t any so bright. Sins are forgiven when you old ways you’ve forsaken. Embrace the life freely given by God, through Jesus our Lord

  8. jami Says:

    ..people stop hate’n!!! the lyrics, the beat, hit the spot. u can tell a great song when u catch yourself singing it in the store out loud and everyone around you spits out the ending chorus!!!

  9. michaela x Says:

    s’an awesome song and wow that must’ve been awesome

  10. stephanie Says:

    this iz tha best song ive ever herd!!!!!!!!!!!

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