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Renegade

by JAY Z

on The Blueprint (2001)

[Verse 1: JAY-Z]
Motherfuckers say that I'm foolish, I only talk about jewels (Bling-bling)
Do you fools listen to music or do you just skim through it?
See, I'm influenced by the ghetto you ruined
The same dude you gave nothin', I made somethin' doin'
What I do through and through and
I give you the news with a twist, it's just his ghetto point of view
The renegade, you been afraid I penetrate pop culture
Bring 'em a lot closer to the block where they pop toasters
And they live with they moms, got dropped roadsters
From botched robberies, niggas crouched over
Mami's knocked up 'cause she wasn't watched over
Knocked down by some clown
When child support knocked, "No, he's not around"
Now, how that sound to ya? Jot it down
I bring you through the ghetto without ridin' 'round
Hidin' down, duckin' strays from frustrated youths stuck in they ways
Just read a magazine that fucked up my day
How you rate music that thugs with nothin' relate to it?
I help them see they way through it, not you
Can't step in my pants, can't walk in my shoes
Bet everything you worth, you'll lose your tie and your shirt
[Verse 2: Eminem]
Since I'm in a position to talk to these kids and they listen
I ain't no politician, but I'll kick it with 'em a minute
'Cause see, they call me a menace and if the shoe fits, I'll wear it
But if it don't, then y'all'll swallow the truth, grin and bear it
Now who's the king of these rude, ludicrous, lucrative lyrics?
Who could inherit the title, put the youth in hysterics
Usin' his music to steer it, sharin' his views and his merits?
But there's a huge interference, they're sayin' you shouldn't hear it
Maybe it's hatred I spew, maybe it's food for the spirit
Maybe it's beautiful music I made for you to just cherish
But I'm debated, disputed, hated and viewed in America
As a motherfuckin' drug addict, like you didn't experiment?
Now, now, that's when you start to stare at who's in the mirror
And see yourself as a kid again, and you get embarrassed
And I got nothin' to do but make you look stupid as parents
You fuckin' do-gooders, too bad you couldn't do good at marriage (Haha)
And do you have any clue what I had to do to get here?
I don't think you do, so stay tuned and keep your ears glued to the stereo
'Cause here we go, he's Jigga-Jur-Jigga-Jih-Jigga
And I'm the sinister Mr. Kiss-My-Ass is just a


[Chorus: Eminem & JAY-Z]
Renegade, never been afraid to say
What's on my mind at any given time of day
'Cause I'm a renegade
Never been afraid to talk about anything
(Anything?), anything (Anything)
Renegade, never been afraid to say
What's on my mind at any given time of day
'Cause I'm a renegade
Never been afraid to holler about anything
(Anything?), anything (Anything)
[Verse 3: JAY-Z]
I had to hustle, my back to the wall, ashy knuckles
Pockets filled with a lotta lint, not a cent
Gotta vent, lotta innocent lives lost on the project bench
What you hollerin'? Gotta pay rent, bring dollars in
By the bodega, iron under my coat, feelin' braver
Durag wrappin' my waves up, pockets full of hope
Do not step to me
I'm awkward, I box lefty
An orphan, my pops left me
And often my mama wasn't home
Could not stress to me, I wasn't grown
'Specially on nights I brought somethin' home to quiet the stomach rumblings
My demeanor thirty years my senior
My childhood didn't mean much, only raisin' green up
Raisin' my fingers to critics, raisin' my head to the sky
Big, I did it, multi before I die
No lie, just know I chose my own fate
I drove by the fork in the road and went straight


[Verse 4: Eminem]
See, I'm a poet to some, a regular modern-day Shakespeare
Jesus Christ, the king of these Latter-day Saints here
To shatter the picture in which of that as they paint me as
A monger of hate, satanist, scatter-brained atheist
But that ain't the case, see, it's a matter of taste
We as a people decide if Shady's as bad as they say he is
Or is he the latter, a gateway to escape?
Media scapegoat who they can be mad at today
See, it's as easy as cake, simple as whistlin' "Dixie"
While I'm wavin' the pistol at sixty Christians against me
Go to war with the Mormons, take a bath with the Catholics
In holy water, no wonder they tried to hold me under longer
I'm a motherfuckin' spiteful, delightful eyeful
The new Ice Cube, motherfuckers hate to like you
What did I do? (Huh?), I'm just a kid from the gutter
Makin' his butter off these bloodsuckers, 'cause I'm a motherfuckin'
[Chorus: Eminem & JAY-Z]
Renegade, never been afraid to say
What's on my mind at any given time of day
'Cause I'm a renegade
Never been afraid to talk about anything
(Anything?), anything (Anything)
Renegade, never been afraid to say
What's on my mind at any given time of day
'Cause I'm a renegade
Never been afraid to holler about anything
(Anything?), anything (Anything)
Renegade, never been afraid to say
What's on my mind at any given time of day
'Cause I'm a renegade
Never been afraid to talk about anything
(Anything?), anything (Anything)
Renegade, never been afraid to say
What's on my mind at any given time of day
'Cause I'm a renegade
Never been afraid to holler about anything
(Anything?), anything (Anything)