JAY-Z - The Prelude Lyrics

"You know you got this fantasy in your head
About getting out of the life
And setting the corporate world on its ear
What the fuck you gonna do
Except hustle
Besides pimping
You really ain't got the stomach for that"

The game's fucked up
Niggas beats is banging
Nigga ya hooks did it
Ya lyrics didn't
Ya gangsta look did it
So I would write it if y'all could get it
Being intricate'll get ya wood critics
On the internet
They like you should spit it, I'm like you should buy it
Nigga that's good business
Forget this rap shit I need a new hustle
A little bit of everything, a new improved Russell
I say that reluctantly 'cause I do struggle
As you see I can't leave so I do love you
But I'm just a hustler disguised as a rapper
In fact you can't fit this hustle inside of a wrapper
Back when crack was what these pills are
I was a real star complete with real cars
No video ones, you can and come set up a camera
Let the video run
In my real life complete with real ice
VVS boulders all invisibly set
Head and shoulders my invisible neck
You see Hova wasn't digital yet
Before Steve Jobs made the iPod
Was getting head jobs, we call that intimate
Back when rappers wouldn't dare play lyrical roulette
With an automatic weapon I was rapping with a Tek
Fresh like Manny be chain like antifreeze
Shoe box full of cash
Dealer man hand me keys
Pantries full of Arm & Hammer
Don't take Nancy Drew to see what it do
I'ma damn g
Just sent a million dollars through a hands free
That's big money talk can you answer me?
Before the Answer was a three
I was down in Georgetown with a Hoya chick, loyal chick
Sure he's rich now 'cause he saw this shit, all this shit
That's why they call him Hov cause he came before all this shit
Bought a six, quarter seven skipped on them quarter 8s
Bought a nine for nonstop glockwork all the time

Guess who's back
Since this is a New Era got a fresh new hat
Ten year veteran
I been said I been through with this bullshit game
But I never can
I used to think rapping at thirty eight was ill
When last year alone I grossed about thirty eight mill
I know I ain't quite thirty eight but still
The flow so Special got a .38 feel
The real is back