Original subtitles

[♪ "Hovi Baby" by Jay-Z playing]

- [♪ music stops abruptly] - [Rick Rubin laughing]

[Jay-Z] That was fun. That was the thing

we discussed earlier about trying to find,

like... [vocalizing] You know, at some point,

"When the cats get absent-minded,

"now it's time to rewind and remind 'em

why I'm in the position that I am."

You know, like letting the track, like, inform,

like, different pockets.

"Chasing the hi-hat all over the track."

- It's almost like... - Yeah.

You know, you're chasing the hi-hat.

"The snare is scared of the air in here.

Boom!" [chuckles]

It's a perfect track to say it to

- because it's such a chaotic track. - Yeah.

- And it's not obvious at all. - Mm-hmm.

- Where vocals go. - Right.

- It's more like a freestyle, really. - Yeah, yeah.

Where the beat's just rolling and you're just talking.

TLC.

TLC was opening a show somewhere...

and this was like their intro. The band was playing.

[singing melody] "TLC!"

Like... [continues singing melody]

Yeah.

- It was fun. - So good.

"I'm so far ahead of my time. I'm about to start another life.

"Look behind you, I'm about to pass you twice.

"Back to the future. Got to slow up for the present.

"I'm fast. Niggas can't get pass my past.

How they proposed to deal with the perfect present."

That's great. [chuckles]

Perfect present.

- Perfect present. - Then extend the metaphor.

"I'm fast, niggas can't get pass my past.

"How they propose to deal with the perfect present

when I unwrap The Gift and the Curse in one session,"

which is the name of the album, and "present," the gift, and...

"Ain't no living person could test him.

Only two resting in heaven--" Biggie and Pac--

"can be mentioned in the same breath as him.

"Seven straight summers, critics might not admit it,

but nobody in rap did it."

It's another third person.

Putting your flag down there.

"Nobody in rap did it quite like I did it.

"If you did it, I've done it before.

"You get it. I had it. I got mad at it.

"I don't want it no more. And that goes from everything

"from flipping it raw, flipping whores, flipping vocal cords,

"don't get it twisted, get it right.

"Did it different, did it better, did it nice,

did the impossible, then did it twice."

It's just, you know, braggadocios, like, just...

you know, banging on your chest.

Was this another one that happened in one night?

- Yeah. - [laughing]

Crazy, man. Yeah, it was a crazy time.

Like, all this stuff was happening so fast...

so quickly, that when I look back on it,

you know, I've never made an album before in nine day--

I've done albums pretty quick. Black Album was,

I don't know how long we played around with that, but not long.

But these songs was just-- when I look back on it

at the speed at which this was happening...

- Yeah. - ...it's kinda like...

- It was just a moment. - Yeah.

- It was a moment. - Yeah.

You were in it.

Something about hearing a track the first time,

I try to get it done 'cause I don't wanna come back

to try to match that energy.

I can match vocal tone.

- Mm-hmm. - Like you know, you punch in a--

I can do that easy. I'm really good at that.

I can hear the thing and I-- I match that.

Guru's-- he loves that about me.

He's, like, all the time like, "Perfect pitch."

- [laughing] Always sounds the same? - "I can't believe

- it always sounds the same." - Yeah.

But for me, there's an energy

of when you first hear a track...

and you start working on it that can't be matched.

- Yeah. - It can't happen again.

You can't hear it for the first time again.

[Rick] Yes.

[snapping] And once you hear it,

there's some magic in that...

that it's just like...

- You can find your way in. - Yeah.

- And there's an excitement. - That's what it is.

The excitement of hearing it the first time

and really, like, that performance is gonna be...

just that much better.

- Yeah. - That's what I find.

You said something about making the songs

that you thought that people wanted from you...

- Mm-hmm. - ...to when you started making ones for yourself.

- Mm-hmm. - I think of you as an artist...

more than an entertainer.

- Mm-hmm. - Yes, your art is entertaining,

but it's a different way of looking at it.

And I think the artist is the one

who makes the things for themselves

and we all get to enjoy it.

- Right. - The entertainer's the one

- who's trying to please the audience. - Right.

- Correct. - Yeah.

[chuckles] Yeah.

[♪ "Jail" by Kanye West playing]

♪ Guess who's going to jail tonight? ♪

♪ Guess who's going to jail tonight? ♪

♪ Guess who's going to jail tonight? ♪

♪ Guess who's going to jail tonight, tonight? ♪

♪ Guess who's going to jail tonight? ♪

That remind me of Johnny Cash.

- Like, he was talking about Johnny Cash. - Yeah.

This is a Johnny Cash song.

"Guess who's going to jail tonight?"

This was almost like-- we hadn't made a record a while,

song together in a while he just called like, "Yo."

So, it was like a-- a reunion of sorts.

- Which was a fun experience. - What was the feeling when you heard the track?

Uh, I thought of Johnny Cash.

- Wow. - I was like, this is Johnny Cash.

- Even then? - Vibe, yeah.

- And then writing the verse. - Yeah.

Just having fun with that. Like, just "God in my cells."

Like in your cells. "That's my celly.

Made in the image of God, that's a selfie."

I'm God, I'm made in the image of God.

"Pray five times a day, so many felonies."

You pray, you fall on your knees.

So many "fell on knees," or felony.

"Who gonna post my bail? Lord, help me. Hold up.

Donda, I'm with your baby, touch back, road--"

the album's called Donda, so now I'm having a conversation with Donda.

"Tell him stop all of that red cap, we going home."

Red cap, or we call it "cap" when you lying.

It's called cap.

"Told him stop all that red cap, we going home.

Not me with all of these sins, casting stones."

Like, who am I to judge him

for whatever decision that he wanted to make?

So, I'm-- I'm giving him shit

and also giving myself shit

- for giving him shit. - Yeah.

"Not me with all these sins casting stones.

This might be the return of The Throne."

And that's the album we made.

"Hova and Yeezus like Moses and Jesus.

"You are not in control of my thesis.

"You already know what I think about think pieces.

"Before you ask, he already told you who you think he is.

"Don't try to jail my thoughts and think precincts.

I can't be controlled with program and presets. Reset."

Like, just re-- press the reset on the whole thing.

"On my cell, in my cell tonight.

"Don't have to see you to touch you.

"This is what Braille looks like, it's on sight.

"If they take me to jail, call my girl,

"tell her send my mail.

We know what hell look like. Still, it's a hell of a life."

And all these are like Kanye's song titles,

"Hell of a Life," "Yikes," "On Sight."

- Yeah. - So, all these are like...

- References. - ...Kanye song t-titles.

So, just again, another way to make--

tell you when I can make words work on multiple levels,

I try to, like, sneak it in there

just as an exercise to keep me...

the challenge.

The challenge of writing. I enjoy it.

What's the first time you met Kanye,

or first time you remember meeting him?

In the studio. I had a tape.

This was The Blueprint album.

And he had, like, five smoke--

like, again, Izzo, H-- Heart of the City, bah-bah-bah-bah.

- Gotta meet this guy. - Yeah.

Comes in the studio,

and he stands on the table and he starts rapping.

And I'm like...

"Is this the producer? Like..."

- [laughing] - This guy?

And he's rapping much like he--

That's why I say he's exactly like himself.

- Yes. - Not as polished.

- The words aren't as great. - Yeah.

- But he's exactly like... - But same.

"I'm the savior of Chicago.

I'm gonna be the best of all time," and...

And I'm like, "Get down from the table, bro."

- [laughing] - And we cut these songs.

- Yeah. - I wanted to meet the producer.

- Yeah. - And then, you know.

- So, good first impression. - Great first impression.

- [claps, laughing] - It's fantastic, Rick.

[chuckles] Yeah. Great first impression.

And then, you know, the relationship grew from there.

And then, uh, yeah.

One of the most brilliant creators we're gonna see.

- Yeah. - Like, he-- he is as advertised.

- Yes. - [chuckles] Yeah.

I think I was in the studio with him when you sent the-- the verse

and he was over the moon.

- Yeah. - He was so excited.

- Yeah. - And so proud that you

- would be on a song with him... - Yeah.

- ...at this point-- you know, at that point in time. - Yeah.

- Just made him... - He's never lost that no matter what.

No matter-- and the thing, he's always had, like,

this space for me and his reverence as his big brother.

And-- And it's-- You know,

obviously, he's-- he does his things

and whatever he does, but I know he hasn't lost that feeling.

I think we argued about this verse maybe two weeks after,

and I was like, "This is why I didn't wanna do this verse."

[laughing]

It wasn't easy. After, he was like,

"You know, the red line is not making me comfortable."

And I was like, "Sorry."

- [laughing] - I ain't gonna change it.

- Yeah. - It's how I feel.

And also, I'm not only giving you shit,

I'm giving myself shit.

It's-- it's almost like a blanket of protection

around you as your brother, as your big brother.

I didn't know he said that to you, but I know when I heard it,

it made me uncomfortable feeling like...

why is this on his record?

- Right, yeah. Yeah. - You know, like it felt strange.

Now, based on everything we've been talking about...

the place where you bare your soul...

- Right. - ...is on these records.

So, in some ways, the fact that it's on record

- makes it more personal... - That's right.

- ...than anything else. - That's right.

And for me, it was a hug.

- It was a-- it was a safe-- a safety blanket. - Yeah.

'Cause we had-- there was-- there was issues there.

I'm not gonna go back to a space--

and it was almost like acknowledging

- the elephant of, you know. - Yeah.

Um...

But I-- I got what he-- I felt, like, what he was saying.

But I also know that if it was switched...

he would stamp out the-- the artistic integrity

- of what he created. - For sure.

- And that was important to me. - He always does.

- Yeah. - He always does.

And I understand-- This is what I said--

"I understand how you feel,

and you should probably take the verse off."

If-- if it's-- if you feel strongly enough about it,

I'm not gonna change it, but respectfully,

you should take it off because you also...

- This is your project. - Yes.

And it should be presented-- everything on it

- should be the way you want it to be. - Yes.

That's another thing, I never made the connection before,

but we could think of that whole...

episode in Kanye's life

as a version of him being in jail.

In some ways, he was removed from...

- the community. - Right.

And I would say it was not by choice,

- because he was being himself. - Mm-hmm.

- You know, he was being true to himself. - Right.

- So, it wasn't by choice... - Mm-hmm.

...to distance himself.

- Right. - It's interesting.

Next song.

- [Rick sighs] - I don't wanna look. I don't wanna look.

- Come on, give it to me. - [♪ "Kill Jay Z" playing]

Hey!

[chuckles] Hey!

- [♪ music stops abruptly] - [Jay-Z chuckles]

- Kill the image. - Yeah.

Kill the ego. Kill the ego.

The whole idea was, gotta kill all of that perception.

Superman, is super cool.

The whole thing we talking about, about armoring.

Like, take all that off and just really go there.

Yeah. I heard it as...

kill Jay-Z, the character...

- Yeah. - ...in the songs.

But what you're describing is, that was really you,

so it was-- so it's...

- Yeah. - ...it's not just the character

- in the songs. - Yes, yes.

It's your old-- old self.

I wasn't even trying to lock into...

Like, I spent my whole career trying to, like,

get really locked into the track and, like, find a space

and really explore the-- the technical aspect.

I wanted this one to be raw.

A lot of these was cut inside the booth--

- I mean, inside the... - Control room.

The control room with, uh, handheld mics

and just like one take, and, like,

just whatever is there is just there.

- It was-- - Less of a performance.

Yeah, it was just in order to get to this place,

we have to kill off the ego,

and kill off the-- the character and the--

'Cause the ego is the character, right?

- Mm. - It's real, but it's the character

that you, um, present to the world.

- Mm-hmm. - It's you.

- Yes. - But it's what you present to the world, the ego.

And just kill off the ego and get to it.

You know?

You got to it.

[♪ "Ignorant Shit" playing]

♪ Oh, I like the way you re-- ♪

♪ Like the way you receive me ♪

♪ Oh, I... ♪

Ayy!

[Jay-Z] This-- this one was like an answer, like, to critics

about glorifying a certain lifestyle

- in the tradition of NWA, I guess. - Yeah.

- Being provocative. - Yeah.

"What you want? Fuck, shit, ass, bitch, trick."

It's almost like a Richard Pryor type of approach to it.

- Yeah. - Like "fuck, shit, ass,

maricon, puta and weed."

Yeah, you're making fun of the fact.

Yeah, it's like an over-exaggeration. Like, the whole verse

- is gonna be a curse. - 'Cause you're not even saying anything.

Yeah, you're not even saying-- you're just cursing to curse...

- Yeah. - ...to prove the point.

- Yes. Yes. - It's like, "you don't understand what this is."

Then the critique, going like, "They're all actors

"looking at themselves in the mirror backwards.

"Can't even face themselves. Don't fear no rappers.

"They're all weirdos, De Niros in practice.

"So don't believe everything your earlobe captures.

It's mostly backwards."

You guys are talking about rap as a whole,

but it's two sects.

It's people that are capitalizing and taking the bits

that they think are the reason why people love this music,

and accentuating those parts of it.

And they're not giving you the struggle,

and they're not giving you the pain

and they're not giving you the-- the repercussions

- that your-- your nephew died and... - Yeah.

They're not giving you the repercussion of this.

You know, so they actually-- they're part of that too.

- So, let me speak to them as well. - Yeah.

I'm only speaking to people who-- who, um...

unfairly judge hip-hop or mischaracterize what we saying,

because these guys are saying

they're actually doing what you're saying.

"Don't believe everything your earlobe captures

"unless it happens to be as accurate as me.

And everything said in song you happen to see."

- Yeah. Even then. - Even then.

I can take creative license.

Even-- "Actually, believe half what you see.

"None of what you hear, even if it's spat by me.

And with that said--" I take the creative license--

"I'll kill niggas dead.

"Cut niggas short, give you wheels for legs.

I'm a K-I, double-L, E-R." I'm not a killer.

I'm giving you...

- Yes. - ...the creative license.

"Shoot niggas straight through the ER.

Whoa. This ain't BR."

Black Rob made a song called Whoa!

"Whoa, this ain't BR. It's S.C. CEO, the next Lyor."

Like, I'm a businessman. I'm going this way.

- Yeah. - Like, "No, the next leader of the whole free world.

And the first thing I'ma do is free Sigel, go."

Tell me about the first time

that the hip-hop squad in New York,

- the crackdown on hip-hop. - Yeah. Yeah.

- When was that? - That was...

'97?

'98.

So, I'm coming out of-- I went to do a show

- with Ja Rule. - Mm-hmm.

I go in, I'm gonna do a little performance and I leave.

I go in, I put my car. I-- I got a security guard.

He has a gun. I didn't know at the time.

He told me he's licensed and, you know,

he's licensed in certain states, not New York.

Atlanta and whatever.

Apparently, he takes the gun and he puts it under the seat.

They see him. We go in the club.

They could have grabbed him at any moment when they saw it.

They wait for me to get back in the car.

When we make a right, cars come.

[vocalizing] All these cars come.

Get out the car.

Now, I'm in the car and it has a partition.

So, when they pull the car over, I'm not even thinking, I'm like,

- "I didn't do anything. I got no gun on me." - Yeah. Yeah.

And I see a guy on the phone.

I'm looking. I'm hearing him, he's like, "Yeah? So, take him?"

And I did just-- I did the exact face you did.

I was like...

He was like, "So, take him? Okay."

Hangs up, says, "Turn around, put your hand behind your back."

I'm like, "What? What are you talking about?"

He's like, "Put your hands behind your back."

But straight-up targeted.

Lock me up, take me to the station, whatever.

They take my photo, and then I--

then they start talking about, like, the dossier.

"Oh, no, we got dossier on everybody,

like this, and this, and that, and this, and this, and that."

That was my first time hearing and knowing

about this-- what we come to know

as a hip-hop police,

like, where they was just, like, specifically--

- Targeting hip-hop artists. - Targeting hip-hop artists

and-- and making a foul.

So, it was like, he's from Brooklyn

and this has happened to him, and he got beef with this person

and they hang out with this person

and bah-bah-bah-bah-bah.

And it was like this whole squad.

And then after that, they used to follow me everywhere.

I mean everywhere. I come out of the car,

see the guy, "Yo, come on, man."

- Everywhere. - Yeah.

Any place I came out of, they was always there.

And that's why I did the song, and 99 Problems.

- Yeah. - We're just talking about the hip-hop police.

Did it change how you behaved?

Like, did you change how you moved in the city?

Uh, not really, 'cause I wasn't, again--

- You weren't doing anything. - I was actually--

thought I was doing something right.

I had a hired security guard, I didn't have any gun on me.

- Yeah. - Like, in my view...

- Yes. - ...I was being an artist.

- You know, I used to have-- - You were! Not even in your view.

Yeah, exactly. I used to have 30 guys with me

- with all kind of weapons on us. - Yeah. Yeah.

- Protecting ourselves. - Yes.

Now, I was doing it the right way.

The feelings of what was going on in that night,

was it like, "I can't believe this is happening."

Yeah, definitely.

- [chuckles] - And Romero was climbing.

I remember that point Romero was climbing his cell.

Like, he was like, "Let me outta here!" [laughing]

- Being funny or being serious? - No, no, he was so serious.

You know, he has a car company.

That's a weird feeling to be locked in a cage

and you've never been locked in a cage.

- Like, he was standing on-- - Well, it's a weird feeling no matter what,

- being locked in a cage. - Period, but-- but you know,

you know, at some point, again,

these are the things that come with it.

So, when you were locked in the cage, you have to know

at some point you might be locked in a cage.

And you can't be shell-shocked.

- Yeah. - But if you are a...

- an innocent bystander... - Yes.

...and they say you're going to jail, that's a weird feeling.

- It's a wild story. - Yeah.

[♪ "99 Problems" playing]

♪ Ninety-nine problems but a bitch ain't one ♪

- [♪ music stops] - [Jay-Z] Yeah.

- [Rick sighs] - [Jay-Z chuckles]

What do you remember about that experience?

That studio session, which was great.

That was fun. That was amazing.

Um...

Yeah, it's like-- we was talking about the rap patrol.

It was like, all this was going on at that time.

Like, and that-- that's what was happening.

It was just talking about all the, you know, 99 problems.

It's just like-- like stating the obvious.

- Yeah. - "If you grew up with holes in your zapatos,

"you'd celebrate the minute you was having dough.

"Fuck critics, you kiss my whole asshole.

"If you don't like my lyrics, you can press fast forward.

Got beef with radio." Like, at that time,

like, it was becoming, like, the premier artist in the city.

- Mm. - Everyone's trying to squeeze you.

You know, radio stations, like you--

"If you go to our competitor across the street,

we're not gonna play your record."

And I would never play those politics.

- Yeah. - My answer was,

are you only gonna play my records?

'Cause you certainly play other rappers' records.

So, I can't go across the street and play Z100

or your competition, but you can play my competition?

That's never gonna fly with me. Just the principle of it.

- Yeah. - You know, so I was the first artist

on Power 105 when Hot 97

- was the dominant, um, station. - Mm-hmm.

Which pissed Hot 97 at the time off.

And what they did was kinda smart.

'Cause I had this album coming out, Black Album...

and people wanted it.

They couldn't take me totally off the radio.

My popularity in the city at that time

was at a point they couldn't take me off the radio.

So, they just didn't play my new songs

and played all my old songs.

Like, that was their answer to like--

almost like they're blackballing me.

Um, that didn't last long 'cause I stood my ground

and, you know, I was like, I'm not having it.

Like, again, it's just not right.

- It's their loss. - So, that's what I say.

That's-- that's the line, it says, "Got beef with radio."

- Yeah. - "If I don't play they show, they don't play my hits.

- I don't give a shit." - Yeah.

Like, it's, you know.

And I-- I don't know if they was used to dealing

with that kind of personality.

So, I was the first one on Power 105.

And then, when The Source Magazine

was like the dominant magazine,

I was the first one on the cover of XXL.

- Which Source didn't like. - Yeah.

- Yeah. - So, it was all that was happening at this time.

"Rap mags trying to use my Black ass.

"So, advertisers can give 'em more cash for ads.

"I don't know what you take me as

or understand the intelligence that Jay-Z has."

You know, I'm-- I was hip and clear

to everything they was doing, and it was like--

But you understand what's interesting about this

is these were tried and true methods

- of the record business, of radio. - Still.

- This is-- This was the way-- - Still.

- Yeah, this was the way the game was played. - Yeah.

- And you said, "I'm not playing that game." - Exactly.

And you did it in many different avenues...

- Yeah. - ...of the music world.

- Mm-hmm. - You-- you reinvented

what was possible to do within the music business.

- Mm-hmm. - I started a label,

and I didn't know that you could do the things that you did.

- Even with my own label, didn't understand that. - Right. Right.

Then I go into this story of-- This is a real story.

I was going to Virginia from New York City.

In the car we had like a stash spot.

A stash spot is like you press a button,

and like a panel opens,

and you can stash some stuff in there, and then you press it.

- It's a secret compartment. - Mm-hmm.

This is before the cops figured it out.

So now, the cops have a-- there's a machine.

- Oh, like X-ray? - More like a magnet.

So, they'll press it, and everything that got a magnet

- would pop open in the car. - I see.

- It's amazing, like... - [laughing]

- Intelligence, counterintelligence... - Yeah.

...or the black market of anything, like, the police

and the underworld play this catch-up game.

So, we created the stash.

They created the stash-buster.

We created-- and it was like this,

- like, arms race. - Yes.

- An arms race. - And it's always escalating.

- It's always escalating. Exactly. - Yeah.

So, we're driving on the road, we're doing nothing.

That's why I say "55 in a 54,"

and just more so driving while Black.

- Yeah. - Because we wasn't speeding.

- Yeah. - Nothing's happening.

We get pulled over.

Also, driving 55 in a 54 is great,

because there is no 54 speed limit anywhere.

- Exactly. - That doesn't exist.

- It doesn't exist. - Yeah.

- That's an excuse. - It informs you

- that it's just an excuse. Yeah. - That's an excuse, yes.

You also have the line, uh, like...

right, before you get to what happens,

uh, "License and registration, step out of the car.

You carrying a weapon on you? I know a lot of you are."

It was to let you know that you're speaking to a racist.

- Yeah. Absolutely. - Just the way that, "A lot of you are."

What do you mean "A lot of you are"?

And also, "'Cause I'm young and I'm Black and my hat's real low.

Do I look like a mind reader, sir? I don't know."

- [chuckles] Yeah. - Yeah.

- Great lines. - Yeah, thank you.

- Great lines. - They come over

and they say-- search the car.

- But we're criminals. - Yeah.

We know these kind of things, right?

Everyone's been to court,

everyone knows the law a little bit.

You wanna know who really knows the law, is criminals.

They go to the law library when they get locked up,

and they know every bit of the law.

And they've asked, "Can we search the car?"

No. What did we do?

We didn't do anything.

But what they can do, if a K9 comes

and the-- and the K9 picks up a scent,

now they have a reason

- to search your car. - Yeah.

They call in the K9 unit. We're there, we know.

It's like, oh, my God, it's-- We're done.

- We're cooked. - Yeah, when they come, you're done.

And K9 unit's taking a really long time.

We're sitting on the side of the road and--

and the officer gets impatient.

And he's all, "Just get out of here."

And when we leave,

maybe three minutes off the thing...

we see a K9 unit speeding down...

- Wow. - ...the other side of the road.

And we got off the-- we got off the highway at that point.

Yeah. Disappeared.

- Just-- just in case. - Yes, of course.

- Just in case, like we-- - Of course.

We were supposed to continue down the highway.

- Got off the highway and just... - Yes. Yes.

...took, like, the scenic route.

- It documents-- - It's another divine intervention moment.

Yeah. Yeah. Yeah.

Also, interesting that, "99 problems, but a bitch ain't one,"

is in fact talking about the dog.

It was, again, a creative way

- to be provocative. - Yes.

To take that phrase when everybody,

"Oh, you rappers, all you say is 'bitch, bitch, bitch, bitch, bitch.'"

- Yeah. - Like, and a lot of times we saying "bitch,"

we're not talking about females.

And this is the perfect example to use it...

- Yes. - ...because we talking about what you call a bitch

- is a female dog. - Yes.

[chuckles] Right, so it was like the perfect time

to be provocative, at the same time tell a story,

and at the same time, list all the things

that I was going through.

So, it's-- These are the 99 problems.

The benefit of being provocative is that you want to know more.

When I hear a song that's provocative,

- I'm interested. - Right.

- It's the carrot that allows you to get to the depth. - Yeah.

- Hopefully, there's depth. There's some songs that are... - That's right.

- That's right. That's right. - ...just provocative, and it's not so--

- For the sake of being provocative. - And then it end--

- And then-- then it don't work. - Yeah.

Then it's empty. It's like a jelly donut.

Tastes good, but there's nothing in there for you.

- Yeah. - [chuckles] Yeah.

[♪ "Threat" playing]

- [♪ music stops abruptly] - [Rick] Yeah.

Just the-- the attitude in the vocal.

The voice you're using is so cool.

Thank you, it-- it's really based on this-- there's like--

when Joe Pesci was like, "You put my money to sleep.

"I'll tell you what I'm gonna do. [chuckles]

"I'm gonna wake up early. I'm gonna make breakfast with my kids.

"I'm gonna come down to that bank,

I'm gonna bust your fucking head."

[both laughing]

"And you know what? Around five or 10 years,

"you'll probably be coming out of your coma.

"And I'll be coming home from jail.

You know what I'm gonna do?"

[both laughing]

"I'm gonna come back down and bust your fucking head again

'cause I'm fucking crazy."

It was just such a great scene.

So, it was really based on that,

- like-- like taking that. - Joe Pesci's incredible.

- Oh, he's amazing. Amazing. - The best.

And it's funny. It's like he'll say that--

- And it's funny. - And it's funny.

- Gangsters are hilarious. - Yeah.

The way they see life is really funny.

You know, you think a-- like, people think gangster

this brute that doesn't speak or know how to speak.

But gangsters are pretty much--

most of them, to create a business like the ones

that's been created, you have to be intelligent.

You just use your intelligence in a different way.

- Great song. I love this one. - Thank you.

There were some good lines in here. [chuckles]

Yeah, there's a lot of good lines.

Yeah. [chuckles] "I put hands on you.

I dig a hole in the desert. They'll build the Sands on you."

- Like, you'll be under the Sands hotel. - Yeah.

"Lay out blueprint plans on you.

We Rat Pack niggas, let Sam tap dance on you."

And that was, uh, Dame. "We let Sam tap dance on you.

"Then I Sinatra, shot ya, goddamn you.

I put the boys in the box like David Blaine let the audience--"

- oh, "I George Bush the button." - [chuckles]

You know you just get, like, those lines that, like,

it's really cool to say, instead of saying "push."

- Yeah. - I push the button. "I George Bush the button."

At the time, I think George Bush was doing, like, Iraq War

- or something like that when they-- - Yeah.

And then, that's why the "oil" comes next.

Geor-- "I George Bush the button for the oil in your car.

Lift up your hood." Run it.

"Then lift up your whole hood like you got oil under it,"

- like the neighborhood. - Yeah.

Like you got oil under it.

It was just like these...

you know, creative threats.

- It's great. - Yeah.

Yeah.

♪ Me and my confidants, we shine ♪

♪ You feel the ambiance, y'all niggas just rhyme ♪

[♪ "Dead Presidents II" playing]

[♪ music ends]

So, this happened to, um, me and-- me and a friend of mine.

We were coming from, uh,

we went uptown to buy some product

and we were coming out the building.

And-- and obviously, like,

you coming into someone's neighborhood,

like I said, "All cars we learn 'em."

- Yeah. - That was the line. "All cars we learn 'em."

People know their neighborhood as well.

So, we're coming into a neighborhood,

- and they're like, "Who are those guys?" - Mm.

So, when we go up in the building,

we go up into this building, like fifth floor or something

to this strange house.

We're sitting in this strange house with--

This was a normal thing, right? And it's just like,

- you don't know what could happen in here. - Mm-hmm.

But we leave and we walk out the building.

And some guys are outside the building.

They got a gun. He's like, "Give us your shit."

And we're like, "Oh shit."

And put a gun to my friend's side.

And, like, he pulls away. Shoot, bow.

Grab-- we start running up the block.

We run up to the next block, he sits down on the floor.

"Let me get a Pepsi." I don't know why he asked for a Pepsi,

but he needed something.

Get in the cab and we go to the thing.

So, this is the story of that.

You know, um, "hospital days," and we went to the hospital

and he's sitting up there, "reflecting when my man laid up."

- "On the uptown." It was uptown. - Yeah.

"Hot block." It was a hot block

'cause that's where they sold drugs.

"He got his side sprayed up." Got shot in the side.

"I saw his life slipping." A bit of exaggeration.

- He wasn't dying, but he did get shot. - Yeah. Yeah, yeah.

Um, "It was a minor setback. Yo, still in all we living."

- And this is the mentality you have. - Yeah.

"Just dream about--" we wanna find out who did it.

- Exact our revenge. - 'Cause no one else is gonna do anything.

- That's right. Yeah. - Yeah.

Nah, he's not going to jail.

There's not-- no nothing. They out there.

- Yeah. - And it's like, however long it take.

"I'll do better, slay these niggas faithfully.

"Murder is a tough thing to digest, it's a slow process.

- And I ain't got nothing but time." - Yeah.

All we got is time to think about revenge

and, like, we ain't doing nothing else.

- We on the block every day. - Mm-hmm.

We're hustling and we getting it in every day.

The only thing you got to think about is what someone's done you.

- Yeah. - How you gonna get them back and...

- Yeah. - ...when you gonna catch them, and bah-bah-bah.

We think about that constantly.

[♪ "Public Service Announcement" playing]

[♪ music ends]

Mm. Shoo.

- Man, I was saying that I wish I had this song... - Yeah.

- ...when I came back. - Yes.

Imagine if the first thing you heard after The Black Album

was "Allow me to reintroduce myself."

- Wow. - "My name is Hov."

- Jesus. - Jeez. So, how could that have happened?

- W-We thought we were done. - Yes.

The Black Album. I was playing it

in the studio for-- you know how they get the reviews

in, like, The New York Times and Village Voice--

Everyone was coming through and we were having

listening sessions for the press.

And in that session...

this writer, I forget her name--

on the Unplugged thing that I did with The Roots...

- Mm-hmm. - ...I had a Che shirt on,

- and I had Biggie's Jesus piece. - Mm-hmm.

And I was wearing the piece on the ch-- thing like normal.

And she was like, you know,

"You had this diamond-encrusted thing,

and it was banging Che's forehead."

- And, like, she-- - [laughing]

She went like-- I'm like, "It's a shirt."

[chuckles] Not-- I didn't have Che on my chest.

- Yeah. - Like, you know? But she made it.

She went really far with painting this picture of who I was

and talking about capitalism, and all this thing.

And-- And that's how I wrote the third verse.

This is her talking to me, and I'm-- I'm speaking to her.

- Yeah. - "Ving ain't lie, I done came through the block.

I'm like Che Guevara with bling on."

I told her, "I'm complex."

- Yes. - I'm-- I'm not an angel.

- Yes. - "I never claimed to have wings on.

"I'm getting my 'by any means' on.

"Whenever there's a drought, get your umbrellas out.

- You can blame Shawn." You-- you could blame me. - Yeah. Yes.

- But I did not invent the game. - Yes.

- I'm speaking to her and what... - Yes.

...she was talking to me about that day.

So, this song was the last song we made.

It wasn't supposed to be on the album.

That's why it's called the "interlude."

- It came out so good that we were like... - Yeah.

"Nah, that's going on there," and we took a song off.

But if you didn't know you were gonna be coming back...

- No, no, I didn't know, of course not. - ...you had to get it out.

Yeah, yeah, it was just too good.

- It was too good. - And it was like, we can't--

We not-- We never even thought to hold it.

I was gonna say, have you ever held a song back

- for a future project? - Not consciously.

But songs-- some songs that made it late,

that didn't make it for timing reasons,

or like, maybe a sample reason...

- Yeah. - ...you know, got left off.

But not-- not strategically.

But imagine.

"Allow me to reintroduce myself, my name is Hov."

- We can dream. - Yeah.

[laughing]

[♪ "Dirt Off Your Shoulder" playing]

♪ Turn the music up in the headphones ♪

♪ Tim, you can go and brush your shoulders off, nigga ♪

♪ I got you, unh, yeah ♪

♪ If you feeling like a pimp, nigga ♪

♪ Go on, brush your shoulders off ♪

♪ Ladies is pimps too, go on, brush your shoulders off ♪

♪ Niggas is crazy, baby, don't forget that boy told you ♪

♪ Get that dirt off your shoulder ♪

♪ I probably owe it to y'all, probably be locked by the force ♪

♪ Tryna hustle some things that go with the Porsche ♪

♪ Feelin' no remorse, feelin' like my hand was forced ♪

♪ Middle finger to the law, nigga, grippin' my balls ♪

♪ Said, the ladies, they love me, from the bleachers, they screamin' ♪

♪ All the ballers is bouncin', they like the way I be leanin' ♪

♪ All the rappers be hatin' off the track that I'm makin' ♪

♪ But all the hustlers, they love it just to see one of us make it ♪

♪ Came from the bottom of the bottom to the "Top of the Pops" ♪

♪ Nigga, London, Japan, and I'm straight off the block ♪

♪ Like a running back, get it, man, I'm straight off the block ♪

♪ I can run it back, nigga, 'cause I'm straight with the Roc ♪

♪ If you feelin' like a pimp, nigga ♪

♪ Go on, brush your shoulders off ♪

♪ Ladies is pimps, too, go on brush your shoulders off ♪

♪ Niggas is crazy, baby, don't forget that boy told you ♪

♪ Get that dirt off your shoulder ♪

♪ You gotta get that dirt off your shoulder ♪

♪ You gotta get that dirt off your shoulder ♪

♪ You gotta get that dirt off your shoulder ♪

♪ You gotta get that dirt off your shoulder ♪

♪ Your homie Hov in position, in the kitchen with soda ♪

♪ I just whipped up a watch, tryna get me a Rover ♪

♪ Tryna stretch out the coca, like a wrestler, yessir ♪