Intro
Jay-Z · The Dynasty: Roc La Familia
It's the Dynasty niggaz... as promised...
The world's most infamous...
Roc-A-Fella Records...
This is Roc La Familia...
It's Young Hova... Beanie Sigel... Memphis Bleek... Amil-lion...
It's the Dynasty niggaz... 2000 to infinity...
This is ghetto to ghetto.. gutter to gutter..
Street corner to street corner.. project to project..
Worldwide... walk with us niggaz...
Hoffa... Dash... it's the Dynasty niggaz
Check it out...
Uhh... walk with me... talk to me... yo..
The theme song to +The Sopranos+
plays in the key of life on my, mental piano
Got a strange way of seein life like
I'm Stevie Wonder with, beads under the doo-rag
Intuition is there even when my vision's impaired, yeah
Knowin I can go, just switchin a spare
On the highway of life, nigga it's sharp in my sight
Oh! Keen senses ever since I was a, teen on the benches
everytime somebody like Enus was mentioned
I would turn green, me, bein in the trenches
Him, livin adventureous not worryin about expenditures
I'm bravin temperatures below zero, no hero
No father figure, you gotta pardon a nigga
But I'm starvin my niggaz, and the weight loss in my figure
is startin to darken my heart, bout to get to my liver
Watch it my niggaz, I'm tryin to be calm but I'm gon' get richer
through any means, with that thing that Malcolm palmed in the picture
Never read the Qu'ran or Islamic scriptures
Only psalms I read was on the arms of my niggaz
Tattooed so I carry on like I'm non-religious
Clap whoever stand between Shawn and figures
Niggaz, say it's the dawn/Don but I'm superstitious
Shit is as dark as it's been, nothin is goin as you predicted
I move with biscuits, stop the harder niggaz actin too suspicious
This is, food for thought, you do the dishes
Intro - Jay-Z
Serving as the opening track on The Dynasty: Roc La Familia, this recording sets the tone for Jay-Z's exploration of his family's rise to power. Released in 2003, the song exemplifies the artist's signature blend of lyrical precision and street narratives that defined the mid-2000s hip-hop era. It functions as a thematic precursor to the album's broader commentary on loyalty, ambition, and the complexities of the criminal underworld. The track showcases Jay-Z's ability to craft a compelling sonic landscape that invites listeners into the Roc La Familia universe before the main stories unfold, establishing a tone of calculated aggression and strategic foresight characteristic of his work during this period.