Laura+S

=== Empire State Of Mind - Jay-Z feat. Alicia Keys media type="youtube" key="0UjsXo9l6I8?fs=1" height="385" width="480" align="center" ===

 [Jay-Z] Yeah, Yeah, Imma up at Brooklyn, now I'm 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.
 * __ Lyrics: __**

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, 5-60 State 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 Bed Stuy, 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 Mai-tai Sitting courtside, Knicks and Nets give me high fives, Nigga, i be Spiked out, i can trip a referee, Tell by my attitude that I am most definitely from…

[Alicia Keys] In New York, concrete jungle where dreams are made of, Theres nothing you can’t do, now you’re in New York, These streets will make you feel brand new, Big lights will inspire you, lets hear it for New York, New York, New York (I made you hot nigga) [Jay-Z] Catch me at the X with OG at a Yankee game, Shit, i made the yankee hat more famous than a yankee can, You should know I bleed Blue, but I aint a crip though but i got a gang of niggas walking with my clique though

Welcome to the melting pot, corners where we selling rocks, Afrika Bambaataa shit, home of the hip hop, Yellow cab, gypsy cab, dollar cab, holla back, For foreigners it aint fair they act like 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 Monte, 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…

[Alicia Keys] In New York, concrete jungle where dreams are made of, Theres nothing you can’t do, now you’re in New York, These streets will make you feel brand new, Big lights will inspire you, lets hear it for New York, New York, New York

[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, end of 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

Mami 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

[Alicia Keys] In New York, concrete jungle where dreams are made of, Theres nothing you can’t do, now you’re in New York, These streets will make you feel brand new, Big lights will inspire you, lets hear it for New York, New York, New York

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 yeaaahh (come on, come on) In New York, concrete jungle where dreams are made of, Theres nothing you can’t do, now you’re in New York, These streets will make you feel brand new, Big lights will inspire you, lets hear it for New York, New York, New York

__ Summary: __ · Introduction · Choice of the song · What do the lyrics say · Overall message of the song · Activity

__ Introduction __

The main singer of the song is forty-two year-old rapper and businessman, Jay-Z. The track, originally written by other Brooklyn natives, was rejected by Roc Nation and so afterwards was sent to Jay-Z, who immediately recorded it. He changed all the verses, but kept the hook it had. Viewed as an “orchestral rap ballad”, the song has pop-rap music styles. The contribution by Alicia Keys is fundamental to the song giving it a more commercial impulse.



__ Choice of the song __

In my opinion, the appeal of the song lies in its rhythm. The first time you hear the song, most of the lyrics are unintelligible as the verses are rapped by Jay-Z at a conceivably fast speed. The chorus is also very catchy and easy to remember, moreover, it is repeated four times during the song, so you end up remembering them very well. In addition, the song talks about the city of New York and what it means to the artists that interpret it. It conveys loads of places, celebrities and relevant thing that are related to this enormous city, referred to in the lyrics as “the city of lights”. All this gives a certain hope that in New York your dreams seem more touchable and achievable, so it gives a positive mood to the song.

I chose the song because it’s my favourite song, and as I’ve been to New York, I can relate to the song and go back to the time when I was there.

__ What do the lyrics say? __

So, what on earth is this rapper saying?

In the first verse, Jay-Z talks about New York districts, like Tribeca and Brooklyn. Having said where he is located, he compares himself to memorable icons of the city, such as Frank Sinatra, he says: “I’m the new Sinatra”. And then feels superior, due to the fact that he has succeeded in New York, and therefore he will also succeed in any other place.

In the next stanza, I find very curious the fact that he mentions where he used to live: 560 State Street. But in the song this isn’t the only part where he refers to his personal life. He says, “but BK is from Texas”. We interpret that BK stands for Beyoncé Knowles, his wife, as she actually is from Texas. He also mentions his best friend, who he calls Ty Ty, which is Tyron Smith. I find all this very interesting, as I had heard the song many times, but hadn’t stopped to analyze what the lyrics really meant, so didn’t notice the rapper was also talking about his personal experience.

The chorus is one of my favourite parts to the song. It portrays the city of New York with a very intelligent metaphor; it says it’s a “concrete jungle where dreams are made of”. The part of concrete jungle conveys the fact that the city of New York is overloaded with endless skyscrapers and there are so many buildings that you may get lost, like in a jungle. Later on, as the song continues, we get to know that dreams are made in this city, which suggests it’s a city with loads of opportunities and where everything is possible and can be achieved. Therefore, the mood and the tone of the song are positive, encouraging, happy, and hopeful. In my opinion it’s a great song because the rhythm is catchy and positive and the lyrics are hopeful and motivating. It’s the type of song you can listen when you wake up or when you’re upset.

In the next three verses, Jay-Z refers to the Yankees, the city’s famous baseball team. He also talks about drugs, when he says “corners where we selling rocks”. He talks about the Bronx, where there are done most of the drug deals of the city. In my opinion, this is interesting, as the singer is showing a realistic point of view of the city, dealing with the good but also the bad things related to it. In addition, he also talks about the gambling games, “three dice ceelo, three card monte” suggesting there are also gambling addictions.

The chorus is repeated again, and afterwards we have four more verses rapped by Jay-Z, where drugs are dealt with again, and girls and innocent people are criticised as being blinded by the light, because everything seems perfect but then there are conflicts like drugs and sex that are included in the pack and you can’t avoid. So, the song is a praise to the city, but also conveys the negative aspects of it. This is paradoxical. Is Jay-Z trying to say that this side of the city is also good? As we know many rappers take drugs, so he may see it also positive. Or is he maybe talking about himself in the past, when he was in New York, and used to deal with drugs?

Lastly, the song finishes with the chorus and a verse by Alicia Keys, praising New York, the city of lights, and saying the place is unique.



__ Overall message of the song __

Overall, the song is a complete praise and ode to the city of New York. Both artists who interpret the song have lived in it, and give a personal opinion of what the city has meant to them. We obviously see it has marked a time in their lives, as it’s the city where everyone can achieve and obtain resounding success in life. Probably they are famous due to it and now feel as they are in debt with this city that has given them the opportunity to triumph in life. Everything is full of lights, prettier and happier, giving an overall motivating message. In fact, hearing this song makes you want to go to New York and take pleasure in all these activities that have been mentioned throughout the track. However, not everything is as good as it seems to be, and the song has also got a realistic point where we are told that behind those enticing lights there are drug-dealers, gambling problems and innocent girls that fall into the nets of suspicious dealers.

__ Activity __

Fill in the gaps:

Yeah I'm out that Brooklyn. Now I'm down in ……………………………. Right next to DeNiro But I'll be hood forever I'm the new ……………………….. And since I made it here I can make it anywhere (…………………………………………………………..) I used to cop in …………………… All of my Dominicanos Right there off of Broadway Brought me back to that ……………………….. Took it to my stash spot, 560 State Street Catch me in the kitchen like ………………………whipping Pastry Cruising down 8th street Off-white LexusDriving so slow but BK, it's from ­­­………………………………. Me I'm out that BedStuy Home of that boy Biggie now I live on ­­­………………………………. and I brought my boys with me Say what up to Ty-ty Still sipping Mai Tais Sitting courtside Knicks and Nets give me high-5 N**ga, I be Spiked out I could trip a referee ...tell by my attitude that I'm MOST DEFINITELY FROM...

[Alicia Keys] New York!!!! ……………………………………………..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, big lights will inspire you, Let's hear it for New York, New York, New York