Decoded Page 20
HISTORY1 / FEATURING CEE-LO
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By the Third Time They Were Singing Along. (1:10)
Now that all the smoke is gone / (Lighter) / And the battle’s finally won / (Gimme a lighter) / Victory (Lighters up) is finally ours / (Lighters up) / History so long so long / So long so long / In search of Victory2 she keeps eluding me3 / If only we could be together momentarily / We can make love and make History4 / Why won’t you visit me? until she visit me / I’ll be stuck with her sister her name is Defeat / She gives me agony so much agony / She brings me so much pain so much misery / Like missing your last shot and falling to your knees / As the crowd screams for the other team5 / I practice so hard for this moment Victory don’t leave / I know what this means I’m stuck in this routine / Whole new different day same old thing6 / All I got is dreams nobody else can see / Nobody else believes nobody else but me7 / Where are you Victory? I need you desperately / Not just for the moment to make History / Now that all the smoke is gone / (Lighters) / And the battle’s finally won / (Lighters) / Victory is finally ours / (Yeah) / History (yeah) so long so long / So long so long / So now I’m flirting with Death hustling like a G8 / While Victory wasn’t watching took chances repeatedly / As a teenage boy before acne before I got proactive9 I couldn’t face she / I just threw on my hoodie and headed to the street / That’s where I met Success we’d live together shortly / Now Success is like lust she’s good to the touch10 / She’s good for the moment but she’s never enough / Everybody’s had her she’s nothing like V11 / But Success is all I got unfortunately / But I’m burning down the block hoppin’ in and out of V / But something tells me that there’s much more to see / Before I get killed because I can’t get robbed12 / So before me Success and Death ménage13 / I gotta get lost I gotta find V / We gotta be together to make History / Now that all the smoke is gone / (Lighters. Up.) / And the battle’s finally won / (Lighters. Up.) / Victory is finally ours / (Lighters. Up.) / History so long so long / So long so long / Now Victory is mine it tastes so sweet / She’s my trophy wife you’re coming with me14 / We’ll have a baby who stutters repeatedly15 / We’ll name him History he’ll repeat after me / He’s my legacy son of my hard work / Future of my past he’ll explain who I be16 / Rank me amongst the greats either one two or three / If I ain’t number one then I failed you Victory / Ain’t in it for the fame that dies within weeks / Ain’t in it for the money can’t take it when you leave / I wanna be remembered long after you grieve / Long after I’m gone long after I breathe / I leave all I am in the hands of History17 / That’s my last will and testimony18 / This is much more than a song it’s a baby shower / I’ve been waiting for this hour History19 you ours / Now that all the smoke is gone / And the battle’s finally won / Victory is finally ours / History so long so long / So long so long
Bonus Video
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Evolution of My Style. (2:29)
EPILOGUE
I was over at L.A. Reid’s house in New York for a dinner party a couple of years ago when I first met Oprah Winfrey. I’ve met a lot of powerful people, but Oprah, as everyone knows, is in her own stratosphere. She’s also someone who’s been vocally skeptical about hip-hop for a long time because of the violence and rawness of a lot of the imagery and language, particularly the use of what she’d call the “n-word.” It’s ironic that she’s also been a champion of other kinds of writing—from poets like Maya Angelou to novelists like Toni Morrison—that also use violent and raw images and language (including the dreaded n-word!) to get at true emotions and experiences. But for her, rap was different, and dangerous, in a way that other forms of art weren’t.
Oprah and I ended up talking for a while at that dinner. Somehow, it came up that I’d read The Seat of the Soul, a book that really affected the way I think about life—the book is about karma and what it means to do the right thing and the power of intention. It turns out that the author, Gary Zukav, had been a guest on Oprah’s show on multiple occasions, and Oprah expressed surprise that I was also a fan of his work. She didn’t expect that of a rapper. I could tell that the way she saw me shifted in that moment; I wasn’t exactly who she thought I was.
Oprah and I have since gone on to become friendly acquaintances, after having only observed each other warily from a distance. But it was a fascinating moment to me. Rap, as I said at the beginning of the book, is at heart an art form that gave voice to a specific experience, but, like every art, is ultimately about the most common human experiences: joy, pain, fear, desire, uncertainty, hope, anger, love—love of crew, love of family, even romantic love (put on “The Miseducation of Lauryn Hill” some time and tell me rap can’t be romantic—or if you want to keep it street, put on Mary J. Blige and Method Man’s “I’ll Be There for You/You’re All I Need to Get By”). Of course, in the end, it may not be the art form for you. Oprah, for instance, still can’t get past the n-word issue (or the nigga issue, with all apologies to Ms. Winfrey). I can respect her position. To her, it’s a matter of acknowledging the deep and painful history of the word. To me, it’s just a word, a word whose power is owned by the user and his or her intention. People give words power, so banning a word is futile, really. “Nigga” becomes “porch monkey” becomes “coon” and so on if that’s what’s in a person’s heart. The key is to change the person. And we change people through conversation, not through censorship. That’s why I want people to understand what the words we use—and the stories we tell—are really about.
And that’s why I wrote this book. I love writing rhymes. There’s probably nothing that gives me as much pleasure. There have been times in my life when I’ve tried to put it to the side—when I was a kid, so I could focus on hustling in the streets, and when I was an adult, so I could focus on hustling in the boardroom—but the words kept coming. They’re still coming and will probably never stop. That’s my story. But the story of the larger culture is a story of a million MCs all over the world who are looking out their windows or standing on street corners or riding in their cars through their cities or suburbs or small towns and inside of them the words are coming, too, the words they need to make sense of the world they see around them. The words are witty and blunt, abstract and linear, sober and fucked up. And when we decode that torrent of words—by which I mean really listen to them with our minds and hearts open—we can understand their world better. And ours, too. It’s the same world.
ACKNOWLEDGMENTS
First and foremost I’d like to acknowledge Dream Hampton. How can I thank you enough? You’ve lived my words and life for so long that you might need therapy to get back to yours (sorry, Nina). Dream, thanks again for suffering for my art (I mean, you were in Martha’s Vineyard but still, ha). You are a GODSEND.
Chris Jackson for your dedication, appreciation of detail, and your tireless work—even following me around Coachella (and missing your flight home).
I’d also like to thank all of the people at Spiegel & Grau, Random House, and Rodrigo Corral Design who worked themselves ragged to produce this beautiful book, including Julie Grau, Mya Spalter, Greg Mollica, Evan Camfield, Richard Elman, Penelope Haynes, Rodrigo Corral, Rachel Bergman, Steve Attardo, Laurie Carkeet, Deb Wood, Dean Nicastro, and Sally Berman.
PERMISSIONS ACKNOWLEDGMENTS
99 Problems
Words and music by Shawn Carter, Norman Landsberg, John Ventura, Leslie Weinstein, Felix Pappalardi, William Squire, Alphonso Henderson, and Tracy Marrow
Copyright © 2003 Universal Music—MGB Songs, Universal Music-Careers, Songs of the Knight, WB Music Corp., Ammo Dump Music, Carrumba Music, Bridgeport Music, Inc., Universal-Polygram International Publishing, Inc., and Rhyme Syndicate Music
All rights for Songs of the Knight controlled a
nd administered by Spirit Two Music, Inc.
All rights for Ammo Dump Music and Carrumba Music controlled and administered by WB Music Corp.
Used by permission from Alfred Music Publishing Co., Inc., and Hal Leonard Corporation
All rights reserved. Used by permission. Contains elements of “The Big Beat,” “Long Red,” “99 Problems,” and “Straight Outta Compton”
American Dreamin’
Words and music by Shawn Carter, Sean Combs, Mario Winans, Marvin Gaye, Arthur Ross, Leon Ware, Levar Coppin, and Deleno Matthews
Copyright © 2007 EMI April Music Inc., Carter Boys Music, Justin Combs Publishing Co., EMI Blackwood Music, Inc., Janice Combs Publishing, Inc., Marsky Music, Jobete Music Co., Inc., FCG Music, NMG Music, MGIII Music, Steady on the Grind (BMI), Wait That’s Mine Music, For My Son Publishing, and Tenyor Music
All rights for Carter Boys Music, Justin Combs Publishing Co., Jobete Music Co., Inc., FCG Music, NMG Music, and MGIII Music controlled and administered by EMI April Music Inc.
All rights for Janice Combs Publishing, Inc., and Marsky Music controlled and administered by EMI Blackwood Music, Inc.
All rights for For My Son Publishing and Tenyor Music controlled and administered by The Royalty Network
All rights reserved. International copyright secured. Used by permission.
Contains elements of “Soon I’ll Be Loving You Again”
Beach Chair
Words and music by Shawn Carter and Chris Martin
Copyright © 2006 EMI April Music, Inc., Carter Boys Music, and Universal Music Publishing MGB Ltd.
All rights for Carter Boys Music controlled and administered by EMI April Music, Inc.
All rights for Universal Music Publishing MGB Ltd. in the United States and Canada administered by Universal Music-MGB Songs
All rights reserved. International copyright secured. Used by permission.
Beware
Words and music by Rajinder Rai, Glen Larson, and Stuart Phillips
Copyright © 2003 EMI Music Publishing Ltd. and Songs of Universal, Inc.
All rights for EMI Music Publishing Ltd. in the U.S. and Canada controlled and administered by EMI Blackwood Music, Inc.
All rights reserved. International copyright secured. Used by permission.
Big Pimpin’
Words and music by Shawn Carter, Tim Mosley, and Kyambo Joshua
Copyright © 1999 EMI Blackwood Music, Inc., Lil Lulu Publishing, Virginia Beach Music, and I Love KJ Music
All rights for Lil Lulu Publishing controlled and administered by EMI Blackwood Music, Inc.
All rights for I Love KJ Music controlled and administered by Kobalt Music Publishing, Inc.
All rights reserved. International copyright secured. Used by permission.
Blue Magic
Words and music by Shawn Carter, Pharrell Williams, Denzil Foster, Thomas McElroy, Terry Ellis, Cindy Herron, Maxine Jones, Dawn Robinson, and Bernhard Kaun
Copyright © 2007 EMI April Music, Inc., Carter Boys Music, EMI Blackwood Music, Inc., Waters of Nazareth, Inc., Two Tuff-E-Nuff Publishing, and USI A Music Publishing
All rights for Carter Boys Music controlled and administered by EMI April Music, Inc.
All rights for Waters of Nazareth, Inc., and Two Tuff-E-Nuff Publishing controlled and administered by EMI Blackwood Music, Inc.
All rights for USI A Music Publishing controlled and administered by Universal Music Corp.
All rights reserved. International copyright secured. Used by permission.
Contains elements of “Hold On”; also contains excerpt from the motion picture Frankenstein
Breathe Easy (Lyrical Exercise)
Words and music by Shawn Carter, Stanley Clarke, Gerald Brown, Michael Garson, Raymond Gomez, August Moon, and William Thomas
Copyright © 2001 EMI Blackwood Music, Inc., Lil Lulu Publishing, Clarkee Music, August Moon Music, and Harlem Music, Inc.
All rights for Lil Lulu Publishing controlled and administered by EMI Blackwood Music, Inc.
All rights for Clarkee Music controlled and administered by Songs of Universal, Inc.
All rights reserved. International copyright secured. Used by permission.
Contains elements of “Got to Find My Own Place” and “Seven Minutes of Funk”
Can I Live?
Words and music by Burt Bacharach, Hal Davis, Shawn Carter, and Irving Lorenzo
Copyright © 1996 Colgems-EMI Music, Inc., EMI Blackwood Music, Inc., Lil Lulu Publishing, Ensign Music Corporation, Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC, and DJ Irv Publishing
All rights for Lil Lulu Publishing controlled and administered by EMI Blackwood Music, Inc.
All rights for Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC and DJ Irv Publishing controlled and administered by Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC, 8 Music Square West, Nashville, TN 37203
All rights reserved. International copyright secured. Used by permission.
Contains elements of “The Look of Love” (Bacharach/David) © 1967 (renewed 1995) Colgems-EMI Music
Coming of Age
Words and music by Shawn Carter, Rodolfo Franklin, and James Mtume
Copyright © 1996 EMI Blackwood Music, Inc., Lil Lulu Publishing, Clark’s True Funk Music, and Mtume Music
All rights for Lil Lulu Publishing controlled and administered by EMI Blackwood Music, Inc.
All rights reserved. International copyright secured. Used by permission.
Contains elements of “Inside You”
Coming of Age (Da Sequel)
Words and music by Shawn Carter and Dean Kasseem
Copyright © 1998 EMI April Music, Inc., Dead Game Publishing, EMI Blackwood Music, Inc., Lil Lulu Publishing, Universal Music Corp., and Swizz Beatz
All rights for Dead Game Publishing controlled and administered by EMI April Music, Inc.
All rights for Lil Lulu Publishing controlled and administered by EMI Blackwood Music, Inc.
All rights for Swizz Beatz controlled and administered by Universal Music Corp.
All rights reserved. International copyright secured. Used by permission.
December 4th
Words and music by Shawn Carter, Elijah Powell, and Walter Boyd
Copyright © 2003 EMI April Music, Inc., Carter Boys Music, and Oceans Blue Music Ltd.
All rights for Carter Boys Music controlled and administered EMI April Music Inc.
All rights for Oceans Blue Music Ltd. controlled and administered by Songs of Universal, Inc.
All rights reserved. International copyright secured. Used by permission.
Contains elements of “That’s How Long”
D’evils
Words and Music by Shawn Carter and Chris Martin
Copyright © 1996 EMI Blackwood Music, Inc., Lil Lulu Publishing, EMI April Music, Inc., and Gifted Pearl Music
All rights for Lil Lulu Publishing controlled and administered by EMI Blackwood Music, Inc.
All rights for Gifted Pearl Music controlled and administered by EMI April Music, Inc.
All rights reserved. International copyright secured. Used by permission.
Dynasty (Intro)
Words and music by Shawn Carter and Woodrow Cunningham, Jr.
Copyright © 2000 EMI Blackwood Music, Inc., Lil Lulu Publishing, H&R Lastrada Music, ASCAP/Sony ATV Tunes LLC, and Stonseee Music
All rights for Lil Lulu Publishing controlled and administered by EMI Blackwood Music, Inc.
All rights reserved. International copyright secured. Used by permission.
Early This Morning
Words by Shawn Carter
Copyright © EMI April Music, Inc., Carter Boys Music
All rights for Carter Boys Music controlled and administered by EMI April Music, Inc.