*featuring Serena Altschul
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[*sound of a camera taking a picture*]
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[Jay]
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Millenium flow
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[MTV]
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Serena Altschul's here live outside the criminal courthouse
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[Jay]
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This is {bullshit} y'all
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[MTV]
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in New York City for the first day in the trial of
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[Jay]
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I'm gone [*car speeds off*]
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[MTV]
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the State vs. Shawn Carter, a.k.a. Jay-Z
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[Jay]
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Uhh, uh-huh-uh, uhh, uh-huh-uh, uhh
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[MTV]
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Whatever the verdict in this trial may be
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the effects will undoubtedly be felt worldwide
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[Jay-Z]
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Aiyyo, stand forward, 'fore you take notice
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or witness to me killin the track
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Testify 'til me spillin the smack
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Now they got me for traffickin, racketeerin, audio crack
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[Hook:]
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They call me Dope Man, Dope Man
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I try to tell em I'm where hope, floats man
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Ghetto spokes-man
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A broke man, approachin the bench with intent
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to bury me under the cell, fingered me as the toast man
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Evidence stemmin from ninety-six
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They say the world ain't recovered from his fix
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While they was usin cut I was on some other shit
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Gave it to you raw and they just discovered it
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Nowaday, the jury got they brow raised
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Listenin to testimony about my foul ways
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Exhibit A: "Reasonable Doubt"
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They say this was the first thing that turned the peoples out
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[MTV]
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You can feel the tension building here
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as an unprecedented number of people have turned out
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for what may be the "Trial of the Century"
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[Hook]
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[Jay-Z]
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How come, you label your brand of dope
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"Volume 1" and spread it through the slums?
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Fed it to the young with total disregard
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Your honor, the State seeks the maximum charge
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And how could you, turn right around
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and release a lethal dosage called "Volume 2"
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And is true you operate the criminal enterprise
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known as Roc-a-Fella in charge of his meteoric rise?
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And do you deny you're responsible for the demise
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of record execs, and do you object?
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Your distribution's Polygram, and through your connects
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Def Jam, you pushed over five million SoundScan
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And not to mention, your co-horts and henchmen
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Dame, Biggs, Lyor, Kev' and Russell Simmons
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And we ain't gon' talk about Murder, Inc.
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That just establishes a darker deeper criminal link
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[MTV]
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The State is seeking the maximum penalty
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and with the overwhelming amount of evidence
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the D.A.'s presented, things aren't looking good
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[Hook]
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[MTV]
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Despite the grim outlook at this point
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the rapper has been known to emerge triumphant
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in the face of adversity
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[Hook]
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[MTV]
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Jay-Z is taking the stand
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[Jay-Z]
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Right hand on the Bible, left hand in the air
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Before I spoke one word, made sure my throat was clear
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A-hem, I'm a prisoner of circumstance
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Frail nigga, I couldn't much work with my hands
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But my mind was strong, I grew where you hold your blacks up
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Trap us, expect us not to pick gats up
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Where you drop your cracks off by the Mack trucks
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Destroy our dreams of lawyers and actors
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Keep us spiralin, goin backwards
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At age nine, saw my first hate crime
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Blindfolded, expected to walk a straight line
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Mind molded, taught to love you and hate mine
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Climbed over it, at a early age, Jay shined
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Fuck the system at Lady Justice I blaze nine
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Your Honor, I no longer kill my people, I raise mine
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The soul of Mumia in this modern day time
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[MTV]
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While the jury is inside deliberating
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outside the crowd is frozen with anticipation
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[Hook]
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[MTV]
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Well the verdict has just been announced: NOT GUILTY!
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It is complete pandemonium out here! [Hook; Serena keeps speaking]
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People are cheering and hugging - there he is
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Jay-Z is exiting the courtroom right now
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There is a swarm of cameras surrounding him [*pop bulbs flashing*]
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and people are just rushing up to him
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Let's try and make our way over there, Jay-Z! Jay-Z!
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[*sounds of cameras keep flashing*, *music fades*]
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-----------------
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Dope Man
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| Jay-Z |
