Dope Man

{*sound of a camera taking a picture*} [Intro: Serena Altschul (Jay-Z)] (Millennium flow) Serena Altschul here, live outside the criminal courthouse (This is {bullshit} y'all) In New York City for the first day in the trial of (I'm gone) {*car speeds off*} The State vs. Shawn Carter, A.K.A. Jay-Z (Uhh, uh-huh-uh, uhh, uh-huh-uh, uhh) Whatever the verdict in this trial may be The effects will undoubtedly be felt worldwide [Verse 1: Jay-Z] Ayo, stand forward, 'fore you take notice Or witness to me killin' the track Testify 'til me spillin' the smack Now they got me for traffickin' – racketeerin' audio crack They call me Dope Man, Dope Man I try to tell 'em I'm where hope floats, man Ghetto spokesman A broke man, approachin' the bench with intent To bury me under the cell, fingered me as the toast man Evidence stemmin' from '96 They say the world ain't recovered from his fix While they was usin' cut, I was on some other shit Gave it to you raw and they just discovered it Nowaday, the jury got they brow raised Listenin' to testimony about my foul ways Exhibit A: Reasonable Doubt They say this was the first thing that turned the peoples out [Interlude: Serena Altschul] You can feel the tension building here As an unprecedented number of people have turned out For what may be the trial of the century [Chorus: Jay-Z] They call me Dope Man, Dope Man I try to tell 'em I'm where hope floats, man Ghetto spokesman [Verse 2: Jay-Z] "How come you label your brand of dope Vol. 1 And spread it through the slums? Fed it to the young with total disregard Your honor, the State seeks the maximum charge And how could you, turn right around And release a lethal dosage called Vol. 2? And is it true you operate the criminal enterprise Known as Roc-A-Fella, in charge of his meteoric rise? And do you deny you're responsible for the demise Of record execs? And do you object – Your distribution's Polygram, and through your connects, Def Jam You pushed over five million SoundScan? And not to mention, your co-horts and henchmen Dame, Biggs, Lyor, Kev' and Russell Simmons And we ain't gon' talk about Murder Inc That just establishes a darker deeper criminal link" [Interlude: Serena Altschul] The State is seeking the maximum penalty And with the overwhelming amount of evidence The D.A.'s presented, things aren't lookin' good [Chorus: Jay-Z] They call me Dope Man, Dope Man I try to tell 'em I'm where hope floats, man Ghetto spokesman [Interlude: Serena Altschul] Despite the grim outlook at this point The rapper has been known to emerge triumphant In the face of adversity [Chorus: Jay-Z] They call me Dope Man, Dope Man I try to tell 'em I'm where hope floats, man Ghetto spokesman [Break: Serena Altschul] Jay-Z is taking the stand [Verse 3: Jay-Z] Right hand on the Bible, left hand in the air Before I spoke one word, made sure my throat was clear A-hem, I'm a prisoner of circumstance Frail nigga, I couldn't much work with my hands But my mind was strong, I grew where you hold your Blacks up Trap us, expect us not to pick gats up Where you drop your cracks off by the Mack trucks Destroy our dreams of lawyers and actors Keep us spiralin', goin' backwards At age nine, saw my first hate crime Blindfolded, expected to walk a straight line Mind molded, taught to love you and hate mine Climbed over it, at a early age, Jay shined Fuck the system, at Lady Justice I blaze nine Your Honor, I no longer kill my people, I raise mine The soul of Mumia in this modern day time [Interlude: Serena Altschul] While the jury is inside deliberating Outside, the crowd is frozen with anticipation [Chorus: Jay-Z] They call me Dope Man, Dope Man I try to tell 'em I'm where hope floats, man Ghetto spokesman [Outro: Serena Altschul] Well the verdict has just been announced: NOT GUILTY! It is complete pandemonium out here! People are cheerin' and huggin' – there he is Jay-Z is exiting the courtroom right now There is a swarm of cameras surrounding him {*camera bulbs flashing*} And people are just rushin' up to him Let's try and make our way over there, Jay-Z! Jay-Z! {*sounds of cameras keep flashing*}