[Pharrell]
Yeah 3 in the morning on the Westside highway, top down baby, [bad word] y'all
The motivation for me was them telling me what I couldn't be, oh well

[Jay-Z]
This a special dedication
I wanna thank you for the fuel
No really thank you

[Verse 1 - Jay-Z]
I felt so inspired by what my teacher said
Said I'd either be dead or be a reefer head
Now sure if thats how adults should speak to kids
Especially when the only thing I did was speak in class
I'll teach his [bad word]  even betters what my uncle did
I pop my demo tape in start to beat my head
Peaked out my eye, see if he was beating his
He might as well say beat it kid, he's on the list
It's like I'm searching for kicks like a sneaker head
He gon keep pushing me until I reach the ledge
And when I reach the ledge I'll tell em all to eat a [bad word] Take a leap of faith and let my eagle wings spread
Spread spread

[Hook - Pharrell]
Motivation for me was them telling me what I could not be, oh well
I'm so ambitious
I might hit two sisters
Hey I'm on a mission
No matter what the conditions
Forget the personal issues
When you been what I been through
Hey if you believe it
Then you could conceive it

[Verse 2 - Jay-Z]
I had to lace up my boots even harder
Father is too far away to father
Further-more all the kids either smoke reefer
Or either move white, there's few writers in my cypher
So they made light of, my type of
Dreams seem dumb, they said wise up
How many guys-a, you see makin it from here
The world don't like us, is that not clear? Alright but
I'm different, I can't base what I'm gon' be
Offa what everybody isn't, they don't listen
Just whisperin behind my back
No vision, lack of ambition, so whack!

[Hook]

[Verse 3 - Jay-Z]
Had a couple of meetings no offers yet
Maybe I ain't good enough for these offices
Back to the drawing board ducking officers
It's all good cause the streets is A&R'ing this
So with or without any of your [bad word] for all of this, respect my conglomerate
I went from pauper to the President
Every deal I made set precedent
Niggas thought I'd fall without old buddy
Oh buddy, what I do is make more money
Dear Teacher, your probably somewhere near a speaker
I'm ballin' outta control, can you hear my sneakers [bad word] y'all

[Hook]

[Outro]
You see, the motivation for me
Was them telling me what I could not be