Check tonights World Series for a live performance of my current favorite song...

Over the last few weeks just about the only song I listen to when in the car is the new Jay-Z song Empire State of Mind from the Blueprint 3 Album. I do love New York, think it's a great city, and really love both the vibe and message of the song.  Songs that inspire are my thing.  Not to mention that I think Alicia Keys is one of the five most musically talented women alive, and honestly the overwhelming reason I like the song is because of her chorus, and this live performance...

Of course now that the Philadelphia Phillies are playing the NY Yankees it brings a slightly different feeling for me when listening to the song.  Apparently the same came be said for the artist NeeKo who recreated the song with lyrics appropriate for Philadelphia with Deana Marie singing the Alicia Keys part.  The Philly version is great if you're from Philly, if you're from somewhere else it seems the sole purpose of the song is to remind you of how talented Jay-Z and Alica Keys are.  I hope the Phillies let the lights inspire them and go up 2 in the series tonight!  And yes the lyrics do make sense to a Philadelphian, here is the NeeKo version:

Below is the cheat sheet for all the rap illiterate folks out there...

Lyrics Empire State of Mind Jay-Z

Yeah,
Yeah, Imma up at Brooklyn,
Now Im 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,
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,
Five Sixty Stage 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 Bedsty,
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 Malta
Sitting courtside Knicks and Nets give me high fives,
N-gga I be spiked out, I can trip a referee,
Tell by my attitude that I most definitely from…

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,
The lights will inspire you,
Lets here it for New York, New York, New York

[Jay-Z]
I made you hot n-gga,
Catch me at the X with OG at a Yankee game,
Sh-t I made the yankee hat more famous than a yankee can,
You should know I bleed Blue, but I aint a crip tho,
But I got a gang of n-ggas walking with my click though,
Welcome to the melting pot,
Corners where we selling rocks,
Afrika bambaataa sh-t,
Home of the hip hop,
Yellow cap, gypsy cap, dollar cab, holla back,
For foreigners it aint fitted 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 a special and I got it made,
If Jesus payin LeBron, I’m paying Dwayne Wade,
3 dice cee-lo
3 card marley,
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 thats…

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,
The lights will inspire you,
Lets here it for New York, New York, New York
Welcome to the bright light..

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,
And in 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,
Mommy 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

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,
The lights will inspire you,
Lets here 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,
Yeah,

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,
The lights will inspire you,
Lets here it for New York, New York, New York
 

______________________________________________

Lyrics Ill State of Mind NeeKo  with Deana Marie

Ill State of Mind, a Philly version of Jay’s Empire State of Mind.

yeah im talkin b hop
more like a balboa
never been to my city
come on wit me ill show ya
home of the fresh prince
jazzier than jeff is
back in the day doc j rock a 76
jersey just across the bridge
betsy ross walt whit
benjamin franklin
1776
state our independence
high as kites ever since
sayin you from philly
you reap nothin but the benefits
plus its always sunny here
just in case ya unaware
citizens be bankin in
can we get another year
yeah im talkin repeat
heat like hamels
utley amazin
charlie wrote the manuel
broad street bullies
nothins flyer than a flyers fan
missin all his teeth
bobby clarke still smilin
rocky on the first step
headin to that top one
yeah thats me
we go hard where
im from

chorus
In philly
concrete jungle where dreams are made of
theres nothin you cant do
now youre in philly
these streets will make you feel brand new
these lights will inspire you
lets hear it for philly x3

back when we had sly bacon
whoops i mean cunningham
right after jaws
and right before the running man
so much wit
prolly get it from the cheesesteaks
i been out all night i just wanna sleep late
young crowd olde city
tell me where the party at
meet the girl on south street
better rock ya party cap
cruisin down city ave
headin to the boulevard
coulda grabbed the El
but they told me that it wouldnt spark
this where im comin from
who knows where we goin to
i feel like im in line for a ride
when im at tony lukes
we could lose all the trees
but we still got the roots
plus we got beans
and an eve that doesnt opt for fruit
green blood in the tube
if we need it transfused
when the mets come thru
youre gonna hear our fans boo
this is the city of the brotherly love
and if youve never been here
i suggest that you come to

chorus

In philly
concrete jungle where dreams are made of
theres nothin you cant do
now youre in philly
these streets will make you feel brand new
these lights will inspire you
lets hear it for philly x3

now that we got vick
i think we need the vet back
tougher than a stitch
on a mitchell and ness cap
liberty bell crack
walnut chestnut
aint justa ill track
more like the best of
215
yeah i covered all of that
from way back to the future
with this almanac
illadelph artifax
love park heart attacks
always on the grind till i die
spillin all the facts
yeah the way im writin
youd think that im a titan
the way my penns landin
the crowd is left standin
d e mandin
chantin
one more encore
whos the new kid i never heard em before
so reggie white wit a mic
bringin hits all night
cant afford this flow
a praise for no price
they call me neeko
this is for my people
ill state of mind
everywhere we go