Image via Complex Original
Shawn Carter is many things—rapper, entrepreneur, husband, father—but at his core he's a poet and certified word nerd. It was apparent from his first album, which included the wit-filled "22 Two's," that Hov loves to play with language more than your average MC. His lyrical gift is detailed in the 300-plus-page book Decoded, among others. One thing he is not, however, is an English professor.
On Drake's song "Light Up," Jay-Z boasts of his lyrical prowess, bragging about dropping a "triple entendre." The line in question—("Oww/Hoes turn their heads like owls/I'm the man of the hour/Triple entendre don't even ask me how")—may be a clever play on words, but it's not a triple entendre, or even double entendre. It's a hot line with a cool play on the homophones "owl" and "hour."
With that said, are you really going to berate Jay-Z about figures of speech? If the man says something is a double entendre, it will be remembered in culture as such, and we're okay with giving him that pass. Every line Hov's mistakenly labeled a "double entendre" is still an example of high-level wordplay that's worth knowing about, no matter what umbrella it technically falls under.
We combed through some of our favorite examples of Jay-Z's witty wordplay and asked Adam Bradley, University of Colorado Boulder English professor and author of The Anthology of Rap, to weigh in on the different types of wordplay Jay-Z employs in these various examples.
As Mr Bradley observes: "True double entendres rely upon more than just dual references; they require two parallel levels of meaning, one explicit and one coded. Traditionally, that coded meaning was usually of a sexual nature.
"Regardless, double entendres always insinuate—they thrive on ambiguity. Something like, “Truthfully, I wanna rhyme like Common Sense/But I did five mil', I ain’t been rhyming like Common since” would not apply. In fact, the success of that lines relies upon Jay not insinuating at all, but making his meaning singular and explicit. It’s a great bit of wordplay (eliding the difference between "sense" and "since"), but it lacks any coded meaning.
"Jay-Z uses a lot of puns—where the humor derives from a similar sounding words and/or that word’s multiple meanings. Jay-Z also uses a lot of similes, and metaphors. Excellent lines like "I was moving birds like an Oriole fitted" and "I'm on the block like I'm 8 feet tall" do convey the sense of two distinct images, but as mentioned before, the meaning is clear, not coded."
No matter what you call it, Jigga's wordplay is so nice you've got to hear it twice.
Written by Drew Millard (@drewmillard)
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50. "Y'all gotta pay a little mo' now/It's platinum nowadays, we put the gold down"
Song: "No Love Lost" (1996)
Album: You Can't Stop The Reign (Shaquille O'Neal Album)
First Meaning: Jay's got so much money, he and his friends are off gold. It's platinum, dude. It's gonna cost you to keep up.
Second Meaning: Platinum records will increase Jay's worth to record labels and other artists seeking services.
Complex Says: He eventually "dropped the label."
Is It A Double Entendre? English Professor Adam Bradley: "No."
49. "When you Earnhardt as me, eventually you hit a big wall"
Song: "Lift Off" (2011)
Album: Watch The Throne
First Meaning: Most people who make a bunch of money and find unnatural success tend to stop at some point. "Earnhardt" = "Earn hard."
Second Meaning: This is illustrated this by referencing Dale Earnhardt's death.
Complex Says: Too soon?
Is It A Double Entendre? English Professor Adam Bradley: "Punning word replacement."
48. "I got a chemical romance, two left feet/So now I dance with the devil, please G-O-D/Save me from the black parade, release me"
Song: "Oh My God" (2006)
Album: Kingdom Come
First Meaning: Crack ruins the people who sell it just as much as the people who do it.
Second Meaning: Jay-Z is listening to My Chemical Romance, but he doesn't want to anymore.
Complex Says: Jay-Z referenced My Chemical Romance. On a rap song.
Is It A Double Entendre? English Professor Adam Bradley: "Nah."
47. "Right now I want you to give the drummer some/No ma, really, give the drummer some"
Song: "Hovi Baby" (2002)
Album: The Blueprint 2: The Gift & The Curse
First Meaning: Pretty obvious reference to James Brown.
Second Meaning: Coupled with a command to hook up with the song's producer Just Blaze.
Complex Says: Judging from his online presence, Just Blaze doesn't really seem like a groupie guy. More into action figures. It's nice that Jay's trying to help him, at least.
Is It A Double Entendre? English Professor Adam Bradley: "Okay."
46. "Many chicks wanna put Jigga's fists in cuffs"
Song: "Big Pimpin'" (1999)
Album: Vol. 3... Life and Times of S. Carter
First Meaning: Everybody wants to date Jay, but nobody can have him.
Second Meaning: Bondage play???
Complex Says: Hey, you never know what people are into.
Is It A Double Entendre? English Professor Adam Bradley: "A stretch..."
45. "Mike Jordan of rap, outside J working/Now watch how quickly I drop 50"
Song: "Hova Song" (1999)
Album: Vol. 3... Life and Times of S. Carter
First Meaning: Jay plays ball as hard as MJ did, and when his jumper is on, he will score 50 points in a short span of time.
Second Meaning: In a totally non-prophetic move, because he works very hard, Jay predicted he could end 50 Cent's career in like 10 minutes.
Complex Says: Why didn't Jay-Z ever play in, like, a Rock n Jock basketball game or something.
Is It A Double Entendre? English Professor Adam Bradley: "Epithet."
44. "Got the bomb place/Fireplace John Blaze"
Song: "I Know What Girls Like" (1997)
Album: In My Lifetime, Vol. 1
First Meaning: He's got a cool fireplace.
Second Meaning: Also, that fireplace is in working order.
Complex Says: What a HOT lyric. Zing!
Is It A Double Entendre? English Professor Adam Bradley: "No."
43. "Get your own dog, ya heard? That's my bitch."
Song: "That's My Bitch" (2011)
Album: Watch The Throne
First Meaning: The dog is Jay-Z's.
Second Meaning: Stop looking at Beyoncé.
Complex Says: We're wondering what Beyoncé's reaction to "That's My Bitch" was.
Is It A Double Entendre? English Professor Adam Bradley: "No."
42. "Remember Newton/Mutual friend, well me and him feuding"
Song: "Regrets" (1996)
Album: Reasonable Doubt
First Meaning: Newton was just somebody that he used to know.
Second Meaning: On the other hand, Jay might be trying to defy the laws of physics. Jay wants to be "on top," but there's a force trying to keep him put.
Complex Says: Jay seriously rapped about everything on Reasonable Doubt. He might have said he was far from a Harvard student, but sometimes it seems like he's still smarter than the rest of us put together.
Is It A Double Entendre? English Professor Adam Bradley: [No Comment]
41. "Niggas make the same shit/Me, I make the blueprint"
Song: "On To The Next One" (2009)
Album: The Blueprint 3
First Meaning: Jay is saying that he sets the template for hip-hop.
Second Meaning: While reminding us that yes, he did make The Blueprint and it's the best.
Complex Says: Then he made 2.1 more Blueprints.
Is It A Double Entendre? English Professor Adam Bradley: "This is more a case of Jay unpacking the meaning of The Blueprint's title."
40. "I buy out the bar, spit Cris' through the mic"
Song: "Watch Me" (1999)
Album: Vol. 3... Life and Times of S. Carter
First Meaning: Jay-Z buys all of the Cristal available in this particular establishment and if he decides to rap there will be champagne on his breath.
Second Meaning: Like the champagne he's purchasing, his words are top-shelf.
Complex Says: You could totally get major money for Jay-Z's Cristal-soaked microphone on eBay.
Is It A Double Entendre? English Professor Adam Bradley: [No Comment]
39. "You draw, better be Picasso, you know, the best"
Song: "Friend or Foe" (1996)
Album: Reasonable Doubt
First Meaning: Hova's looking his enemy in the face and daring him to pull a gun on him. But they both know who's faster, and it's the guy rapping.
Second Meaning: Picasso=Art. METAPHORS.
Complex Says: Near the beginning of Jay's longstanding fascination with fine art.
Is It A Double Entendre? English Professor Adam Bradley: "Okay."
38. "She call me professor, say daddy come and test her/So she can fail on purpose and repeat the semester"
Song: "Girls, Girls, Girls (Part 2)" (2001)
Album: The Blueprint
First Meaning: Jay's been teaching a younger woman a thing or two about the world, and she doesn't want to let him go yet.
Second Meaning: Part of that tutelage, however, involves heavy amounts of sex.
Complex Says: This girl would really have an unfair advantage up if she took that Georgetown course about Jay-Z.
Is It A Double Entendre? English Professor Adam Bradley: "This, like all of "Girls, Girls, Girls" is based upon a series of conceits. Not sure it qualifies as a DE, though."
37. "I don't half-step on the 'caine"
Song: "Hello Brooklyn" (2007)
Album: American Gangster
First Meaning: Jay serves his drugs raw and uncut.
Second Meaning: This is also a reference to Big Daddy Kane's "Ain't No Half-Steppin'."
Complex Says: Kind of a bummer, but Jay actually kinda-sorta used this one of "Fuck All Night" already.
Is It A Double Entendre? English Professor Adam Bradley: "This relies upon a homophone—'caine/Kane."
36. "Changing the game, my game could nail Madonna"
Song: "Hovi Baby" (2002)
Album: The Blueprint 2: The Gift & The Curse
First Meaning: Sometimes, your rap skills and pop acumen can combine to surpass even Madonna.
Second Meaning: Other times, you might be saying you'd like to hook up with Madonna.
Complex Says: Madonna rules.
Is It A Double Entendre? English Professor Adam Bradley: "No. Jay's game here is basic witty wordplay."
35. "Survive the drought, I wish you well"
Song: "American Dreamin'" (2007)
Album: American Gangster
First Meaning: We're all gonna be okay.
Second Meaning: In a drought, the main thing you're gonna need is a well to get some water up out of.
Complex Says: Because you need water, and maybe some good luck, to stay alive.
Is It A Double Entendre? English Professor Adam Bradley: "Yes."
34. "I got this ho that after 12 million sold/Mami's a narcoleptic, always sleeping on Hov"
Song: "Girls, Girls, Girls" (2001)
Album: The Blueprint
First Meaning: Jay's girl has a medical condition that makes it difficult for her to stay awake.
Second Meaning: Jay's girl doesn't think he's the best rapper ever, despite his impressive sales figures.
Complex Says: Fact: Michael Jackson is an uncredited backup singer on this song. Just wanted to make sure you knew that.
Is It A Double Entendre? English Professor Adam Bradley: "Doesn't point out a DE to me."
33. "Even if they won't let me in Heaven, I raise Hell, 'til it's Heaven"
Song: Stretch and Bobbito Freestyle With Big L (1995)
Album: N/A
First Meaning: Jay's gonna fight for what he thinks he deserves.
Second Meaning: And if he goes to Hell for it, he's literally going to raise Hell so high that it's Heaven.
Complex Says: Jay and L trading bars back in the day is the stuff of legend. Of course Jay had sick lines like this.
Is It A Double Entendre? English Professor Adam Bradley: "The only thing I can see here is that he's literalizing a figure of speech ("raise hell")."
32. "Scheme on the ice, I got to hot your crew"
Song: "Can't Knock The Hustle" (1996)
Album: Reasonable Doubt
First Meaning: If you're trying to steal Jay's diamonds, he's gonna kill you pretty hard.
Second Meaning: Same goes for his supply of drugs, like cocaine or methamphetamine, both of which can be referred to as "ice."
Complex Says: Lesson: Don't steal from Jay-Z.
Is It A Double Entendre? English Professor Adam Bradley: "The entire phrase means two things."
31. "I got shooters on my team/No, really, I got shooters on my team"
Song: Barclays Center Opening Night Freestyle (2012)
Album: N/A
First Meaning: Jay has people he's associated with who will shoot you with guns.
Second Meaning: Jay has player's on his basketball team who will shoot the ball into the basket.
Complex Says: Jay-Z will be bragging about owning part of the Nets for the rest of his career. Get used to it.
Is It A Double Entendre? English Professor Adam Bradley: [No Comment]
30. "4 scores and 7 years ago prepared the flow, prepared for war, I should fear no man"
Song: "Moment Of Clarity" (2003)
Album: The Black Album
First Meaning: We've got a reference to the part in the Gettysburg Address where Abraham Lincoln talks about when America was founded. Jay's implying that, like our rebellious founders, he's ready for a battle.
Second Meaning: He's also talking about his streak of albums from 1996 to 2003.
Complex Says: Well, Jay-Z was the president of Def Jam.
Is It A Double Entendre? English Professor Adam Bradley: "No."
29. "I damn near beat Jordan in around-the-world"
Song: "Nigga Please" (2002)
Album: The Blueprint 2: The Gift and the Curse
First Meaning: Jay's suggesting that he almost beat MJ in the playground basketball game.
Second Meaning: Or that he's close to being more well-traveled than him.
Complex Says: Jordan must have spotted him a ton of points.
Is It A Double Entendre? English Professor Adam Bradley: "Nope."
28. "I got that uncut raw to make a fiend's body jerk"
Song: "Rap Game/Crack Game" (1997)
Album: In My Lifetime, Vol. 1
First Meaning: He used to have the drugs that would make people flip their shit.
Second Meaning: But now he lets his music do it for him.
Complex Says: Cocaine and Jay-Z's songs are equally potent stimulants.
Is It A Double Entendre? English Professor Adam Bradley: "Fine, but no real ambiguity here. The song's title makes both levels of meaning explicit."
27. "Coke is still my sponsor, the cola/Yeah, Hova still getting it in with soda/Diet, no sir, I ain't lose no weight"
Song: "Do U Wanna Ride?" (2006)
Album: Kingdom Come
First Meaning: Hov gets money from corporations now.
Second Meaning: But he could still be getting money from selling drugs.
Complex Says: We know he's a d-boy; we have no proof.
Is It A Double Entendre? English Professor Adam Bradley: "I suppose this works, though Jay makes it painfully explicit. Not a lot of ambiguity here."
26. "Young niggas that blast for me, no religion"
Song: "Dear Summer" (2005)
Album: 534 (Memphis Bleek album)
First Meaning: Dude has goons.
Second Meaning: "Blast for me"/"Blasphemy." Get it?
Complex Says: Imagine how gloriously awkward it would have been if Jay-Z had made an R.E.M. tribute album.
Is It A Double Entendre? English Professor Adam Bradley: "Great line. Employs a heterograph with 'blasphemy' and 'blast for me.'"
25. "I'm like U-Haul, every bitch moving I fuck"
Song: "It's Hot (Some Like It Hot)" (1999)
Album: Vol. 3... Life and Times of S. Carter
First Meaning: Jay-Z used to have a lot of sex.
Second Meaning: Have you ever used a U-Haul? If the answer to that question is "yes," then I hate to break it to you, but you've definitely been overcharged.
Complex Says: It's lines like these that remind you of Jay's Springsteen-esque love for the commonfolk, as well as his now-stifled Wilt Chamberlain-esque zest for having an absurd amount of sexual partners.
Is It A Double Entendre? English Professor Adam Bradley: [<em>No Comment</em>]
24. "This is food for thought, you do the dishes"
Song: "Intro" (2000)
Album: Dynasty: Roc La Familia
First Meaning: Hov's just going to give us the raw material; the responsibility of parsing it is ours.
Second Meaning: Clean up after yourself when you eat.
Complex Says: Dishes being, this entire post.
Is It A Double Entendre? English Professor Adam Bradley: [No Comment]
23. "I'm not a businessman/I'm a business, man"
Song: "Diamonds From Sierra Leone (Remix)" (2005)
Album: Late Registration (Kanye West Album)
First Meaning: A business man is someone who puts on a suit every day and goes to work. That's not what Jay does.
Second Meaning: A business is a brand and operation. That's what Jay is.
Complex Says: We've all been pretty good about letting Jay handle his business, no?
Is It A Double Entendre? English Professor Adam Bradley: "No. A homophone. Only one level of meaning here."
22. "I run the block, pull up in a drop, push up on my money, I'm in great shape dunny"
Song: "Breathe Easy (Lyrical Exercise)" (2001)
Album: The Blueprint
First Meaning: Jay-Z makes a lot of money from his drug operation, which affords him luxury vehicles and other luxuries.
Second Meaning: There's some fitness going on here.
Complex Says: Like Nas said, he's "trying to get brolic."
Is It A Double Entendre? English Professor Adam Bradley: [No Comment]
21. "Niggas don't want to get shot/Then y'all niggas better squat"
Song: "Breathe Easy (Lyrical Exercise)" (2001)
Album: The Blueprint
First Meaning: If you don't duck the bullets when they're approaching you, you're gonna have a bad time.
Second Meaning: Continuing with the song's extended metaphor, you better lift weights and get stronger or you're gonna be done for.
Complex Says: What if you're more of a treadmill guy?
Is It A Double Entendre? English Professor Adam Bradley: "Okay."
20. "I walk with a cane, ain't no half-steppin'"
Song: "Fuck All Night" (2002)
Album: The Blueprint 2: The Gift & The Curse
First Meaning: A cane can help your walking efficiency if you need it.
Second Meaning: Big Daddy Kane had a very popular song titled "Ain't No Half Steppin'." If you're walking with Kane, guess what you're not allowed to do?
Complex Says: Also, Jay-Z has pure cocaine.
Is It A Double Entendre? English Professor Adam Bradley: "Yes. Great line."
19. "One shot Dillinger/One shot killin' ya"
Song: "Change The Game" (2000)
Album: Dynasty: Roc La Familia
First Meaning: Famously, Jay records most of his stuff in one take. (See the end of "My 1st Song," where he teases his engineer Young Guru about having spoiled him.)
Second Meaning: Lest we forget, Jay's aim hasn't declined and he can still take you out in one shot just like somebody did to the outlaw John Dillinger.
Complex Says: This song was produced by Rick Rock, who rules. Jay should give that dude a call more often.
Is It A Double Entendre? English Professor Adam Bradley: "No. Another basic pun."
18. "I'm about a dollar, what the fuck is 50 Cents?"
Song: "It's Hot (Some Like It Hot)" (1999)
Album: Vol. 3... Life and Times of S. Carter
First Meaning: Hov wants real money, none of your pocket change.
Second Meaning: This line was also commonly taken as the 50 Cent diss heard around the world.
Complex Says: It's like Jay was putting 50's name in a song so he could make him famous and bury him again. Think the, "I will kill you, commit suicide, and kill you again" line on The Black Album's "Threat."
Is It A Double Entendre? English Professor Adam Bradley: "No. A simple but powerful pun."
17. "Truthfully, I wanna rhyme like Common Sense/But I did five mil, I ain't been rhymin' like Common since"
Song: "Moment of Clarity" (2003)
Album: The Black Album
First Meaning: If he had his way, the God MC would just rap like Lonnie Rashid Lynn.
Second Meaning: But Com doesn't sell as many records that way. So fuck it.
Complex Says: With two bars, Jay basically deconstructs the myth of "conscious rap."
Is It A Double Entendre? English Professor Adam Bradley: "Um, no..."
16. "If you pan left at the ice/It be the man that write checks with the hand that don't write"
Song: "Welcome To New York City" (2002)
Album: Come Home With Me (Cam'ron Album)
First Meaning: The scene is this: Jay-Z's sitting next to Spike Lee at the Knicks game. The camera pans to his icy left wrist, and you know it's Jay because nobody else could possibly be wearing that other than the famously left-handed Jay.
Second Meaning: This point is accomplished by reminding us that he never writes his lyrics down.
Complex Says: It was necessarily to pull out gems like this when trying to outrap Cam'ron in his prime.
Is It A Double Entendre? English Professor Adam Bradley: "No."
15. "My shit is butter, for the bread, they wanna toast me"
Song: "Can I Live?" (1996)
Album: Reasonable Doubt
First Meaning: He sells crack for money, and this makes people jealous.
Second Meaning: His raps are also very cool and smooth, so haters want to set him back.
Complex Says: A classic case of the "you push dimes and he sell weight" dilemma.
Is It A Double Entendre? English Professor Adam Bradley: "No. Two interrelated puns."
14. "I can run it back, nigga, cause I'm straight with the Roc"
Song: "Dirt Off Your Shoulder" (2003)
Album: The Black Album
First Meaning: I can come out of it retirement and make hits because my label is dope.
Second Meaning: I'm a good football player.
Damn, he told us right there that he wasn't going to stay retired for long.
Is It A Double Entendre? English Professor Adam Bradley: [No Comment]
13. "I move keys/You can call me the piano man"
Song: "What We Do" (2003)
Album: Philadelphia Freeway (Freeway Album)
First Meaning: If you know anything about drugs or the metric system, you know that a "key" is a kilogram of drugs. If you have ever listened to Jay-Z you know that he used to sell drugs.
Second Meaning: Jay-Z is a fan of your piano skills, Billy Joel. He just wants you to know that he can play, too.
Complex Says: 2042: A wizened Jay-Z embarks on a comeback tour, refusing to perform unless he provides his own piano lines. Reviews are mixed.
Is It A Double Entendre? English Professor Adam Bradley: [No Comment]
12. "Like short sleeves, I bear arms"
Song: "Brooklyn's Finest" (1996)
Album: Reasonable Doubt
First Meaning: Jay wears T-shirts.
Second Meaning: Jay-Z has guns.
Complex Says: Word to the 2nd Amendment.
Is It A Double Entendre? English Professor Adam Bradley: "This is a punning simile."
11. "But I'm platinum a million times nigga, check the credits"
Song: "S. Carter" (1999)
Album: Vol. 3... Life and Times of S. Carter
First Meaning: Jay-Z has platinum certified records. Do your research.
Second Meaning: He's also saying if you check the credits of some of your favorite platinum albums, you might found his name listed as a ghostwriter.
Complex Says: Sure enough, Jay would famously end up writing "Still D.R.E." for Dr. Dre. Given Dre's rate of productivity, it'd be completely unsurprising if Hov had written the song in '98 and expected it to come out soon.
Is It A Double Entendre? English Professor Adam Bradley: "No."
10. "I've seen pies, let the thing between my eyes analyze life's ills/Then I put it down type Braille"
Song: "Hard Knock Life" (1998)
Album: Vol. 2... Hard Knock Life
First Meaning: Jay has witnessed some painful sights and he's thinking about them.
Second Meaning: Even if you haven't experienced those ills yourself, you can get a visual from his music.
Complex Says: Helen Keller would be proud.
Is It A Double Entendre? English Professor Adam Bradley: "No."
9. "Naw, I don't fuck around, stay on my J.O."
Song: "Hola Hovito" (2001)
Album: The Blueprint
First Meaning: Jay-Z is never not working.
Second Meaning: If you're not fucking around and just on your J.O., that means you're masturbating a lot, too.
Complex Says: In a rare moment of personal weakness, Jay-Z admits that he, too, has masturbated.
Is It A Double Entendre? English Professor Adam Bradley: "No. This is a simple pun on J.O. as both 'Job' and 'Jerking Off.'
8. "What you eat don't make me shit"
Song: "Heart of The City (Ain't No Love)" (2001)
Album: The Blueprint
First Meaning: It doesn't matter what you're doing, because it's not making Jay any money.
Second Meaning: Quite literally, whatever you're eating does nothing for Jay-Z's gastrointestinal tract.
Complex Says: But whatever we eat at his 40/40 Club does, in fact, make us...nevermind.
Is It A Double Entendre? English Professor Adam Bradley: "Great line. But not a double entendre."
7. "When I come back like Jordan wearing the 4-5, it ain't to play games with you"
Song: "What More Can I Say?" (2003)
Album: The Black Album
First Meaning: Just like Mike inevitably came back because he needed to prove he was still the best, Jay predicted the short-lived nature of his own retirement.
Second Meaning: If Jay returns with a gun, he means business.
Complex Says: In that case, Gilbert Arenas is applicable here, as well.
Is It A Double Entendre? English Professor Adam Bradley: "Punning simile."
6. "Got the US open, advantage: Jigga"
Song: "Can't Knock The Hustle" (1996)
Album: Reasonable Doubt
First Meaning: America is Jay's oyster at this point.
Second Meaning: This line kicks off a pretty intense tennis metaphor that ends in him making fun of Le Tigre for ripping off Lacoste.
Complex Says: Hov also raps "serve like Sampras" during this stretch of lyrics.
Is It A Double Entendre? English Professor Adam Bradley: "Because this only makes sense on one level—that he has the whole country feenin' for him. Yes, it's a play on words with the US Open, but I'm not sure this creates another meaning."
5. "Appetite for destruction, but I scrape the plate"
Song: "Girls, Girls, Girls" (2001)
Album: The Blueprint
First Meaning: Jay is very ambitious, but he can get all of his tasks done.
Second Meaning: There is a lot of food on Jay-Z's plate, but he is capable of eating it all.
Complex Says: Clean Plate Club. Banana pudding was in the hood then. Now it's in Magnolia's Cupcakes.
Is It A Double Entendre? English Professor Adam Bradley: "Doesn't necessarily mean a DE."
4. "I jack, I rob, I sin/Ah, man, I'm Jackie Robinson/'Cept when I run base, I dodge the pen"
Song: "Brooklyn Go Hard" (2008)
Album: Notorious Soundtrack
First Meaning: He's stealing and robbing and doing bad things, skirting Mama Law the whole time.
Second Meaning: Elaborate baseball metaphor involving Jackie Robinson, first African-American player in pro baseball.
Complex Says: Coincidentally enough, Robinsin played for the Brooklyn Dodgers.
Is It A Double Entendre? English Professor Adam Bradley: "The double: 'run base,' 'dodge pen.'"
3. "My pops knew exactly what he did when he made me/Tried to get a nut and he got a nut and what"
Song: "Can't Knock The Hustle" (1996)
Album: Reasonable Doubt
First Meaning: His dad wasn't interested in having kids when he and Jay's mom were together.
Second Meaning: He ended up with a nut. Like, he fathered a crazy, wild child.
Complex Says: At this point in his life, Jay-Z very obviously did not think too much of his pops.
Is It A Double Entendre? English Professor Adam Bradley: "This is a straightforward nut/nut pun."
2. "Niggas don't get the picture 'til the weapons is drawn"
Song: "Fiesta (Remix)" (2001)
Album: TP-2.com (R. Kelly Album)
First Meaning: Jay is going to shut you up by pulling a gun out.
Second Meaning: Jay is going to shut you up by pulling a pen out and drawing a picture of a gun.
Complex Says: Either way, guns prove to be very stimulating objects.
Is It A Double Entendre? English Professor Adam Bradley: "No. Another pun on two meanings of draw."
1. "I kept feedin' her money 'til her shit started to make sense"
Song: "D'Evils" (1996)
Album: Reasonable Doubt
First Meaning: Jay's paying somebody for information.
Second Meaning: Not to get too scatalogical or anything, but you're supposed to think of dollar bills as food and coins as poop with this one.
Complex Says: Yo. Gross. But also: insanely awesome. Who didnt flip their, uh, shit, the first time they heard this one?
Is It A Double Entendre? English Professor Adam Bradley: "A homophone again, sense/cents."