No Hook

Jay-Z told the New York Times September 20, 2007 that the song "takes you through this journey - his journey, my journey - so many people's journey that come from the areas that we come from."

This samples the Barry White track "Love Serenade" from his 1975 album Just Another Way to Say I Love You.

Jay-Z alludes to what he considers the betrayal by his former best friend and drug-dealing partner, Dehaven Irby. According to Hova, when Irby faced indictments for federal drug charges, he turned snitch to reduce his sentence. He accuses Dehaven of "caving," adding they don't talk anymore because: Made men ain't supposed to make statements.