Empire State Of Mind

This Blueprint 3 track features Jay-Z's fellow New Yorker, Alicia Keys. On The Howard Stern Show November 15, 2010, Jay explained that he had Mary J. Blige in mind for the female vocals, but when he heard the piano stabs in the song, he decided to go with Keys.

On this track the Roc Nation CEO details his rise from the Marcy Projects to his SoHo Penthouse, comparing himself along the way to other famous New Yorkers such as Robert De Niro and Frank Sinatra (The lyrics, "Since I made it here, I can make it anywhere," reference the crooner's Big Apple classic "New York, New York"). New York is the "Empire State."

The title is similar to Nas' 1994 track, "N.Y. State of Mind" and Billy Joel's 1976 song, "New York State of Mind."