In his then characteristic role as hype man, Puffy shouts, in part, "As we proceed— / to give you what you need / 9-5, motherfuckers— / Get live, motherfuckers— / As we proceed— / to give you what you need / East Coast, motherfuckers— / Bad Boy, motherfuckers—" Otherwise, one writer estimates, "The story Biggie tells in 'Who Shot Ya?' is simple and brutal. Someone's out to get him, but Biggie gets the drop on his foe." Yet it is Biggie's lyricism, there, that would motivate MTV to eventually recognize "Who Shot Ya" for, MTV says, "using the art of music to make the art of war sound beautiful." Brooklyn rapper Jay-Z recalls receiving a copy of the song, by surprise, on a tape from a friend before the single's release. Jay-Z reflects, "He knew that if I heard 'Who Shot Ya?,' it's going to inspire me to make songs even hotter. But that song, it was so crazy. It just had an effect on everybody. The world stopped when he dropped 'Who Shot Ya?' "