Illmatic was a critically acclaimed bestseller and is widely considered one of the greatest rap albums of all time. He married R&B singer Kelis in 2005, they have one son together, and she filed for divorce on the 29th of April 2009. Nas was also a part of hip hop supergroup The Firm, which released one album.
In the years following the release of Illmatic, Nas pursued a more commercial direction, which resulted in wider success but decreased artistic credibility among critics and hip-hop purists. Furthermore, Nas' increased commercial success was accompanied by stylistic changes that fostered accusations of "selling out". Nevertheless, the LP Stillmatic is often credited for restoring Nas' credibility among fans. Since the success of Stillmatic, Nas continues to maintain a high profile within the hip hop community, and has pursued a decidedly progressive and personal aesthetic. While Nas' current artistic direction differs greatly from his most successful work, it has ensured that he remains one of the most respected and acclaimed contemporary rappers.
1973โ1992: Childhood and early career
Nas was born in Brooklyn, New York, as the elder of Olu Dara and Fannie Ann Jones's two children; his brother Jabari (nicknamed "Jungle" because he was born in the Congo) is the younger of the two. The family lived for a time in Brooklyn, before moving to Queensbridge, the largest public housing project in the United States. Olu Dara left the household in 1986, when Nas was 13, and Ann Jones raised her two boys on her own. Nas dropped out of school in the eighth grade and began selling drugs on the streets of New York. He educated himself, reading about African culture and civilization, the Qur'an, the Bible and the Five Percent Nation. He also studied the origin of hip hop music, taping records that played on his local radio station. As a child, Nas had wanted to be an instrumentalist (at the age of three, Nas played his father's trumpet on the step of their Brooklyn home) and also a comic book artist. Shortly after his parents separated, Nas began to write short stories as he immersed himself deeper into hip-hop culture.
By his preteen years, he had settled on pursuing a career as a rapper, and as a teenager enlisted his best friend and upstairs neighbor Willie "Ill Will" Graham as his DJ. Nas first went by the nickname Kid Wave before adopting his more commonly known alias of Nasty Nas. Nas and Graham soon met hip-hop producer and Flushing Queens resident Large Professor, who introduced Nas to his group, Main Source. In 1991, Nas made his on-record debut with a verse on "Live at the BBQ", from Main Source's LP Breaking Atoms. Despite the substantial buzz for Nas in the underground scene, the rapper was rejected by major labels and was not signed to a recording deal. Nas and Graham continued to work together, but their partnership was cut short when Graham was shot and killed by a gunman in Queensbridge on May 23, 1992.
1992โ1995: The recording and release of Illmatic
In mid-1992, Nas was approached by MC Serch of 3rd Bass, who became his manager and secured Nas a record deal with Columbia Records the same year. Nas made his solo debut on the single "Halftime" from Serch's soundtrack for the film Zebrahead. The single increased the buzz surrounding Nas and when MC Serchโs solo album is released later in the year, Nasโ standout appearance on "Back To The Grill" only intensified interest in his upcoming album, amid immense anticipation. Hailed as the second coming of Rakim, his rhyming skills attracted a significant amount of attention within the hip-hop community. However, many were concerned that Columbia, being a major label, would try to dilute his New York based style.
In 1994, Nas' debut album, Illmatic was finally released. Critically acclaimed and widely regarded as one of the premier rap albums ever created, Illmatic featured lyrics that portrayed stunning visual imagery and production courtesy of several producers . The album featured production from Large Professor, Pete Rock, Q-Tip (of A Tribe Called Quest) and DJ Premier, as well as guest appearances from Nas' friend AZ and his father Olu Dara on the song "Life's a Bitch", Illmatic was immediately hailed as a masterpiece by critics, and is still highly regarded as one of the definitive hip-hop albums of all time. Notable songs on the album included "NY State of Mind" (produced by Premier), "The World Is Yours" (produced by Pete Rock), "One Love" (produced by Q-Tip) and "It Ain't Hard To Tell" (produced by Large Professor and featuring a sample of "Human Nature" by Michael Jackson). However, due in part to extensive bootlegging, the record sales fell below expectations.
Following Illmatic, Nas appeared on AZ's Doe Or Die album, and collaborated with his Queensbridge-associates, Mobb Deep, on their album, The Infamous. One notable achievement during this period was Nas' verse on "Verbal Intercourse" on Raekwon's Only Built 4 Cuban Linx. After this appearance, Nas received a Source Quotable as he had the distinction of being the only non-Wu-Tang Clan member to be featured on one of the group's solo albums.
1996โ1998: From It Was Written to The Firm
Columbia began to press Nas to work towards more commercial topics like the rapper The Notorious B.I.G., who had become successful by releasing street singles that still retained pop-friendly appeal. Nas traded manager MC Serch for Steve Stoute, and began preparation for his second LP, It Was Written, consciously working towards a crossover-oriented sound. It Was Written, chiefly produced by Poke and Tone of Trackmasters Entertainment, was released during the summer of 1996. Two singles, "If I Ruled The World (Imagine That)" (featuring Lauryn Hill of The Fugees) and "Street Dreams" (a remix features R. Kelly) were instant hits. These songs were promoted by big-budget music videos directed by Hype Williams, making Nas a common name among mainstream hip-hop. Other notable tracks on the album included "The Message" and "I Gave You Power," which tells a story from the perspective of a gun. It Was Written also featured the debut of The Firm, a supergroup consisting of Nas, AZ, Foxy Brown, and Cormega. The album also introduced Nas's Mafioso-inspired character "Nas Escobar", who lived more of a Scarface/Casino-esque lifestyle. On the other hand, Illmatic, which, while having numerous references to Tony Montana and the theatrical hit featuring Al Pacino, was more about Nas' life as a teenager in the projects, hustling and smoking marijuana.
The Firm signed to Dr. Dre's Aftermath Entertainment label, and began working on their debut album. Halfway through the production of the album, Cormega was fired from the group by Steve Stoute, who had unsuccessfully attempted to force Cormega to sign a deal with his management company. Cormega therefore became one of Nas' most vocal opponents, releasing a number of underground hip-hop singles dissing Nas, Stoute, and Nature, who was Cormega's replacement in The Firm. The Firm's The Album was finally released in 1997 to mixed reviews and lackluster sales and the members of the supergroup went their separate ways.
At about this time, Nas became a spokesperson for the Willie Esco urban clothing line, but had no other connection with the clothing line. He stopped promoting Willie Esco in 2000, dissatisfied with the company's operations. During the same period, Nas co-wrote and starred in Hype Williams' 1998 feature film Belly, which also featured DMX, Taral Hicks, and T-Boz of TLC among its cast.
1998โ2000: I Am... to Nastradamus
In 1998, Nas began work on a double album to be entitled I Am...The Autobiography, which he intended as the middle ground between the extremes of Illmatic and It Was Written. The album was completed in early 1999, and a music video was shot for its lead single, Nas Is Like, produced by DJ Premier and featuring vocal samples from "It Ain't Hard to Tell". However, much of the LP was leaked in MP3 format onto the Internet, and Nas and Stoute quickly recorded enough substitute material to constitute a single-disc release.
The second single for I Am was "Hate Me Now," featuring Sean "Puffy" Combs (now "Diddy"), was used as an example by Nas' critics for moving towards commercial themes. Hype Williams shot an allegorical video for the single, which featured Nas and Puffy being crucified in a manner similar to Jesus; After the video was completed, Combs, a Catholic, requested his crucifixion scene be edited out of the video. However, the unedited copy of the "Hate Me Now" video made its way to MTV, and was premiered on April 15, 1999 on TRL. A furious Combs and his bodyguards allegedly made their way into Steve Stoute's office and assaulted him, at one point apparently hitting Stoute over the head with a champagne bottle. Stoute pressed charges, but he and Combs settled out-of-court that June.
Columbia had scheduled to release the pirated material from I Am under the title Nastradamus during the latter half of 1999, but, at the last minute, decided Nas should record an entirely new album for release. Nastradamus was therefore rushed to meet a November release date. Though critics were not kind to the album, it did result in a minor hit, the Timbaland-produced "You Owe Me," featuring R&B singer Ginuwine. The only pirated track from I Am... to make it onto Nastradamus was "Project Windows," featuring Ronald Isley. A number of the other bootlegged tracks later made their way onto The Lost Tapes, a collection of underground Nas songs that was released by Columbia in September 2002. The collection saw decent sales and received glowing reviews.
2000โ2001: The Nas vs. Jay-Z rivalry and Stillmatic
The highly publicized rivalry between Nas and Jay-Z began as a rivalry between Nas and Jay-Z's protege, Memphis Bleek. On his debut album Coming of Age, Bleek made a song entitled "Memphis Bleek Is", which was similar in concept to Nas' single "Nas is Like". On the same album, Bleek recorded "What You Think Of That" featuring Bleek's mentor Jay-Z, which contains the refrain, "I'ma ball 'til I fall/what you think of that?". In retaliation, "Nastradamus", the title track from Nas' second 1999 album, featured a reference to "What You Think Of That". The lyrics state, "You wanna ball till you fall, I can help you with that/You want beef? I could let a slug melt in your hat." Memphis Bleek perceived the reference on "Nastradamus" as a diss, and therefore dissed Nas on the lead single for his The Understanding LP, My Mind Right".
QB's Finest was a compilation album that featured Nas and a number of other rappers from Queensbridge, including Mobb Deep, Nature, Littles, The Bravehearts (which included Nas' younger brother Jungle among its members), and Cormega, who had briefly reconciled with Nas. The album also featured guest appearances from Queensbridge hip-hop legends Roxanne Shante, MC Shan, and Marley Marl. Shan and Marley Marl both appeared on the lead single "Da Bridge 2001", which was based on Shan & Marl's 1986 recording "The Bridge". "Da Bridge 2001" also featured a response from Nas to Memphis Bleek, in which Nas called out most of the Roc-A-Fella Records roster, including Bleek, Damon Dash, Beanie Sigel, and Jay-Z.
Jay-Z responded to Nas' songs with an onstage swipe during the 2001 Hot 97 Summer Jam concert in New York City, when he premiered his song "Takeover." Initially, the song was to only be a Mobb Deep diss, only including one line about Nas near the end. Nevertheless, Nas recorded the "Stillmatic Freestyle," an underground single which sampled Rakim and Eric B.'s "Paid in Full" beat, and attacked Jay-Z and his Roc-A-Fella label. On his 2001 album, The Blueprint, Jay-Z rewrote "Takeover," dedicating half of the song to dissing Nas, claiming that he had a "...one hot album every ten year average" record (referring to Illmatic) that his flow was weak, and that he had fabricated his past as a hustler.
Nas responded with "Ether", the track begins with gunshots and a repeated, slowed-down sample of Tupac rapping "Fuck Jay-Z." (taken from Tupac's "Fuck Friends") In "Ether," Nas accuses Jay-Z of stealing ("biting") lyrics from The Notorious B.I.G. and brown-nosing Nas and other rappers for fame. Ether was included on Nas' fifth studio album, Stillmatic, released in December 2001. Stillmatic managed to be not only a critically-acclaimed comeback album, but a commercial success as well, albeit not on the level of It Was Written and I Am...; the album debutted at #7 on the Billboard album charts and featured the singles "Got Ur Self A..." and "One Mic." In terms of commercial success, Jay's The Blueprint was certified double-platinum, while Stillmatic went platinum.
Jay-Z responded to "Ether" with a freestyle entitled "Supa Ugly." going into detail about how he had sex with Carmen Bryan, the mother of Nas' daughter Destiny. Nas dismissed the track by claiming that he was no longer with Bryan during the time the affair took place. In a recent interview, however, New York radio station Hot 97 settled the battle taking votes comparing "Ether" and "Supa Ugly," and Nas won with 58% while Jay-Z got 42% of the votes. By 2005, the two rappers had eventually ended their feud without violence or animosity. During Jay-Z's I Declare War - Power House concert, Jay-Z announced to the crowd, "It's bigger than 'I Declare War'. Let's go, Esco!" Nas then joined Jay-Z onstage, and the two then performed "Dead Presidents" together, which Jay-Z had sampled from Nas' song "The World is Yours."
2002โPresent: From God's Son to Street's Disciple and beyond
In December 2002, Nas released the God's Son album. and its lead single, "Made You Look". The album debuted at #18 on the Billboard charts despite widespread internet bootlegging. Time Magazine named his album best hip-hop album of the year. Vibe Magazine gave it 4 stars and The Source gave it 4 mics. The second single, the inspirational "I Can", which reworked elements from Beethoven's "Fur Elise", became Nas' biggest hit to date during the spring and summer of 2003, garnering substantial radio airplay on urban, rhythmic, and top 40 radio stations, as well as on the MTV and VH1 music video networks. God's Son also includes several songs dedicated to memory of Nas' mother, who died of cancer in 2002. In 2003, Nas was featured on the Korn song "Play Me", from Koะฏn's Take a Look in the Mirror LP.
Nas released his seventh studio album, the critically acclaimed double-disc Street's Disciple, on November 30, 2004. The album's first singles were "Thief's Theme" and "Bridging the Gap", which features his father Olu Dara on vocals. The album also includes "These are Our Heroes", which accuses prominent sports stars and actors such as Kobe Bryant, Lenny Henry, Tiger Woods, and Cuba Gooding, Jr. of neglecting their heritage and background in favour of white values. The videos for "Bridging the Gap" and "Just A Moment" received moderate airplay on MTV and BET. Although the album went platinum, its commercial profile was relatively low compared to the rapper's previous releases.
Nas was featured on Kanye West's album Late Registration on a song titled "We Major". West said the song was Jay-Z's favorite on the album, but West was unable to get Jay-Z to record a vocal for the final mix of the song. He also appeared on Damian Marley's song "Road to Zion" (which also featured newcomer The Game in the video, widening Nas' still growing universally appreciated raps) and several other songs such as "Death Anniversary" and "It Wasn't You" (featuring Lauryn Hill). In addition, Nas was most recently married to the R&B singer Kelis, who is mostly known for her work internationally, but nonetheless released great hits in the U.S. The couple wed on Jan. 8, 2005 in Atlanta, GA, after a two-year engagement.
During this time, Nas announced that his next album would be entirely self-produced and feature no other rappers, and would be titled Nasir, and later that the project would feature other producers after all and would be called Nasdaq: Dow Jones. Neither of these albums ever materialized.
At a free concert in Central Park, New York, Nas made a statement regarding the quality of 50 Cent's music. "this is the real shit, not that 50 Cent shit!" In response, 50 Cent included a stab at Nas by speaking negatively of his wife Kelis on his single "Piggy Bank," implying that Kelis was promiscuous and calling Nas a "sucker for love." Nas was quoted as saying that he feels no obligation to retaliate, remarking "[50 has] got a good five to six more albums before I can really respond to him." Nas eventually decided to retaliate, and in July 2005 released "Don't Body Ya Self (MC Burial)", a song which taunts 50 Cent and his G-Unit crew, stating that 50 was "a sucka for death if I'm a sucka for love." However, despite all of this, Nas still claims to "have a lot of love towards 50," claiming 50 didn't understand his moves when they both were together at Columbia Records.
In January 2006, Nas signed a label deal with Jay-Z's Def Jam, further emphasizing the Jay-Z/Nas truce and raising expectations for a collaboration even higher. His album due in fall of 2006 will come out in a joint deal with this imprint and Columbia Records. He recently announced to MTV News that his album is to be named, "Hip Hop is Dead...the N," the N being a play on the word the "end." The title is supposed to reflect what some would term the current low quality of rap music. The highly anticipated album is due out in December 19th, 2006.
Musical style and Technique
Nas has long been famed for his creativity and storytelling prowess, which has earned him acclaim from both the hip-hop community and critics. In his early stages, from his first appearance on the Main Source's Breaking Atoms and throughout the recording of Illmatic, he was perhaps best known for his street-oriented topics, complex lyrical schemes (which often incorporated multi-syllabic internal rhymes), and witty phrasing and imagery. As he progressed and matured, Nas began to branch out into different subjects and developed a richer voice and slower rapping technique.
Following Illmatic's release, Nas developed a penchant for hyper-visual storytelling and topical creativity. For instance, "Undying Love" (featured on I Am...) is a tale of his wife's betrayal told in first person, "Rewind" (featured on Stillmatic) is a narrative in which a story is recited backwards, while on "I Gave You Power" (featured on It Was Written), Nas assumes the role of a gun who recounts brutal tales of murder and violence. Over the years Nas' style has changed significantly. In contrast to his previous work, Nasโ most recent material is distinctively socially aware and often politically inflammatory. Songs such as "I Can" (featured on God's Son) convey moral messages of black youth empowerment, while "These Are Our Heroes (Coon Picnic)" accuses several African-American celebrities of being Uncle Toms. Furthermore, controversial songs such as "My Country" and "A Message to the Feds (Fuck The Police II)" (which are featured on Stillmatic and Street's Disciple, respectively) question the conduct of the American government. Nas' views in his lyrics throughout his career have made references to Islam and the Five Percent Nation..
Can't Forget About You
Nas Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Straw hat on the porch when you old perhaps
Wanna gather your thoughts, have a cold one
Brag, to your grandkids about how life is golden
So I will light a cigar in the corridor of the crib
Pictures on the wall of all the things that I did
All the money and fame, eight by tens
Of the whole Rat Pack inside of a big frame
All that, and your man is still here, and I'm still hot
Wow, I need a moment y'all
See, I almost felt a tear drop
When was the last time you heard a real anthem?
Nas, the millionaire, the mansion
When was the last time you heard your boy Nas rhyme?
Never on schedule, but always on time
These streets hold my deepest days
This hood taught me golden ways
Made me, truly this is what made me
Break me, not a thing's gonna break me
These streets hold my deepest days
This hood taught me golden ways
Made me, truly this is what made me
Break me, not a thing's gonna break me
Oh, I'm that history, I'm that block
I'm that lifestyle, I'm that spot
I'm that kid by the number spot
That's my past that made me hot
Here's my life long anthem
Can't forget about you
(Can't forget about, can't forget about you)
(Can't forget about, can't forget about you)
Can't forget about the old school, Bam, Cas, Melle Mel, Flash
Rocksteady spinnin' on they back
Can't forget when the first rap Grammy went to Jazzy, Fresh Prince
Fat Boys broke up rap hasn't been the same since
So irregular, how it messed you up
When Mr. T became a wrestler
Can't forget about Jordan's retirement
The shot Robert Horry to win the game in the finals, kid
Some things are forever, some things are not
It's the things we remember that gave the world shock
They stay in a place in your mind so snug
Like who the person was with whom you first make love
When was the last time you heard a real anthem?
Nas, the millionaire, the mansion
When was the last time you heard your boy Nas rhyme?
Never on schedule, but always on time
These streets hold my deepest days
This hood taught me golden ways
Made me, truly this is what made me
Break me, not a thing's gonna break me
These streets hold my deepest days
This hood taught me golden ways
Made me, truly this is what made me
Break me, not a thing's gonna break me
Oh, I'm that history, I'm that block
I'm that lifestyle, I'm that spot
I'm that kid by the number spot
That's my past that made me hot
Here's my life long anthem
Can't forget about you
(Can't forget about, can't forget about you)
Unforgettable, unsubmittable, I go by N now
Just one syllable it's the end 'cause the game's tired
It's the same vibe Good Times had right after James died
That's why the gangsta rhymers ain't inspired
Heinous crimes help record sales more than creative lines
And I don't wanna keep bringing up the greater times
But I'm a dreamer, nostalgic with the state of mind
The past the past, enough of it, a'ight then
But nothing gives me chills like Douglas and Tyson
Or Mike when his talk was live
Or when he first did the moon walk on Motown 25
When was the last time you heard a real anthem?
Nas, the millionaire, the mansion
When was the last time you heard your boy Nas rhyme?
Never on schedule, but always on time
These streets hold my deepest days
This hood taught me golden ways
Made me, truly this is what made me
Break me, not a thing's gonna break me
These streets hold my deepest days
This hood taught me golden ways
Made me, truly this is what made me
Break me, not a thing's gonna break me
That's why, darling, it's incredible
That someone so unforgettable
Thinks that I am unforgettable too
The lyrics to Nas feat. Chrisette Michelle's song Can't Forget About You is a reflective piece about the past, memories, and the importance of history. The opening lines paint a picture of an older Nas, sitting on his porch, taking a moment to reflect on his past accomplishments and legacy. He talks about the pictures on his wall and the colliding with big names that could have ended his career but he's still relevant and "still hot". Nas takes a moment to marvel at his longevity, and his tears well up at the realization of his success.
The chorus asks when was the last time you heard a real anthem, referring to the present state of hip-hop and the lack of meaningful messages. Nas reflects on his beginnings in the hood and the importance of those streets in shaping his golden ways. He pays homage to the legends of hip-hop, via the old school rap and those who came before him. Nas also touches on historical moments, such as Jordan's retirement, and unforgettable moments like when Mike Tyson and Michael Jackson gave us iconic performances.
In conclusion, the lyrics to Can't Forget About You is a nostalgic trip down memory lane, reflecting on our deepest days, the golden ways the hood taught us, and how our pasts have made us hot. It's a call to remember the good ol' days and appreciate the history.
Line by Line Meaning
There comes a day in your life when you wanna kick back
Sometimes you just want to take it easy and relax
Straw hat on the porch when you old perhaps
Just imagine yourself sitting on a porch, wearing a straw hat, enjoying your old age
Wanna gather your thoughts, have a cold one
It's good to take some time to reflect and maybe grab a drink while you're at it
Brag, to your grandkids about how life is golden
One day you'll get to brag to your grandkids about how amazing your life has been
So I will light a cigar in the corridor of the crib
I'll light up a cigar and walk through my house, reflecting on all that I've accomplished
Pictures on the wall of all the things that I did
I'll have pictures to remind me of all the great things I've done in my life
All the money and fame, eight by tens
I'll have pictures of myself with stacks of money and famous people
Of the whole Rat Pack inside of a big frame
I'll have a giant framed picture of the Rat Pack
Collidin' with big names that could've made your career stop
I've had run-ins with famous people who could have derailed my career
All that, and your man is still here, and I'm still hot
Despite everything, I'm still here and I'm still successful
Wow, I need a moment y'all
All of this is really overwhelming, I need a moment to process it all
See, I almost felt a tear drop
I almost cried because it's so emotional and overwhelming
When was the last time you heard a real anthem?
When was the last time you heard a really inspiring song?
Nas, the millionaire, the mansion
I'm a millionaire with a big house
When was the last time you heard your boy Nas rhyme?
When was the last time you heard me rap?
Never on schedule, but always on time
I may not always be on time, but I always come through in the end
These streets hold my deepest days
These streets are the site of my deepest memories
This hood taught me golden ways
Living in this neighborhood taught me important life lessons
Made me, truly this is what made me
These experiences made me who I am today
Break me, not a thing's gonna break me
No matter what happens, I'm strong enough to handle it
Oh, I'm that history, I'm that block
I'm a part of the history of this neighborhood
I'm that lifestyle, I'm that spot
I embody the way of life and the spirit of this place
I'm that kid by the number spot
I'm the kid who grew up on this street corner
That's my past that made me hot
My past experiences here are what made me successful today
Here's my life long anthem
This is my life's anthem
Can't forget about you
I can never forget about this place and its importance to me
Unforgettable, unsubmittable, I go by N now
I'm unforgettable, unbeatable, and I go by the name N these days
Just one syllable; it's the end 'cause the game's tired
I only need one syllable for my name now because the rap game is getting old
It's the same vibe Good Times had right after James died
Rap has the same feeling that the show Good Times had when James died
That's why the gangsta rhymers ain't inspired
The reason that gangsta rap no longer inspires me is because of the state of the industry
Heinous crimes help record sales more than creative lines
Songs about horrible crimes are more popular than creative songs nowadays
And I don't wanna keep bringing up the greater times
I don't want to keep talking about the past
But I'm a dreamer, nostalgic with the state of mind
But I'm a dreamer and I miss the way things used to be
The past the past, enough of it, a'ight then
I need to move on from the past, it's time to let it go
But nothing gives me chills like Douglas and Tyson
Boxers Douglas and Tyson still give me goosebumps
Or Mike when his talk was live
Mike Tyson when he's giving a live interview
Or when he first did the moon walk on Motown 25
Or when Michael Jackson first did the moonwalk on the Motown 25 special
Can't forget about the old school, Bam, Cas, Melle Mel, Flash
I can't forget about the pioneers of rap, like Bam, Cas, Melle Mel, and Flash
Rocksteady spinnin' on they back
And the Rocksteady Crew breakdancing on their backs
Can't forget when the first rap Grammy went to Jazzy, Fresh Prince
I can't forget when the first Grammy award for rap went to Jazzy Jeff and Fresh Prince
Fat Boys broke up; rap hasn't been the same since
When the Fat Boys broke up, rap music changed forever
So irregular, how it messed you up
It's crazy how those changes messed with our heads
When Mr. T became a wrestler
And when Mr. T became a wrestler, that was also a big moment in pop culture
Can't forget about Jordan's retirement
And of course, Michael Jordan's retirement was a huge sports moment
The shot Robert Horry to win the game in the finals, kid
And don't forget that amazing shot by Robert Horry in the NBA Finals
Some things are forever, some things are not
Some things will always be with us, while other things are fleeting
It's the things we remember that gave the world shock
The things we remember are often the things that shook the world
They stay in a place in your mind so snug
These memories are snugly tucked away in our minds
Like who the person was with whom you first make love
Like remembering who you were with the first time you made love
That's why, darling, it's incredible
That's why, my love, it's incredible
That someone so unforgettable
That someone so unforgettable
Thinks that I am unforgettable too
Thinks that I am unforgettable as well
Lyrics ยฉ Universal Music Publishing Group, Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC
Written by: Irving Gordon, Will Adams, Nasir Jones, Chrisette Payne
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
@yfhmy
There comes a day in your life when you wanna kick back
Straw hat on the porch when you're old perhaps
Wanna gather your thoughts, have a cold one brag
To your grandkids about how life is golden
So I will light a cigar in the corridor of the crib
Pictures on the wall of all the things that I did
All the money and fame, 8 by 10's
Of the whole Rat Pack inside of a big frame
Collidin' with big names that could've made your career stop
All that, and your man is still here and I'm still hot
Wow, I need a moment y'all
See I almost felt a tear drop
When was the last time you heard a real anthem?
Nas, the millionaire, the mansion
When was the last time you heard your boy Nas rhyme
Never on schedule, but always on time
These streets hold my deepest days
This hood taught me golden ways
Made me, truly this is what made me
Break me, not a thing's gonna break me
These streets hold my deepest days
This hood taught me golden ways
Made me, truly this is what made me
Break me, not a thing's gonna break me
Ohh, I'm that history, I'm that block
I'm that lifestyle, I'm that spot
I'm that kid by the number spot
That's my past that made me hot
Here's my life long anthem
Can't forget about you
Can't forget about
Can't forget about you
Can't forget about the old school, Bam, Cas, Melle Mel, Flash
Rock Steady spinnin' on they back
Can't forget when the first rap Grammy went to Jazzy, Fresh Prince
Fat Boys broke up, rap hasn't been the same since
So irregular, how it messed you up
When Mr. T became a wrestler
Can't forget about Jordan's retirement
The shot Robert Horry hit to win the game in the finals, kid
Some things are forever, some things are not
It's the things we remember that gave the world shock
They stay in a place in your mind so snug
Like who the person was with whom you first made love
When was the last time you heard a real anthem?
Nas, the millionaire, the mansion
When was the last time you heard your boy Nas rhyme
Never on schedule, but always on time
These streets hold my deepest days
This hood taught me golden ways
Made me, truly this is what made me
Break me, not a thing's gonna break me
These streets hold my deepest days
This hood taught me golden ways
Made me, truly this is what made me
Break me, not a thing's gonna break me
Ohh, I'm that history, I'm that block
I'm that lifestyle, I'm that spot
I'm that kid by the number spot
That's my past that made me hot
Here's my life long anthem
Can't forget about you
Forget about you
Forget about you
Unforgettable, unsubmittable
I go by N now, just one syllable
It's the end 'cause the game's tired, it's the same vibe
Good times had right after James died
That's why the gangsta rhymers ain't inspired
Heinous crimes help record sales more than creative lines
And I don't wanna keep bringing up the greater times
But I'm a dreamer nostalgic with the state of mind
The past, the past enough of it, aight then
But nothing gives me chills like Douglas and Tyson
Or Mike when his talk was live
Or when he first did the moon walk on Motown 25
When was the last time you heard a real anthem?
Nas, the millionaire, the mansion
When was the last time you heard your boy Nas rhyme
Never on schedule, but always on time
These streets hold my deepest days
This hood taught me golden ways
Made me, truly this is what made me
Break me, not a thing's gonna break me
These streets hold my deepest days
This hood taught me golden ways
Made me, truly this is what made me
Break me, not a thing's gonna break me
That's why, darling, it's incredible
That someone so unforgettable
Thinks that I am unforgettable too
@trentyates418
Nas is the best lyricist ever in Hip Hop!!!
@epiphany2468
listen to daylyt and you will change your mind
@yobartenda
Big facts. Nas still sick with it!
@Seekingtruth-mx3ur
This is one of those songs you just gotta listen to all the way through
@onmypurpose9075
The greatest rapper to ever touch the microphone
@kevinlong5392
I'm there with you. 1 ๐
@tommiewinston192
Before wayne
@aaronthrax_fitness
Listening to this in 2022, I almost felt a tear drop! Classic ๐ฏ
@mngstudios9847
Here in 2023! SONG IS STILL A CLASSIC!
@Overlordien
This grew like fine wine