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..
Hood2Hood
Nas Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Hey Hit, that's some nice new pieces you got
Bracelets, trinkets, and necklaces
Yeah, yo
Real shit only, yeah (make some noise)
Super Bowl champs celebrate like me
With Escobar cigars, let me say my piece
Jewelry sellers exposed by these fake watch busters
And they ain't teach savin' money to young niggas
Young warriors, I wanna see them all in position
Best to have it on you, hope you don't go down for possession
Mom's puttin' up the house to bail you out when arrested
How did I become number one? I'm one-of-one
Flyin' down the 101, right under the Cali' sun
Junior Mafia out the subs, shorty calling me, "Son"
If one clique make a million today, it probably be us
Probably because my Midas touch for vital stuff
Rappers wanna shoot up the studio, they tired of us
We know that controversy sells, so y'all good
When I drop they hear me on every block, hood to hood
Red Hook, Fort Greene, Canarsie
Hood to hood
Far Rock, East New York, QB
Compton, Long Beach, IE
Hood to hood
Southside Chicago, players in the D
Hood to hood
If we all made niggas, then why is we beefin'?
When them Jewish brothers be chillin' Sabbath Friday evening
Even in jail, I hear the Latins got each other back
Not us, we jump each other for the phone, it comes to Black
Don't worry about nobody else tryin' to energy match
Sense any cap and that's when I really attack
I'm OJ with the memorabilia, had to steal it back
Like the Nas flow we be hearin' on your tracks
Stop that, my guy, you are not that, my guy
That feeling to be a king, can't top that, my guy
King's Disease, I'm still poppin' these young things
Got me thinkin' like Amerie, "It's this one thing"
Floaties in the pool, got drones over the roof
Just like Drakeo The Ruler, my nigga, we know the truth
I put out dangerous thought
I'm convinced it's a mix of Paisley Park Prince with Supreme Team prints
Big up to Paisley, shout out to 40, Harlem
Hood to hood
Lincoln Houses, Castle Hill, Bronx shit
Soundview
On the West side, in the Jungles, to the 60s
Hood to hood
Out in O-town, to Vallejo, where the pimps be
Hood to hood
DC got big ol' guns
B'More got big ol' guns
ATL got big ol' guns and big ol' buns and big ol' funds, yeah
Miami got lots of sun, yeah
Dade County got big ol' guns, yeah
Stop messin' around, put the pistols down
Or, we all will soon be done, dead
Hood to hood to mansion to mansion
That's the new version of hood to hood
Yeah, new excursions, yeah
Block parties, on the block, the new block
Your house and my house, ha-ha
Hood to hood
The lyrics to Nas's song "Hood2Hood" speak to the essence and representation of different neighborhoods across America, highlighting the struggles and dynamics that exist within urban communities. Nas opens the song by acknowledging the celebration of success through his reference to Super Bowl champions and the luxurious lifestyle they embrace. He also points out the irony of fake jewelry sellers being exposed alongside the success of hustlers.
Nas delves into the importance of financial education for young individuals, expressing a desire to see them in positions of power and stability. He emphasizes the need for personal protection, hoping that they won't be entangled in legal troubles that could result in their loved ones having to put up their homes as collateral. Nas reflects on his own accomplishments, calling himself "one-of-one" as he travels down the California freeway, proclaiming his influence and impact on the rap game.
The chorus of the song is a homage to various neighborhoods including Red Hook, Fort Greene, Canarsie, Far Rock, East New York, QB, Compton, Long Beach, IE, Southside Chicago, and Detroit. Nas recognizes the unity and support within certain communities, particularly among Jewish brothers and Latin individuals. He contrasts this with the lack of unity and support among Black communities, adding a commentary on the need for self-reflection and change.
Nas also references O.J. Simpson's memorabilia incident, comparing it to how he reclaimed his own style and flow which is often imitated. He expresses the feeling of being a king and the inability to be surpassed. He also mentions his album "King's Disease" and the impact it has on younger generations, drawing a parallel to Amerie's hit song "One Thing" that once influenced him.
Throughout the song, Nas pays homage to multiple neighborhoods, name-checking Fort Greene, Canarsie, Far Rock, East New York, Queensbridge, Compton, Long Beach, Southside Chicago, Detroit, Harlem, Lincoln Houses, Castle Hill, Soundview, the West side, the Jungles, O-town, and Vallejo. He also mentions the influence of Paisley Park Prince and the Supreme Team.
Line by Line Meaning
Yo, yo, yo, yeah
Hey, I'm here and ready to go
Hey Hit, that's some nice new pieces you got
Hey Hit, I like your new jewelry
Bracelets, trinkets, and necklaces
You've got a variety of jewelry
Yeah, yo
Yeah, I agree
Real shit only, yeah (make some noise)
We only want genuine things, make some noise
Super Bowl champs celebrate like me
I celebrate my success like a Super Bowl champion
With Escobar cigars, let me say my piece
I enjoy smoking Escobar cigars and expressing myself
Money attract money, statewide hustlers
Having money attracts more money, even from hustlers across the state
Jewelry sellers exposed by these fake watch busters
Fake watch busters reveal the truth about jewelry sellers
And they ain't teach savin' money to young niggas
They didn't teach young people how to save money
Young warriors, I wanna see them all in position
I want to see young warriors succeed and hold important positions
Best to have it on you, hope you don't go down for possession
It's better to have something with you, just hope you don't get caught and charged for it
Mom's puttin' up the house to bail you out when arrested
Your mom is using the house as collateral to bail you out when you get arrested
How did I become number one? I'm one-of-one
I became the best by being unique and unmatched
Flyin' down the 101, right under the Cali' sun
I'm speeding down the highway 101, enjoying the California sun
Junior Mafia out the subs, shorty calling me, 'Son'
My crew is like Junior Mafia, and a young person is calling me 'Son'
If one clique make a million today, it probably be us
If any group makes a million dollars today, it's likely to be us
Probably because my Midas touch for vital stuff
Probably because I have the ability to turn anything into something valuable
Rappers wanna shoot up the studio, they tired of us
Rappers want to destroy their competition in the studio because they're tired of us
We know that controversy sells, so y'all good
We know that controversy attracts attention, so you guys are doing well
When I drop they hear me on every block, hood to hood
When I release new music, everyone in every neighborhood hears it
Red Hook, Fort Greene, Canarsie
Neighborhoods in New York City
Far Rock, East New York, QB
More New York City neighborhoods
Compton, Long Beach, IE
Neighborhoods in California
Southside Chicago, players in the D
Neighborhoods in Chicago and Detroit
If we all made niggas, then why is we beefin'?
If we all want to succeed, why are we fighting?
When them Jewish brothers be chillin' Sabbath Friday evening
While Jewish brothers relax on Friday evenings for the Sabbath
Even in jail, I hear the Latins got each other back
Even in jail, I hear that Latinos support each other
Not us, we jump each other for the phone, it comes to Black
But not us, we fight each other for control of the phone, it falls back on the Black community
Don't worry about nobody else tryin' to energy match
Don't worry about others trying to match your energy
Sense any cap and that's when I really attack
If I sense any falsehood, that's when I truly attack
I'm OJ with the memorabilia, had to steal it back
I'm like OJ Simpson, taking back my valuable possessions
Like the Nas flow we be hearin' on your tracks
Similar to the flow that we hear from Nas on your tracks
Stop that, my guy, you are not that, my guy
Stop pretending to be something you're not
That feeling to be a king, can't top that, my guy
The feeling of being a king is unbeatable
King's Disease, I'm still poppin' these young things
With King's Disease, I'm still successful and appealing to young individuals
Got me thinkin' like Amerie, 'It's this one thing'
Makes me think of Amerie's song '1 Thing'
Floaties in the pool, got drones over the roof
I have inflatable floats in the pool and surveillance drones over the roof
Just like Drakeo The Ruler, my nigga, we know the truth
Just like Drakeo The Ruler, we know the reality
I put out dangerous thought
I express risky and thought-provoking ideas
I'm convinced it's a mix of Paisley Park Prince with Supreme Team prints
I believe my style combines elements of Prince from Paisley Park and the Supreme Team
Big up to Paisley, shout out to 40, Harlem
Showing love to Paisley Park and giving a shoutout to 40 and Harlem
Lincoln Houses, Castle Hill, Bronx shit
Referring to neighborhoods in the Bronx
Soundview
A neighborhood in the Bronx
On the West side, in the Jungles, to the 60s
Referring to neighborhoods on the West side of Los Angeles
Out in O-town, to Vallejo, where the pimps be
Referring to neighborhoods in Orlando and Vallejo known for pimps
DC got big ol' guns
Washington DC is known for having powerful firearms
B'More got big ol' guns
Baltimore is known for having powerful firearms
ATL got big ol' guns and big ol' buns and big ol' funds, yeah
Atlanta has both powerful firearms, attractive women, and a lot of money
Miami got lots of sun, yeah
Miami has plenty of sunshine
Dade County got big ol' guns, yeah
Dade County possesses powerful firearms
Stop messin' around, put the pistols down
Stop fooling around and put the guns away
Or, we all will soon be done, dead
Otherwise, we will all end up dead soon
Hood to hood to mansion to mansion
From the neighborhoods to the mansions
That's the new version of hood to hood
This is the upgraded version of going from neighborhood to neighborhood
Yeah, new excursions, yeah
Yeah, it's new adventures
Block parties, on the block, the new block
Block parties happening on the block, the new gathering place
Your house and my house, ha-ha
Your place and my place, ha-ha
Hood to hood
Moving from one neighborhood to another
Lyrics ยฉ Universal Music Publishing Group
Written by: Chauncey Hollis Jr., Nasir Jones
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
H2O_Atlanta
this album is proof that lyricists are supposed to get iller as they get older - bless ya life Nas!
PK Dreambuilder
Bruh this thang bananas
Luxor Cephren
Couldn't agree more.
Brannagan Chavis
More experience from experiences
Sabali Peace and patience
The production is amazing. Nas sounds stillmatc sharp. Nas and Hit ain't missing.
Rune K1ng Th0r
Yes, very Extra P./ Large Pro sounding. The very robotic muted step, sound.
Travis Carter
He sound 2022 sharp nothing frome the past. We not trying to be illmatic 1994 or Stillmatic 2001 we all grown up. We moved on in life that was then this now.
Garrison Kane
Mobb Deep - It's Mine vibes
Enoch Shauli
Facts!
Jamie Koga
Its always a good day when Nas blesses us with another classic.