Nasir bin Olu Dara Jones, more commonly known as Nas (formerly Nasty Nas an… Read Full Bio ↴Nasir bin Olu Dara Jones, more commonly known as Nas (formerly Nasty Nas and Escobar), born September 14, 1973 in Crown Heights, Brooklyn, New York, is a prominent American MC. The son of jazz musician Olu Dara, he was raised in the infamous Queensbridge housing projects in Queensbridge, New York. According to the Nasty Songfacts, as a teenager rapper, Nasir first went by the nickname Kid Wave before adopting his more commonly known alias of Nasty Nas. By the time he released his landmark solo debut album Illmatic in 1994, Jones was known as Nas.
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.
1973–1992: 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.
1992–1995: 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 Serch’s solo album is released later in the year, Nas’ 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.
1996–1998: 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.
1998–2000: 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.
2000–2001: 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."
2002–Present: 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 KoЯn'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, Nas’ 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..
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.
1973–1992: 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.
1992–1995: 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 Serch’s solo album is released later in the year, Nas’ 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.
1996–1998: 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.
1998–2000: 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.
2000–2001: 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."
2002–Present: 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 KoЯn'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, Nas’ 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..
Music For Life
Nas Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴
NEXT MESSAGE
Yo, I don't know where to start
Uh, check it out, music is
- my total existence, dawg, straight up
Everything with my life revolves around music
It's like you can't get a relationship with
I'm still with my first love which is music
You'know'what'I'm'sayin'? For real
The reason I'm here is is
J Dilla, just like that, peace
END OF MESSAGE pre-saved, next message
Yeah, yeah it started with rhythms I heard
Listenin' to the wall
The bouncin' of basketballs on
Playgrounds and all
The empty bottles that's hollow
Wind blowin' inside 'em
The flow and the rhymin' got
My alignment to a science
Mixin' with my moms in the kitchen
Them spoons rattlin'
Pots and pans, faucet water pourin'
Tunes managin'
To come from all the fussin' and ramblin'
What I noticed was - pure music
Untampered with by things showbiz does older
Thugs showed us stuff
Like how to hold a plug
Juice from the street light
It almost could have blowed us up
Crates of records
Great sessions had the whole hood jammin'
Large speakers, fresh made
Smell the wood sandin'
Father did his blues smooth
Legendary jazz man
Saw his wife secondary to his true passion
Started with my crew rappin'
New jacks in '82 never looked back
Now look what it changed me to: music
We gotta believe the future
We gotta believe the past
We gotta believe in more
That know that we have
We gotta believe each other
We gotta open up our minds
'Cause music is for life for life
NEXT MESSAGE
Uh, what's the difference between me and you?
It's I'm a real connoisseur of this rap shit
I really do it
My whole life, man, is really music
Through my bassline, I'm livin' through it
Another expression of life I
Couldn't live without
I like my music straight pure
Not watered down
DAMN, it felt good to fulfill the
Dreams of gettin' out the hood kept me busy
Gave me a chance to stop sellin' drugs
Spendin' time in the basement kept
Me from actin' up
Zonin' out, wishin' Dre could check it out
I'm here now, I can't believe it
Proof in the puddin'
Everything happened for a reason
Through this music I'm able
To feed the family
When I'm stressed out, it's my sanity
It's a lifestyle
All on the street and in Hollywood
Music in my DNA, it's my livelihood: music
We gotta believe the children
We gotta believe in hope
We gotta believe in more
That know that we know
See, we gotta believe each other
We gotta open up our minds
'Cause music is for life for life
NEXT MESSAGE
Keep the music alive
The good and the strong survive
I closed my eyes and imagined
I was 'Jackson Five'
Randy and Michael, goin' through life cycle
Music allowed me to let life go
So vital to a youngster
Comin' up amongst street hustlers
The big beat'll touch us in
Such a special place
Givin' the ghetto a taste of
What freedom is like
I reached a point in my life
Where I was needin' the mic
No second guessin'
Self-expression in lessons learned
Aggression became sessions where
Sessions burned
Put my soul into it, now my feet is firm
In the game, where a name is hard to earn
And hot cats' careers gets scarred and burned
Through the years, mine took a Godly turn
This is the story of my life
Here trapped in a verse
No matter money or the
Movies, music is first, yeah
We gotta believe the future
We gotta believe the past
We gotta believe in more
That know that we have
So we gotta believe each other
We gotta open up our minds
'Cause music is for life
See, we gotta believe the children
We gotta believe in hope
We gotta believe in more than all we know
See, we gotta believe each other
We gotta open up our minds
'Cause music is for life
NEXT MESSAGE
Ayo, Hi Tek whattup?, you know who this is
It's your boy Busta Bus down, Flipmode Squad
Aiight now, you know
This is serious thing behind the
Music that we're doing
It's like, music, for me man
It mean, it means everything, family
You know when we going through
Our personal strifes in life
You know what I'm sayin'
We get up in that studio
Close that door, we locking ourselves
In, that little four-wall space, man
Get up in the vocal booth and
Become whoever you wanna be
Express whatever you wanna feel
You know what I mean?
When you going through your most
Frustrating time in life
You know what I'm sayin'
You can realize that
When you can't find nobody else to speak to
You can speak through the music
Help other people feel your
Pain, your struggle, your passion
You know, what you live and die for
Your values in life you know what I mean?
Music, man
It's the voice of every being in the universe
The platform provided for us to communicate
When all else fails
It's what allows us to be able to connect
With touching our hearts and the
Soul of the streets
First skipped message
Yo, I'm a Rosemont legend nigga
I'm a felony nigga
Keep rollin' the motha'fuckers in, my nigga
Like the bait, theythey hoppin' on it
When the bait go in, nigga
They can't playa hate on it
I'm comin' back niggas, stronger than ever
Watch this, nigga, Bony Bones, clever if ever
Playa hater, can't motha'fucker
Fuck with this
My baby mama even talk about my shit, ha
I'm hotter than hot, hotter, what? Tell 'em
Boo yeah, I'm on, alright
Bony Bones in the house, nigga
END OF MESSAGE
Yo, I don't know where to start
Uh, check it out, music is
- my total existence, dawg, straight up
Everything with my life revolves around music
It's like you can't get a relationship with
I'm still with my first love which is music
The reason I'm here is is
J Dilla, just like that, peace
END OF MESSAGE pre-saved, next message
Yeah, yeah it started with rhythms I heard
Listenin' to the wall
The bouncin' of basketballs on
Playgrounds and all
The empty bottles that's hollow
Wind blowin' inside 'em
The flow and the rhymin' got
My alignment to a science
Mixin' with my moms in the kitchen
Them spoons rattlin'
Pots and pans, faucet water pourin'
Tunes managin'
To come from all the fussin' and ramblin'
What I noticed was - pure music
Untampered with by things showbiz does older
Thugs showed us stuff
Like how to hold a plug
Juice from the street light
It almost could have blowed us up
Crates of records
Great sessions had the whole hood jammin'
Large speakers, fresh made
Smell the wood sandin'
Father did his blues smooth
Legendary jazz man
Saw his wife secondary to his true passion
Started with my crew rappin'
New jacks in '82 never looked back
Now look what it changed me to: music
We gotta believe the future
We gotta believe the past
We gotta believe in more
That know that we have
We gotta believe each other
We gotta open up our minds
'Cause music is for life for life
NEXT MESSAGE
Uh, what's the difference between me and you?
It's I'm a real connoisseur of this rap shit
I really do it
My whole life, man, is really music
Through my bassline, I'm livin' through it
Another expression of life I
Couldn't live without
I like my music straight pure
Not watered down
DAMN, it felt good to fulfill the
Dreams of gettin' out the hood kept me busy
Gave me a chance to stop sellin' drugs
Spendin' time in the basement kept
Me from actin' up
Zonin' out, wishin' Dre could check it out
I'm here now, I can't believe it
Proof in the puddin'
Everything happened for a reason
Through this music I'm able
To feed the family
When I'm stressed out, it's my sanity
It's a lifestyle
All on the street and in Hollywood
Music in my DNA, it's my livelihood: music
We gotta believe the children
We gotta believe in hope
We gotta believe in more
That know that we know
See, we gotta believe each other
We gotta open up our minds
'Cause music is for life for life
NEXT MESSAGE
Keep the music alive
The good and the strong survive
I closed my eyes and imagined
I was 'Jackson Five'
Randy and Michael, goin' through life cycle
Music allowed me to let life go
So vital to a youngster
Comin' up amongst street hustlers
The big beat'll touch us in
Such a special place
Givin' the ghetto a taste of
What freedom is like
I reached a point in my life
Where I was needin' the mic
No second guessin'
Self-expression in lessons learned
Aggression became sessions where
Sessions burned
Put my soul into it, now my feet is firm
In the game, where a name is hard to earn
And hot cats' careers gets scarred and burned
Through the years, mine took a Godly turn
This is the story of my life
Here trapped in a verse
No matter money or the
Movies, music is first, yeah
We gotta believe the future
We gotta believe the past
We gotta believe in more
That know that we have
So we gotta believe each other
We gotta open up our minds
'Cause music is for life
See, we gotta believe the children
We gotta believe in hope
We gotta believe in more than all we know
See, we gotta believe each other
We gotta open up our minds
'Cause music is for life
NEXT MESSAGE
Ayo, Hi Tek whattup?, you know who this is
It's your boy Busta Bus down, Flipmode Squad
Aiight now, you know
This is serious thing behind the
Music that we're doing
It's like, music, for me man
It mean, it means everything, family
You know when we going through
Our personal strifes in life
You know what I'm sayin'
We get up in that studio
Close that door, we locking ourselves
In, that little four-wall space, man
Get up in the vocal booth and
Become whoever you wanna be
Express whatever you wanna feel
You know what I mean?
When you going through your most
Frustrating time in life
You know what I'm sayin'
You can realize that
When you can't find nobody else to speak to
You can speak through the music
Help other people feel your
Pain, your struggle, your passion
You know, what you live and die for
Your values in life you know what I mean?
Music, man
It's the voice of every being in the universe
The platform provided for us to communicate
When all else fails
It's what allows us to be able to connect
With touching our hearts and the
Soul of the streets
First skipped message
Yo, I'm a Rosemont legend nigga
I'm a felony nigga
Keep rollin' the motha'fuckers in, my nigga
Like the bait, theythey hoppin' on it
When the bait go in, nigga
They can't playa hate on it
I'm comin' back niggas, stronger than ever
Watch this, nigga, Bony Bones, clever if ever
Playa hater, can't motha'fucker
Fuck with this
My baby mama even talk about my shit, ha
I'm hotter than hot, hotter, what? Tell 'em
Boo yeah, I'm on, alright
Bony Bones in the house, nigga
END OF MESSAGE
The lyrics of "Music for Life" by Nas feat. Hi-Tek & Common convey a deep appreciation and love for music as an integral part of their lives. The song begins with a reflection on how music has been a constant presence, even surpassing romantic relationships. Nas acknowledges that his first love is music and credits J Dilla, a renowned producer, for his inspiration. The verses then delve into the personal experiences and memories that shaped their musical journeys. Common reminisces about the rhythms he heard as a child, including the bouncing of basketballs and the sound of wind blowing through empty bottles. He emphasizes the purity of music untouched by the show-business industry and attributes his alignment to it as a science. Nas describes growing up surrounded by music, with his mother mixing tunes in the kitchen and his father, a legendary jazz musician, prioritizing his music over everything else. Both artists emphasize how their love for music has shaped their lives and provided them with a sense of purpose and fulfillment.
Overall, the song highlights the immense impact that music has had on their lives, acting as a soundtrack to their experiences, and providing a means of expression and connection. It serves as a celebration of the power of music to inspire, heal, and unite.
Lyrics © BMG Rights Management, Universal Music Publishing Group, Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC
Written by: LONNIE RASHID LYNN, MARSHA AMBROSIUS, NASIR JONES, TONY COTTRELL
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
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@damuonelove2232
i dont think so Nas has a pure balance if you put hi tek on every track you would not have the same lyrical breakdowns and build ups it lead away from the world scoping thru the ear and nas want hIs magic to lead upon itsself so he cant give us an album with one producer the signs would stray OG
g
@alexanderr5033
Yea, yea
It started with rhythms I heard listenin' to the wall
The bouncin' of basketballs on playgrounds and all
The empty bottles that's hollow, wind blowin' inside 'em
The flow and the rhymin' got my alignment to a Science
Mixin' with my moms in the kitchen, them spoons rattlin'
Pots and pans, faucet water pourin', tunes managin'
To come from all the fussin' and ramblin'
What I noticed was -- pure music, untampered with
By things show biz does; older thugs showed us stuff
Like how to hold a plug, juice from the street light
It almost could have blowed us up
Crates of records, great sessions had the whole hood jammin'
Large speakers, fresh made, smell the wood sandin'
Father did his blues smooth, legendary jazz man
Saw his wife secondary to his true passion
Started with my crew rappin', new jacks in '82
Never looked back, now look what it changed me to.. music
[Chorus #1: Marsha Ambrosius of Floetry]
We gotta believe the future
We gotta believe the past
We gotta believe in more
Didn't know that we had it
We gotta believe each other
We gotta open up our minds
'Cause music is for life.. for life
[NEXT MESSAGE]
[Verse Two: Hi-Tek]
Uh, what's the difference between me and you?
It's that I'm real kind show, this rap s***, I'd really do it
My whole life man is really music
Through my bass line, I'm livin' through it
Another expression of life, I couldn't live without it
I like my music pure, not watered down
d***!, it felt good to fulfill the dreams of gettin' out the hood
Kept me busy, gave me a chance to stop sellin' drugs
Spinnin' time in the basement kept me from actin' up
Zonin' out, wishin' Dre. could check it out
I'm here now, I can't believe it, Proof in the puddin'
Everything happened for a reason
Through this music I'm able to feed the family
When I'm stressed out, it's my insanity
It's a life style, all in the streets and in Hollywood
Music in my DNA, it's my livelihood.. music
[Chorus #2: Marsha Ambrosius of Floetry]
We gotta believe the children
We gotta believe in hope
We gotta believe in more
Didn't know that we'd know
See we gotta believe each other
We gotta open up our minds
'Cause music is for life.. for life
[NEXT MESSAGE]
[Verse Three: Common]
Keep the music alive
The good and the strong survive
I closed my eyes and imagined I was 'Jackson Five'
Randy and Michael goin' through life cycle
Music alive leader, let life go
So vital to a youngster, comin' up amongst street hustlers
The big be the toucher's, since such a special place
Givin' the ghetto a taste of what freedom is like
I reached a point in my life where I was needin' the mic
No second guessin', self-expression in lessons learned
Aggression, became sessions where sessions burned
Put my soul into it, 'naw my feet is firm
And the game, where name is hard to earn
And hot cat's career gets scared and burn
Through the years, mine took a Godly turn
This is the story of my life here trapped in a verse
No matter the money or the movies, music is first, yea..
[Chorus #1: Marsha Ambrosius of Floetry]
[Chorus #2: Marsha Ambrosius of Floetry
@jbond9637
Def one of the best hip hop songs ever produced. Nas is so descriptive with his lyrics, like he's painting a picture for you. Then Common just comes in and his flow is immaculate.
@chrisscott1776
Wayne K 💯
@boc813
Perfection.
@papasmurf9484
J Bond Nas paints pictures for your ears so descriptive and clear I just close my eyes and listen to this and I’m there. Fucking amazing 🔥🔥🔥🔥
@shakmarega
If only Hi-Tech would have produced an entire Nas's album, it would've been history made in Hip Hop.
@shonha1
+Rickards Red What do you mean, "whored himself to labels", you do know that every Nas album including Illmatic was done while he was signed to a major record label right. Nas has been signed to a major his whole 20 plus yr career and as kept it as real as any mainstream artist has. Darkchild was expressing a wish that would also be as true with a plethora of other producers, not just Hi-Tek.
@shonha1
+Rickards Red Bredrin, you sound confused as hell. First you accuse sun of whoring out for labels, now he didn't make enough money, and he's simping, whatever the hell that means. Like I said in my first comment, Nas has kept it real and Hip Hop even though he's been a mainstream artist all his career, he's repped the culture to the detriment of his own pockets. Your first comment made no sense and this one is even worse.
@guilhermesantos131
i think this one probably it's majorly produced by dilla
@damuonelove2232
i dont think so Nas has a pure balance if you put hi tek on every track you would not have the same lyrical breakdowns and build ups it lead away from the world scoping thru the ear and nas want hIs magic to lead upon itsself so he cant give us an album with one producer the signs would stray OG
g
@damuonelove2232
only dilla could do that