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..
Nature Shines
Nas Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Queensbridge, 41st side
Yo yo yo
I gots no birth records, no next of kin
Know a lot of mothafuckers, got no best friends
Know the weather checkin ten-ten winds a.m.
First and fifteenth I'm layin at the check cashing
Think I'm playin, blink and I'm sprayin
I cripple niggas, from the complex to simple niggas
Keep showin y'all what difficult is
Half the world sayin "Dunn" but never been to the Bridge
What type of shit is that, fraudulence, what's the cause of it
Nature came threw erasing all of it, stop the presses
Goofy niggas ask a lot of questions
I repeat this is not a question
If you don't reply quick enough I gotta press em
Keep the glock by the intestines, .38 waist
Wit a belt, regardless of your stats you can catch a shell
[Chorus]
Believe me when I tell you this (Believe me when I tell you this)
There's nuttin y'all can do for me (There's nuttin y'all can do for me)
I don't believe in selfishness, this time I want my crew to eat (My crew)
We comin through a hundred strong (Comin through a hundred strong)
We comin wit a hundred miles (A hundred miles)
Bumpin shit all summer long (Bump that)
We want it dead and want it now (We want it now)
Yo aiyyo I rap for my niggas and rap for the hoes
Rap when I'm gettin dressed, when I iron my clothes
Depressed, I kick raps that change your whole mood
And somehow stick to your ribs like soul food
Rap for wheelchairs, rap for canes
Ace bandages and niggas wit sprain, stay limpin in pain
I rap for math, english, even rap for science
Gotta try to laugh, keep myself from cryin
I rap for Giants, the Jets, the Yankees, the Mets
It's New York New York, from Clue to Flex
New cassettes stay poppin up, your boo let me throw my cock in her
Rappin got me two proper nuts
It's crazy, I even rap for high school coach
White folks fiend out like in Michael Doates
Creamed out, dope stashin
For those askin, I flow for TV, HBO and closed caption
Chorus
Aiyyo aiyyo aiyyo aiyyo
Don't go to Texas, don't go to Watts
Don't go to Queensbridge, nigga don't go to cops
Don't snitch when you're gettin bagged
In the penns, don't bitch when you gettin stabbed
Just hold that, I pose for Kodak's, rose to stardom
Hoes in Harvard, sophmores get knocked off, nigga watch yours
I watch the game like it's Saint John's
It ain't wrong, take a blank piece of paper, a pen paint songs
Type colorful, writin that shit a thug'll do
In the heat of the moment, type to make a sudden move
Some'll snooze, some'll snore, they won't admit that dunn is pure
Once I quit, niggas wanted more
Cop my shit once it come in store
The first week be at the top of the charts, got it jumpin off
Hot verses wit a hundred thoughts
One theme, gettin caught in my zone you'll become a corpse
Chorus 2x
In "Nature Shines," Nas delivers a message of empowerment by highlighting the struggles and achievements that come from living in Queensbridge, a neighborhood in New York City. Nas opens the song by describing his own life: he has no official records or close family, but he knows the streets and the weather patterns. He observes that many other people in his community are alone or struggling, but he remains hopeful that he can erase the fraudulence and question-asking around him. Nas makes it clear that he is not someone to be messed with, but he also cares deeply about his community and his crew. In the second verse, Nas raps about how his music speaks not only to his own life but to the wider experiences of people who get left behind by society. He raps for people with disabilities, for those hurting from injuries, and for anyone who needs a pick-me-up. Nas also mentions that he has a sense of humor and keeps himself from crying, indicating that he is far from defeated.
Line by Line Meaning
Queensbridge, 41st side
I am from Queensbridge neighborhood in New York City
I gots no birth records, no next of kin
I have no records of my birth and no family members
Know a lot of mothafuckers, got no best friends
I know many people, but do not have any close friends
Know the weather checkin ten-ten winds a.m.
I am aware of the weather and regularly check it
First and fifteenth I'm layin at the check cashing
On the first and fifteenth of every month, I go to the check cashing place
Think I'm playin, blink and I'm sprayin
Don't underestimate me, I am not afraid to use a gun when necessary
Wrong move, ask yourself what leg you wanna lose cuz you gon' lose
If you make a mistake, be prepared for the consequences, which may include losing a limb
I cripple niggas, from the complex to simple niggas
I am capable of beating up anyone, regardless of their level of complexity or simplicity
Keep showin y'all what difficult is
I will continue to demonstrate to you what true difficulty is like
Half the world sayin 'Dunn' but never been to the Bridge
Many people use the term 'Dunn' without actually having been to Queensbridge
What type of shit is that, fraudulence, what's the cause of it
This is unacceptable behavior, and I question why people would do it
Nature came threw erasing all of it, stop the presses
I will put a stop to this behavior and make sure it no longer happens
Goofy niggas ask a lot of questions
Ignorant people ask a lot of unnecessary questions
I repeat this is not a question
I am serious and not asking a question
If you don't reply quick enough I gotta press em
If you do not respond fast enough, I will use force against you
Keep the glock by the intestines, .38 waist
I carry my gun close to my body
Wit a belt, regardless of your stats you can catch a shell
Even if you are in good standing, you can still get shot
Believe me when I tell you this (Believe me when I tell you this)
Trust me when I say
There's nuttin y'all can do for me (There's nuttin y'all can do for me)
There's nothing you can do to help me
I don't believe in selfishness, this time I want my crew to eat (My crew)
I am not selfish and want my friends to also succeed
We comin through a hundred strong (Comin through a hundred strong)
We are coming with a large group
We comin wit a hundred miles (A hundred miles)
We come with a lot of energy and determination
Bumpin shit all summer long (Bump that)
We will listen to music and enjoy our summer
We want it dead and want it now (We want it now)
We want to achieve our goals immediately
Yo aiyyo I rap for my niggas and rap for the hoes
I make music for my friends and for women
Rap when I'm gettin dressed, when I iron my clothes
I listen to music while getting ready in the morning
Depressed, I kick raps that change your whole mood
I use music to improve my mood and can help others do the same
And somehow stick to your ribs like soul food
My lyrics will remain in your head, just like a satisfying meal
Rap for wheelchairs, rap for canes
I make music for people with disabilities
Ace bandages and niggas wit sprain, stay limpin in pain
My music can help people who are in pain
I rap for math, english, even rap for science
I make songs that can also teach subjects like math and science
Gotta try to laugh, keep myself from cryin
I use music to cope with my emotions and stay positive
I rap for Giants, the Jets, the Yankees, the Mets
I make music for sports fans in New York City
It's New York New York, from Clue to Flex
I represent New York in my music, as do other DJs like Clue and Flex
New cassettes stay poppin up, your boo let me throw my cock in her
My music is constantly being released, and women are attracted to me because of it
Rappin got me two proper nuts
My success in music has given me confidence and power
It's crazy, I even rap for high school coach
I make music for everyone, including high school coaches
White folks fiend out like in Michael Doates
White people are really into my music, just like they were into Michael Jackson's
Creamed out, dope stashin
I am very successful and have money and drugs
For those askin, I flow for TV, HBO and closed caption
I make music that can be used in TV shows, movies, and even subtitles for the hearing-impaired
Don't go to Texas, don't go to Watts
Do not visit certain dangerous areas
Don't go to Queensbridge, nigga don't go to cops
Do not go to Queensbridge or trust the police
Don't snitch when you're gettin bagged
Do not betray your friends by turning them in
In the penns, don't bitch when you gettin stabbed
If you are in prison and get stabbed, do not complain or whine
Just hold that, I pose for Kodak's, rose to stardom
I am famous and have become very successful
Hoes in Harvard, sophmores get knocked off, nigga watch yours
Women from prestigious schools are attracted to me, so be careful of your own girlfriend
I watch the game like it's Saint John's
I observe everything as if I am a coach or player for a team
It ain't wrong, take a blank piece of paper, a pen paint songs
It is not difficult to make music, all you need is a pen and paper
Type colorful, writin that shit a thug'll do
I write powerful and expressive lyrics that a thug would appreciate
In the heat of the moment, type to make a sudden move
I make decisions quickly and spontaneously when necessary
Some'll snooze, some'll snore, they won't admit that dunn is pure
Some people will not recognize my talent, but that does not matter
Once I quit, niggas wanted more
Once I stopped making music, people wanted more from me
Cop my shit once it come in store
Buy my music as soon as it is available in stores
The first week be at the top of the charts, got it jumpin off
My music will immediately be successful and popular
Hot verses wit a hundred thoughts
My lyrics are filled with many ideas and thoughts
One theme, gettin caught in my zone you'll become a corpse
If you get too caught up in my music, you will be overwhelmed and possibly even harmed
Chorus 2x
Repeated chorus
Contributed by Jack H. Suggest a correction in the comments below.
peaceoncrack
just bought an old Nas Single LP for 2 bucks, with this beat on it. So awesome!
ultimaterhymer1
I rap for math, english, even rap for science, gotta try to laugh keep myself from cryin. Nature most slept on from QB w/ Cormega
BoyWonder
This track was dropped waay before IAM. Clue dropped it on a mix tape. Just the first verse anyways. Nice beat. When I first heard this I thought Nature would have came strong.
Patrick McMullen
Yeah this and "Pray" feat. Bravehearts. Also the track listing is a bit different 1-9 (normal order) 10. Dr. Knockboot * 11. Nas Is Like 12. Natures Shines 13. Life Is What You Make It 14. Big Things 15. Pray 16. K-I-S-S-I-N-G 17. Money Is My Bitch 18. Undying Love * Nas Is Like is between Big Things and K-I-SS-I-N-G on CDs
tomasz raheem
does anyone remember how this wsnt on the i am cd but it was on the tape
gregnice25
i need the instrumental for this track
Magic Garden INC
Me 2
iLLAnswerOnline
classic
tomasz raheem
funny thing this was on the tape but not on the cd....lol
Jay jordan
Taking back to high school 🏫