Producer Large Professor provided some background information on how this track came together:
"[Nas] was like, “Yo, you think Q-Tip would give me a beat?” That’s really when I was gettin' up with Tip a lot, so I was like, “Yo, of course. Just roll through with me out to Jamaica [Queens] one time, and we’ll just sit down.” And we did. We rolled out there, back when Tip had all the stuff in Phife’s grandmother’s basement. And we sat down, and Tip was like, “Oh word? I don’t really have no beats done right now. But I'ma show you the record I'ma use for you.” And he played this record [The Heath Brothers' “Smilin' Billy Suite Part II”], and it was just like, “Oh shit! That shit is crazy!” He hooked it up and did his thing, and it was on."
The third verse of this song was the basis of a scene in the movie "Belly", starring Nas and DMX.
This shifting of perspective in his verses is one of Nas’s iconic techniques, as Adam Bradley notes:
"Nas is perhaps contemporary rap’s greatest innovator in storytelling. His catalog includes songs narrated before birth (‘Fetus’) and after death (‘Amongst Kings’), biographies (‘UBR [Unauthorized Biography of Rakim]’) and autobiographies (‘Doo Rags’), allegorical tales (‘Money Is My Bitch’) and epistolary ones (‘One Love’), he’s rapped in the voice of a woman (‘Sekou Story’) and even of a gun (‘I Gave You Power’)."
Nas' storytelling abilities stem from none other than Slick Rick. The last verse is almost reminiscent of Slick Rick’s ‘'Children’s Story’‘ as Nas tells a young child about the life of crime.
Q-Tip told this to XXL about the song:
"Just from when you heard Nas initially, you knew he was ill. When I first heard him rhyme, I knew he was ill. Everybody knew he was ill. But I told Faith, “You guys got somebody special.” Because he has vulnerability in his rhymes. A lot of niggas who MC, you don’t hear the vulnerability. He keeps it relatable, but he has a lot of depth. He can keep it gangsta, he can keep it educated, he can keep it thoughtful. He can tell you that he’s the shit, & he can tell you when he fucks up. And that’s what makes Nas endearing to everybody."
A good guess is that Q-Tip isn’t marked as a featured artist because he only does the hook. If he’d had a rap verse, that might have warranted it back then. Being marked as a “featured” artist was about helping market to people. His name recognition alone probably wasn’t just wasn’t enough in 1994.
Feature credits weren’t prominently displayed on the cover art back then unless it was a huge artist. They’d probably be buried somewhere in the credits, like Q-Tip’s showstealing verse on Deee-Lite’s “Groove Is In The Heart.”
One Love
Nas Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
They say I mustn't go on dating you
But I can't help myself
I can't control myself
Cause I love you
They say I mustn't waste my days on you
They say I mustn't save my nights for you
They say I'll be a fool to be so true to you
Without you I know I'll find
Freedom and my peace of mind
But I love you so
Cause I love you so
Oh how can I go
They say I mustn't care too much for you
They say I mustn't share too much with you
But I really care and I want you to share
Cause I love you
They say I mustn't go on seeing you
They say I mustn't go on dating you
But I can't help myself
I can't control myself
Cause I love you
They say I mustn't waste my days on you
They say I mustn't save my nights for you
They say I'll be a fool to be so true to you
But I love you
Wo ooh
The lyrics of Nas's song "One Love" tell the tragic story of Tommy, a young man who wanted nothing more than to give his love Laura everything she could ever want, including a wedding ring. However, Tommy's aspirations to provide for Laura were sidetracked by his desire to win a thousand-dollar prize in a stock car race. Despite his best intentions to give Laura a better life, Tommy's obsession with winning the prize ultimately resulted in his death. The song's poignant lyrics reveal more than just a tragic love story; they also delve into the themes of sacrifice, regret, and the fleetingness of life.
Line by Line Meaning
Laura and Tommy were lovers
Laura and Tommy were in a romantic relationship
He wanted to give her everything
Tommy wanted to provide Laura with all of his resources and love
Flowers, presents but most of all, a wedding ring
Tommy desired to marry Laura and expressed this through gifts like flowers and presents
He saw a sign for a stock car race
Tommy noticed an advertisement for a car race with a significant monetary prize
A thousand dollar prize it read
The stock car race Tommy found advertised offered a prize of one thousand dollars
He couldn't get Laura on the phone
Tommy was unable to reach Laura to let her know he would be attending a car race
So to her mother, Tommy said
Tommy relayed a message to Laura's mother to let Laura know he loved and needed her before going to the race
Tell Laura I love her, tell Laura I need her
Tommy expressed to Laura's mother that he deeply loved and needed Laura
Tell Laura I may be late
Tommy informed Laura through her mother that he may be delayed in returning from the race
I've something to do that cannot wait
Tommy communicated to Laura's mother that he had something urgent to attend to
He drove his car to the racing grounds
Tommy drove his car to the location of the stock car race
He was the youngest driver there
Tommy was the youngest participant in the race he attended
The crowd roared as they started the race
The audience at the car race expressed their excitement as the event began
'Round the track they drove at a deadly pace
The drivers in the race competed at a high speed, putting their lives at risk
No one knows what happened that day
There is no clear understanding of the events that occurred during the stock car race
How his car overturned in flames
Tommy's car flipped over during the race and caught on fire
But as they pulled him from the twisted wreck
Tommy was rescued from the car crash wreckage
With his dying breath, they heard him say
Tommy's final words before passing away were heard by those present
Tell Laura I love her, tell Laura I need her
Tommy's final message was for Laura to know how much he loved and needed her
Tell Laura not to cry
Tommy urged his loved ones to avoid sadness and tears in his absence
My love for her will never die
Tommy's love for Laura would continue to exist, even after his death
Now in the chapel where Laura prays
The present setting is the chapel where Laura frequents
For Tommy who passed away
Laura is mourning the death of Tommy
It was just for Laura he lived and died
Tommy's life and death were driven by his love for Laura
Alone in the chapel she can hear him cry
Laura feels as though she can sense Tommy's presence and emotions in the chapel
Tell Laura I love her, tell Laura I need her
Tommy's message to Laura remains clear, even in his absence
Tell Laura not to cry
Tommy desires for Laura to avoid feeling sadness or grief in his absence
My love for her will never die
Tommy's love for Laura persists, even in death
Tell Laura I love her
Tommy's final message to Laura, a declaration of his love
Lyrics © O/B/O APRA AMCOS
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
@TheIkaraCult
10 songs, less than 40 minutes, not a single second of it wasted. One of the greatest albums ever.
@justicesav.o_v7312
9 songs*
@tsetsefly3605
Yes sir it's 9 but the deluxe is 12
10 *
@justicesav.o_v7312
@@tsetsefly3605 deluxe?
@7777Lace
Facts
@PaulaDentro-rp6yl
Also no skits
@ProlificPops
Hands down the best rap storyteller ever and it's not even close.
@alvaroach
*Cough Slick Rick *cough *cough
@TenshinhanIsKing
Who's the best MC of all time??? It ain't hard to tell
@ProlificPops
But Slick Rick's story rhymes and raps were nowhere near as complex as Nas's. You could clearly visualize every word Nas rhymed. And Nas was able to do this only as a teenager/twenty years old.