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.
1973β1992: 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.
1992β1995: 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 Serchβs solo album is released later in the year, Nasβ 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.
1996β1998: 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.
1998β2000: 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.
2000β2001: 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."
2002βPresent: 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 KoΠ―n'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, Nasβ 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..
Royalty
Nas Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Young queen, cross your legs (cross your legs)
Put a crown on your head and remove the chains
Even diamond chains are for slaves
Don't step foot in no penitentiary (penitentiary), oh
Don't taste the poison (poison)
No, don't you bail on your family (no), no-no-no-no-no, no
'Cause they don't know you're royalty
A known fraud once fell on his own sword
Scrawny as a fiend, he'll tell on his own broad
His lady's crazy and it bugs me
Behind her best friend back, she call her best friend baby ugly
Less then a week ago
He's beatin' his dick to a freak he know
Talkin' dirty to him on speakerphone
Right before he clinked up, his girl creeped up
Swung a knife, hit his cheekbone, made a deep cut
He holdin' his face, he out the door
She yellin' out the window, "You can stay with that whore"
Hours went past, stitched up with the gauze
Gettin' drunk by the store, smokin' blunts with some more
Fraud ass niggas who like to front and big talk
Never swung at nobody, never let a gun spark
Big nine-seven Benz with the old body
Pulls up to the corner, out jumps his whole party
Whatever you do, young king, don't wind up dead (wind up dead)
Young queen, cross your legs (cross your legs)
Put a crown on your head and remove the chains
Even diamond chains are for slaves
Don't step foot in no penitentiary (penitentiary), oh
Don't taste the poison (poison)
No, don't you bail on your family (no), no-no-no-no-no, no
'Cause they don't know you're royalty (nigga)
But they gon' know when they see us (yo)
Football wives, basketball wives
Mistresses slash more tires with knives
They lookin' for a dollar
I'm lookin' for a JoAnne Chesimard to turn to a shotta
Spot a King of Diamonds, onyx, one bitch get it off the floor
Other chick out of her man's pockets
What kind of shows you be watchin'?
It shows, this is how we choose who we should rock with
I think about settlin' down again, have more seeds
Ten toes on the ground again, let hoes be
Nothin' like makin' love with somebody you love
Nothin' like comin' home to grub
Netflix, hugs with a wet kiss
The best shit, take my mind off of makin' records
I need that moral support
Give me a reason to spoil you more
Make 'em jealous of who we are
Whatever you do, young king, don't wind up dead (wind up dead)
Young queen, cross your legs (cross your legs)
Put a crown on your head and remove the chains
Even diamond chains are for slaves
Don't step foot in no penitentiary (penitentiary), oh
Don't taste the poison (poison)
No, don't you bail on your family (no), no-no-no-no-no, no
'Cause they don't know you're royalty
But they gon' know when they see us
Tryna get my niggas legitimate
Shit is ugly, my dudes strugglin', drug dealer shit
Silhouette of a murderer, thug nigga, fitted Mets cap
Drunk liquor bit, young black militant
Just hopin' I hit a lick, a criminal's wit
Intelligence, still a menace each Guinness I sip
Bring the kid ideas, the visions I get
How this dude rich? He snuck in with no citizenship
Motivation, so I get off my ass
I'm the star of the movie, lookin' for my supportin' cast
Read the Forbes pages, lookin' at G4s
Wish it could be more, pray I beat the court cases
Women with small waists, lonely, I ain't too far
Smoke weed, and count paper
I'm about paper and pussy and buyin' the bar
Fly ass niggas, y'all jealous of who we are
Whatever you do, young king, don't wind up dead (wind up dead)
Young queen, cross your legs (cross your legs)
Put a crown on your head and remove the chains
Even diamond chains are for slaves
Don't step foot in no penitentiary (penitentiary), oh
Don't taste the poison (poison)
No, don't you bail on your family (no), no-no-no-no-no, no
'Cause they don't know you're royalty
But they gon' know when they see us
Nas's song "Royalty" is a cautionary tale and uplifting message to young black men and women, advising them on the best ways to handle the challenges of life. The lyrics are packed with advice, warnings, and encouragement for young black people to aspire to be royalty, to put a crown on their head, and to remove the chains. The message is clear: don't wind up dead, don't end up in prison, don't taste the poison, and don't bail on your family. Nas urges young black people to lead a life that is royal, to seek excellence, and to command respect. He warns them to be cautious of people who may want to degrade them, to be alert to the dangers of the streets, and to keep a positive mindset.
The second half of the song changes to a freestyle block where Nas addresses different topics, including money, power, and race. He talks about the struggles of black people in America, the importance of education, and the inequalities that exist. He reminds his listeners that they need to stay focused, stay motivated, and to never give up on their dreams. He encourages them to be proud of who they are, to embrace their culture, and to strive for greatness.
Overall, Nas's song "Royalty" is a complex tapestry of ideas and emotions that resonate with young black people all over the world. The song is a masterpiece of rap, with its intricate wordplay, vivid imagery, and powerful message. It is a reminder that, despite the challenges of life, young black people can aspire to greatness, can overcome adversity, and can be royalty in their own right.
Line by Line Meaning
Whatever you do, young king, don't wind up dead (wind up dead)
Do not do anything that will get you killed.
Young queen, cross your legs (cross your legs)
Be careful doing things that may compromise your integrity.
Put a crown on your head and remove the chains
Free yourself from oppression and take control of your own life.
Even diamond chains are for slaves
Expensive things does not mean freedom.
Don't step foot in no penitentiary (penitentiary), oh
Do not go to prison.
Don't taste the poison (poison)
Do not engage in self-destructive behavior.
No, don't you bail on your family (no), no-no-no-no-no, no
Do not abandon your loved ones.
'Cause they don't know you're royalty
Although your family may not see it, you are a king or queen.
But they gon' know when they see us
They will recognize our royalty when they see our success.
A known fraud once fell on his own sword
Those who engage in fraudulent activity will eventually suffer the consequences of their own actions.
Scrawny as a fiend, he'll tell on his own broad
Weak people will betray even their loved ones to save themselves.
His lady's crazy and it bugs me
The behavior of his girlfriend is causing concern.
Less then a week ago
Recently.
He's beatin' his dick to a freak he know
He is engaging in sexual acts with someone who is promiscuous.
Talkin' dirty to him on speakerphone
Engaging in sexually explicit talk through a public channel.
Right before he clinked up, his girl creeped up
Just before he went to prison, his girlfriend caught him cheating.
Swung a knife, hit his cheekbone, made a deep cut
She physically attacked him, causing an injury.
He holdin' his face, he out the door
Injured, he left the house.
She yellin' out the window, "You can stay with that whore"
She is referring to the other woman he was cheating on her with.
Hours went past, stitched up with the gauze
Time passed while he was receiving medical attention.
Gettin' drunk by the store, smokin' blunts with some more
He was drinking and smoking with friends.
Fraud ass niggas who like to front and big talk
People who pretend to be something they're not and brag about it.
Never swung at nobody, never let a gun spark
They have never been in a physical fight or shot anyone.
Big nine-seven Benz with the old body
A car model from 1997 with an outdated design.
Pulls up to the corner, out jumps his whole party
A group of people got out of the car with him.
'Cause they don't know you're royalty (nigga)
Their actions show that they do not recognize their own worth.
But they gon' know when they see us (yo)
Others will eventually see and recognize their worth.
Football wives, basketball wives
Refers to women who date or are married to professional athletes.
Mistresses slash more tires with knives
Refers to a mistress who damages the car of her lover's wife or girlfriend.
They lookin' for a dollar
They are only interested in money.
I'm lookin' for a JoAnne Chesimard to turn to a shotta
He is looking for someone who is committed to revolution, just like JoAnne Chesimard.
Spot a King of Diamonds, onyx, one bitch get it off the floor
When he sees a valuable diamond, he knows that someone will eventually pick it up.
Other chick out of her man's pockets
Another woman is taking money from her man's pockets.
What kind of shows you be watchin'?
Asking what kind of shows the person is interested in watching on TV.
It shows, this is how we choose who we should rock with
It reveals what kind of person someone is based on their interests.
I think about settlin' down again, have more seeds
He is considering settling down and having more children.
Ten toes on the ground again, let hoes be
He is going to stay grounded and focused, disregarding distractions.
Nothin' like makin' love with somebody you love
There is no better feeling than being intimate with someone you love.
Nothin' like comin' home to grub
There is no better feeling than coming home to food.
Netflix, hugs with a wet kiss
Hugging and kissing while watching a Netflix movie.
The best shit, take my mind off of makin' records
He enjoys these activities because they take his mind off of work.
I need that moral support
He needs emotional support from his loved ones.
Give me a reason to spoil you more
He wants to treat his loved ones well and asks them to give him a reason to do so.
Make 'em jealous of who we are
Show the world how great they are together.
Tryna get my niggas legitimate
He will help his friends get legitimate work.
Shit is ugly, my dudes strugglin', drug dealer shit
He has friends who are struggling and in a life of drug dealing.
Silhouette of a murderer, thug nigga, fitted Mets cap
He is dressed like a murderer and thug with a baseball cap.
Drunk liquor bit, young black militant
He is drunk and still fighting for the freedom of his people.
Just hopin' I hit a lick, a criminal's wit
Even though he is fighting for his people, he is still hoping to make money through criminal behavior.
Intelligence, still a menace each Guinness I sip
Despite his intelligence, he is still dangerous when drinking alcohol.
Bring the kid ideas, the visions I get
He has great ideas and wants to share them with others.
How this dude rich? He snuck in with no citizenship
He wonders how someone who is not a citizen can be rich.
Motivation, so I get off my ass
He is motivated to get up and do something productive.
I'm the star of the movie, lookin' for my supportin' cast
He is the lead in his own life movie, and he is looking for people to support him.
Read the Forbes pages, lookin' at G4s
He reads Forbes and is interested in private jets.
Wish it could be more, pray I beat the court cases
He hopes to have even more wealth and prays that he can win any court cases he may face.
Women with small waists, lonely, I ain't too far
He is close to being with women who have small waists and feel lonely.
Smoke weed, and count paper
He smokes marijuana and makes money.
I'm about paper and pussy and buyin' the bar
He is focused on getting money and women and buying the bar.
Fly ass niggas, y'all jealous of who we are
They are confident and successful and know that others are jealous of them.
Lyrics Β© Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC
Written by: Chancey Hollis, Christopher Breaux, Nasir Jones
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
@kayodeodusanya5751
First Nas and Hit-Boy song that led to them making the King's Disease album.
@matthewlavalle5986
Came here for this acknowledgment
@Igottamakeit
''They lookin for a dollar...I'm lookin for a Joanne Chesimard to turn to Assata" Nas on a different level! Pure fire.
@shadejahcarr8666
IGottaMakeIt 4 real tho I can agree to that.
@nolinpowe
Spotta, king of diamonds, onyx, one bitch get it out the floor, other chick gets it outta her mans pockets, what kind of shows you be watchin'
-yeah I totally get that part
@ErrylZakari
That Chorus is deep af
@jamanwashington902
Erryl Zakari mary j blige
@GFS695
@@jamanwashington902 That doesnt sound like MJB at all, sure about that?
@jamanwashington902
She wrote the chorus
@corneliusgriffin5033
Man that's what I'm saying so inspiring this what I need to play to my son's 11 12 17 nas you a genius and shot out to queen on chorus