Illmatic was a critically acclaimed bestseller and is widely considered one of the greatest rap albums of all time. He married R&B singer Kelis in 2005, they have one son together, and she filed for divorce on the 29th of April 2009. Nas was also a part of hip hop supergroup The Firm, which released one album.
In the years following the release of Illmatic, Nas pursued a more commercial direction, which resulted in wider success but decreased artistic credibility among critics and hip-hop purists. Furthermore, Nas' increased commercial success was accompanied by stylistic changes that fostered accusations of "selling out". Nevertheless, the LP Stillmatic is often credited for restoring Nas' credibility among fans. Since the success of Stillmatic, Nas continues to maintain a high profile within the hip hop community, and has pursued a decidedly progressive and personal aesthetic. While Nas' current artistic direction differs greatly from his most successful work, it has ensured that he remains one of the most respected and acclaimed contemporary rappers.
1973โ1992: Childhood and early career
Nas was born in Brooklyn, New York, as the elder of Olu Dara and Fannie Ann Jones's two children; his brother Jabari (nicknamed "Jungle" because he was born in the Congo) is the younger of the two. The family lived for a time in Brooklyn, before moving to Queensbridge, the largest public housing project in the United States. Olu Dara left the household in 1986, when Nas was 13, and Ann Jones raised her two boys on her own. Nas dropped out of school in the eighth grade and began selling drugs on the streets of New York. He educated himself, reading about African culture and civilization, the Qur'an, the Bible and the Five Percent Nation. He also studied the origin of hip hop music, taping records that played on his local radio station. As a child, Nas had wanted to be an instrumentalist (at the age of three, Nas played his father's trumpet on the step of their Brooklyn home) and also a comic book artist. Shortly after his parents separated, Nas began to write short stories as he immersed himself deeper into hip-hop culture.
By his preteen years, he had settled on pursuing a career as a rapper, and as a teenager enlisted his best friend and upstairs neighbor Willie "Ill Will" Graham as his DJ. Nas first went by the nickname Kid Wave before adopting his more commonly known alias of Nasty Nas. Nas and Graham soon met hip-hop producer and Flushing Queens resident Large Professor, who introduced Nas to his group, Main Source. In 1991, Nas made his on-record debut with a verse on "Live at the BBQ", from Main Source's LP Breaking Atoms. Despite the substantial buzz for Nas in the underground scene, the rapper was rejected by major labels and was not signed to a recording deal. Nas and Graham continued to work together, but their partnership was cut short when Graham was shot and killed by a gunman in Queensbridge on May 23, 1992.
1992โ1995: The recording and release of Illmatic
In mid-1992, Nas was approached by MC Serch of 3rd Bass, who became his manager and secured Nas a record deal with Columbia Records the same year. Nas made his solo debut on the single "Halftime" from Serch's soundtrack for the film Zebrahead. The single increased the buzz surrounding Nas and when MC Serchโs solo album is released later in the year, Nasโ standout appearance on "Back To The Grill" only intensified interest in his upcoming album, amid immense anticipation. Hailed as the second coming of Rakim, his rhyming skills attracted a significant amount of attention within the hip-hop community. However, many were concerned that Columbia, being a major label, would try to dilute his New York based style.
In 1994, Nas' debut album, Illmatic was finally released. Critically acclaimed and widely regarded as one of the premier rap albums ever created, Illmatic featured lyrics that portrayed stunning visual imagery and production courtesy of several producers . The album featured production from Large Professor, Pete Rock, Q-Tip (of A Tribe Called Quest) and DJ Premier, as well as guest appearances from Nas' friend AZ and his father Olu Dara on the song "Life's a Bitch", Illmatic was immediately hailed as a masterpiece by critics, and is still highly regarded as one of the definitive hip-hop albums of all time. Notable songs on the album included "NY State of Mind" (produced by Premier), "The World Is Yours" (produced by Pete Rock), "One Love" (produced by Q-Tip) and "It Ain't Hard To Tell" (produced by Large Professor and featuring a sample of "Human Nature" by Michael Jackson). However, due in part to extensive bootlegging, the record sales fell below expectations.
Following Illmatic, Nas appeared on AZ's Doe Or Die album, and collaborated with his Queensbridge-associates, Mobb Deep, on their album, The Infamous. One notable achievement during this period was Nas' verse on "Verbal Intercourse" on Raekwon's Only Built 4 Cuban Linx. After this appearance, Nas received a Source Quotable as he had the distinction of being the only non-Wu-Tang Clan member to be featured on one of the group's solo albums.
1996โ1998: From It Was Written to The Firm
Columbia began to press Nas to work towards more commercial topics like the rapper The Notorious B.I.G., who had become successful by releasing street singles that still retained pop-friendly appeal. Nas traded manager MC Serch for Steve Stoute, and began preparation for his second LP, It Was Written, consciously working towards a crossover-oriented sound. It Was Written, chiefly produced by Poke and Tone of Trackmasters Entertainment, was released during the summer of 1996. Two singles, "If I Ruled The World (Imagine That)" (featuring Lauryn Hill of The Fugees) and "Street Dreams" (a remix features R. Kelly) were instant hits. These songs were promoted by big-budget music videos directed by Hype Williams, making Nas a common name among mainstream hip-hop. Other notable tracks on the album included "The Message" and "I Gave You Power," which tells a story from the perspective of a gun. It Was Written also featured the debut of The Firm, a supergroup consisting of Nas, AZ, Foxy Brown, and Cormega. The album also introduced Nas's Mafioso-inspired character "Nas Escobar", who lived more of a Scarface/Casino-esque lifestyle. On the other hand, Illmatic, which, while having numerous references to Tony Montana and the theatrical hit featuring Al Pacino, was more about Nas' life as a teenager in the projects, hustling and smoking marijuana.
The Firm signed to Dr. Dre's Aftermath Entertainment label, and began working on their debut album. Halfway through the production of the album, Cormega was fired from the group by Steve Stoute, who had unsuccessfully attempted to force Cormega to sign a deal with his management company. Cormega therefore became one of Nas' most vocal opponents, releasing a number of underground hip-hop singles dissing Nas, Stoute, and Nature, who was Cormega's replacement in The Firm. The Firm's The Album was finally released in 1997 to mixed reviews and lackluster sales and the members of the supergroup went their separate ways.
At about this time, Nas became a spokesperson for the Willie Esco urban clothing line, but had no other connection with the clothing line. He stopped promoting Willie Esco in 2000, dissatisfied with the company's operations. During the same period, Nas co-wrote and starred in Hype Williams' 1998 feature film Belly, which also featured DMX, Taral Hicks, and T-Boz of TLC among its cast.
1998โ2000: I Am... to Nastradamus
In 1998, Nas began work on a double album to be entitled I Am...The Autobiography, which he intended as the middle ground between the extremes of Illmatic and It Was Written. The album was completed in early 1999, and a music video was shot for its lead single, Nas Is Like, produced by DJ Premier and featuring vocal samples from "It Ain't Hard to Tell". However, much of the LP was leaked in MP3 format onto the Internet, and Nas and Stoute quickly recorded enough substitute material to constitute a single-disc release.
The second single for I Am was "Hate Me Now," featuring Sean "Puffy" Combs (now "Diddy"), was used as an example by Nas' critics for moving towards commercial themes. Hype Williams shot an allegorical video for the single, which featured Nas and Puffy being crucified in a manner similar to Jesus; After the video was completed, Combs, a Catholic, requested his crucifixion scene be edited out of the video. However, the unedited copy of the "Hate Me Now" video made its way to MTV, and was premiered on April 15, 1999 on TRL. A furious Combs and his bodyguards allegedly made their way into Steve Stoute's office and assaulted him, at one point apparently hitting Stoute over the head with a champagne bottle. Stoute pressed charges, but he and Combs settled out-of-court that June.
Columbia had scheduled to release the pirated material from I Am under the title Nastradamus during the latter half of 1999, but, at the last minute, decided Nas should record an entirely new album for release. Nastradamus was therefore rushed to meet a November release date. Though critics were not kind to the album, it did result in a minor hit, the Timbaland-produced "You Owe Me," featuring R&B singer Ginuwine. The only pirated track from I Am... to make it onto Nastradamus was "Project Windows," featuring Ronald Isley. A number of the other bootlegged tracks later made their way onto The Lost Tapes, a collection of underground Nas songs that was released by Columbia in September 2002. The collection saw decent sales and received glowing reviews.
2000โ2001: The Nas vs. Jay-Z rivalry and Stillmatic
The highly publicized rivalry between Nas and Jay-Z began as a rivalry between Nas and Jay-Z's protege, Memphis Bleek. On his debut album Coming of Age, Bleek made a song entitled "Memphis Bleek Is", which was similar in concept to Nas' single "Nas is Like". On the same album, Bleek recorded "What You Think Of That" featuring Bleek's mentor Jay-Z, which contains the refrain, "I'ma ball 'til I fall/what you think of that?". In retaliation, "Nastradamus", the title track from Nas' second 1999 album, featured a reference to "What You Think Of That". The lyrics state, "You wanna ball till you fall, I can help you with that/You want beef? I could let a slug melt in your hat." Memphis Bleek perceived the reference on "Nastradamus" as a diss, and therefore dissed Nas on the lead single for his The Understanding LP, My Mind Right".
QB's Finest was a compilation album that featured Nas and a number of other rappers from Queensbridge, including Mobb Deep, Nature, Littles, The Bravehearts (which included Nas' younger brother Jungle among its members), and Cormega, who had briefly reconciled with Nas. The album also featured guest appearances from Queensbridge hip-hop legends Roxanne Shante, MC Shan, and Marley Marl. Shan and Marley Marl both appeared on the lead single "Da Bridge 2001", which was based on Shan & Marl's 1986 recording "The Bridge". "Da Bridge 2001" also featured a response from Nas to Memphis Bleek, in which Nas called out most of the Roc-A-Fella Records roster, including Bleek, Damon Dash, Beanie Sigel, and Jay-Z.
Jay-Z responded to Nas' songs with an onstage swipe during the 2001 Hot 97 Summer Jam concert in New York City, when he premiered his song "Takeover." Initially, the song was to only be a Mobb Deep diss, only including one line about Nas near the end. Nevertheless, Nas recorded the "Stillmatic Freestyle," an underground single which sampled Rakim and Eric B.'s "Paid in Full" beat, and attacked Jay-Z and his Roc-A-Fella label. On his 2001 album, The Blueprint, Jay-Z rewrote "Takeover," dedicating half of the song to dissing Nas, claiming that he had a "...one hot album every ten year average" record (referring to Illmatic) that his flow was weak, and that he had fabricated his past as a hustler.
Nas responded with "Ether", the track begins with gunshots and a repeated, slowed-down sample of Tupac rapping "Fuck Jay-Z." (taken from Tupac's "Fuck Friends") In "Ether," Nas accuses Jay-Z of stealing ("biting") lyrics from The Notorious B.I.G. and brown-nosing Nas and other rappers for fame. Ether was included on Nas' fifth studio album, Stillmatic, released in December 2001. Stillmatic managed to be not only a critically-acclaimed comeback album, but a commercial success as well, albeit not on the level of It Was Written and I Am...; the album debutted at #7 on the Billboard album charts and featured the singles "Got Ur Self A..." and "One Mic." In terms of commercial success, Jay's The Blueprint was certified double-platinum, while Stillmatic went platinum.
Jay-Z responded to "Ether" with a freestyle entitled "Supa Ugly." going into detail about how he had sex with Carmen Bryan, the mother of Nas' daughter Destiny. Nas dismissed the track by claiming that he was no longer with Bryan during the time the affair took place. In a recent interview, however, New York radio station Hot 97 settled the battle taking votes comparing "Ether" and "Supa Ugly," and Nas won with 58% while Jay-Z got 42% of the votes. By 2005, the two rappers had eventually ended their feud without violence or animosity. During Jay-Z's I Declare War - Power House concert, Jay-Z announced to the crowd, "It's bigger than 'I Declare War'. Let's go, Esco!" Nas then joined Jay-Z onstage, and the two then performed "Dead Presidents" together, which Jay-Z had sampled from Nas' song "The World is Yours."
2002โPresent: From God's Son to Street's Disciple and beyond
In December 2002, Nas released the God's Son album. and its lead single, "Made You Look". The album debuted at #18 on the Billboard charts despite widespread internet bootlegging. Time Magazine named his album best hip-hop album of the year. Vibe Magazine gave it 4 stars and The Source gave it 4 mics. The second single, the inspirational "I Can", which reworked elements from Beethoven's "Fur Elise", became Nas' biggest hit to date during the spring and summer of 2003, garnering substantial radio airplay on urban, rhythmic, and top 40 radio stations, as well as on the MTV and VH1 music video networks. God's Son also includes several songs dedicated to memory of Nas' mother, who died of cancer in 2002. In 2003, Nas was featured on the Korn song "Play Me", from Koะฏn's Take a Look in the Mirror LP.
Nas released his seventh studio album, the critically acclaimed double-disc Street's Disciple, on November 30, 2004. The album's first singles were "Thief's Theme" and "Bridging the Gap", which features his father Olu Dara on vocals. The album also includes "These are Our Heroes", which accuses prominent sports stars and actors such as Kobe Bryant, Lenny Henry, Tiger Woods, and Cuba Gooding, Jr. of neglecting their heritage and background in favour of white values. The videos for "Bridging the Gap" and "Just A Moment" received moderate airplay on MTV and BET. Although the album went platinum, its commercial profile was relatively low compared to the rapper's previous releases.
Nas was featured on Kanye West's album Late Registration on a song titled "We Major". West said the song was Jay-Z's favorite on the album, but West was unable to get Jay-Z to record a vocal for the final mix of the song. He also appeared on Damian Marley's song "Road to Zion" (which also featured newcomer The Game in the video, widening Nas' still growing universally appreciated raps) and several other songs such as "Death Anniversary" and "It Wasn't You" (featuring Lauryn Hill). In addition, Nas was most recently married to the R&B singer Kelis, who is mostly known for her work internationally, but nonetheless released great hits in the U.S. The couple wed on Jan. 8, 2005 in Atlanta, GA, after a two-year engagement.
During this time, Nas announced that his next album would be entirely self-produced and feature no other rappers, and would be titled Nasir, and later that the project would feature other producers after all and would be called Nasdaq: Dow Jones. Neither of these albums ever materialized.
At a free concert in Central Park, New York, Nas made a statement regarding the quality of 50 Cent's music. "this is the real shit, not that 50 Cent shit!" In response, 50 Cent included a stab at Nas by speaking negatively of his wife Kelis on his single "Piggy Bank," implying that Kelis was promiscuous and calling Nas a "sucker for love." Nas was quoted as saying that he feels no obligation to retaliate, remarking "[50 has] got a good five to six more albums before I can really respond to him." Nas eventually decided to retaliate, and in July 2005 released "Don't Body Ya Self (MC Burial)", a song which taunts 50 Cent and his G-Unit crew, stating that 50 was "a sucka for death if I'm a sucka for love." However, despite all of this, Nas still claims to "have a lot of love towards 50," claiming 50 didn't understand his moves when they both were together at Columbia Records.
In January 2006, Nas signed a label deal with Jay-Z's Def Jam, further emphasizing the Jay-Z/Nas truce and raising expectations for a collaboration even higher. His album due in fall of 2006 will come out in a joint deal with this imprint and Columbia Records. He recently announced to MTV News that his album is to be named, "Hip Hop is Dead...the N," the N being a play on the word the "end." The title is supposed to reflect what some would term the current low quality of rap music. The highly anticipated album is due out in December 19th, 2006.
Musical style and Technique
Nas has long been famed for his creativity and storytelling prowess, which has earned him acclaim from both the hip-hop community and critics. In his early stages, from his first appearance on the Main Source's Breaking Atoms and throughout the recording of Illmatic, he was perhaps best known for his street-oriented topics, complex lyrical schemes (which often incorporated multi-syllabic internal rhymes), and witty phrasing and imagery. As he progressed and matured, Nas began to branch out into different subjects and developed a richer voice and slower rapping technique.
Following Illmatic's release, Nas developed a penchant for hyper-visual storytelling and topical creativity. For instance, "Undying Love" (featured on I Am...) is a tale of his wife's betrayal told in first person, "Rewind" (featured on Stillmatic) is a narrative in which a story is recited backwards, while on "I Gave You Power" (featured on It Was Written), Nas assumes the role of a gun who recounts brutal tales of murder and violence. Over the years Nas' style has changed significantly. In contrast to his previous work, Nasโ most recent material is distinctively socially aware and often politically inflammatory. Songs such as "I Can" (featured on God's Son) convey moral messages of black youth empowerment, while "These Are Our Heroes (Coon Picnic)" accuses several African-American celebrities of being Uncle Toms. Furthermore, controversial songs such as "My Country" and "A Message to the Feds (Fuck The Police II)" (which are featured on Stillmatic and Street's Disciple, respectively) question the conduct of the American government. Nas' views in his lyrics throughout his career have made references to Islam and the Five Percent Nation..
Shoot
Nas Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
3 loaded clips, 4 niggas roll, one nigga drives
500 benz, 6 reasons why
This kid should die
We shooting every motherfucker outside
Pulled on his block, jumped out the car, guns in our hand
At the same time everybody ran
There that nigga go, hiding in the crowd
Blood on the floor
Then we shot some more
Niggas he was with
2 niggas hit, one nigga fell
One tryed to run, go get him son
Make sure he's done before we bail, I ain't trying to goto jail
Must handle beef, code of the street
Load up the heat, if these nigga think they could fuck around
Real niggas do real things
By all means, niggas knowing how we get down, it goes
Shoot 'em up, just shoot 'em up, what
Kill kill kill, murder murder murder
Shoot 'em up, just shoot 'em up, what
Kill kill kill, murder murder murder
Shoot 'em up, just shoot 'em up, what
Kill kill kill, murder murder murder
Shoot 'em up, just shoot 'em up, what
Kill kill kill, murder murder murder
Driving through roads, suburban chevrolet
6 tinted windows, and I'm on my way
To get up with my hoes, I pull up to they house
Not a freak to be heard, nobody came out
Ringing the bell, where in the hell
Could they be at, I'm about to leave
Steppin' slow, where my truck was at
Who the fuck is that?
Could it be a jack?
Now pull my strap, it's my man
And we have the same plan
There them bitches go
Civic '94, looking funny though
Open up the car door, funny smile
Fuck 2 already, 3rd ass was heavy
"Nas this is sherri, sherri this is nas, and his man, ready?"
Walked in the house, snatched off they clothes
Ran through them hoes
Plenty ice, that they all seemed to like
Can't find my man, heard a blam blam
Now I'm wondering, "in this scam, do I even stand a chance?"
He killed the hoes, took all they doe
Fire in his eyes, higher than the sky
Coming down the stairs
Now he wanting mine, reaching for my nine
Aiming with our guns at each others face, at the same time
My nine on his lips, his fifth on my chin, I start whispering
"put your gun down, we can skip town"
Rocked him to sleep, pushed back his meat
Lift off his chain
Took his shit, emptied out close range
Shoot 'em up, just shoot 'em up, what
Kill kill kill, murder murder murder
Shoot 'em up, just shoot 'em up, what
Kill kill kill, murder murder murder
Shoot 'em up, just shoot 'em up, what
Kill kill kill, murder murder murder
Shoot 'em up, just shoot 'em up, what
Kill kill kill, murder murder murder
The lyrics of Nas's song "Shoot 'em Up" depict an act of brutal violence through the narrative of a drive-by shooting. The first verse describes the preparation for the attack, with the singer and his accomplices armed with multiple guns and loaded clips as they cruise through town in a luxury car. The motive for their violence is unclear, but they set out to kill a specific person and any associates who get in their way. When they arrive at their target's block, they jump out of the car and open fire, causing everyone in the vicinity to scatter. They eventually spot their intended victim and take him down with several shots, then shoot his companions for good measure. The second verse features a different scenario, with the singer visiting a house full of women with the intention of having sex. After a period of waiting, he hears gunshots in the distance and realizes that one of his associates has gone rogue and killed the women. He engages in a tense showdown with the rogue killer, and although he manages to kill him and take his possessions, he struggles to reconcile his actions and whether it was necessary to use lethal force.
"Shoot 'em Up" is an explicit and graphic portrayal of violence, but it also serves as a commentary on the culture of street violence and the moral complexity of retribution. The lyrics reflect the code of the streets, which places a high value on retaliation and respect, as well as the mindset of young men who feel they have no other options but to use violence to assert themselves. At the same time, the song does not glorify the violence or present it as a heroic act, but rather shows its destructive and tragic consequences.
Line by Line Meaning
One 44, two 45's
We have guns of different calibers, a .44 and two .45s.
3 loaded clips, 4 niggas roll, one nigga drives
We are three guys with loaded magazines, riding with four in total, while one of us drives.
500 benz, 6 reasons why
We have a luxurious Mercedes-Benz 500 and six compelling reasons to kill someone.
This kid should die
We've determined that we need to take the life of this young individual.
We shooting every motherfucker outside
We're indiscriminately firing at anyone outside who may witness our actions.
Pulled on his block, jumped out the car, guns in our hand
We arrived at the intended location, got out of the car with guns at the ready.
At the same time everybody ran
As soon as we arrived, all the bystanders fled out of fear.
There that nigga go, hiding in the crowd
We see our intended victim, attempting to blend in with the crowd to avoid capture or harm.
Let the trigger blow, 7 shots now he lying on the ground
Without hesitation, we fired 7 gunshots at him, causing him to collapse dead on the ground.
Blood on the floor
The victim's wound caused blood to spill on the ground.
Then we shot some more
After killing our intended target, we also fired several more shots randomly, just because we could.
Niggas he was with
The other people he was with.
2 niggas hit, one nigga fell
We hit and wounded two more of the people he was with, and one of them fell to the ground.
One tryed to run, go get him son
One of the people he was with tried to run away, so we pursued him to prevent him from escaping.
Make sure he's done before we bail, I ain't trying to goto jail
We made sure he was dead before leaving, in order to avoid being caught by the police and sent to jail.
Must handle beef, code of the street
We are obligated to deal with disputes in a violent manner, as per the unwritten rules of the criminal underworld.
Load up the heat, if these nigga think they could fuck around
We're arming ourselves, in case anyone tries to disrespect or challenge us.
Real niggas do real things
True gangsters take action in real life, rather than just talking.
By all means, niggas knowing how we get down, it goes
Without fail, everyone knows that we will stoop to insidious lows.
Driving through roads, suburban chevrolet
We're driving around in a Chevrolet through the suburban area.
6 tinted windows, and I'm on my way
Our vehicle has six tinted windows, and we're en route to our destination.
To get up with my hoes, I pull up to they house
We're paying a visit to our prostitutes and pulling up to their residence.
Not a freak to be heard, nobody came out
No one responded to us, so we assumed they weren't around.
Ringing the bell, where in the hell
We're trying to get their attention, but they're nowhere to be found, which is odd.
Could they be at, I'm about to leave
We're about to give up and leave, thinking they aren't home.
Steppin' slow, where my truck was at
Walking cautiously, we're heading back to where our vehicle was parked.
Who the fuck is that?
We see a suspicious individual.
Could it be a jack?
We suspect he may be a thief.
Now pull my strap, it's my man
We arm ourselves in case this individual is hostile, but it turns out to be our friend.
And we have the same plan
We're both there with the same intentions.
There them bitches go
We finally spot the prostitutes we're looking for.
Civic '94, looking funny though
The prostitutes drive a 1994 Honda Civic, which we find amusing.
Open up the car door, funny smile
We forcibly open the car door with a sinister grin on our faces.
Fuck 2 already, 3rd ass was heavy
We've already had sex with two of them, and the third one has a big butt.
"Nas this is sherri, sherri this is nas, and his man, ready?"
One of the prostitutes introduces us to a man named Sherri, and vice versa.
Walked in the house, snatched off they clothes
We enter the apartment and take off the prostitutes' clothes without their consent.
Ran through them hoes
We had sexual intercourse with all of them in a crude and rapid fashion.
Plenty ice, that they all seemed to like
We had a lot of expensive jewelry that the prostitutes seemed to be attracted to.
Can't find my man, heard a blam blam
We can't locate our friend, but we hear the sound of gunfire.
Now I'm wondering, "in this scam, do I even stand a chance?"
We're beginning to worry about our safety and whether we'll survive this situation.
He killed the hoes, took all they doe
Our friend murdered the prostitutes and stole all of their money.
Fire in his eyes, higher than the sky
He had a crazed expression on his face, and was under the influence of drugs.
Coming down the stairs
The shooter is descending the stairs and approaching us.
Now he wanting mine, reaching for my nine
The shooter is now targeting me and attempting to take my gun.
Aiming with our guns at each others face, at the same time
We both point our weapons at each other's faces simultaneously.
My nine on his lips, his fifth on my chin, I start whispering
My gun is positioned at his mouth, while his gun is aimed at my chin, and I begin to speak quietly.
"put your gun down, we can skip town"
I suggest that he should lower his weapon, and we should both escape together.
Rocked him to sleep, pushed back his meat
I hit him hard enough to knock him unconscious, and then take his jewelry.
Lift off his chain
I remove the necklace from his body.
Took his shit, emptied out close range
I steal his possessions and shoot him at close proximity until he is dead.
Shoot 'em up, just shoot 'em up, what
The song's hook repeats, emphasizing the violent and senseless nature of these gang activities.
Kill kill kill, murder murder murder
Another repetition of the song's chorus, imploring the listeners to participate in the killing of others without remorse.
Lyrics ยฉ Universal Music Publishing Group
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
@TheRubinho96
Crazy how Nas on his worst album still had a song which is better than 95% of rappers have in their whole career
@maxamilion8490
BloodFam96 so true๐ช
@lordshishio4853
That is how hard the guy is ,even said so ,his weak albums way better than half of these guys alums
@jasonmorrow3204
So I guess the other 5% is Em, 50, Kendrick, Pac, NWA, Biggie, OutKast....
@fettymode7701
This is hella fire this is not his worst album
@Pikabatt69
@Jason Morrow nah they better the nas
@tahmiduddin7286
This is my favorite Christmas song
@jayroyale4114
๐๐๐๐๐๐๐๐คฃ๐คฃ๐คฃ๐คฃ๐คฃ
@brothervsbrother6683
Bahaha
@KD-on6rj
Mines too!