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..
Stay Alive
Nas Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
See thats where they get caught out there.
Cause its not no fuckin game.
When you hear shells comin at cha.
Hot Ones from a shotgun I betta nigga runs faster.
Loose a shoe to get away from a blaster.
Think about that casket you don't wanna be in that shit.
Money over Bitches was a loyal practice.
So you act is if money was no object.
Spinin 5 zues trips for your whole projects.
Epcot center linins for ya bitches roli's for dogs.
Now we in tha mall slayin by his bitches.
Everyday I reminisin how he was livin havin fun.
Cause any day could have led to prison.
Now for a short bid cause if the feds ever caught kid.
It be like 25 years conspiracy.
Another 25 for refeer snatchin up him and his people.
He had his jeep bullet proof with silencers on the desert eagle.
Flipin bricks in Gary Indiana.
He had it locked down from the streets to the slammer.
Only trusted Two things his trigger and his hammer.
Used to be a bumb till had a six month run.
Had a loss suit three G's the case was won.
Met with mexican hoya cop boya.
Bought barber shop named it after c shaday.
There where they found his body.
In a barber chair face down, bullets in his chest.
Sliced apart from the waist down.
Planned to sell his shop stick hoya for everything he got.
Take jewels and his 5.
Then his shoes where cemented.
Drop his body in the tide but hoya was wise.
Even when he ain't around he got ears and eyes.
Gotta stay a step ahead of this game to stay alive.
[Chorus x2]
Always wanted things always wanted cash.
To Live fast get the girls with tha biggest ass.
Fuck her 9 to 5 gotta drive a 5.
Now that I got it the Hardest Thing To Do Is Stay Alive.
Coke head Saundra she grew in Gruwana.
Her man was large and Saundra was his baby mama.
Stayed in drama Fightin with hood rats that he was fucking.
No job all day she did nothing.
They son was 7 years old, she really was a wifee.
First should she would transport blow overnight for a G.
He paid up front they layed up once.
She got pregnant she would dead it.
She had a boy, named her son infinite after his father who did dirt.
She didn't noses after would follow.
Capsules and bottles and crack in the back of his baga.
He let her drive while he drove the burgandy 5.
He often talked about how he wants to murder these guys.
>From off of burger street, had nat workin the street.
Lifestyle richest nigga from how he use to be.
Never thought he'd rock diamonds never took weakness for kindness.
Thats how he gradually grew.
Did a Favor for a favor now the nigga in with the crew.
And Now he live major house in dix hills next to Brook Shields.
With the cook and the maid shit was real.
Saved his first bill, maid, and his bodega.
Good Luck playa sign on the paper taped to the window.
Escaped from a would be kidnapp.
And slept and thought niggas fearless rep until he got wet.
Would had the world in his hands his girl did a scam.
The owners rich is bonin niggas to get rid of her man.
Welcome To The Game Baby.
[Chorus x2]
The Hardest Thing To Do Is Stay Alive...
The Hardest Thing To Do Is Stay Alive...
The Hardest Thing To Do Is Stay Alive...
In the song Hardest Thing To Do, Nas reflects on the harsh reality of the streets and the dangers that come with living the "drug dealer lifestyle." He paints a vivid picture of the violence and the risks associated with being a part of that world. Nas speaks from experience as he grew up in the Queensbridge housing projects in New York and saw this life firsthand.
The lyrics reveal a level of desperation that arises from wanting to succeed and accumulate wealth while constantly living in fear of getting caught or killed. Nas also touches on the subject of loyalty and how it can be tested in dire circumstances. He alludes to the fact that although there might be perceived gains to this type of lifestyle, it is essential to remember that it is a game that often ends tragically for the players.
The chorus of the song echoes the overarching message, which is that staying alive is the hardest thing to do in this game. The lyrics are heartfelt and filled with raw emotion, making it easy for the listener to empathize with the characters depicted in the story.
Line by Line Meaning
So many niggas get fucked up in the game.
Many people fail in the game and suffer.
See thats where they get caught out there.
Because they fail, they end up being caught in their mistake.
Cause its not no fuckin game.
People need to understand that it's not just a game; it's real life.
When you hear shells comin at cha.
When someone shoots at you.
Hot Ones from a shotgun I betta nigga runs faster.
You'll run much faster when somebody is shooting at you with a shotgun.
Loose a shoe to get away from a blaster.
You'll even lose your shoes in order to run as fast as you can away from someone shooting at you.
Think about that casket you don't wanna be in that shit.
Think about the consequences of not surviving.
Quick to take his signin you takin everybodies package.
Be wary of someone who is quick to sign a deal as they might take advantage of everybody else involved in the deal.
Money over Bitches was a loyal practice.
Money was always given priority over women.
So you act is if money was no object.
Act like money is not an object and just spend it all.
Spinin 5 zues trips for your whole projects.
Spend a lot of money on unnecessary things for your whole neighborhood.
Epcot center linins for ya bitches roli's for dogs.
Spend money extravagantly on pointless things like luxury dog collars and designer linens.
Now we in tha mall slayin by his bitches.
Showing off by spending money on women in the mall.
Everyday I reminisin how he was livin havin fun.
Thinking about how he used to live and have fun everyday.
Cause any day could have led to prison.
Acknowledging that any mistake could lead to a person ending up in prison.
Now for a short bid cause if the feds ever caught kid.
Someone could end up going to jail for a short period of time if they were caught by the authorities.
It be like 25 years conspiracy.
If caught, someone could be sentenced to 25 years in jail for conspiracy.
Another 25 for refeer snatchin up him and his people.
Another 25 years in jail for being caught stealing marijuana and getting caught with his associates.
He had his jeep bullet proof with silencers on the desert eagle.
To be safer, the person had his Jeep modified to have bulletproof doors and he put silencers on his gun.
Flipin bricks in Gary Indiana.
Selling drugs in Gary, Indiana.
He had it locked down from the streets to the slammer.
He had everything under control, from the streets to the prison.
Only trusted Two things his trigger and his hammer.
He could only trust his weapons, his gun and hammer.
Used to be a bumb till had a six month run.
This person was a bum until he had a six month streak of success selling drugs.
Had a loss suit three G's the case was won.
The person lost a lawsuit and had to pay $3,000, but he eventually won the case.
Met with mexican hoya cop boya.
Met with a Mexican drug trafficker named Hoya Cop Boya.
Bought barber shop named it after c shaday.
Bought a barbershop and named it after C Shaday.
There where they found his body.
The place where they found his dead body.
In a barber chair face down, bullets in his chest.
He was found dead in a barber chair, with bullets in his chest.
Sliced apart from the waist down.
His body was cut in half from the waist down.
Planned to sell his shop stick hoya for everything he got.
The plan was to sell his barbershop and take Hoya's money.
Take jewels and his 5.
Take his jewelry and his BMW 5 series car.
Then his shoes where cemented.
After stealing from him, his shoes were cemented so he couldn't run away.
Drop his body in the tide but hoya was wise.
The plan was to throw his body in the water, but Hoya was too smart for that plan.
Even when he ain't around he got ears and eyes.
Even though Hoya wasn't present, he always had ears and eyes in the streets to know what was going on.
Gotta stay a step ahead of this game to stay alive.
In order to survive in this game, someone has to stay ahead of the competition.
Always wanted things always wanted cash.
Always wanted material possessions and money.
To Live fast get the girls with tha biggest ass.
Live a fast lifestyle and be with women who have the largest behinds.
Fuck her 9 to 5 gotta drive a 5.
Upgraded from having sexual relationships with women who work 9 to 5 jobs to driving a luxury car.
Now that I got it the Hardest Thing To Do Is Stay Alive.
Now that the person has achieved success, the hardest thing is to maintain their success and stay alive.
Coke head Saundra she grew in Gruwana.
Talking about a woman named Saundra who is a cocaine addict and grew up in Gruwana.
Her man was large and Saundra was his baby mama.
She had a child with a man who was large and in charge.
Stayed in drama Fightin with hood rats that he was fucking.
She was always arguing with women in the neighborhood who her man was having sexual relations with.
No job all day she did nothing.
Saundra didn't work all day, and she didn't really do anything productive either.
They son was 7 years old, she really was a wifee.
Her son was seven years old, and she was really more like a wife to her man than just a girlfriend.
First should she would transport blow overnight for a G.
The first thing she did was transport drugs overnight for a payment of $1,000.
He paid up front they layed up once.
She was paid upfront and then they spent the rest of the time together.
She got pregnant she would dead it.
If she got pregnant, she would have an abortion.
She had a boy, named her son infinite after his father who did dirt.
She had a boy and named him Infinite after his father who engaged in criminal activities.
She didn't noses after would follow.
She didn't know the consequences of the things she was doing and that those actions would later catch up with her.
Capsules and bottles and crack in the back of his baga.
The man she was with had drugs like crack, pills, and bottles stored in the back of his car.
He let her drive while he drove the burgandy 5.
He let Saundra drive while he drove a burgundy BMW 5 series car.
He often talked about how he wants to murder these guys.
He would talk about wanting to kill people who he thought were a threat.
>From off of burger street, had nat workin the street.
They lived near Burger Street and her man had someone named Nat working with them on the streets.
Lifestyle richest nigga from how he use to be.
The man had a rich lifestyle compared to how he used to live.
Never thought he'd rock diamonds never took weakness for kindness.
He never thought he'd wear diamonds and he believed that being kind is a weakness.
Thats how he gradually grew.
This is how he gradually became more successful.
Did a Favor for a favor now the nigga in with the crew.
He did a favor for someone, and in return that person let him join their crew and become part of their team.
And Now he live major house in dix hills next to Brook Shields.
Now he lives in a major house in Dix Hills near Brook Shields.
With the cook and the maid shit was real.
He had a cook and a maid who worked for him, and it was an indication of his success.
Saved his first bill, maid, and his bodega.
He saved his first dollar, his maid, and his store.
Good Luck playa sign on the paper taped to the window.
A sign saying 'Good Luck Player' taped to the window of his store.
Escaped from a would be kidnapp.
He managed to escape from someone who tried to kidnap him.
And slept and thought niggas fearless rep until he got wet.
He slept and believed that he had a fearless reputation, but in reality he ended up getting killed.
Would had the world in his hands his girl did a scam.
He had the world in his hands but his girlfriend did a scam that ended up affecting him.
The owners rich is bonin niggas to get rid of her man.
The owner of the store was sleeping with other people to get revenge on her man.
Welcome To The Game Baby.
Welcome to the game of life where you have to navigate your own way to success and safety.
The Hardest Thing To Do Is Stay Alive...
The most difficult thing to do is to stay alive through all the challenges and obstacles life throws at you.
The Hardest Thing To Do Is Stay Alive...
The most difficult thing to do is to stay alive through all the challenges and obstacles life throws at you.
The Hardest Thing To Do Is Stay Alive...
The most difficult thing to do is to stay alive through all the challenges and obstacles life throws at you.
Lyrics Β© O/B/O APRA AMCOS
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
@KestrelKid1
Pac is one of my favorite rappers ... always will be. Deep love for 2 Pac .... but Nas...... he's the greatest Rapper living.
@stevemcqueen9367
This is official NYC shit the boroughs was crazy back then had to be to there to truly understand word
@stevemcqueen9367
I use to be in trenches in NYC during the worst time so Happy to be alive
@lotezk
this shit makes my head go into low-key mode. mellows me the fuck out. makes me think deep about the people who I come across in life. i constantly am weighing the fake from the real. listen to nas - quiet storm to take that thought even further. peace.
@sanpedrostud
lyrical genius
@MrBaldfingers
Got me through in 2000-2001!! πͺπΎ
@BroNx88Jay
Nas unreleased shit always sounded better than what he put on his albums
@octm1
UpSid3DwnKingd0m changed my view of him like i never knew how deep and great he was
@ONETAKEBKLYN
Some songs just canβt get cleared..labels donβt pay producers etc..lots of these joints he had were leaked ..Nostradamus was leaked..heavy I remember and he had to switch up the tracks ..those lost tapes were supposed to be on nastradamus ..some of them
@blaqdiemenz
whoa
. now.. chill...