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.
1973ā1992: 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.
1992ā1995: 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 Serchās solo album is released later in the year, Nasā 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.
1996ā1998: 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.
1998ā2000: 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.
2000ā2001: 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."
2002āPresent: 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 KoŠÆn'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, Nasā 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..
The Art Of It
Nas Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Me extinguished is like Queensbridge fiendless
Mansion, marble foyer
I can afford a closet in alphabet order
A life, Adidas under A, the B for beater, Bottega
British Knights sneaker, my C so ill
That man I get chills when I look at my Christian Dior's, they kill
D is for Dries Van Noten
D cups, tequila and blunts
Weed, women, and liquor
Depending on the day is a different mission
They not knowing, they wanna know what he got on
The QB Don went and got his Pete Rock on
Nas keep a fine bitch to roll his weed up on
My niggas in Mount Vernon keep it G'd up for him
Speaking of G, the Gat I'm good with it, hit your hood with it
.44s never could miss him, coming to see us
Glad to see you made it home to the hood, nigga
We blowing trees, tell me don't it feel good, nigga
Damn it feels good, it feels good don't it
La-la-la
Put that good shit in the air (yeah)
La-la-la
Niggas in the hood don't live forever (my G niggas)
As long as we here together (my QB niggas)
We gon' put that good shit in the air (yeah)
La-la-la
Another bullet manufactured, another man in his casket
Fuck maintaining, that's lame language
Dust to dust, ashes to ashes, I duck quick
Seen fire flashes, the type of fire that spit out a magnum
And I'm the type who runs to the drama looking for who's clapping
Night boo
What I eat him, he like food
Pulled out the barrel
4-5ths rip through bone marrow
Make his toes spiral the dirt
While his feet kick up rock, he's a sprinter
Police agenda, lock up niggas for three winters
When I attack I'm faceless like an iron mask
They get away quick traceless, lying back, liars pass
I breathe deep like Lamaze class
Live young, obtain wisdom, and die last
Stretched out or in a body bag, I ain't that
Live young, obtain wisdom, and die last
Damn it feels good, it feels good don't it
La-la-la
Put that good shit in the air (yeah)
La-la-la
Niggas in the hood don't live forever (my G niggas)
As long as we here together (my QB niggas)
We gon' put that good shit in the air (yeah)
La-la-la
Look I don't have that much time, candidly I'm in divorce
Rumors, DUIs, in and out of court
Different judges, assault charges hovers on your boy
Other niggas' wives lust to be under covers with your boy
Y'all don't want an angry Nas on your label
Y'all got plenty checks, CEO man
I'm only 36 but if it's p-point five on the table
I say with all respect my dude
Thank you, we had the best times but I'm about respect, I'm about the talent I possess
Never know, there could just be a time when I'm behind your desk then let you go
Could you imagine Nas the exec?
The artiste on the masters controlling your release
Probably they wanna wait 'til I'm deceased to honor me
So my product'll be a big commodity
Not bothered if my son and daughter eat off of me
Cautiously I write this next line honestly 'cause I'm a G, there's no beef
I used to open to making fifty G's
But now I spend that on a diamond to make her neck freeze
My larynx'll serenade the hood
I tell the cops my blood dirty, they say I'm all good
TMZ, they hoping when the marriage end I'ma turn to Larry Flynt
Nas is not the average gent, I'm on my classy shit
Here's one small percent of what y'all in store to get
More real nigga shit
Damn it feels good, it feels good don't it
La-la-la
Put that good shit in the air (yeah)
La-la-la
Niggas in the hood don't live forever (my G niggas)
As long as we together (my QB niggas)
We gon' put that good shit in the air (yeah)
La-la-la
The song "The Art Of It" by Nas J. Myers reflects on the life of a wealthy individual living in luxury surrounded by his possessions. The lyrics are filled with references to designer brands, alcohol, drugs, and women. The chorus "damn it feels good, it feels good don't it" expresses the joy and satisfaction that come with living a life of luxury.
The verses speak of the harsh realities that often come with such a lifestyle, including the threat of violence and death. Nas references his own personal struggles, including divorce and legal issues, while also contemplating his future as both an artist and potential executive in the music industry.
The song is a commentary on the dual nature of a life of luxury, with both its pleasures and its dangers. It showcases Nas' skillful lyricism and ability to convey complex ideas and emotions through his music.
Line by Line Meaning
Fire spitter, I ain't never met a higher nigga
I'm an extremely talented rapper, and I've never met anyone who can top my skills
Me extinguished is like Queensbridge fiendless
It's impossible for me to not be relevant or successful, like it's impossible for Queensbridge to not have drug addicts
Mansion, marble foyer
I have an incredibly luxurious home with a grand entrance
I can afford a closet in alphabet order
I have so much money that I can organize my clothes in alphabetical order
A life, Adidas under A, the B for beater, Bottega
My life is organized like my closet, with Adidas shoes under the letter A, beat-up shoes under the letter B, and expensive Bottega Veneta shoes elsewhere
British Knights sneaker, my C so ill
I have such cool shoes, even my third-best ones (British Knights) are amazing
That man I get chills when I look at my Christian Dior's, they kill
I get so excited when I see my Christian Dior shoes because they're so awesome
D is for Dries Van Noten
I like the fashion brand Dries Van Noten
Young niggas try to keep up with what I'm doing
Young rap artists try to copy my style and success
D cups, tequila and blunts
I like women with large breasts, tequila, and smoking blunts
Weed, women, and liquor
My favorite things are smoking weed, hanging out with women, and drinking alcohol
Depending on the day is a different mission
I have different goals each day
They not knowing, they wanna know what he got on
People are curious about what clothes I'm wearing
The QB Don went and got his Pete Rock on
I'm a big fan of producer Pete Rock, and I've incorporated his style into my music
Nas keep a fine bitch to roll his weed up on
I have an attractive woman who rolls my joints for me
My niggas in Mount Vernon keep it G'd up for him
My friends in Mount Vernon, a city in New York, are always loyal and represent for me
Speaking of G, the Gat I'm good with it, hit your hood with it
I'm a skilled shooter and can use my gun to attack anyone
.44s never could miss him, coming to see us
I use a .44 caliber gun, which always hits its target, and people come to visit me because of my reputation
Glad to see you made it home to the hood, nigga
I'm happy to see my friend safely back in the neighborhood
We blowing trees, tell me don't it feel good, nigga
We're smoking marijuana together, doesn't it feel great?
Another bullet manufactured, another man in his casket
More guns are being made, resulting in more deaths
Fuck maintaining, that's lame language
I don't care about long-term stability, that's boring
Dust to dust, ashes to ashes, I duck quick
Everyone eventually dies, so I try to avoid danger
Seen fire flashes, the type of fire that spit out a magnum
I've seen gunfire and high-powered guns like magnums
And I'm the type who runs to the drama looking for who's clapping
I put myself in dangerous situations to find out who's responsible for violence
Night boo
I'm addressing a woman I'm sexually attracted to
What I eat him, he like food
I dominate other men sexually
Pulled out the barrel
I took out my gun
4-5ths rip through bone marrow
My .45 caliber gun blasts through someone's body
Make his toes spiral the dirt
The force of the gun makes the victim's toes dig into the ground
While his feet kick up rock, he's a sprinter
The victim's body convulses and thrashes like a runner's
Police agenda, lock up niggas for three winters
The police have a plan to arrest black men for three years at a time
When I attack I'm faceless like an iron mask
When I commit crimes, I make sure I can't be identified
They get away quick traceless, lying back, liars pass
Criminals escape quickly and quietly, leaving no evidence behind
I breathe deep like Lamaze class
I take deep breaths to stay calm and focused, like a woman in a Lamaze childbirth class
Live young, obtain wisdom, and die last
I believe in enjoying life, learning, and living a long time
Stretched out or in a body bag, I ain't that
I don't want to die violently
Look I don't have that much time, candidly I'm in divorce
I'm going through a divorce and don't have much free time
Rumors, DUIs, in and out of court
There are rumors about me getting arrested for driving under the influence and going to court often
Different judges, assault charges hovers on your boy
I've been charged with assault and have to face different judges for it
Other niggas' wives lust to be under covers with your boy
I'm so attractive that other men's wives want to have sex with me
Y'all don't want an angry Nas on your label
Record labels don't want me as an enemy
Y'all got plenty checks, CEO man
Record labels have plenty of money and power
I'm only 36 but if it's p-point five on the table
I'm only 36 years old, but I'll ask for half a million dollars upfront from record labels
I say with all respect my dude
I'm trying to be polite
Thank you, we had the best times but I'm about respect, I'm about the talent I possess
Thank you for the good memories, but I value respect and my own skills more than anything
Never know, there could just be a time when I'm behind your desk then let you go
I could end up running a record label someday and possibly fire the person I'm talking to
Could you imagine Nas the exec?
Can you picture me as a record label executive?
The artiste on the masters controlling your release
I'd be the one in charge of my music's distribution
Probably they wanna wait 'til I'm deceased to honor me
People might not appreciate my music until I'm dead
So my product'll be a big commodity
My music will become valuable after I die
Not bothered if my son and daughter eat off of me
I don't care if my children benefit financially from my success
Cautiously I write this next line honestly 'cause I'm a G, there's no beef
I'm being careful with what I say next because I'm a gangster and I don't want any problems
I used to open to making fifty G's
I used to be willing to perform for just fifty thousand dollars
But now I spend that on a diamond to make her neck freeze
Now I spend that much money on jewelry for my partner
My larynx'll serenade the hood
My voice will make the neighborhood happy
I tell the cops my blood dirty, they say I'm all good
I can confess to the police that I have cocaine in my bloodstream and they won't arrest me
TMZ, they hoping when the marriage end I'ma turn to Larry Flynt
The media is hoping that I'll become involved in pornography after my divorce
Nas is not the average gent, I'm on my classy shit
I'm not like other men, I'm sophisticated
Here's one small percent of what y'all in store to get
This is just a small preview of what my fans should expect
More real nigga shit
More honest and authentic music from me
Lyrics Ā© Universal Music Publishing Group, Songtrust Ave, Warner Chappell Music, Inc.
Written by: Anthony Criss, Jamal Sublett, Keir Gist, Nasir Jones, Peter O. Phillips, Vincent Brown
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
Steven Rice
From "Illmatic" to "King's Disease," Nas consistently been bringing that fyah!
Lamar Smith
I feel you my brotheršÆšÆšÆ
Shakur
Hardest joint on the album. Flawless beat, flawless bars, flawless flow.
Calvin Royal
Stop hating 2pac...
KayMattersOfficial
Factssss.. my favourite joint!
burt lee
Yhhh g harddd.
Taurus World
Nas bodied this track!!! Pete Rock is a fool for this!!!š„š„š„š„ššæššæššæššæ
Trizzmatic TV
For real!!! šÆšÆšÆ
TheChronicDocumentary DreGame
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\ OldSchoolFreak /
What? Why is he a fool