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..
The Essence
Nas Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
E'rybody there, Stacy Lattisaw, Teena Marie, e'rybody man
Yeah yeah no doubt
I'ma bring one of my baddest stallions man
You do the same aight?
You know how we play baby, listen
I'm at a car wash right now
But I'ma hit you as soon as I'm right over there
Son who laced you with the ill haircut?
Lenny, he blessed me with the sharp blade, that nigga's paid
He make a pretty penny
Fo'sho, you hurt 'em with the new Prada's (true)
Check mines they royal blue
My shits is baby blue
They powder blue (yo' shits is hotter)
You hotter with them frames on
Nigga you James Bond, and you stay low
Why'know my style babe bro (yeah, make dough)
Manicure, facial, face glow
Fuck it if you say so; I keep you P.I.!
That's how we break hoes
We throwin' ivory dice across the concrete
And of course that don't make him your man because y'all palm weed
We had boxed bumpin' La-Di-Da-Di (word?)
Shotties was blastin', pellets jumpin' into everybody
They never got me
Was cool with all the park shooters, sparkin' bazookas
Sharpen your tutors, cause we don't pardon the snoozers
Yo son I wouldn't change my life for nuttin'
And that ain't like you for frontin'
Who's the nicest? (Nuff talkin', light somethin')
[Chorus: ]
Yo we hard hit, just like Comacho and Vargas
Who's the target? Now watch how we close the market
We both hard hit, just like Hagler and Hearns
Add the math, be concerned, if it's beef you burn
Yo it's sorta like, Poitier and Bill Cosby
'Let's Do It Again,' a beautiful blend, let's do it to win
My nigga - my nigga - my niggaz - my niggaz
My niggaz - my niggaz - uhh..
What's today's mathematics?
We had it, we let 'em hold it, we shoulda sold it
We back it, we could grabbed it
But fuck it, just let 'em have it
Humduallah
Allah you akbar
God is the greatest
Planet Mars, we carvin' the faces
You couldn't catch us in a car without the bangers
Believe, I touched a couple of movie stars and entertainers
Indeed, one in particular, almost started to name her (ha ha)
I was there when you first pushed up and started to game her
Been a long journey, certain shit just don't concern me
They ain't hurtin' shit; we flip, they hire attorneys
Yo I'ma stay custom, 'til I'm old grey and rustin'
Reminiscin' the number of chickens that claim we fucked 'em
Bet some badda hoes than them other funky rappers chose
I'm tryin' to wife a chick, light a spliff (okay)
This might be like another part to "Life's a Bitch"
Write ya lips, who's nice as this? We righteousness
No mic assists, it's murderous - granted the right to flip
[Chorus: Repeat 2X]
Like, Spinks and Hearns..
Sorta.. Poitier and Bill Cosby
'Let's Do it Again,' nigga..
The lyrics to Nas's song The Essence revolve around two friends catching up and flexing their material wealth and glamorous lifestyle while they roll around in their cars. The song is full of cultural references, including name-dropping several R&B and soul artists from the 1970s and 80s. The lyrics focus on their constant pursuit of luxury and the finer things in life, using terms like "Prada's" and "royal blue" to convey their status of wealth.
Throughout the song, there is an emphasis on their stature within their community and their ability to attract women. They describe their game effortlessly, detailing how they "break hoes" and play dice to assert their dominance. While there is a sense of revelry and celebration within their material wealth, there is also a tone of arrogance and bravado.
Overall, The Essence is an ode to the lavish, opulent lifestyles of wealthy rappers, highlighting the cultural emphasis placed on these values among black communities in America.
Line by Line Meaning
Aiyyo God, yo meet me at the Denice Williams concert tonight man
Let's meet at a concert where a bunch of famous people will be
E'rybody there, Stacy Lattisaw, Teena Marie, e'rybody man
Everyone will be there, including famous singers like Stacy Lattisaw and Teena Marie
I'ma bring one of my baddest stallions man
I'll be bringing one of my best women with me
You do the same aight?
Can you bring one of your best women too?
You know how we play baby, listen
You know how we party, bro
I'm at a car wash right now
I'm currently at a car wash
But I'ma hit you as soon as I'm right over there
I'll text you as soon as I'm close
Son who laced you with the ill haircut?
Who gave you that cool haircut?
Lenny, he blessed me with the sharp blade, that nigga's paid
My barber Lenny is really good and makes a lot of money
He make a pretty penny
He makes a lot of money
Fo'sho, you hurt 'em with the new Prada's (true)
You look really good wearing your new Prada shoes
Check mines they royal blue
Check out my royal blue shoes
My shits is baby blue
My shoes are baby blue
They powder blue (yo' shits is hotter)
Your shoes are hotter because they're a different color blue
You hotter with them frames on
You look good wearing those glasses
Nigga you James Bond, and you stay low
You're like James Bond, always keeping a low profile
Why'know my style babe bro (yeah, make dough)
You know how I roll, bro. Yeah, let's make some money
Manicure, facial, face glow
I get my nails and face done and always look good
Fuck it if you say so; I keep you P.I.!
Sure, whatever you say. I'll keep you looking private investigator (P.I.)-level sharp
That's how we break hoes
That's how we impress women
We throwin' ivory dice across the concrete
We're playing a game of dice on the street
And of course that don't make him your man because y'all palm weed
Just because you share marijuana doesn't mean he's your boyfriend
We had boxed bumpin' La-Di-Da-Di (word?)
We were boxing while the song 'La-Di-Da-Di' was playing
Shotties was blastin', pellets jumpin' into everybody
People were shooting shotguns and pellets were flying everywhere
They never got me
I never got hit by any pellets
Was cool with all the park shooters, sparkin' bazookas
I was on good terms with the guys who shot bazookas in the park
Sharpen your tutors, cause we don't pardon the snoozers
Be ready to fight because we don't tolerate weakness
Yo son I wouldn't change my life for nuttin'
I wouldn't want to change anything about my life
And that ain't like you for frontin'
And I know you wouldn't disagree with that
Who's the nicest? (Nuff talkin', light somethin')
Who's the best? (Let's stop talking and start smoking)
Yo we hard hit, just like Comacho and Vargas
We're tough, just like boxers Hector Camacho and Fernando Vargas
Who's the target? Now watch how we close the market
Who's our enemy? Watch how we dominate the situation
We both hard hit, just like Hagler and Hearns
We're both tough, like boxers Marvin Hagler and Thomas Hearns
Add the math, be concerned, if it's beef you burn
Do the math, and be worried if you mess with us
Yo it's sorta like, Poitier and Bill Cosby
It's kind of like Sidney Poitier and Bill Cosby, from the movie 'Let's Do It Again'
'Let's Do It Again,' a beautiful blend, let's do it to win
Let's work well together like in the movie 'Let's Do It Again', and let's win
What's today's mathematics?
What's the current situation?
We had it, we let 'em hold it, we shoulda sold it
We had an opportunity before, but we let someone else take it. We should have sold it ourselves
We back it, we could grabbed it
We have the opportunity again, and we should take it
But fuck it, just let 'em have it
But never mind, let them keep it
Humduallah
Thank God
Allah you akbar
God is the greatest
Planet Mars, we carvin' the faces
We're carving our own path, and leaving our mark on this world like a Martian carving a face on a planet
You couldn't catch us in a car without the bangers
We always carry weapons in our car
Believe, I touched a couple of movie stars and entertainers
Believe me, I've met and gotten close to some famous people
Indeed, one in particular, almost started to name her (ha ha)
Actually, there's one woman in particular I almost became romantically involved with
I was there when you first pushed up and started to game her
I was there when you first met her and started to impress her
Been a long journey, certain shit just don't concern me
It's been a long ride, and there are some things that no longer bother me
They ain't hurtin' shit; we flip, they hire attorneys
They can't hurt us, but when we retaliate, they hire lawyers
Yo I'ma stay custom, 'til I'm old grey and rustin'
I'm going to always dress nicely and look good, even when I'm old and grey
Reminiscin' the number of chickens that claim we fucked 'em
I remember all the women who said we had sex with them
Bet some badda hoes than them other funky rappers chose
I bet our women are better than the women other rappers have
I'm tryin' to wife a chick, light a spliff (okay)
I'm trying to settle down with a woman and smoke a joint
This might be like another part to "Life's a Bitch"
This is like a continuation of the song "Life's a Bitch"
Write ya lips, who's nice as this? We righteousness
Try to say something better than us, we're the best
No mic assists, it's murderous - granted the right to flip
No one can help us on the mic, and we can make anything we want happen
Lyrics Β© Universal Music Publishing Group, THE ROYALTY NETWORK INC., Royalty Network, Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC, WORDS & MUSIC A DIV OF BIG DEAL MUSIC LLC
Written by: ANTHONY S. CRUZ, JAMES A. JOHNSON, MICHAEL RISKO, NASIR JONES, PAUL HENDRICKS
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
@teflonarmored
One of the best back-and-forth joints EVER.
@OfftheChainz
Without doubt!
@1224tms
Proof there was better hip hop then today ! No doubt !
@shine7113
The best duo ever
@andrewlemay2491
The best
@Stiffclits420
This and fast life with nas and Kool G easily top back and forth bars, I love it man, realest hip hop
@righteousmasculine
This song was nominated for a Grammy and it should have won idc what it was up against π―
@beenz111
I never knew this.
@righteousmasculine
@Oneil yep sure was 2001 π―
@beenz111
@Righteous & Masculine thanks