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.
1973–1992: 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.
1992–1995: 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 Serch’s solo album is released later in the year, Nas’ 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.
1996–1998: 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.
1998–2000: 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.
2000–2001: 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."
2002–Present: 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 KoЯn'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, Nas’ 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 set up
Nas Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Q.B. since 1933 (no doubt)
To '96 ('96, motherfucker)
Check the shit
('96, Escobar 600)
Check the shit
My mind set, son got wet, I'm vexed really
Why niggas actin' illy? Word to Will, he 'bout to feel it
I feel it, he should've been dealt with it
Them niggas sour, they put to much flour in they coke
And got the nerve to wonder why they broke
While we was gleamin', niggas was schemin'
Seen the ill Bimmers beamin'
Triple-beam and doublin' C.R.E.A.M., had 'em fiendin'
To get they fingers on the dose-ah, I called Sosa
"Sosa, these niggas hit the God, bring the toaster
Meet me in the 'Bridge, I'm 'bout to go loca"
Left my rat beggin me to stay and stroke her
He came through with two fly bitches, Venus and Vicious
With two MAC's inside the Volvo
What up, God? I'm still sober
I need some Henn' to bend me over
My nigga Hav' gotta soldier
It's gettin' down, it's goin' down, kid (I got this, I got this)
I heard he might not live, I'm holdin' back tears
Told these broads to put it in gear
With two females that don't smile, diggin' they style
Yo, what up, son? These niggas done started somethin' wild
You know the clique well, Rhamel with the gold in his grill
Tried to get a name holdin' the steel
I paid attention to the females, maintained bitches when it get real
Sos' pulled me close and told me the deal
He said both hoes'll peel
Spray shots and reload and still handle the wheel
Point 'em out, smoke a Phill' and chill
I laid back Escobar status
Knowin' The Firm got it cornered
We on it, shit we was born with
Spark the lye, Q.B.C., yo, it's do or die
In this business of trifeness
I finesse this, Boyardee, we chef shit
Perfect shit, Albert Einstein minds connect with
Dangerous sons, step back, let the TEC lift
Lift you up, bless you with a shorty then we set you up
Spark the lye, Q.B.C., yo, it's do or die
In this business of trifeness
I finesse this, Boyardee, we chef shit
Perfect shit, Albert Einstein minds connect with
Dangerous sons, step back, let the TEC lift
Lift you up, bless you with a shorty then we set you up
Hold it right there, pull over
That nigga right there inside the Rover
I knew he'd be right here, I told you
Let's get him now, look at him smile, ice Bulova
Polo pullover, big links and rockin' boulders
He's stuntin', after he left my man like that
Without a fair chance to fight back, but I'll be right back
He never seen us, Sos' gave the MAC to Venus
And Vicious, lookin' delicious, handle your bidness
And step to him, shake your ass, try to screw him
Do what you gotta do to get to him
In tight Parasuco with young faces can turn niggas Buttafuco of all ages
They was amused by the way they walked, way they talked
Only if they knew these girls had sprayed New York
If they had to, heard him ask Venus, "Could I have you"
He jumped out a Jeep, heard her tell him, "Don't grab, boo"
They started chattin', was only 'bout a minute flat when
They jumped in the back of the Jeep laughin'
We followed 'em pollyin', he thought the hoes was Somalian
Probably when hey hit the Holiday Inn
I grabbed the phone and called the Mobb and 'em
We laid low about a hour or so, these bitches movin' too slow
We both holdin', what if them wild hoes started foldin'?
Sosa said, "Say no more", we started rollin'
Before we got in, they must have shot him
Security wildin', there the girls go, hurry up, we out in
The 940, me Sosa and two shorties
The punk niggas got murdered in the orgy
Spark the lye, Q.B.C., yo, it's do or die
In this business of trifeness
I finesse this, Boyardee, we chef shit
Perfect shit, Albert Einstein minds connect with
Dangerous sons, step back, let the TEC lift
Lift you up, bless you with a shorty then we set you up
Q.B.C., Queensbridge motherfucker
Ropin' niggas up
Cause our clique is thick
Another day, another dollar
More money, more murder
Fuck this shit, Q.B. up in the house
The lyrics to Nas and Havoc's song The Set Up tell the story of a heist gone wrong, showcasing the gritty and violent reality of life in Queensbridge. The opening lines "Q.B. since 1933, To nine-six nine-six motherfucker," establish the setting of the song in the Queensbridge neighborhood, which has a long history dating back to 1933 (the year the Queensboro Bridge was completed) and continues through the present. The lyrics then describe the aftermath of a robbery gone awry, with one of the robbers getting killed and the others seeking revenge on those who betrayed them. The lyrics are filled with violent imagery, including lines like "Left my rat beggin me to stay and stroke her" and "the punk niggas got murdered in the orgy."
The song is notable for its vivid depiction of the tough and unforgiving environment of Queensbridge, which is a recurring theme in Nas's music. The lyrics suggest that life in the neighborhood is filled with danger and violence, where even a small mistake can cost you your life. It also highlights the importance of loyalty in this context, as those who betray their friends are met with swift and brutal punishment.
Line by Line Meaning
Q.B. since 1933
Queensbridge born and raised since 1933
To nine-six nine-six motherfucker
In 1996 (the year this album was released), motherfucker
Check the shit
Look at what I'm about to say
Nine-six, Escobar 600
Reiterating that this happened in 1996 and referencing Nas' nickname, 'Escobar'
My mindset, son got wet
I'm upset because someone I know was killed
I'm vexed really
I'm extremely upset
They snatched off his Rolex, smacked his bitch silly
The person who was killed was robbed and his girlfriend was physically assaulted
Why niggas acting illy word to Will he bout to feel it
The killers are going to face retribution for what they did
I feel it, he shoulda been dealt with it
The person who was killed had enemies, and they should have been dealt with before this happened
Them niggas sour they put to much flour in their coke
The killers made a mistake with their drug dealing business, which is why they killed this person to cover their tracks
And got the nerve to wonder why they're broke
The killers are not making money in their business because they are not doing it right
While we was gleaming, niggas was scheming
While Nas was enjoying success, the killers were plotting his friend's death
Seen the ill Beamers beaming
Saw expensive BMW cars driving around
Triple-beam and doubling cream, had em fiending
Drug dealers were making a lot of money and people were addicted to their product
To get they fingers on the dosa, I called Sosa
To get their hands on the drugs, Nas called his drug dealer contact Sosa
Sosa these niggas hit the God bring the toaster
Nas is asking Sosa to help him deal with some people who hurt him
Meet me in the Bridge I'm bout to go loca
Meet Nas in Queensbridge as he's about to get very angry and violent
Left my rat beggin me to stay and stroke her
Nas left a woman he was sleeping with begging him to stay
He came through with two fly bitches, Venus and Vicious
Sosa brought two attractive women with him, named Venus and Vicious
With two macs inside the Volvo, what up God, I'm still sober
They are in a car with guns, but Nas is still not drunk
I need some Henn to bend me over
Nas wants to drink Hennessy to get drunk
My nigga Hav gotta soldier
Nas' friend Havoc is strong and tough
It's getting down, it's going down kid
Things are getting serious and violent
I heard he might not live, I'm holding back tears
Nas is sad because he heard that his friend might die
Told these broads to put it in gear
Nas is urging Venus and Vicious to hurry up and get ready to do something
With two females that don't smile digging they style yo
Nas is impressed by Venus and Vicious' toughness
Whattup son, these niggas done started something wild
The killers did something outrageously violent
You know the clique well, Ramel with the gold in his grill
Nas knows these people well, including someone named Ramel who has a gold grill in his mouth
Tried to get a name holding the steel
Ramel is trying to gain a reputation by carrying a gun
I paid attention to the females
Nas is focusing on Venus and Vicious
Maintained bitches when it get real
Nas trusts Venus and Vicious to handle themselves in dangerous situations
Sos' pulled me close and told me the deal
Sosa whispered to Nas what the plan is
He said both hoes'll peel
Both Venus and Vicious will shoot their guns
Spray shots and reload and still handle the wheel
They will shoot their guns and drive the car at the same time
Point em out smoke a Phil' then chill
They will identify their targets and kill them, then relax
I layed back Escobar status, knowing The Firm got it cornered
Nas is relaxed because he is confident that his crew has control of the situation
We on it, shit we was born with
Nas and his crew are good at handling situations like this
Spark the lye, QBC yo it's do or die
Nas is smoking marijuana and knows it's a dangerous situation
In this, business and trifeness
In the drug dealing business, things can become violent and deadly quickly
I finesse this, for R.D., we chef shit
Nas is skilled at handling these situations, and he does it for his friend, who was killed earlier
Perfect shit, Albert Einstein minds connect wit
Nas and his crew are very intelligent
Dangerous sons, step back let the tech lift
Nas and his crew are violent and will use guns to solve their problems
Lift you up, bless you with a shorty then we set you up
They will be friendly and helpful at first, then betray and kill you
Hold it right there pull over
They pull over when they see their target
That nigga right there inside the Rover
The target is in a Range Rover
I knew he'd be right here, I told you
Nas predicted that the target would be here
Let's get him now, look at him smile, ice Bulova
They confront the target who is wearing an expensive watch and smiling
Polo pullover, big links and rocking boulders
The target is wearing expensive clothes and jewelry
He's stunting, after he left my man like that
The target is showing off his wealth, even though he was responsible for killing Nas' friend
Without a fair chance to fight back, but I'll be right back
Nas' friend was killed without the opportunity to defend himself, but Nas will take revenge
He never seen us, Sos' gave the mac to Venus
The target didn't see Nas and his crew, and Sosa gave a gun to Venus
And Vicious, lookin delicious, handle yo' bidness
Venus and Vicious are attractive but also capable of violence
And step to him, shake your ass try to screw him
Venus and Vicious will be flirtatious to distract the target
Do what ya gotta do to get to him
Whatever you need to do to get close to the target, do it
A tight parasuco, with young faces
Venus and Vicious are young and wearing tight clothing
Can turn niggas Buttafuco, of all ages, they was amused
Their appearance can manipulate men of all ages, and they enjoy it
By the way they walked, way they talked
Their appearance and mannerisms are attractive to men
Only if they knew these girls'd spray New York
If the men knew, they wouldn't be attracted because Venus and Vicious are capable of extreme violence
If they had to, heard him ask Venus, could I have you
The target is flirting with Venus and asks if he could have her
He jumped out a Jeep, heard her tell him don't grab boo
The target gets out of his car and Venus tells him not to touch her
They started chatting, was only bout a minute, flat when
They start talking, and it doesn't take long for the plan to come into action
They jumped in the back of the Jeep laughing
The target and Venus get in the back of the car and laugh
We followed them pollying, he thought the hoes were Somalian
They follow them closely, and the target thinks his passengers are from Somalia
Probably wanted to hit the Holiday Inn
The target was likely going to have sex in a hotel
I grabbed the phone and called the Mobb and them
Nas calls his crew to let them know where they are and what's happening
We layed low about a hour or so these bitches movin too slow
They wait for a while because Venus and Vicious are taking too long
We both holding, what if them wild hoes started folding
They are both carrying guns, and Nas is worried that Venus and Vicious might betray them
Sosa, said say no more, we started rolling
Sosa is confident that Venus and Vicious will not betray them, so they start the plan
Before we got in they must have shot him, security wildin
Before they get to the hotel, someone has already shot the target and security is panicking
There the girls go, hurry up we out in
Venus and Vicious are leaving, so they need to hurry and leave too
The 940, me Sosa and two shorties
They get into a car with two women and Sosa
The punk niggas got murdered in the orgy
The killers were killed by Nas' plan during a sex party
QBC, QueensBridge motherfucker
Nas is proud of where he's from, Queensbridge
Roping niggas up
Nas is taking control of his situation
Cause our clique is thick
Nas' crew is tight and united
Another day another dollar
Life goes on and they need to keep making money
More money, more murder
The more money they make, the more violent and dangerous their business becomes
Fuck this shit, Q.B. up in the house
Nas is tired of the violence and chaos, but he still represents Queensbridge
Lyrics © Universal Music Publishing Group
Written by: Nasir Jones, Kejuan Waliek Muchita
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind