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..
Triple Threat
Nas Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
We're world wide, my heart pumps where the ghettos be
Young sharks be telling me, y'all niggas can't swim, y'all drowning
From my hood to your hood, the anthem, y'all wilding
I die for my coalition, the foes whispering
Hating, wild gremlins and those that roll with 'em
So I chose rap, we vamped to neva go back
Until this life of animosity, the high velocity
Be the same mouths I try to feed
I write shit, entice it properly, 'til it hurts me
The same game as James Worthy, they spread my name like it's Herpes
Nature, niggas on the block boxing me, y'all not complete
We take this shit to where it gots to be, now smile philosophy
Sex and money go together like techs and nine shells
Swiss cheese you and cover it up like Roswell
Cartel, you ain't seen no iller regime
The Celest team, prophecy, project warrior, owns property
Crackers hate it, cops get jealous cause I stay with
The '98 temporary plates on my whip
The system thing is not right
A rich thug could fuck a cop's wife
'Cause I'm on television and live the pop life
I rock mics, make mills, sound scan sales
One point whateva records, professional skills
Money's the root of evil but it'll make you happy
Don't wanna shoot my people but still they might clap me
'Cause I talk like Dr. Malachi york, played the sidewalk
Hold fort, diamond plate chain, gold fork
Get in tune, rich life Ricky for silver spoon
Frank Lopez's crib, elevators and living room
Ayo we're still in Queens, same place where we use to be
Often you won't see us, cause we're usually out touring
Leave the hood now the hood boring
NORE, you know me, we're regulating
Straight from Iraq with QB affiliated
It's like a higher learning
From 99th street down to Vernon
Letting our heat burst burning
Like henny wet, throwing up my set
Catch me on star tec, 'bout to set the connect
Yo sex, drugs, money and murder, beers and sex
Lands and Lex in the projects
The 4th floor where we score through our cook-up
D's shook-up, hit the block and now you look up
Whispers turning to screams, from screams to hollers
Fans turn to fanatics, go home and dream about us
My zone, I need the chronic, my habit daily
Spitting, rapping fury, I got more steps then Alvin Ailey
Thousands will feel me, my nickname Braille
Dietec, the fakest niggas, cause their cliques ain't real
Each verse be pain filled, force to taking Motrin's
From the street to the screen, pictures be major motion
Nature grossing, holding my square where snake's approaching
React quickly, keeping gats where my dick be
A buck equal a hundred, so a half is fifty
Y'all do the math with me, before I hurt you
It's personal, you and I know, my whole squad be U-N-I-versal
From blood in to blood out, we thugged out
Fuck a four-four, I go to snub route, leave you rubbed out
In the song "Triple Threat," Nas, Noreaga, and Nature present themselves as a powerhouse trio with a pedigree that commands respect from both women and their rivals. The opening lines boast about their reputation and their ability to attract women effortlessly. Nas also asserts his global appeal, noting that he has a heart for the ghettos worldwide, and warns his rivals that they will drown if they try to compete with him. He also asserts his loyalty to his "coalition," signaling to his fellow rappers that they can trust him. He writes lyrics that are hard-hitting and resonate with the listener, using metaphors such as "spread my name like it's Herpes" and "my zone, I need the chronic, my habit daily." He laments the animosity and high velocity of life on the streets, where he faces not only his enemies but also those on his team.
Noreaga and Nature both contribute verses that are equally as potent, describing their experiences in their home neighborhoods in Queens. Noreaga boasts about his wealth and status as a celebrity rapper, flaunting his success with the ladies and his ability to live an opulent lifestyle. Nature is more introspective, explaining how he turned to rap to escape violence and poverty. He writes that he is always prepared for danger and that he won't hesitate to protect himself and his loved ones. Together, the three rappers present themselves as a force to be reckoned with, ready and willing to take on anyone who dares to challenge them.
Line by Line Meaning
Y'all know my pedigree, hoes blow the Gods voluntarily
Girls willingly want to be with me because of my reputation and stature.
We're world wide, my heart pumps where the ghettos be
We have a global presence and influence, but we never forget our roots in the impoverished neighborhoods.
Young sharks be telling me, y'all niggas can't swim, y'all drowning
Inexperienced people are telling me that my enemies are struggling to keep up with me and are doomed to fail.
From my hood to your hood, the anthem, y'all wilding
Our music represents our neighborhoods and those who listen are acting crazy.
I die for my coalition, the foes whispering
I am willing to sacrifice myself for my team, while our enemies are talking behind our backs.
Hating, wild gremlins and those that roll with 'em
Our haters are like troublesome creatures and are joined by those who follow them.
So I chose rap, we vamped to neva go back
I decided to pursue a career in music and now there's no turning back.
Until this life of animosity, the high velocity
My life is full of hostility and events move fast in this world.
Niggas be on the same team planning to blow shots at me
People on my side are secretly plotting against me.
Be the same mouths I try to feed
The people who I give food to are the same ones who speak poorly of me.
I write shit, entice it properly, 'til it hurts me
I create music that is provocative and it takes a toll on me.
The same game as James Worthy, they spread my name like it's Herpes
People are spreading my name as if it were a disease, but my success is similar to basketball player James Worthy.
Nature, niggas on the block boxing me, y'all not complete
People are trying to take me down, but they are not capable of succeeding.
We take this shit to where it gots to be, now smile philosophy
We will take this situation to its necessary conclusion and have a positive attitude about it.
Sex and money go together like techs and nine shells
Sex and money are often associated with violence and death.
Swiss cheese you and cover it up like Roswell
We will kill you and try to cover it up like the Roswell incident.
Cartel, you ain't seen no iller regime
We are a stronger and more ruthless group than any other cartel.
The Celest team, prophecy, project warrior, owns property
The Celestial team is powerful with great foresight and owns valuable property.
Crackers hate it, cops get jealous cause I stay with
White people are against us and police are envious of my success.
The '98 temporary plates on my whip
I still have temporary license plates on my car from 1998.
The system thing is not right
The system we live in is unfair and flawed.
A rich thug could fuck a cop's wife
A wealthy criminal could have an affair with a police officer's spouse.
Cause I'm on television and live the pop life
My fame and popularity have led me to a life of luxury and celebrity.
I rock mics, make mills, sound scan sales
I perform concerts, make millions of dollars, and sell many albums.
One point whateva records, professional skills
I have released many successful hip-hop albums and have a high degree of skill in my craft.
Money's the root of evil but it'll make you happy
Money can be the cause of bad things, but it can bring happiness.
Don't wanna shoot my people but still they might clap me
I don't want to hurt my friends, but they may still betray me.
'Cause I talk like Dr. Malachi york, played the sidewalk
I speak like activist Dr. Malachi York and grew up on the streets.
Hold fort, diamond plate chain, gold fork
I am well protected with a fancy diamond chain and gold utensils.
Get in tune, rich life Ricky for silver spoon
Become aware of the luxurious lifestyle I live and that I was born into wealth.
Frank Lopez's crib, elevators and living room
I live in a luxurious home with elevators and spacious living rooms, like the character Frank Lopez from the movie Scarface.
Ayo we're still in Queens, same place where we use to be
We are still in Queens, the same place where we grew up.
Often you won't see us, cause we're usually out touring
We are often away touring and performing, so we may not be around our old neighborhood very frequently.
Leave the hood now the hood boring
We left our neighborhood, but now it seems uninteresting.
NORE, you know me, we're regulating
People know who I am and I am in control.
Straight from Iraq with QB affiliated
I am closely related to the Queensbridge collective and represent them wherever I go.
It's like a higher learning
I am always learning and growing as an artist.
From 99th street down to Vernon
My influence extends from 99th street to Vernon.
Letting our heat burst burning
We are letting our weapons fire and destroy everything in our path.
Like henny wet, throwing up my set
Like drinking Hennessy, I am proud to represent my team and show my allegiance.
Catch me on star tec, 'bout to set the connect
You can find me using a Star Tac phone to set up a meeting with someone important.
Yo sex, drugs, money and murder, beers and sex
Our lives are full of sex, drugs, money, and murder, as well as beer and more sex.
Lands and Lex in the projects
We are in the projects with our fellow gang members.
The 4th floor where we score through our cook-up
We operate on the fourth floor where we prepare drugs for sale and make money.
D's shook-up, hit the block and now you look up
The drug dealers are causing the police to be scared and they are now investigating the situation more intensively.
Whispers turning to screams, from screams to hollers
The excitement and volume are rising from a low murmur to loud yells.
Fans turn to fanatics, go home and dream about us
Our fans are becoming extreme in their obsession with us and think about us even in their sleep.
My zone, I need the chronic, my habit daily
I am in my comfortable space and I need marijuana every day to feel ok.
Spitting, rapping fury, I got more steps then Alvin Ailey
I am full of energy and passion when I rap and have a lot of dance moves like the famous choreographer Alvin Ailey.
Thousands will feel me, my nickname Braille
Many people will feel and relate to my music, and I am often called Braille because I speak to those who cannot see.
Dietec, the fakest niggas, cause their cliques ain't real
Dietec, the rapper, knows who the fakest people are because their groups are not authentic.
Each verse be pain filled, force to taking Motrin's
Each of my verses is full of emotion and pain, and it takes a physical toll on me.
From the street to the screen, pictures be major motion
We have made a successful transition from the streets to the screen and our pictures are now major motion pictures.
Nature grossing, holding my square where snake's approaching
My fame and success are increasing and I am staying strong in the face of danger and betrayal.
React quickly, keeping gats where my dick be
I am ready to respond quickly to danger and keep my guns close to my body.
A buck equal a hundred, so a half is fifty
One dollar is equivalent to one hundred dollars in our world, so a half dollar is fifty dollars.
Y'all do the math with me, before I hurt you
Think before you act, or I might have to hurt you because of your foolishness.
It's personal, you and I know, my whole squad be U-N-I-versal
This conflict is personal and you and I both know it. My entire team is united and strong.
From blood in to blood out, we thugged out
We are loyal to our gang and will stay with them until the very end.
Fuck a four-four, I go to snub route, leave you rubbed out
I don't use a .44 caliber gun, I prefer to use a snub-nose revolver, and I will leave you dead.
Lyrics © null
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
@luckystardust2061
Drink champs brought me back here to here this record again....hood classic
@ricardogalindo1892
Same
@emslavaguenvogue
Same #studentofthegame
@CreativeLaelAsif
Sameeee
@Mr.DumboDeli
Lucky Stardust facts👍👌
@Anarchychild81
Lucky Stardust me too. Watching the drink champs interview right now
@bmitch555
NaS flows like water, greatest lyricist of all time!
@thaes1029
About a bunch bs. Sex, Drugs & Murder is not it. That's not that #GodTalk
@onpoint357
@@thaes1029 its art bruh
@thaes1029
这不是艺术！我们这里有一个纯自然的例子，它只是顺其自然。现在我仔细想想，将会发生一系列事件，如果你不能完成其中的每一个，以上帝的速度，你将开始从内到外慢慢恶化。上帝美丽的绿色地球上没有怪物的地方。准备好你的思想、身体和精神。 -LBC