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..
You Can't Kill Me
Nas Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Tryna to see where I'ma go tonight
The most famous town in the whole fuckin' world
The other night, nigga's at Lotus
I hit P and them I was Dom P'ed up in there
You know but I found this new spot
We went to the other night, yo
It was just cool like, smooth night wit' my jewels bright
Goons left goons right, coupe wit' blue lights
Bad girls in black pearls, gave us cat calls
Took 'em back to the crib to break they ass off
In the loft mixin' hash and 'dro
Honey spread that asshole like a wide mouth bass
Sippin' wine out the glass, Teddy Pendergrass blast
When the phone ring, the house lights flash
Turned down the sound, let's get down to bidness
Shit about to go down wit' some foul niggaz
What the voice said, "What up pop? Who want it?"
I put the guap up, get the boy popped
He say, "Son stop, it's dudes you feedin'
Who feedin' other dudes, but they really not eatin'"
Dog, why you callin' me? This our food
You, handle the mouths that it trickles down to
Niggaz want beef, I want some of that cow too
But I'm in my princely robe, simply rich
Don't bother me wit' silly shit, call Rico
He said, "It is Rico, of all people?
Gave his moms furs, called up the mayor
To get his crime pardoned, his son's godfather
Said the nigga shot up my cars
Last night he laid for me to come out my doors?
Niggaz always on that bullshit
To make a nigga wanna open up a full clip
Niggaz always on that bullshit
Now ya funeral, the preacher's at the pulpit
Niggaz always on that bullshit
To make a nigga wanna open up a full clip
Niggaz always on that bullshit
Now ya funeral, the preacher's at the pulpit
You can't kill me
High, fly, send a fella loaf or glass?
Fold up cash, you ain't heard the soldier's half
You speakin' hogwash, silly shit, broke to dash
I got the live sparked, Phillies lit, smoker's jacket on
The son of a Cap-ricorn, my dad's a don
What you think that he spawned? A slacker? Nah
Packed the nines, yo this nigga's asinine
Smack ya mom, relaxed and calm, then mack ya mom
In a casket, you'll get ya fashion on
You'll be in a suit and tie, you'll die
You'll make maggots turn to flies, fuckin' wit' Nas
Remember anyone can get it at anytime
Lames'll swear by ya name, when they lie
Get hit wit' the lone star, ripped where ya bones are
So tell me how yo' ass gon' run
From a C Z P O 1?
In the midst of real steel movers, you a loser
Merk you wit'cha own shooters
All you want is a name, pissed and insane
My security system, my playspot a fireplace, listen
Then it goin' off, start spittin'
Niggaz try to bring it where I live in
Trustin' you, knew where all of the cribs at
So we waited wit' the cigs blat, blat, blat
Niggaz always on that bullshit
To make a nigga wanna open up a full clip
Niggaz always on that bullshit
Now ya funeral, the preacher's at the pulpit
Niggaz always on that bullshit
To make a nigga wanna open up a full clip
Niggaz always on that bullshit
Now ya funeral, the preacher's at the pulpit
You can't kill me
You can't kill me
You can't kill me
You can't kill me
In "You Can't Kill Me" by Nas, the rapper reflects on his success and fame while also discussing the dangers he faces in his life. The song starts with Nas talking about his night out in New York and finding a new spot. He then transitions to discussing how he's living his life, with goons surrounding him, girls giving him attention, and him smoking hash and drinking wine. However, the mood changes as he receives a phone call about an altercation with a rival, and the song becomes more intense.
As the song continues, Nas discusses the threats he receives daily and how people want to bring him down. He asserts that people are always trying to bring him down with their nonsense, but he's not going to let them get the best of him. The chorus repeats that "you can't kill me" as a reminder that Nas is aware of the danger around him but won't let it defeat him.
The song's overall message revolves around the rapper's determination and resilience in the face of adversity. Nas is aware of the constant threats to his life, but he remains committed to his artistry and his autonomy, refusing to be intimidated by his enemies.
Line by Line Meaning
Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah y'all, New York City
Introduction to the setting of the song, in the most famous town in the world, New York City.
Tryna to see where I'ma go tonight
Expressing the uncertainty of the singer about his plans for the night.
The most famous town in the whole fuckin' world
Reiteration of the significance of New York City to emphasize the importance of the events in the song.
The other night, nigga was at Lotus
Narration of a past event where the artist was at a nightclub called Lotus.
I hit P and them
Indicates that the artist consumed Dom Pérignon champagne with his acquaintances.
I was Dom P'ed up in there, you know
Further emphasis on the singer's state of intoxication from drinking Dom Perignon.
But I found this new spot we went to the other night, yo
Introduction to a new place discovered by the singer and his friends.
It was just cool like, smooth night with my jewels bright
Describing the atmosphere of the new place visited by the artist, with the artist's jewelry shining brightly.
Goons left, goons right, coupe with blue lights
Acknowledgment of the company of both friendly and hostile people around the artist. The presence of a car parked nearby is also mentioned.
Bad girls in black pearls, gave us cat calls
Description of how the women at the spot reacted to the artist and his friends.
Took 'em back to the crib to break they ass off
Implying that the singer and his friends engaged in sexual intercourse with the women they met at the new place.
In the loft, mixing hash and dro
Indicates that the artist and his friends were mixing hashish and marijuana.
Honey spreaded that asshole like a wide mouth bass
Graphic description of a sexual act that occurred in the loft.
Sippin' wine out the glass, Teddy Pendergrass blast
Indicates that the singer and his friends were drinking wine while enjoying music from Teddy Pendergrass.
When the phone ring, the house lights flash
Describes an instance where someone called the singer, and the lights inside the house flashed as a result.
Turned down the sound, let's get down to business
Narrator decides to reduce the volume of the music to attend to whatever business is at hand.
Shit about to go down with some foul niggas
Realization that something unpleasant is about to happen with some unsavory characters.
What the voice said, 'What up, pop? Who want it?'
Someone on the phone asked the singer who he wanted dead.
I put the guap up, get the boy popped
Narrator decides to offer money to get someone killed.
He say 'Son, stop, it's dudes you feedin'
The person on the phone tells the artist to stop because the people providing the service the artist is seeking are not trustworthy.
Who feedin' other dudes, but they really not eatin'
The person on the phone implies that the people the artist is working with are not as powerful and influential as they claim to be.
Dog, why you callin' me? This our food
The artist questions why he is being contacted about issues related to the food they distribute.
You handle the mouths that it trickles down to
The singer tells the person on the phone to handle the lower-level distribution.
Niggas want beef, I want some of that cow too
The artist implies that he is willing to fight against his enemies, even though his enemies' fighting power is greater.
But I'm in my princely robe, simply rich
The singer is rich and content in his luxurious lifestyle.
Don't bother me with silly shit, call Rico
The singer tells the person on the phone to contact Rico for issues he considers unimportant.
He said 'It IS Rico, of all people
The person on the phone confirms that the person causing trouble for the singer is Rico.
Gave his moms furs, called up the mayor
Rico used his power and connections to get his mother luxurious items and have his criminal record expunged.
To get his crime pardoned, his son's godfather'
Rico's son's godfather was possibly someone in a position of power who granted his pardon.
Said the nigga shot up my cars
The singer recounts how Rico damaged his property by shooting up his cars.
Last night he laid for me to come out my doors?
The singer questions if Rico intended to harm him, by waiting outside his doorstep.
Niggas always on that bullshit
The chorus reiterates how people always cause trouble in the rapper's life.
Now your funeral, the preacher's at the pulpit
The artist implies that those who make trouble for him will end up dead and their funeral would be attended by a preacher.
High, fly, send a fella loaf or glass
The artist mentions that he is high and drank liquor.
Fold up cash, you ain't heard the soldier's half
The singer implies that he has a lot of cash on him, and the listener has not heard half of it.
You speakin' hogwash, silly shit, Balderdash
The artist is dismissing what the listener is saying as nonsense.
I got the live sparked, Phillies lit, smoker's jacket on
The singer is high on marijuana, smoking cigars and wearing a smoking jacket.
The son of a Cap-ricorn, my dad's a don
The singer is the son of a Capricorn and his dad is a boss.
What you think that he spawned? A slacker? Nah
The singer implies that his father raised him to be ambitious and not lazy.
Packed the 9's, yo this nigga's asinine
The artist mentions he is armed and thinks his enemy (probably rico) is foolish.
Smack your mom, relaxed and calm, then mack your mom
The artist implies that he could hurt someone's mother violently.
In a casket, you'll get your fashion on
The singer implies that his enemies will get dressed up in a casket after he kills them.
You'll be in a suit and tie, you'll die
The singer threatens that whoever messes with him will be the dressed up in suit and tie style of the dead.
You'll make maggots turn to flies, fuckin' with Nas
The artist implies that his enemies will rot away in their graves if they mess with him.
Remember anyone can get it at anytime
The artist implies that anyone is vulnerable to harm and can get hurt at any time.
Lames'll swear by your name, when they lie
The artist implies that his enemies' associates will lie on their behalf even when they know they are guilty.
Get hit with the lone star, ripped where your bones are
The singer threatens to hurt his enemies with precise aggression.
So tell me how yo' ass gon' run, from a C-Z-P-O-1?
The artist taunts his enemies and implies that they will be able to escape from his wrath.
In the midst of real steel movers, you a loser
The singer implies that he is surrounded by successful people in the music industry, and taunts his enemies as losers.
Merk you wit your own shooters
The singer implies that he can get his enemies killed by their own associates.
All you want is a name, pissed and insane
The singer implies that his enemies want fame and are irrational in their behavior.
My security system, my playspot a fireplace, listen
The artist implies that he is secure in his home and has a fireplace for ambiance.
Then it goin' off, start spittin'
The artist suggests that his security system will be activated and alarms will start ringing in case of an intruder.
Niggas try to bring it where I live in
The singer implies that people have tried to harm him in his home.
Trustin' you, knew where all of the cribs at
The singer implies that he trusted someone who knew where he lived.
So we waited with the Sigs, blat, blat, blat!
The artist implies that when the aforementioned person (who knew where he lived) came, the artist and his associates killed him with guns.
You can't kill me
Nas states that he is unkillable and that no one can harm him.
Lyrics © Universal Music Publishing Group, Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC, Kobalt Music Publishing Ltd.
Written by: Al West, Leshan Lewis, Nasir Jones
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
gumaro
Not sure why a lot of people overlook this album. One of his best
SirVincent Price
I enjoyed this album back in the day. One of his masterpieces in my opinion.
Joe Parmesan
The atmosphere of this song feels like driving through New York City streets, and I've never even been to New York
choripan81
best song on the album, love hearing a track thats makes me wanna put my life on hold till i learn it
shinistrue
THIS IS HIP HOP. ONE OF THE GREATEST
Dark Garden Records
"Like a wide mouth bass"
Just another Nas line that walks with me through life...lol
Nasir Rules, Lonzo
Raydensheraj
I can't describe how much I love this track...
Brad Chow
When this came out I went mattress shopping for all these cats that slept on this album
BraBra
Still it's like that only real heads know it
Pat Conti
No skips on this album at all