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 Wouldn't Understand
Nas Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Let's make a bet, I know the reason you ain't make it yet
You say you set, but you ain't see the tedious ingredients
That go inside of a rider, you hiding from problems and
You never knew how to make dollars
You couldn't make orders at a drive-through McDonald's
I was fly at the Apollo with black Jason, '89 with a bottle
Niggas jealous of Jason, dark green seven forty, no tint
Used to ride with him to Brooklyn, Louis, and Halsey
Cop chocolate Thai, Vernon style and burn it down
My nigga hype in the federal joint, verdict out
20 years getting money in the dirty south
That's alleged, you see my niggas a stand up dude
So I'm yelling free my nigga
My nephew godfather Malik, he jammed up too
For what his hands usually call for, but he ain't do it
Who you are ain't in the recipe to what I am
'Cause where I'm from, man, what I see you wouldn't understand
Where I been and what I do
No matter how you try you never can
'Cause where I'm from, and what I see you wouldn't understand
Where I been, where I been
You ever been on the other end of a robber's revolver?
Not me, call me Lucky Nas Casalana
All been shot in the medulla oblongata and survived
And praised God with a bullet, I never collided
Some did and they lived, I salute the gods
Moet spilling, splash my mistake on my Timb boots for y'all
N.Y. nigga, Adidas, jogging suit
Shell toes, slim, fly nigga
Hudson River, rent a boat, t-shirt with a dinner coat
And vintage Fila like I'm the ghost of Domencio
On any day getting throwed in a tinted vehicle
Like a old BK gangsta, but I'm the CEO
Of Nasty Nas Enterprise, mastermind, made men
My success symbolizes loyalty, great friends
Dedication, hard work, routine builds character
In a world full of snakes, rats and scavengers
Never make choices out of desperation, I think through it
Break through walls like Pink Floyd
And drink fluids of all kind of alcohol, y'all
Vineyards in France, yachts out in Cannes
Who you are ain't in the recipe to what I am
'Cause where I'm from, man, what I see you wouldn't understand
Where I been and what I do
No matter how you try you never can
'Cause where I'm from, and what I see you wouldn't understand
Where I been, where I been
Now holla at a millionaire
Rollie, Hublot and Audemar, deciding which one to wear
Who to screw, what to drive, 550 with the cream guts inside
Or the Super Sport Range truck is fly
Diamond ring on my knuckles like fire, bitch
Gat's on us, I don't really trust these guys
Spend a couple bucks a night on bottles on cuties
If she beautiful, the lustful type, I'll hit it and bust inside
Fuck it, I'mma die one day, they gon' probably make that day a holiday
Until then, let's go on a shopping spree
Speaking for my real niggas, only OGs
Certified who kill niggas when put in that seat
But tonight we on chill, nigga, chill mode
Spill more Spades, listen to Jeezy and Hov, some Rozay
It's like we always on the grind with no brakes
So tonight we gon' act like we on vacation with this on rotation
Who you are ain't in the recipe to what I am (word)
'Cause where I'm from, man, what I see you wouldn't understand
Where I been and what I do
No matter how you try you never can
(You wouldn't last a day in my shoes, homie)
'Cause where I'm from and what I see (yeah) you wouldn't understand
Where I been, where I been
For my hood niggas, yeah, yeah
To my man Eric B., what up? Yeah
The whole city, I see you
To my man Big Slate in the fed joint
My man Spunk, free my niggas
All my niggas, yeah
Club Vernon, I see you
I see you, yeah
And Baltum, I see you
In Nas’ “You Wouldn't Understand,” he shares his experiences and views of the world based on where he was raised and what he has gone through in life, stating that who the listener is, is not in the recipe to what he is. He challenges those who say they are set, but have not experienced the challenges that come with success such as managing personal problems and hard work. Nas boasts about his success that symbolizes loyalty, great friends, dedication, and hard work which has taken him to vineyards in France and riding yachts out in Cannes. He also mentions the struggles that come with living where he comes from, as he has been on the other end of a robber’s revolver and is grateful to have never collided with a bullet. He speaks on how he made it out of his environment, but recognizes that one could never understand what he has been through or where he has been.
Line by Line Meaning
Yeah, Harlem, Bronx, Brooklyn
I represent and come from the neighborhoods of Harlem, Bronx and Brooklyn.
Let's make a bet, I know the reason you ain't make it yet
I bet I know why you haven't become successful yet.
You say you set, but you ain't see the tedious ingredients
You claim to be set, but you don't realize how much hard work and dedication it takes.
That go inside of a rider, you hiding from problems and
The dedication and hard work required for success are integral to being a real rider. You're avoiding problems and hard work.
You never knew how to make dollars
You have never known how to make money.
You couldn't make orders at a drive-through McDonald's
You are not even capable of working a basic job at McDonald's.
I was fly at the Apollo with black Jason, '89 with a bottle
I was cool and stylish at the Apollo Theatre with my friend Jason in 1989, drinking a bottle of alcohol.
Niggas jealous of Jason, dark green seven forty, no tint
People were envious of Jason's car, a dark green BMW 740 without any tinted windows.
Rollie on wrist, gleaming he rock the baldy
Jason wore a shiny Rolex watch on his wrist and had a bald head.
Used to ride with him to Brooklyn, Louis, and Halsey
I used to ride with Jason to the neighborhoods of Brooklyn, Louis and Halsey.
Cop chocolate Thai, Vernon style and burn it down
We would buy expensive chocolate Thai weed in the style of the neighborhood of Vernon and smoke it until it was gone.
My nigga hype in the federal joint, verdict out
My friend is facing a verdict for his case in federal prison and is feeling anxious.
20 years getting money in the dirty south
My friend allegedly made money for 20 years in the questionable and illegal tactics in the southern part of the United States.
That's alleged, you see my niggas a stand up dude
The claim of him making money illegally is alleged. However, my friend is still a loyal and upstanding person in my eyes.
So I'm yelling free my nigga
I am calling for the release of my friend from prison.
My nephew godfather Malik, he jammed up too
My nephew's godfather Malik is also in trouble with the law.
For what his hands usually call for, but he ain't do it
Malik was falsely accused of committing a crime that he usually would do, but did not actually commit.
Who you are ain't in the recipe to what I am
Your identity is not a part of the process that has led to my success.
'Cause where I'm from, man, what I see you wouldn't understand
Because of my upbringing and experiences, there are things that I have seen and been through that you could not comprehend.
Where I been and what I do
The places I've been and the things I've done in my life.
No matter how you try you never can
Even if you try, you will never be able to fully understand my experiences and perspective.
You ever been on the other end of a robber's revolver?
Have you ever been in a situation where you are being held up at gunpoint?
Not me, call me Lucky Nas Casalana
I have been fortunate to never be in that situation and consider myself lucky.
All been shot in the medulla oblongata and survived
Others have been shot in the brain and survived.
And praised God with a bullet, I never collided
They gave thanks to God for surviving, but I was never in that situation.
Some did and they lived, I salute the gods
Some people have been shot in the head and lived, and I have respect for them and their experiences.
Moet spilling, splash my mistake on my Timb boots for y'all
My Moet champagne spilled, and I accidentally got it on my Timberland boots for everyone to see.
N.Y. nigga, Adidas, jogging suit
I represent New York City, and I am wearing an Adidas tracksuit.
Shell toes, slim, fly nigga
I have a slim and stylish appearance, wearing shell toe Adidas sneakers.
Hudson River, rent a boat, t-shirt with a dinner coat
I rented a boat on the Hudson River and wore a t-shirt with a dinner jacket.
And vintage Fila like I'm the ghost of Domencio
I am wearing vintage Fila clothing as if I am channeling the spirit of the fashion designer Domencio.
On any day getting throwed in a tinted vehicle
On any given day, I might be riding around in a car with tinted windows and drinking alcohol.
Like a old BK gangsta, but I'm the CEO
I may appear as a classic Brooklyn gangster, but I am actually the CEO of my own company.
Of Nasty Nas Enterprise, mastermind, made men
I am the head of my own successful business, a mastermind of my industry, and I surround myself with powerful, accomplished men.
My success symbolizes loyalty, great friends
My achievements represent the loyalty and support of my close friends and associates.
Dedication, hard work, routine builds character
Building a successful character requires dedication, hard work, and sticking to a routine.
In a world full of snakes, rats and scavengers
The world is full of deceitful, untrustworthy people looking to take advantage of others.
Never make choices out of desperation, I think through it
I never make decisions out of desperation and carefully consider my options.
Break through walls like Pink Floyd
I am able to overcome obstacles and break through barriers like Pink Floyd's album The Wall.
And drink fluids of all kind of alcohol, y'all
I enjoy drinking many different types of alcoholic beverages.
Vineyards in France, yachts out in Cannes
I am able to enjoy extravagant experiences like visiting vineyards in France and yachting in Cannes.
Now holla at a millionaire
I am now a millionaire and someone to be respected.
Rollie, Hublot and Audemar, deciding which one to wear
I must decide which of my expensive watches - Rolex, Hublot, or Audemars Piguet - I want to wear.
Who to screw, what to drive, 550 with the cream guts inside
I have to decide who to have sex with and what car to drive - perhaps the Mercedes Benz 550 with a cream-colored interior.
Or the Super Sport Range truck is fly
Another option is to drive a Super Sport Range truck.
Diamond ring on my knuckles like fire, bitch
I am wearing a diamond ring on my knuckles like a fiery display.
Gat's on us, I don't really trust these guys
We are carrying guns because we do not trust the people around us.
Spend a couple bucks a night on bottles on cuties
I am comfortable spending money on buying bottles of alcohol and impressing attractive women.
If she beautiful, the lustful type, I'll hit it and bust inside
If a woman is attractive and interested in casual sex, I am willing to have sex with her and potentially leave her pregnant.
Fuck it, I'mma die one day, they gon' probably make that day a holiday
I am accepting of the fact that I will eventually die, and maybe even famous enough for my death to become a holiday.
Until then, let's go on a shopping spree
Before I die, let's go shopping for nice things.
Speaking for my real niggas, only OGs
I am talking on behalf of my genuine friends and associates who are real and have been in the game for a long time.
Certified who kill niggas when put in that seat
My friends are certified killers when put in a dangerous situation.
But tonight we on chill, nigga, chill mode
But for tonight, we are relaxed and taking it easy.
Spill more Spades, listen to Jeezy and Hov, some Rozay
We will continue to drink more Hennessy, listen to Young Jeezy and Jay-Z, and maybe even some Rick Ross.
It's like we always on the grind with no brakes
We are always hustling and working hard without ever taking a break.
So tonight we gon' act like we on vacation with this on rotation
For tonight, we are going to pretend that we are on vacation while we continue to drink and listen to music.
For my hood niggas, yeah, yeah
This is for my people from the neighborhood.
To my man Eric B., what up? Yeah
A shoutout to my friend Eric B.
The whole city, I see you
I see and acknowledge my entire city.
To my man Big Slate in the fed joint
A message to my friend Big Slate who is currently in federal prison.
My man Spunk, free my niggas
Another friend of mine, Spunk, needs to be released from prison.
All my niggas, yeah
I stand in solidarity with all of my friends and associates.
Club Vernon, I see you
I give a shoutout to Club Vernon, a popular spot in my neighborhood.
I see you, yeah
I acknowledge and see all of you out there.
Lyrics © BMG Rights Management, Universal Music Publishing Group, Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC
Written by: THOMAS LEE BROWN, MICHAEL CLAXTON, ERIC BARRIER, ANTHONY BEST, WILLIAM GRIFFIN, NASIR JONES, VICTORIA MCCANTS
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind