What made me a fan of Nas is that I can relate to alot of what he was talking about in his songs. As a young black man coming up in America, you can caught in the traps of life. Nas started as a nappy headed drop out from Queensbridge, worlds most notorious project housing complex. But like where he is a now, 40 years, 20 spent being one of the most studied, influential, coveted, copied, loved, hated, but feared rappers to ever breathe on the mic. He's seen it all. The rise and fall of Biggie and Tupac, the shiny suit era, cash money, ruff ryders, g unit, all the mini runs while he just stayed Nas. His music teaches. It's timeless. It's true art. When I started crafting rhymes, I wanted to be as visual, as captivating, as creative, as potent, as wise, as pure, as insightful, as clever as Nas.
I don't care about money, I don't care about business ventures, I don't care about baby mom issues. It's about the raps. The rhymes. The music. The energy. The expression. From the soul. From the gut. And Nas always came correct. He just dope. I wonder if this cat even knows what he means to hip hop.
Nas is the best. Period