Official Nas Thread
- Thread starter Ronald
- Start date
dirty_yo
hired help
nas fans have so little to talk about anymore, theyre reduced to discussing maps and calculus
criminology
hearse initiator
South up maps are great imo. They better show how Europe is basically just a peninsula of Asia. But east up I think is a little weird with current astronomy since north and south are much more stable in relation the plain of revolution and make more sense for rotation as well. Makes sense that east was up previously tho since Asia minor was the center of they world for most of history.
And yeah Nas better release some music soon.
1 JULY 2015
IGGY AZALEA, PORTER ROBINSON, NAS, ALVVAYS, THE GROWLERS, SHAKEY GRAVES, FRANCESCO YATES, SKYLAR SPENCE, LUKAS NELSON & PROMISE OF THE REAL, THE KINSEY REPORT, HAT FITZ & CARA, FAMILY OF THE YEAR,BLUES AND COMPANY, THE REVERB SYNDICATE, G.GRAND,AL WOOD AND THE WOODSMEN, TJ WHEELER, SCOTT WEILAND AND THE WILDABOUTS
http://www.ottawabluesfest.ca/
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HNIC973
R.I.P Bandana P
MUSIC PLEASE!!!!!!!!!!
we get a verse every 6 months
we get a verse every 6 months
Big Homie Behemoth
Rookie
First listened to Nas when I was 14. 25 years old now and he is still the greatest rapper of all time in my book.
What always struck me about him was his ability to articulate the insecurities and anxieties that everyone feels but rarely discuss openly. The immensely poetic expression of these personal feelings is one of the reasons I find his music so appealing. I don't know about you guys but some of those introspective verses and lines will stay with me for the rest of my life. A lot of them come from cuts that never made a studio album and I'm sure that there are dozens of gems collecting dusts on long forgotten hard drives.
Allow me to share a couple with you - tell me what you think or whether you had similar thoughts when hearing these for the first time.
My Worst Enemy - last part of final verse.
I wanted money when I got it, I would spend it
I wanted jewels, but when I heard it, yo I wouldn't listen
All of the drama in my life I got my self into
All the toxins my body took in, faded my mental
I let these nikkaz words get to me
But I'm tired of my ice, tired of Bentley
It's the end of the century
I recognized the world is a beautiful place
nikkaz opinions ruinin' my musical taste
'Cause everytime I caught a case, could of got me in jail
If you wasn't scared of jail, you more likely to fail
I thought the whole world was cursed, from the hand I was dealt
And +My Worst Enemy+ was my self
Word to my self...word to my self...word to my self…
This song is part of Nas' massive unreleased catalogue and has surfaced in various mix tapes and unofficial Lost Tapes compilations. The conclusion of the song is pretty haunting despite the song's title hinting at the end result. I get the feeling it was probably recorded before Stillmatic, at the end of the I Am…, a period where themes like this came up very frequently in his work. Firstly Nas accepts his own failings as a human being, spending money without consideration as soon as receiving it and ignoring the advice given to him by those around him. He squarely takes the blame for problems in his life and admits to not caring about his body or mind's wellbeing. Interestingly he also suggests that he has allowed other people to influence his decision making, both in his life generally, and his music. For someone who relies on the positive reception of creative output this is quite the confession. The last few lines come almost as a revelation to Nas, that he is solely responsible for the negativity surrounding him, the realisation perhaps that blaming others could only get him so far. We're well aware that at this time Nas was struggling with various pressures in his personal life as well as manager/label issues and this verse gives a unique insight into his frame of mind at the time.
Drunk by Myself - first line
Yo my wife's tired of fukking me
Life tries ducking me
The whole song could be used as an example of the man's genius. What other GOAT contender has ever started a song like this? A platinum selling, flagship artist leads his first verse with the idea that his wife no long finds him sexually attractive (a reference to Carmen) and that he feels that his life is slipping beyond his control. Not how much money he earns, or what car he drives or how many people he has bodied. The rhyme is simple and the lines are delivered in a confessional way that engages the listener immediately. The Lost Tapes album was released as part of an official retail album and as such was pushed through Columbia Records's audit process. I have since heard rumours that the Sony executives were not too pleased with some of Nas' raps but that the Ill Will imprint deal had allowed him to push them through…
What always struck me about him was his ability to articulate the insecurities and anxieties that everyone feels but rarely discuss openly. The immensely poetic expression of these personal feelings is one of the reasons I find his music so appealing. I don't know about you guys but some of those introspective verses and lines will stay with me for the rest of my life. A lot of them come from cuts that never made a studio album and I'm sure that there are dozens of gems collecting dusts on long forgotten hard drives.
Allow me to share a couple with you - tell me what you think or whether you had similar thoughts when hearing these for the first time.
My Worst Enemy - last part of final verse.
I wanted money when I got it, I would spend it
I wanted jewels, but when I heard it, yo I wouldn't listen
All of the drama in my life I got my self into
All the toxins my body took in, faded my mental
I let these nikkaz words get to me
But I'm tired of my ice, tired of Bentley
It's the end of the century
I recognized the world is a beautiful place
nikkaz opinions ruinin' my musical taste
'Cause everytime I caught a case, could of got me in jail
If you wasn't scared of jail, you more likely to fail
I thought the whole world was cursed, from the hand I was dealt
And +My Worst Enemy+ was my self
Word to my self...word to my self...word to my self…
This song is part of Nas' massive unreleased catalogue and has surfaced in various mix tapes and unofficial Lost Tapes compilations. The conclusion of the song is pretty haunting despite the song's title hinting at the end result. I get the feeling it was probably recorded before Stillmatic, at the end of the I Am…, a period where themes like this came up very frequently in his work. Firstly Nas accepts his own failings as a human being, spending money without consideration as soon as receiving it and ignoring the advice given to him by those around him. He squarely takes the blame for problems in his life and admits to not caring about his body or mind's wellbeing. Interestingly he also suggests that he has allowed other people to influence his decision making, both in his life generally, and his music. For someone who relies on the positive reception of creative output this is quite the confession. The last few lines come almost as a revelation to Nas, that he is solely responsible for the negativity surrounding him, the realisation perhaps that blaming others could only get him so far. We're well aware that at this time Nas was struggling with various pressures in his personal life as well as manager/label issues and this verse gives a unique insight into his frame of mind at the time.
Drunk by Myself - first line
Yo my wife's tired of fukking me
Life tries ducking me
The whole song could be used as an example of the man's genius. What other GOAT contender has ever started a song like this? A platinum selling, flagship artist leads his first verse with the idea that his wife no long finds him sexually attractive (a reference to Carmen) and that he feels that his life is slipping beyond his control. Not how much money he earns, or what car he drives or how many people he has bodied. The rhyme is simple and the lines are delivered in a confessional way that engages the listener immediately. The Lost Tapes album was released as part of an official retail album and as such was pushed through Columbia Records's audit process. I have since heard rumours that the Sony executives were not too pleased with some of Nas' raps but that the Ill Will imprint deal had allowed him to push them through…
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Great post! I told myself I was avoiding this thread since Nas ain't been droppin no music, no leaks and is so tight lipped on the info. Its sort of a silent protest (I know its a little bytch-ass-ness in that but, Yo, I'm ready for the Season to begin). Anyway, yes! these are some of my favorite Nas songs, released or unreleased and it is because of the vulnerability and insecurity that he shows. It's human. We all have them and its something we can relate to. The first to ever do it and do it well was Scarface on the Mr. Scarface is Back album and Nas credits Scarface a lot for his influence and skill.
He also does it in a different way on LIG where he opens up about his failed marriage, daughter woes and other stuff. These rappers only talk about winning, hoes, ice, money (jayZ). That's not always the case. I am certain that Nas has lots of tracks that are like the aforementioned ones that Columbia didn't want to push out. I want to hear realness of both success and failures because that was real streets cats face. It is why I am a big Nas music fan and want so much of his unreleased music.
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Big Homie Behemoth
Rookie
Thanks. I'm frustrated with the lack of news too and the few reassuring signs like the Timbo snippet etc. came out ages ago now. Someone on here mentioned that his team is probably still trying to figure out the best time to drop solid information but I would rather not receive anything like the 'it's coming' kinda tweets coz nothing ever happens.
A few months ago I found some article on the web from years ago that pointed out the original cutting of You're Da Man, that included stanzas that were removed from the final studio version of Stillmatic. It looks like the 2nd verse's opening lines were removed during the mastering stage:
Swallowed dirt from a graveyard in need of love I vomit blunt residue I want revenue dreamin
And pump lead at you devils tryna take my freedom
it drove me crazy the day i drank my own urine
my own semen with a nine to my brain
(Final version starts here)...but wait a sec give me time to explain
I'm a junior clinical psychologist now (finished studies 3 years ago) and my supervisor is also a big hip hop and Nas fan (10+ years older than me). I played the original to him and we agreed that the label most likely wasn't comfortable with the content or disturbing imagery. He then added that he had speculated that Nas was suffering an element of PTSD (post-traumatic stress disorder) during the recording of Stillmatic, Lost Tapes and later God's Son. His theory initially sounded crazy but he pointed out the references and metaphorical devices used across those two albums and you can clearly identify some of the telling signs of PTSD, and is probably partly responsible for their reputation as being highly 'personal' albums. I imagine that it was a pretty potent combination of various pressures on him, with the most obvious events being the death of his mother, after a 3 year battle with cancer ended in 2002. LIG is a completely different story, but I agree that it's another example of his ability to convey the full spectrum of his experiences.
A few months ago I found some article on the web from years ago that pointed out the original cutting of You're Da Man, that included stanzas that were removed from the final studio version of Stillmatic. It looks like the 2nd verse's opening lines were removed during the mastering stage:
Swallowed dirt from a graveyard in need of love I vomit blunt residue I want revenue dreamin
And pump lead at you devils tryna take my freedom
it drove me crazy the day i drank my own urine
my own semen with a nine to my brain
(Final version starts here)...but wait a sec give me time to explain
I'm a junior clinical psychologist now (finished studies 3 years ago) and my supervisor is also a big hip hop and Nas fan (10+ years older than me). I played the original to him and we agreed that the label most likely wasn't comfortable with the content or disturbing imagery. He then added that he had speculated that Nas was suffering an element of PTSD (post-traumatic stress disorder) during the recording of Stillmatic, Lost Tapes and later God's Son. His theory initially sounded crazy but he pointed out the references and metaphorical devices used across those two albums and you can clearly identify some of the telling signs of PTSD, and is probably partly responsible for their reputation as being highly 'personal' albums. I imagine that it was a pretty potent combination of various pressures on him, with the most obvious events being the death of his mother, after a 3 year battle with cancer ended in 2002. LIG is a completely different story, but I agree that it's another example of his ability to convey the full spectrum of his experiences.
Go
More good stuff! Good to see more post-graduate educated people on this board. I don't feel so out of place now. On We Will Survive, Nas mention that he and Big would compete to "see who could rhyme sickest". I think you could also factor some of his deep, dark rhymes and perverse content with that fact. Like "alcoholic, on toilets shyt blood" from My Way.
Interesting theory on Nas having Post-traumatic disorder though. I wonder what you supervisor would say about Scarface on My Minds Playing Tricks on me or any track from Mr. Scarface is Back. I think Face was diagnosed with being a manic depressive or something like that. It shows.
More good stuff! Good to see more post-graduate educated people on this board. I don't feel so out of place now. On We Will Survive, Nas mention that he and Big would compete to "see who could rhyme sickest". I think you could also factor some of his deep, dark rhymes and perverse content with that fact. Like "alcoholic, on toilets shyt blood" from My Way.
Interesting theory on Nas having Post-traumatic disorder though. I wonder what you supervisor would say about Scarface on My Minds Playing Tricks on me or any track from Mr. Scarface is Back. I think Face was diagnosed with being a manic depressive or something like that. It shows.
FloodedJesus
Rookie
I always thought Nas 'Poison' contained a badly edited part...
Listen carefully from 1:35 when he says 'bi-racial hateful...toward themselves' there's an awkward pause....I'm surprised it made it through the mastering process (unless done on purpose of course)
Anyway here's the most underrated Nas verse ever
My name is beloved I come from the past
With insects crawling on me like I'm dead, I don't eat I just fast
I don't beef I just blast, Gods son, blood on my palm
I left the cross horny white nun's sucking me off
And black dike ones, dressed up like bush identical mask
I fukk em hard with a sinister laugh
Then puff on cigar like Tony Montana
Me and Sony got problems
If I die they say I'm only a martyr
Step to me I'm braver, do me a favor
Put two in my waves, you can be paid
The label puts you in my place
I'm Jewish like Sammie Davis Junior
Holding a Louis suitcase with Colin Powell chopped in pieces
Now I'm locked up with psycho's who eat they faeces
Colder hearts break me out and I reveal deep secrets
About this street shyt that y'all so obsessed by
I rep my nikkas to the death while the rest lie, the rest die, I'm brave
Listen carefully from 1:35 when he says 'bi-racial hateful...toward themselves' there's an awkward pause....I'm surprised it made it through the mastering process (unless done on purpose of course)
Anyway here's the most underrated Nas verse ever
My name is beloved I come from the past
With insects crawling on me like I'm dead, I don't eat I just fast
I don't beef I just blast, Gods son, blood on my palm
I left the cross horny white nun's sucking me off
And black dike ones, dressed up like bush identical mask
I fukk em hard with a sinister laugh
Then puff on cigar like Tony Montana
Me and Sony got problems
If I die they say I'm only a martyr
Step to me I'm braver, do me a favor
Put two in my waves, you can be paid
The label puts you in my place
I'm Jewish like Sammie Davis Junior
Holding a Louis suitcase with Colin Powell chopped in pieces
Now I'm locked up with psycho's who eat they faeces
Colder hearts break me out and I reveal deep secrets
About this street shyt that y'all so obsessed by
I rep my nikkas to the death while the rest lie, the rest die, I'm brave
we the goat stanbase