Official Nas Thread

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Big Homie Behemoth said:
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…
Click to expand...

DOPE! This is exactly what makes Nas GOAT in my book. Only him can spit with so much introspection and not hesitate to point out his own flaws and failures.

I'd go as far as saying to me Death Of Escobar Nas >>>> Illmatic Nas, from a more mature/adult point of view


The Rise and Fall must be a top 20 Nas track


Caught a case now, I'm home staring off into space
Flashbacks of all the jewelry, cars, crossing my face
Rappers I met, hoes on video cassette
No management, no more good life and no respect
Hearing crowds roar, crystal pouring mixed drinks
Haunted by the thoughts of second album sophomore jinx
Where did I fail? Death threats, woke up in cold sweats
Thinking about all these murders that know where I rest
From hanging with crazy cliques that's known to take shyt
Bracelets, and all that beef now I'm involved, was paperless
My cars were auctioned off, now I catch rides with kidnap-nikkas
Who snatch babies up to get back figures
Lessons from heaven, every night I slept with my weapon
To guard my family for a minute I forgot my profession
Not from Columbia or Nicaragua
Don't distribute coke from Antigua, that shipped out to Panama
Pablo Escobar's bloody reign came to an end
Far from my life; a kid who made his fame from a pen
Hit the studio and change the game again
Wrote down all the pain within, top of the charts, triple platinum
Got the fake love back, money stacks, more plaques
Had to see who I was just to know where I was at
Saw both sides of the game, all the ups and downs
This goes out to the future rap kings coming up now
 
Big Homie Behemoth

Big Homie Behemoth

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"You been on my dikk nikka, you love my style, nikka." :ahh:
 
SirBiatch

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One thing people conveniently forget about Nas is that he has one of the best voices in hip hop history. Top 5. The moment he starts rapping, you're automatically spellbound. Add that to a guy who's also one of the best writers the genre has ever seen (arguably the greatest writer) and he's so far ahead of the competition it's stupid.
 
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