<i>[Nas]</i> Peace, how you? I aint mean to be late, it was my night to watch my little girl. It's chilly out here. What happened, you cryin? Ya'll got into it again, huh? See you gotta let em know, from the jump, I don't care who they are, or who they with. Yeah, I know they know we talking. Why don't they just leave us alone? I know it's hard for them to understand people like us can love each other. Come on, stop cryin' now. Oh, there's somethin I gotta tell you, I heard they watchin you, yeah they watching you. They watchin me too. But there aint no reason to get low, I'm proud, I'm here. You know, Imma stand up for you, no matter what; and I konw you'll stand up for me. I don't have no doub about you bein true to me. The world is ours, but right now i feel like the whole world is against us. So study, be strong, don't cry no more. (cont. on A Message To The Feds, Sincerely, We The People)
[Verse 1: Nas] I walk the block like whatever god, my message to y'all feds Who desperate to arrest us young, benevolent hardheads Abrochrombie & Finch rockin', wrist glistenin' marksman Hitchcock of Hip-Hop since Big Pop departed The project logic is still salute the dead, glocks spit Pour some juice out for those in Manchester, Viewmount Otisville, Newasberg, Fort Dicks, Fort Worth, Oakdale Every fed jail where all my dawgs lurk War hurts much to gain 'til the day we all say May your pain be champagne then we all blaze away At our enemies, may they die easily Long as they perish forever's what freedom means to me Blowin' greenery, growing eager to see evil things Thrown away, zonin' grey, GT, Diesel jeans Airs and Chucks, solitaires, stones with the rarest cuts On some Pretty Tone shit, haircut looks airbrushed And they're aware of us though And we don't give a flyin' 747 fuck though Stayin' on my hus-tle [beat change]
[Verse 2: Nas] A message to those who trapped us up, from federal guys who backed them up We never will die, we black and tough, lead in your eye, we strapped to bust Half of us been locked up inside the beast, look at the time we see Brooklyn to Compton streets, Queens, even the Congo needs dreams Our bullets and triggers our enemies pullin' on innocent women and children It wasn't no ghetto killers who mixed up the coke and put guns in our buildings But I'm not gon' cry, and I'm not gon' just stand and watch you die I'ma pass you a .9, I'ma grab your hand -- come on let's ride A message to those who killed the king, who murdered the Christ The same regime, what God has built you never can break What God has loved you never can hate, man makes rules and laws You just a ruthless dog, your kennel is waiting You devils will run back into the caves you came from Whenever that day comes, forty-acres, plantations, see every race won Sincerely yours, Street's Disciple, revelations
[Verse 1: Nas] I had bad chicks that blow cum bubbles like bubblegum Plus they ass lick, summer house be sippin' rum Layin' lazy in the recliner, couple days In my ashtray, smoke signals from the haze I stick my finger through it, the ring of smoke broke That symbolize weak guys, pop the strong link off The infrastructure caves in, amazin' I ain't have to read The Art of War to slay men Serve niggaz, bird niggaz speakin' reckless When their momma love the kid's records I made You gutless, you don't know struggle Throw a couple slugs at you, hell grabs you Nail stabs a hand of the Nasirine I carried the cross to help you afford that plasma screen Gave you chumps a path to walk, hold my hand I'ma guide you like the OG, but don't talk, don't get it confused 'Cause none'a y'all can fit in my shoes Y'all made of chemicals, artificial actions God'll forgive you bastards Only if you repent to the Nazareth Savage
[Verse 2: Nas] I squeeze nipples like pimples to get the puss, get it? Form a crew, swallow forty cal' bullets after dinner's finished Wash it down with a shot of tequila, pocket full'a scrilla Can't come close to, Francis Copala, Samson -- no Delilah You're pint-sized, I'm mic's eyes with the gladiator tattoos on it You scared to look too long at, sit on a don's lap Tell you a story shorty, spicy like lories Chickenheads and orgies, criminals that draw heat in their late forties Drug habits, love grabbin' kids up like yours Sendin' you a picture of them in their drawers with black eyes Savage guys, you hire Magnum PI's to bag up my guys Said you was a thug with a good disguise, try to protect your cabbage You're runnin' from the Nazareth Savage
[Verse 3: Nas] Son's backward flows, they say mine is very scary Smell fear like a canine that finds buried babies And all of y'all wear that same aroma How to blow on your eighth LP, I'll show ya You're wack nigga, face it In the history of the game, you have no placement Liquor and weed just massacred their mind, or thee celebrity Or they couldn't change with time, so now they run they mouth But when the sun go south, them comes come out My cavalry woulda been threw ten in your skin Casualty you don't wanna be, don't want it with me Straight savage
Newscaster: "Recently there has been an emergence of socially conscious and political rappers. It seems to be a new trend in the Hip-Hop world."
*DJ scratches sample* Nas: "Nas is a rebel to America" 3X*
[Vers 1: Nas] Yeah, check it, uh Spot build-rocker, lil' papa killed Hoffa Beard lil' longer, feel strong and I'll stop ya Drill sergeant, still thorough, wheelbarrows of distilled vodka Get me real bonkers like Will Ferrell on cat tranquilizer Rap guys get bank and think they messiahs, but they liars Vote fo who now? You're red, white and blue? I'm American too, but I ain't with the president's crew What you peddlin' and who you peddlin' to? You ain't got the ghetto with you Try'na lead my sheep to the slaughterhouse Talkin 'bout +Rap the Vote+, you ain't thought about The black vote mean nathan, who you gonna elect Satan or Satan? In the hood nothin is changin, uh We ain't got no choices who to choose Ten-years ago they were tryin to stop our voices And end Hip-Hop, they some hypocrites Condoleeza Rice - I don't really get this chick Tell her if she ever really cared about poor schools About poor children, then she gotta prove that she ain't just another coon Uncle Tom fool Like these MC's, gotta give 'em the rules Lie to the youth, Uncle Tom you confused Might as well give the Hip-Hop community a noose Need a truce with the gangs and some food for the hungry On Kerry nuts, he look at you like a monkey You MC's on that old slavery path The Bushs'll look at yo' ass and laugh See, it's all about community, let's help ourselves Cops brutalize us get dealt with with shells It's our turn, it's 'bout time we win Need somebody as the hood as my councilman, uh
[Chorus: Kelis] Yeah I think about this everyday, that's the American Way, shit Yeah I think about this everyday, that's the American Way, shit (Nas: Cause that's the American way) Yeah I think about this everyday, that's the American Way, shit Yeah I think about this everyday, that's the American Way
[Verse 2: Nas] Up in the steam room chillin', exfoliating the skin It's rarely men conversatin' on ends, probably businessmen I sense good taste, and they watch us, the spots an expensive place Manhattan New York, I'm try'na keep steamin' It's good for the lungs, had plans for the evening This man leans in, his boys laughing Now I'm the spokesperson for Black men, this always happens Says, "Since all Black women care about is who got dough And all we do is call them either bitch or a Black hoe" I say first brotha you ain't gotta be that cold Since you ignorant, I'ma show you how the facts go The biggest example in scandal of history Were Monica Lewinksy or Donald Trump's pimping spree Most woman who love Jeevanji of Gucci Are pretentious non-Black groupies or floozies But who are we to blame, not the dames It's a man-made game, in essence our woman the same Beautiful creatures, Black girls birthed the earth So they deserve to earn man's purse Matter fact, I'm about to go shopping with my dime Catch you cowards the next time, the next rhyme, uh
[Chorus: Kelis singing] Yeah I think about this everyday, that's the American Way, shit (Nas: That's the American way) Yeah I think about this everyday, that's the American Way, shit (Nas: Cause that's the American way. What up, K?) Yeah I think about this everyday, that's the American Way, shit (Nas: That's the American way) Yeah I think about this everyday, that's the American Way, shit (Nas: Ha, yeah)
I don't care about the runaways I don't care about who's gay I don't care about dying of AIDS But I care if I got paid Who even cares about the president? I think they're making a mistake I don't care about the hurricane As long as my family's safe I don't care about the candidates They burnt this country to bits Yeah I think about this everyday, that's the American Way (Nas: Uh)
Can we make a change You know it's not overnight Let's start the fight (Nas: And ya don't stop, uh) Can we make a change You know it's not overnight Let's start the fight (Nas: Yeah) Yeah I think about this everyday, that's the American Way
[Verse 1: Nas] Word to mama, any lineup of rhymers Could bring any drama, anytime, the city's mine Nas Is Like, Love Undying, Money's My Bitch In Thugz Mansion, thugs dancin' around the fly shit Pharaoh garment's Prada, Egyptian camelback-riders Pyramid architects, Perignon bottles, money, jewelry want me to come Get me, hit me but don't miss me, you history Lead flowin' around like a Frisbee, Italian dons from Sicily kiss me This ain't 50, this ain't Jigga, this ain't Diddy, this ain't Pretty Pain, power, pussy and pistols, lyrically no one, hold none near me, hear me Kids cheer me like The Count of Monte-Cristo Steady poundin' soundin' like G without the lisp though My big bro told me plain and simple, "Nas do not look back" Watch where you took rap, no bookbags and trucker hats Just army jacks and diamonds that's flashin' What the fuck is that, freestyle
[Verse 2: Nas] Like Paul, Michael and Matthew, Peter, James and Andrew Phillip, Simon and Judas -- I'm disciple of music Street beats is the main thing minus the traitor And I'm not a dictator, I'm the righteous invitin' you haters Inside the life of the greatest, it'll take you through something real Get a smack in your face, 'cause I hurt up, trauma-tize, llama Bust shells, destroy yet try'ta prevent violence If I present iron somebody dyin', don't even worry 'bout it Then dress warm for the cemetery climate When I speak I need cemetery silence, terror See me, gold Hummers, Lamborghinis, man who stole the summer Hand straight gleamin', if I don't know you toe-tag you Drag you through the cement, fo-fo maggie Body parts in my man's Maserati car, then party hard in Madagascar While rigor mortis'll grab ya, him retarded, I'm pass that Gloves on, where the mask at? Too many love songs All the thugs gone, what happened? Where's the passion? Rappers battlin' non-rappers, carryin' on backwards Laughin' sayin' Nas thinks he's Farrakhan preachin' blackness Hell yeah, awareness is my alias Word to the 'Braveheart' written on my bare chest The realest, HERE IT IS!
[Verse 1: Nas] Uh, I knew a few pharmacists, fuck frozen They kept pneumonias on their arms and wrists The main dude, Sekou, face look hard as shit Remember like yesterday, they were the kings of ecstacy Kept sellin' it, he blends in everywhere, has a mixed heritage Bitches let him hit on the reg', waterbed seats in his car All red ferari, Florida where we met at a redlight Homeboy bumpin' my old shit They wildin' with some freaks from the islands piled in behind him, limosine, Benz He shouted, "Nas, roll with us" I'm bored so I followed him Nikki Beach, here's where the scene begins He put me on to Don, nice ass with a set of mean twins Had a pocket full of cash, Sekou wasn't lettin' me spend I was there for the weekend, packed and prepared for anything Then he brings me to his castle in Coconut Grove War stories about dudes both of us know Never heard drunken words spoken so slow A year go by, the nigga was fly Prada shoes, a lotta jewelry, stayed high Got a call, he's in N.Y Needs a couple of G's 'til tomorrow, I dips by for a season where he's at Greets me with a smile, told him "Here keep that" Next week got a call from his wife Said somebody done took son life *beat changes* She said
[Nas as Scarlett - repeat 2X] "Who gon' hold me down now? Hold me down now Tell me that huh -- who gon' hold me down now? Who gon' hold me down now? Who gon' hold me down? Tell me that huh -- who gon' hold me down now"
[Nas as Scarlett] Forget about them other dudes, they talkin' to me rude 'Cause I always knew the truth, they hated Sekou H2 full of holes, the drove him off the road Left him there on this 'cain, clothes stained with his brain My soul shattered, my man's toe's tagged up Arrangement's a closed casket See now a hoe has to, maintain with his fake gang sheddin' fake tears, I won't have it Look, this kid's Jamaican -- half Hatian, half Asian Brag about how the streets needed a changin' Son, you the only one a bitch could call You remind me of my dude, help me get them all
Nas: "Di-sci-ple" *scratched by DJ 3X* Scarlett: "You remind me of my dude, help me get them all" Nas: "Di-sci-ple" *scratched by DJ 3X* Scarlett: "You remind me of my dude, help me get them all"
[Chorus] Live now niggaz, there's no promise of a second time around, put it down We'll just live now, there's no reason why you shouldn't, everything is up to you All you gotta do is just, live now, we spending Not under the ground yet, we enjoying every second yo Live now, don't forget to bro, yeah cause I promise you you'll regret it bro
Picture my last days will be so grim My daughter at my bedside, respirator in me Eyes dilated, looking skinny, trying to smile, trying to say something Whole room will quiet down just to hear my last words Tears fall down my facial, why fear anything, it's now too late to I'm dreaming of a time I was silked out at the peak of my career But I always choked out, leaving mad money on the table at crazy amounts I would hit the scene for a second and bounce Admit I did live a little bit, sweet pickle dick Freaks licked on it, lips I dripped on it Sex, I dropped pearl necklaces on necks and tits Traveled half the world, wish I traveled the rest of it From QB to Mecca kid, so if you knew me You'd be proud to say I left you with enough memories to resurrect me with So live now nigga
[Chorus]
[Scarlett] It's been a long time since you came through to see ya sis You know I love you, I've been a fan since Genesis Gotta respect you 'cause you never tied to smash Since we met a while back, and your style was mack Now I see that you a man after all you been through A stand-up dude, held me down after Sekou Need more brothers like you in the hood, would have wifed you if I could But the white cells in my blood were no good Said I had it ten years, but I was just a carrier I thought, "Me a victim?", could never be my character It's ill Se' passed the way he did, didn't know how to tell him Just happy it didn't get in our kid But all the things I did was the flyest, experiences were priceless Remember days of diamond cuts Nugget rings, clubs in Queens, Jetta cars Used to love them things, Barbados, Belize I stayed over seas, shopping sprees, credit cards Pockets of Gs, left the hood, phattest cribs To platinum from silver, came back, bitches calling me the black Liz Taylor Imagine that, Rob me? My nigga would kill ya, they knew the rules All the planes I flew, niggaz I ran through Lot of unprotected sex, don't know where it came from Grimy niggaz, rich niggaz, damn it ain't a game son From the Cayman Islands to the Virgin Islands Gucci suitcases (coughs), a chic did it, eff the screw faces Critics and fans, they need to get a life You doin' the right thing, settle down, get a wife now I grew with you so you know you make me proud And most of all you gotta live now
[Chorus: Scarlett] Live now nigga ain't no promise of a second time around, put it down, would you We'll just live now, there's no reason why you shouldn't, everything is up to you All you gotta do is just, live now, keep spending Not under the ground yet, keep enjoying every minute yo Gotta live it up to the limit yo cause I promise you you'll regret it bro
[Scarlett] Son, come close, lemme talk to you I got music, put it out to the world, let 'em hear it Look out for little me, one
[Chorus: Amerie singing] The rest of my life The rest of my life
[Verse 1: Nas] LIFE, dead presidents, devilish meant Overthrow kings from they thrones 'cause of their negligence DEATH, real shit'll start comin' to light Niggaz you ain't like dickin' your wife, WHAT? Kind and underminding, grimy, stiff corpse shapin' Pork bacon, double-cross Satan HEATHENS, non-god-fearing, lace thong wearing demons But glory go to God, y'all BENEATH HIM If y'all don't know that, rap with a old cat He'll show you streets where them big dealers DROVE AT Where low-key killers let the fo' clap Blocka-blocka-blocka -- OH The glow, the 'dro, the dough for shows Everything a hood brother think he needs -- YO You'll find a goal in a ghetto superstar's roadmap And I'ma use that for the
[Amerie singing] For the rest of my life For the rest of my life
[Verse 2: Nas] Burnt-out, kicked to the curb So I had to learn how to turn around a hundred thou' REAL FAST In '95 that was my last, I went back to the ave thinkin' rap's a thing of the PAST Rest in peace E Money Bags, no more cabs, got caught with the ratchet in the stash Lawyer want CASH, my ba'y bro blast burners at cats who gell They burnt a range with a MOLOTOV COCKTAIL My little man got fourteen-years for car-jackin' a undercover Them cops SWEAR, my little nigga told on me I'm thinkin, "Hello, where's the L-O, V-E" Pigs play games, my little man'll never say names Word to his pops with elephant veins They both locked-up still, word to Will I'll make it and chill for the
[Chorus: Amerie singing] For the rest of my life For the rest of my life
[Verse 3: Nas] My man gave his mommy coke So she wouldn't hit the block all crazy for the smoke DAMN NIGGA, could you picture you supplyin' your own moms so she don't have to bone for DIMES? Or give dome for nicks' in the roofs of the projects where dogs shit and PISS Yeah, we all plan to get rich but it's all about how it's executed Lexus coup-ed, brigettes from cubics Mighta been stupid, but I got far from twenty-six BARS To ten LP's, what can him tell me? Of them? Of y'all? I'M NAS, on a track that's unorthodox Like my life coulda been offed by THE COPS Told y'all, Nas will prevail by the book when it's up for sale About the rest
[Chorus: Amerie singing] For the rest of my life For the rest of my life
[Verse 1: Quan] Can we please have a moment of silence? That's for my niggaz doin' years in confinement And for my soldiers who passed over, no longer living That couldn't run whenever the reaper came to get 'em Can we please pour out some liquor? Symobolizin', let's take in time to consider that Though our thugs ain't here, the love is here And we gon' rep 'til slugs kill us here This for my dawgs stuck in the struggle tryin' to gain Smokin' trauma, sniffin' Ra while sellin' cocaine Trapped in the game, not knowin' how to stop and get by To live it alive, so instead they live it to die Can we please have a moment of peace? For every G that fell for his flag in the streets Bloodin' and thuggin', folkin' and lokin' Crypin' and creepin', Latin and kingin' Or just for poor righteous teachin'
[Chorus: Quan sings] As days goes and nights fall For the rest of our life we'll miss y'all And even though life must go on, we'll still mourn While wishin' y'all were home
[Verse 2: Nas] Yeah, and can we have another moment of silence? For brothers who died from black-on-black violence From here to the Dark Continent were rebels sell diamonds To clients allover the world, got little Black girls dyin' And can we please pour some more liquors? For Will, Bokeem, Bar, Pappy -- my niggaz Here's another Warrior Song from Nasty and Quan It's to him I pass the baton to carry this on Street's Disciple, salute to those who's gone with bullets And I promise through rhymin' Quan gon' rep his life to the fullest And can we please have a moment of truth? For soldiers and troops away with helmets and boots And families back home who pray they make it home safe Hopin' that they don't get hit with a stray or missiles This is just a moment to let you all know that we miss you Mommy I'm still here, wishin' I was there with you Let's take 'em home
[Chorus]
[Verse 3: Quan] And can we please have a moment to mourn? For Pac, Biggie and Pun 'cause through us they live on Jam Master Jay, Freaky Ty and Alliyah Big L and Left Eye, when we die we wish to see ya Can we please have a moment for children? Who got raped or murdered, or trapped in the system Who never knew their father, never learned to dream But was guided by drug dealers, killers and crack fiends For single mothers that's forced to play mom and dad Bustin' her ass to give her kids shit she never had For my niggaz in the pen hopin' rhymes'll get 'em signed So when released, they can say bye to a life of crime For very mother that held a son in the street bleedin' Cryin' a song of sorow to dark and deep for speakin' Just a moment outside the day to day struggle To let the ones we really care about know that we love 'em
[Chous: Woman singing] I see people hating other people Tell me what's the reason That your kid is hungry, you ain't got no money What's the reason?
[Verse 1: Nas] By the time of age nine I'm already decidin' If I can protect mommy from the hood by fightin' Or usin' a knife or a gun when I'm twenty-one By by then them hoods woulda pushed their way in our apartment And we die then, so I been a young nervous wreck in the projects Watchin' them older niggaz pass pot and they high man I'm just a young boy, snot nose, hair nappy Cops ride by squeezin' their trigger fingers at me So I would go to school and try to get good grades Teacher wrote mommy and kicked me outta school for havin' braids So she cussed them, said "My son ain't no motherfuckin' hoodlum" They judged us, thinking that we dumb 'cause where we come from Got a little older and now I see Young niggaz wanted by the powers that be (powers that be)
[Chorus: Woman singing] I see people hating other people Tell me what's the reason That your kid is hungry, you ain't got no money What's the reason? For these wars we're fighting with each other Season after season When you're workin' hard, but there ain't nothing comin' What's the reason?
[Verse 2: Nas] Uh, picture a Black nanny and a baby in a basket pushin' down 5th Ave She never had it, it's not hers to begin with She gives it breakfast, baths and dinners Treats it so tender while her own kids live alone at home with no phone on Ain't had a good meal in so long, but so long as mommy's a maid Cookin' and cleanin', she wanna feed her kids and her kids are dreamin' Where's my daddy, who's my daddy, have you seen him? I could imagine them askin', what type of human be-ing Could leave his family, go back to the Carribean? Was he locked up, shot up, does he have freedom? Mom said wipe your tears, keep readin' But daddy's somewhere, spirit broken, feelin' defeated A man feels he has to conquer all The world is his oyster, his pearl so y'all know
[Chorus: Woman singing] I can't find no reason why we can't all live in peace 'Cause this world keeps spinning, yet still I wonder what's the reason
I see people hating other people Tell me what's the reason When you're workin' hard but there ain't nothin' comin' What's the reason? Oooh-whoa-ooh-whoa
[Verse 3: Nas] I know a girl, her boyfriend was a fugitive She's intuitive, be on some stupid shit She called the cops 'cause she hated his mother Now he away doin' numbers, now she gay with her lover How many niggaz gon' die this summer? I pump life in my music, but still life is a wonder There's a officer in a squad car, he's a prostitute serial killer It's odd, huh? 'Cause he's the same cop in church with his wife He's molestin' his son and she ignores it at night Little bad ass bastard, lights a match and kills Betty Shabazz in her pad while she slept They said Prescott Bush funded Hitler while the world's in a twister Nigga, what you expect? Imagine what's next
[Chorus: Woman singing] I see people hating other people Tell me what's the reason That your kid is hungry, you ain't got no money What's the reason? For these wars we're fighting with each other Season after season When you're workin' hard, but there ain't nothing comin' What's the reason?
Woman harmonizes as Nas talks: "Uh, uh, man, man'll search the whole planet, looking for what Try to conquer all. So what? To all my niggaz with they kids that love they kids, man. All the daddies out there To all the niggaz that died tryin'a figure out what's what Tryin'a be the biggest of the big, you know. Yeah, yeah Ladies forgive us. Gotta forgive us. For we know not what we do. Breakin' hearts, leavin' the crib, buggin' out and shit. Just man... man."
(Busta Rhymes) Ay fellas I think you might wanna s-s-sneak your ratchet in here for this one Ay ladies Put your petroleum jelly on your face Yo Nas, we got a big bet in the streets that you knock they ass out in the first 30 seconds of the first round GET 'EM!
(Verse One: Nas) Sittin up drunk, shufflin thoughts Got paper but I'm lost Losin focus what a nigga still hustlin for My seed is straight, the fam is settled Idle time get the man in trouble When wifey tourin, my life get boring Start to remember all types of torment The devil's callin, but I don't answer Mom passed from cancer, leavin behind two granddaughters, two grandsons, two 9's next to me in the Phantom, who lyin? Big screen documentaries of Idi Amin Gotta, try to stay away from creeps With they bullshit, tryin to put me back in the streets War stories, funerals where feds be layin from a dreadful slayin Body viewing's at the wake Nigga sit stiff in his Ferrari, no casket with his eyelids still open, it's kinda spooky Iceman watch on, the suit Gucci I'm above the standard But dude just Mar-salis than Branford Thinkin you're too rich, they wanna gun ya Kidnap ya cause of they hunger, but you fuckin with hunters Camoflauged in black hoods that dump clips Cause real niggaz die over dumb shit Camoflauged in black hoods that dump clips Cause real niggaz die over dumb shit
(Verse Two: Nas) To your, power structure, Nas is dangerous Y'all the antithesis, the opposite Twitchin shit, all up in your body language Mean muggin your bitch, cause she leans over to look closer told you y'all sloppy gangsters sayin "Nas is this and Nas is that" Your eyes go front, your eyes go back Surprised I'm at the same place y'all be at It's obvious you don't know how I react Like, I don't know where the party's at You're foamin at the mouth, losin breath Like a cardiac arrest, but I ain't impressed Cause the fact is, y'all don't really want it Two to the head, fo' to the stomach Call more security cause I come off anywhere you at you scary cats If you dare squeeze back, guns shall rain a thousand times harder than when I first came Y'all not relentless, y'all dumb And y'all just forgot about the consequences Not a jail sentence, but see the nigga you feed'll kick it to dude that kick it to me We posess, the recipes for death, cause jealousy destroys Feed the dog first, watch out for salmonella poisoning I know a kid who'll throw shit in your food And say, "That's the way you kill a man, avoid the shooting" Hey...
(Chorus)
(Outro) You smile, in my face Secretly I know, you want my place You waitin on me to choke, don't want a nigga to breathe You wanna come cut my throat, you wanna get rid of me But before I let it happen them guns gon' start clappin And y'all gon' rest in peace, cause death is the recipe Before I let it happen them guns gon' start clappin And y'all gon' rest in peace, cause death is the recipe
[Verse 1: Nas] Word to mama, any lineup of rhymers Could bring any drama, anytime, the city's mine Nas Is Like, Love Undying, Money's My Bitch In Thugz Mansion, thugs dancin' around the fly shit Pharaoh garment's Prada, Egyptian camelback-riders Pyramid architects, Perignon bottles, money, jewelry want me to come Get me, hit me but don't miss me, you history Lead flowin' around like a Frisbee, Italian dons from Sicily kiss me This ain't 50, this ain't Jigga, this ain't Diddy, this ain't Pretty Pain, power, pussy and pistols, lyrically no one, hold none near me, hear me Kids cheer me like The Count of Monte-Cristo Steady poundin' soundin' like G without the lisp though My big bro told me plain and simple, "Nas do not look back" Watch where you took rap, no bookbags and trucker hats Just army jacks and diamonds that's flashin' What the fuck is that, freestyle
[Verse 2: Nas] Like Paul, Michael and Matthew, Peter, James and Andrew Phillip, Simon and Judas -- I'm disciple of music Street beats is the main thing minus the traitor And I'm not a dictator, I'm the righteous invitin' you haters Inside the life of the greatest, it'll take you through something real Get a smack in your face, 'cause I hurt up, trauma-tize, llama Bust shells, destroy yet try'ta prevent violence If I present iron somebody dyin', don't even worry 'bout it Then dress warm for the cemetery climate When I speak I need cemetery silence, terror See me, gold Hummers, Lamborghinis, man who stole the summer Hand straight gleamin', if I don't know you toe-tag you Drag you through the cement, fo-fo maggie Body parts in my man's Maserati car, then party hard in Madagascar While rigor mortis'll grab ya, him retarded, I'm pass that Gloves on, where the mask at? Too many love songs All the thugs gone, what happened? Where's the passion? Rappers battlin' non-rappers, carryin' on backwards Laughin' sayin' Nas thinks he's Farrakhan preachin' blackness Hell yeah, awareness is my alias Word to the 'Braveheart' written on my bare chest The realest, HERE IT IS!