Between "Stillmatic Intro", "Ether", "You're Da Man", "Rewind", "2nd Childhood", and "Every Ghetto", I'd imagine this is what it'd be like trying to pick your favorite child
. I love all of these for entirely different reasons.
- "Stillmatic Intro" set the bar extremely high for the entire album. Sounded just like the kid from Illmatic, but much more wiser, withered, experienced, and battle tested in the game.
- "Ether" see pic below
"Nothing left to say man".
- "You're Da Man" I don't when Nas is at his best, but I narrowed it down to two. When he's telling a story, or when he's reflecting on his own life. He did the latter here
"It's suicidal, how I smoke in so much la'
I saw a dead bird flyin through a broken sky"
....
"Sex with death, indulge in these women
Visions of my own skeleton swimmin in eternal fire
Broads play with pentagrams in they vagina
Like the Exorcist, then they gave birth to my seeds
I beg for God's help, why they love hurtin me?"
"Forty-five in my waist, starin at my reflection
In the mirror, sittin still in the chair like my conception
When everything around me got cloudy, the chair became a king's throne
My destiny found me
It was clear why the struggle was so painful
Metamorphosis, this is what I changed to
And God, I'm so thankful"
This is what goes on in the mind of Nas. Sheer fukkin' genius.
- "Rewind" people that are exceedingly great within their respective fields tend to constantly challenge themselves in ways where they are innovating and being creative - otherwise, they easily get bored..... "Well, I'm heralded as one of the best when it comes to painting a visual with words. Let me just spit an entire story backwards"-
.
- "2nd Childhood" I knew this song was the shyt when I was in the passenger seat of my car sister's car and I was playing this, and one of her friends reached over from the back seat and ejected my Stillmatic CD after the 3rd fukkin verse - she didn't even let me get to enjoy the chorus one last time
. Those lyrics were hitting a bit to close to home I reckon.
- "Every Ghetto" if I were to stick with the premise of this thread and I ABSOLUTELY HAD to pick one song, this is it.
"My skin is a art gallery, right?
With paintings of crucifixes
Hopin' to save me from all the dangers in the music business
Was once a young gangsta hangin' with youth offenders
But since I tasted paper it started losin the friendships
Watchin' kids freeze in winters, they still poor
How could I tease them with benz's and feel no remorse
Drivin' past them in the lively fashion, diamond colors clashin'
Red stones, blue stones, red bones and black ones
fukk did I expect with bucket seats in a lex
And spendin' time in chuckie cheese with little des
Got guns when I'm with my daughter
Hate to bring a violent aura in her presence
She knows what daddy taught her, it's lessons
Black princess it's a ugly world
I put my life up for yours, see I love that girl
Could you believe even my shadow's jealous
My skin is mad at my flesh, my flesh hates my own bones
My brain hates my heart, my heart makes the songs
Though my songs come from the father
I'm lonely...
Hold me, it's gettin' darker"
My favorite Nas verse EVER that ended up being the perfect bow on top of this classic that he gifted us (last track/last verse). He brought it full circle from the "Stillmatic Intro" to this.
Just an amazing fukkin album, b...
