Nas - Lost Tapes - 20 year anniversary

Mike Wins

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A few weeks away. September 23, 2002.

The one upside of the I Am bootleg is we got this classic

One of the ultimate "if you know, you know" albums. Don't get much better than this

"If nikkas could look inside my mind, you'll find
Where bodies are buried, first look past the hotties who dimes
Go to the center, enter with caution, past the brain cell graveyard
Where weed's responsible for memory loss
Let's witness, the horrific, the stench'll make you nauseous
See what I seen every day I live with this torture
Lightin spliffs up to stay high like 24 hours
Sleep with my heat, wash with my gun in the shower
My tongue is power, it thrills women, kills demons
Long as I'm still breathin I'm still winnin, I'll teach em
The hood converted from trey bags to 20s of Girl
Everybody had money, every summer was real ill
Four-finger rings, dope dealers, caine
No Half Steppin with flat tops when Rakim reigned
Radios on card tables, Benetton, the Gods buildin
Ask for today's mathematics, we Allah's children
And this was goin on in every New York ghetto
Kids listened, Five Percenters said it's pork in Jell-O
We coincide, we in the same life, maybe a time difference
On a different coast, but we share the same sunlight
Your part of the world might be like colors and gangs
While on my side, brothers'll murder for different things
But it all revolve around drugs, fame and shorties
Stuck for your bling, stripped for your chain, the same story
From, Czechoslovakia to Texas metropolis
Them treacherous Rastas and the Mexican mafias
Be scrappin with tats on they back, violent wars
Nothin less than a lethal injection if ever caught
Courtrooms, eagles and flags, American style
While in our world, the ghetto stays incredibly foul
Watchin for paint chips, don't want no lead in yo child
But them gangstas put lead in yo child, the bezzy be out
The chain be like a hundred K
Shinin since Roxanne Shante made Runaway, that's been a minute
Genesis is deep, my features are that of a God
It's not a facade it's a fact, these rappers wanna be Nas
My Exodus doesn't exist, I'll never leave the streets, it's all in my mind
Even with sleep I'm duckin nines in my dreams
Sirens, wide awake, why'd I think it would change?
Can't hide when you famous or even try to do the same things
Like, somebody's always watchin
My life before I, walk out the door I size up every option
Eyes cut every direction, it's like God or guns
Which is better protection? Can't decide, that's a hard one
I mean they wanna see me in prison, the chains bamboozled
Headline readin "Rapper Slain From a Man Shootin"

:whew:
 

JustCKing

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One of Nas's best albums. Never got the "it's just a compilation" argument, when technically all albums are compilations. Even the "but it had songs meant for other projects on it" never flew with me because there's albums that have songs from soundtracks and other projects on them. Some times those songs are years old.

Anyway, Lost Tapes is a unique album because "lost tapes" are usually throwaway joints that are inferior works and only really serve as cash grabs. This was different as it rivals some of Nas's best work. It really sounds more Illmatic than Stillmatic does. Songs from 1999, 2001, 2002 flow seamlessly together as if they came from the same era. Aside from "Fetus" being tacked on at the end as bonus, it's as cohesive as it gets. There are no flat out wack songs on here. No guest appearances. It's just a showcase of Nas at his best.
 

Ghostface

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I was 12 when this came out. My friends and I did a secret Santa. My friend who got my name got this album for me for Christmas, he meant to get me God's son but he was thinking this was the new album with made you look on it.

We didn't know shyt about no damn lost tapes. Thought it was some bootleg shyt. I never even heard of the shyt. He got clowned for it. I didn't open the packaging for a while but when I finally did I apologized to him lol that shyt was fire. This album had no business being as dope as it was
 

Mike Wins

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Classic album

"Nothing Last Forever" is my favorite song off the album



Last part of that last verse always hit hard for me

"Things happen for reasons, the clock keeps tickin
Love could have your heartbeat skippin, thugs turn to religion
The bytch you love could start to hate you
The shyt you used to do escape you
Things that make you laugh represent the past
Reminisce the block, gamble Gs on the floor
nikkas used to be the man, you don't see em no mo
Your favorite restaurants and favorite stores, they tore em down
Turned em into shopping malls, the hood is like a ghost town
Haunted by souls who thought that time stood still
Just live your life to the fullest, never look back, it's real"
 
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Last part of that last verse always hit hard for me

"Things happen for reasons, the clock keeps tickin
Love could have your heartbeat skippin, thugs turn to religion
The bytch you love could start to hate you
The shyt you used to do escape you
Things that make you laugh represent the past
Reminisce the block, gamble Gs on the floor
nikkas used to be the man, you don't see em no mo
Your favorite restaurants and favorite stores, they tore em down
Turned em into shopping malls, the hood is like a ghost town
Haunted by souls who thought that time stood still
Just live your life to the fullest, never look back, it's real"

That's it!!!! that's what hits home. :mjcry:
 

T.he I.nformant

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Wherever nikkas need to be told on
i've been trying to look for an ad, but maybe I just made it up in my head

but around the time i remember there was an ad that said shyt like

no guests, no promo no bullshyt

3295803546_1_5_Yjf0cZWB.jpg
 
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