Nobody hated Nas like 2Pac

[New Jeruzalem Journalist]

Premier said it in Rap Pages when IWW dropped.

It was two years after Extinction Agenda dropped, so he was being asked about the similarities all the time.

So was Organized Konfusion. One joint rapping as a bullet, two years later, another one rapping from the perspective of a gun. It was too close of a concept for them not to be compared and asked about it, back then. Prince Po spoke on it in an interview with Unkut, and said he wasn't mad at Nas about it, but knew Nas was influenced by their joint.

This topic has come up multiple times in the past. I've always maintained that while I don't think Nas necessarily lifted the concept from OK and I Gave You Power is a much better song than Stray Bullet, there is zero chance whatsoever that Nas wasn't at least familiar with them or the song on some level.

I remember cats arguing that Nas never heard the song or even knew about OK because they were too underground. I can't buy the argument that Nas was somehow unaware of a group from Queens who were working with the same producers he was working with at the time, and who also had a working relationship with MC Serch at the same time Nas did.

So 2Pac was aware enough of Organized Konfusion to the point that he even shouted them out by name on his album, but Nas wasn't?

 

[spliz]

Prince Po Isn’t Mad At Nas, May Record New Organized Konfusion Songs – unkut.com – A Tribute To Ignorance (Remix)

unkut.com

UNKUT: When Nas did ‘I Gave You Power’ did you take that as a compliment to ‘Stray Bullet’, or were you like, ‘Hang on a sec…’?

Prince Po: I take it as a compliment because anytime somebody gets an idea from something that you did, it’s an honor. Nas has been putting in so much work in the game and coming at people with so much jewels…I never heard him give us props for it, but that’s not what I’m in the game for. I’m not in the game looking for props. I know he was influenced by the song, and just to hear his song was just an honor in itself. I don’t get wrapped–up in ‘Why he ain’t shout us out?’ That’s stupid. We got bigger things to do, we got much more goals to reach.

Prince Po is saying what he feels. Did Nas ever say he heard it? Nope. Not ever. So he damn sure wasn't finna tell Premo that to relay to a magazine.

 

[spliz]

This topic has come up multiple times in the past. I've always maintained that while I don't think Nas necessarily lifted the concept from OK and I Gave You Power is a much better song than Stray Bullet, there is zero chance whatsoever that Nas wasn't at least familiar with them or the song on some level.

I remember cats arguing that Nas never heard the song or even knew about OK because they were too underground. I can't buy the argument that Nas was somehow unaware of a group from Queens who were working with the same producers he was working with at the time, and who also had a working relationship with MC Serch at the same time Nas did.

So 2Pac was aware enough of Organized Konfusion to the point that he even shouted them out by name on his album, but Nas wasn't?

Nas def knew who they were. He said he never heard the joint when he came up wit that track tho. I mean it is what it is. We would have to speak to Nas in private about to. And nikkas need to stop acting like it was some remake. It's not even close to the same type of joint. IGYP and MAMG were more close to each other than either one are to Stray Bullet.

 

[summwunn]

That album was amazing to me, as a kid.

Serious classic. Copped that the day it dropped. Prince Po is still around. They were supposed to be getting back in the studio for a reunion, but I don’t know what happened with that. Their first two albums were both dope! Third one was a little shaky, but it had some cool joints on it.

In the video I posed above, Monch mentions how on the their third album, they had a joint called "Invetro" in '97 rapping as unborn children in the womb. And then in '98, we know Nas did "Fetus". So he said, they might've just been on a "similar vibe".

..... and then RZA finally dropped 'See The Joy' in 03 .. that was supposed to be on 'The Cure' . . . he spoke on the concept of the track in the late-90s in either Blaze or Stress mag. . . .. but i doubt this was the track that he envisioned when he was younger and still hungry . .. . .

 

[valet]

Yeah he hated Nas so that he was bumping "It was Written". Another Nas stan like the Camel.

 

[Awesome Wells]

This topic has come up multiple times in the past. I've always maintained that while I don't think Nas necessarily lifted the concept from OK and I Gave You Power is a much better song than Stray Bullet, there is zero chance whatsoever that Nas wasn't at least familiar with them or the song on some level.

I remember cats arguing that Nas never heard the song or even knew about OK because they were too underground. I can't buy the argument that Nas was somehow unaware of a group from Queens who were working with the same producers he was working with at the time, and who also had a working relationship with MC Serch at the same time Nas did.

So 2Pac was aware enough of Organized Konfusion to the point that he even shouted them out by name on his album, but Nas wasn't?

Exactly.

Dudes have been speaking about this for damn near 30 years. t's far from breaking news. Nas has been asked about it a million times. And Organized has been asked about it a million times, since '96.

For those who even try to say that Nas didn't know about Organized Konfusion, the same year IWW dropped, he was in Cali with them and Ras Kass and did a promo joint for the radio. Nas is a serious Hip Hop head, he was very much up on them and their music. Dude was with them and Large Professor doing promo runs that summer while they were promoting the album in Cali. Large Professor was working on Illmatic, and was literally remixing joints for Organized Konfusion's Extinction Agenda album at the same time. LOL!!



We have a lot of casuals on here. They weren't around to see any of this happen back then. They don’t know.

 

[New Jeruzalem Journalist]

Nas def knew who they were. He said he never heard the joint when he came up wit that track tho. I mean it is what it is. We would have to speak to Nas in private about to. And nikkas need to stop acting like it was some remake. It's not even close to the same type of joint. IGYP and MAMG were more close to each other than either one are to Stray Bullet.

Well, as I said, I personally don't think Nas wrote I Gave You Power with OK in mind. But it's not a stretch IMO to point out the similarities conceptually. Song wise I definitely prefer I Gave You Power. It's one of the best songs in hip-hop history, and I'd even argue one of the best conceptual songs in any genre ever.

Album wise though, gimme Extinction Agenda all day over IWW.

 

[inndaskKy]

And Nas said he didn’t. Imma go with what Nas said out his own mouth. I’ve never seen Premo say anything like that even when he described out the song came about when he was talking about his production on it.


PAC and Outlawz literally said they got it from I Gave You Power tho. Cause PAC wanted to see if he could flip the gun concept in his own way.

Pac never said that far as I know. It was the Outlawz' interpretation in the making of interview after the fact. They liked Nas. The story was at first that he used the idea when they still had beef to show that he could do it better.
Besides, Pac was already on a track with Spice One rapping about having a conversation with his gun (conceptually closer than the Nas and Organized Konfusion tracks) before either of those tracks even came out.

 

[Awesome Wells]

Prince Po Isn’t Mad At Nas, May Record New Organized Konfusion Songs – unkut.com – A Tribute To Ignorance (Remix)

unkut.com

UNKUT: When Nas did ‘I Gave You Power’ did you take that as a compliment to ‘Stray Bullet’, or were you like, ‘Hang on a sec…’?

Prince Po: I take it as a compliment because anytime somebody gets an idea from something that you did, it’s an honor. Nas has been putting in so much work in the game and coming at people with so much jewels…I never heard him give us props for it, but that’s not what I’m in the game for. I’m not in the game looking for props. I know he was influenced by the song, and just to hear his song was just an honor in itself. I don’t get wrapped–up in ‘Why he ain’t shout us out?’ That’s stupid. We got bigger things to do, we got much more goals to reach.

 

[Awesome Wells]

nikka. NAS said he didn't hear it. U can take that up with him. And I ain't ever heard Premo say that NAS took that from OK. U made that up. Cause surely if Nas is denying even hearing the muthafukka he wasn't gonna tell Premo he got it from them. Whether he did or not. And I'm not weird. U the one who act like u was everywhere at once. But still somehow young. Yet tried to tell me nikkas wasn't jacking Pop Smoke in NYC before he died. Which is one of the most absurd things I've seen a NY nikka say on this site.

I don’t know anybody that listened to Pop Smoke. That's true. You might not like that, but that doesn't change the fact.

But you also said you knew Lord Finesse's "sister". Problem with that is, dude's one of my OG's I've known since I was like 13-14 years old. And he doesn't have a sister. He's an only child. So let's not do the back and forth sh*t, my guy.

You're in multiple threads crashing out over Nas. Stop embarrassing yourself on that keyboard. Relax.

 

[summwunn]

Nas def knew who they were. He said he never heard the joint when he came up wit that track tho. I mean it is what it is. We would have to speak to Nas in private about to. And nikkas need to stop acting like it was some remake. It's not even close to the same type of joint. IGYP and MAMG were more close to each other than either one are to Stray Bullet.

.... in that interview - Po came across on some passive-aggressive shyt like he hoped Nas would read it and then react. . . . i seen Po get dropped off at his own show in LES in 97 by a yellow cab and he had on a light-blue motorcross jersey and actin extra emotional cause Monch canceled at the last-minute and he realized he had to carry the Organized Konfusion name on his own . . .. the promoter was one of them white Rawkus-type rap nerds that got physically embarassed out front. . . but Po still went on stage and did a half-assed performance of 'Numbers' , ,, , and attempted to rap Monchs part . .. but. . . . . he was already red-eyed and stumblin the minute he arrived. . . . . energy was super mediocre and i think they had Supernatural jump on-stage and do his usual 'give me a word' routine to the instrumental. . . for at least 20 minutes .. . i left early . . .. . .

 

[spliz]

Well, as I said, I personally don't think Nas wrote I Gave You Power with OK in mind. But it's not a stretch IMO to point out the similarities conceptually. Song wise I definitely prefer I Gave You Power. It's one of the best songs in hip-hop history, and I'd even argue one of the best conceptual songs in any genre ever.

Album wise though, gimme Extinction Agenda all day over IWW.

nikkas is arguing over what they "think" over what was actually said tho. This whole thing started cause mans tried to say Premo said Nas took it from them. Now he running. Around dapping y'all nikkas cause the argument getting muddy. This ain't about anything but that nikka saying Premo directly said Nas took it from them. Nas has never said this.

 

[spliz]

I don’t know anybody that listened to Pop Smoke. That's true. You might not like that, but that doesn't change the fact.

But you also said you knew Lord Finesse's "sister". Problem with that is, dude's one of my OG's I've known since I was like 13-14 years old. And he doesn't have a sister. He's an only child. So let's not do the back and forth sh*t, my guy.

You're in multiple threads crashing out over Nas. Stop embarrassing yourself on that keyboard. Relax.

U said NYC didn't fukk wit Pop Smoke prior to his death And multiple NY posters on here tried to tell u u was buggin and u doubled down on it. nikka I dead ass used to do work for his sister. I mean are u calling her a liar? I never met Lord Finesse so there's that. But difference with me is everything I say on here I verify whether it's in DMs or whatever. Cladyclad said I was lying about being in Jay Zs Tidal offices until I posted pictures proving it on here. I told nikkas about the texts between Rakim and Nas and I proved that as well. And nikkas on here know Rakim is fam so there's that as well. U can ask @CHICAGO if u don't believe me. nikka I don't cap on here. Unlike alotta nikkas.

 

[New Jeruzalem Journalist]

.... in that interview - Po came across on some passive-aggressive shyt like he hoped Nas would read it and then react. . . . i seen Po get dropped off at his own show in LES in 97 by a yellow cab and he had on a light-blue motorcross jersey and actin extra emotional cause Monch canceled at the last-minute and he realized he had to carry the Organized Konfusion name on his own . . .. the promoter was one of them white Rawkus-type rap nerds that got physically embarassed out front. . . but Po still went on stage and did a half-assed performance of 'Numbers' , ,, , and attempted to rap Monchs part . .. but. . . . . he was already red-eyed and stumblin the minute he arrived. . . . . energy was super mediocre and i think they had Supernatural jump on-stage and do his usual 'give me a word' routine to the instrumental. . . for at least 20 minutes .. . i left early . . .. . .

Prince Po's opening verse on Numbers is EASILY one of my favorite verses of all time. Absolute elite top tier lyricism. Shyt is still jaw dropping to me how ill that verse is.

"Now Adam-12 got me in his twenty/twenty
So I'm Double O seven about my four one-one"

N*gga WHAT!!

I would have loved to see them live at least once in my life. Seen Monche live a few times but never Prince Po

 

[Awesome Wells]

nikkas is arguing over what they "think" over what was actually said tho. This whole thing started cause mans tried to say Premo said Nas took it from them. Now he running. Around dapping y'all nikkas cause the argument getting muddy. This ain't about anything but that nikka saying Premo directly said Nas took it from them. Nas has never said this.

Premier said it. And you're crying over it, as usual.

Large Professor said he was working on Organized Konfusion's album and on Illmatic at the same time, same studio in '93-'94. Battery Studios. Both albums. Premier said what he said. Nas's people according to Monch, said what they said. Nas was with Organized Konfusion doing promo runs across the country in '94, for radio and live shows. I posted the joint the recorded together already. OK's two BIGGEST songs from the album back then, "Stress" and "Stray Bullet". They used to perform the joint everywhere on the promo tour, according to Prince Po. Same tour Nas was on for dates.

But everybody heard the song...except Nas. FOH.