Nas

Released: June 4, 2002

Featuring: AZ

Songwriter: AZ Nas Oliver Scott Olu Dara Ronnie Wilson

Producer: Arsenal

[Verse 1: AZ]
Visualizing the realism of life in actuality
Fuck who's the baddest, a person's status depends on salary
And my mentality is money-orientated
I'm destined to live the dream for all my peeps who never made it
Cause yeah, we were beginners in the hood as 5 percenters
But somethin' musta got in us cause all of us turned to sinners
Now some rest in peace and some are sittin' in San Quentin
Others such as myself are trying to carry on tradition
Keeping this Schweppervescent street ghetto essence inside us
Cause it provides us with the proper insight to guide us
Even though, we know somehow we all gotta go
But as long as we leaving thievin'
We'll be leavin' with some kind of dough, so
Until that day we expire and turn to vapors
Me and my capers, will be somewhere stackin' plenty papers
Keeping it real, packing steel, getting high
Cause life's a bitch and then you die

[Hook: AZ]
Life's a bitch and then you die
That's why we get high
Cause you never know when you're gonna go
Life's a bitch and then you die
That's why we puff lye
Cause you never know when you're gonna go

[Bridge 1: Nas]
Times is Illmatic
Times is Illmatic
Times is Illmatic
(Destined to live the dream for all my peeps who never made it)

[Bridge 2: ?]
You gotta get the ground beneath your feet partner
Get the wind behind your back
Ride the blades of Glory if you got to
Otherwise you ain't shit
You might as well be (?) your damn self

[Verse 2: Nas]
I woke up early on my born day; I'm 20, it's a blessing
The essence of adolescence leaves my body, now I'm fresh and
My physical frame is celebrated cause I made it
One quarter through life some Godly-like thing created
Got rhymes 365 days annual plus some
Load up the mic and bust one, cuss while I pus from
My skull cause it's pain in my brain vein, money maintain
Don't go against the grain, simple and plain
When I was young, at this I used to do my thing hard
Robbin foreigners, take their wallets, their jewels, and rip their green cards
Dipped to the projects flashing my quick cash and
Got my first piece of ass smokin blunts with hash
Now I think about cash in abundance
Niggas I used to run with is rich or doing years in the hundreds
I switched my motto; instead of saying "fuck tomorrow"
That buck that bought a bottle could've struck the lotto
Once I stood on the block, loose cracks produce stacks
I cooked up and cut small pieces to get my loot back
Times is Illmatic, keep static like wool fabric
I Pack a 4-matic to crack your whole cabbage

[Hook: AZ]

[Bridge 1: Nas]

[Outro: Arsenal]
Yea, you know the flavor, Nas and AZ on the remix joint
This is another explosion from the Arsenal
Yes, man

Nasir bin Olu Dara Jones, known to one and all as Nas, is one of hip-hop’s best-known, most mercurial, and lyrically blessed figures ever to touch the microphone. Since his heart-stopping debut turn on Main Source’s “Live at the Barbeque,” Nas has delivered countless beautifully structured, thought-provoking, keenly observed verses.

Growing up in Queens, NY, Nas never really performed in big crowds—he kept to himself. Nas used a different type of vernacular that others didn’t understand, which helped him to stand out from other rappers from his era.

With every ensuing album, Nas always reminds fans that he’s still the same Queensbridge MC who crafted one of the greatest albums of all time, and arguably the bible of Hip-Hop, Illmatic.

more tracks from the album

Illmatic XX

From the albums

From Illmatic to Stillmatic: The Remixes (2002)
Illmatic XX (2014)

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