Released: July 2, 1996

Featuring: Mobb Deep

Songwriter: Havoc Prodigy of Mobb Deep Nas

Producer: Havoc

[Produced by Havoc]

[Intro: Prodigy & (Havoc)]
Fresh out the motherfuckin' pack (Right out the pack son)
For niggas don't know how to act (No doubt son)
Fresh out the motherfuckin' pack (No doubt son)
For niggas don't know how to act

[Verse 1: Prodigy]
Yo, NYC, U-N-I-verse, seriously
Havoc and P, Queens niggas so it seem to be
Monopolize, strategies of war, exercise
Mega got word back from Noreaga
The D.A. got video cassette tape of
The god with the God-U-Now, pullin' a caper
Runnin' up in the spot, mask and duct taped up
Pig-tied they motherfuckin' wrists to they ankles
I been through, crime shit my niggas into
Peep the issue, situation like this, we stickin him too
JFK on our way to L.A
Got links with big cats down in Santa Barbré
My crew do it the Mobb way, every day
Crime pay, who wanna gunplay? Thrill me
Niggas kill me, grillin' me, you wanna look? Peep the nine milli
Now undress, you know the drill-y
Niggas suspect, weak links pose threats
I have yet to met challenger who go against my set
Gemstars razor sharp like Gillette, shavin' closely on
Any character approach me
I let the streets get the best of me, infamy, my destiny
While cat burg-lars tryin' to sneak peep the recipe
Inside my rap cookbook, paragraphs is gourmet
You pay about $5,000 a plate

[Verse 2: Havoc (Prodigy)]
No doubt kid, I hit them niggas like a bid
The prosecutor, runnin' up in your crib
Do your dirt, I do my dirt all by my lonely
It's only me, and the gat that's holdin' me
We got it locked beyond measure, your clique's under pressure
Extort you for your treasure, smack you with the undresser
Represent your clique, go ahead, get that ass whipped
(Floatin' in the river with your body wrapped in plastic)
Wannabe thug, get smacked for back talkin'
QB represent, fuck that, it can happen
While you rappin', I'm busy tryin' to sneak the gat in
Contamin', cut the party short while you jammin'
We think smarter, reach harder
Got the .44, bodyguard of somethin' you don't want a part of
If I was you, then I would do what I have to
But you ain't me, you hesitated so I clapped you
Then stepped off casually, naturally me

[Verse 3: Nas]
Niggas thinkin' shit sweet, I carry big heat
Wavy hair, chipped teeth, up in this bitch deep
Queens murder cliques meet
Yellow tapes on black gates
Mediterranean, projects is like Kuwait
I escape into zones that's irregular
Why debate on the phone? I'm solar cellular
Escobar 600
You just a crumb inside a world where the rich run it
Curriculum of a mathologist
Deep throats, they try to swallow this
Anthropologists, dynasties of great knowledgists
I preserve in my dome, niggas' mics is full of silicone
Spot's blown, guerilla ice on this killer's life
I put my word on it
Now, you can sleep on or rock or swerve on it
Nas is menage a trois' on Mount Airy lodges
We like a smooth fam', but rougher than how DeBarge is
Catchin' charges of marksmen, livin' heartless
Grab a cartridge, cock my shit on some Mobb shit
We mobbin', puttin' niggas in mausoleums
From Queens cross to Throgs Neck, heads bop, I see 'em

[Outro: Prodigy & (Havoc)]
For niggas don't know how to act
To all my niggas on the block slangin' crack
Rest in peace to my niggas layin' on they back
To all the niggas who bust gat
(Live nigga rap)
For niggas don't know how to act
To all my niggas on the block slangin' crack
Rest in peace to my niggas on they back
To all the niggas who bust gat
(Live nigga rap)
For niggas don't know how to act
To all the niggas on the block slangin' crack
Rest in peace to my niggas on they back
To all the niggas who bust gat
(If you's a live nigga)

Nas

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.