Featuring: Sadat X

Songwriter: Nas Q-Tip Jimmy Heath

Producer: The Groove Merchantz The Mighty V.I.C. Godfather Don

[Produced by Godfather Don & V.I.C.]

[Verse 1]
What up, kid? I know shit is rough doin' your bid
When the cops came, you should've slid to my crib
Fuck it, black, no time for lookin' back, it's done
Plus congratulations, you know, you got a son
I heard he looks like ya, why don't ya lady write ya?
Told her she should visit, that's when she got hyper
Flippin', talkin' 'bout he acts too rough
He didn't listen, he be riffin' while I'm telling him stuff
I was like, yeah, shorty don't care, she a snake too
Fuckin' with them niggas from that fake crew that hate you
But yo, guess who got shot in the dome-piece?
Jerome's niece, on her way home from Jones Beach
It's bugged, plus little Rob is sellin' drugs on the dime
Hangin' out with young thugs that all carry nines
And night time is more trife than ever
What up with Cormega? Did you see him, are y'all together?
If so then hold the fort down, represent to the fullest
Say what's up to Herb, Ice and Bullet
I left a half a hundred in your commissary
You was my nigga when push came to shove, one what? One Love

[Hook: Sadat X]
One L, to the O-V-E
Representin' kids on lockdown from stress on the street
One L, to the O-V-E
It's all real, watch the feds, son, duck that shield
One L, to the O-V-E
Representin' kids on lockdown from stress on the street
One L, to the O-V-E
It's all real, I got to hustle, son, my kid need a meal

[Verse 2]
Dear Born, you'll be out soon, stay strong
Out in New York, the same shit is goin' on
The crackheads stalkin', loudmouths is talkin'
Hold, check out the story yesterday when I was walkin'
That nigga you shot last year tried to appear
Like he hurtin' somethin', word to mother, I heard him frontin'
And he be pumpin' on your block, your man gave him your Glock
And now they run together, what up, son, whatever
Since I'm on the streets, I'mma put it to a cease
But I heard you blew a nigga with a ox for the phone piece
Wildin' on the Island, but now in Elmira
Better chill 'cause them niggas will put that ass on fire
Last time you wrote, you said they tried you in the showers
But maintain, when you come home, the corner's ours
On the reals, all these crab niggas know the deal
When we start the revolution, all they probably do is squeal
But chill, see you on the next V-I
I gave your ma duke's loot for kicks, plus sent you flicks
Your brother's buckwildin' in 4-Main, he wrote me
He might beat his case, 'til he come home he'll play it low key
So stay civilized, time flies
Though incarcerated your mind dies
I hate it when your moms cries
It kinda makes me want to murder, for realer
I even got a mask and gloves to bust slugs, but One Love

[Hook]

[Verse 3]
Sometimes I sit back with a Buddha sack
Mind's in another world
Thinkin' how can we exist through the facts
Written in school text books, bibles, et cetera
Fuck a school lecture, the lies get me vexed-er
So I be ghost from my projects, I take my pen and pad
For the weekend, hittin L's while I'm sleepin'
A two day stay, you may say I need the time alone
To relax my dome, no phone, left the nine at home
You see the streets had me stressed somethin' terrible
Fuckin' with the corners have a nigga up in Bellevue
Or HDM, hit with numbers from 8 to 10
A future in a maximum state pen is grim
So I comes back home, nobody's out but Shorty Doo-Wop
Rollin' two phillies together, in the Bridge we call 'em oo-wops
He said "Nas, niggas caught me bustin' off the roof
So I wear a bulletproof and pack a black trey-deuce"
He inhaled so deep, shut his eyes like he was sleep
Started coughin', one eye peeked to watch me speak
I sat back like The Mack, my army suit was black
We was chillin' on these benches
Where he pumped his loose cracks
I took the L when he passed it, this little bastard keeps me blasted And starts talkin' mad shit
I had to school him, told him don't let niggas fool him
'Cause when the pistol blows
The one that's murdered be the cool one
Tough luck when niggas are struck, families fucked up
Coulda caught your man, but didn't look when you bucked up
Mistakes happen, so take heed
Never bust up at the crowd, catch him solo
Make the right man bleed
Shorty's laugh was cold blooded as he spoke so foul
Only twelve, tryin' to tell me that he liked my style
Then I rose, wipin' the blunt's ash from my clothes
Then froze only to blow the herb smoke through my nose
And told my little man I'mma ghost, I broze
Left some jewels in his skull that he can sell if he chose
Words of wisdom from Nas, try to rise up above
Keep an eye out for Jake, Shorty Wop, One Love

[Hook]

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.