When I was sixteen (circa ’01) I thought I could listen to Tupac, Eminem or Nas go on forever about anything at all. Then daft Pac and Eminem songs started dropping and I realized the importance of quality control in maintaining that illusion.
Nas, although not as verbally versatile as Em, has a ridiculous ability to ride any beat and I find his voice appealing. Not to get syrupy about it but I like hearing his flow, breath control, and the way he twists words together—then there’s the voice, something innate and arbitrary but still significant. Even on a somewhat monotone track like “Take It In Blood” (youtube link), his lyricism is delivered with knockout flow:
City lights spark a New York night
Hip-Hop’s got me on some ol’, spraying shots like a drumroll,
Blanking out and never miscount the shells my gun hold
Skies are misty, my life’s predicted by a gypsy,
I’ll one day walk into shots drunk off champange from Sicily
I told the judge snakes slither like Sharon Stone, but like Capone I’m thrown
Simply follow me flow, put poetry inside a crack pot and blow…
Although his acapellas don’t have replay value (being meant for remixing) they’re interesting to check out:
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The World Is Yours has ad-libs and other bits that didn’t get into the final version:
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The legendary Life’s A Bitch duet showcases his fellow rapper AZ:
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And Purple, from The Lost Tapes sounds effortless:
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Think of how many dudes died trying to be down with you,
Everybody’s under six feet of ground but you
You got a bunch of thugs with you even now that’s ready
Trusting your judgment, quick to put it down, they deadly
The hood love you, but behind your back they pray for the day
A bullet hit your heart and ambulances take you away
That ain’t love it’s hate, think of all the mothers at wakes
Whose sons you killed, and you ain’t got a cut on your face?
Two collections of Nas acapellas: zip file
- Collection #1 (explicit acapellas):
The World Is Yours + Life’s a Bitch + Shootouts + Nas is Like + You Know My Style + The Setup - Collection #2 (clean acapellas and instrumentals)
Purple + No Idea’s Original + Black Zombie + U Gotta Love It
Related posts:
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Oh wow. Remixed by @SqueekBoogie. You Know My Style (J... - Nas ‘Take It In Blood’ Appreciation
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This is just too cool. Thanks man