Nas’ Take It In Blood is among the top twenty hip hop songs of all time, and would rank higher had his work from Illmatic not edged it out of the top ten. It’s a near-mystical blackout; syllables flexed into enigmatic phrases within an epic mood.
Fletch describes its appeal:
There are movies with such bursting visuals that you can literally watch them on mute and appreciate how they work just the same. Similarly, on Take It In Blood, you can choose not even really to listen to the words but rather simply focus in on Nas’ vocal patterns, his flow, and appreciate the skill just as easily … The actual rhyme scheme, is best described as a line of dominoes, where words become these malleable units, one merging into the next, and setting off a reaction down the way … All in all, you would be hard-pressed to find another MC whose descriptions were so vivid, whose language was so precise, whose world was so clear.
There were a few versions of this made; one was later released by DJ Whoo Kid (sometimes called Take It In Blood Pt. 2.) Nas rips that track as well.
Download Take It In Blood & Take It In Blood Pt. 2: link.
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I love this track.. it starts off with a looming feel and by the time he’s halfway through the song becomes undeniable.
this track kills, it’s timeliness and takes me back to the very first time I heard it.