Gimme Your's - AZ

            Well I can say I finally went to a record store, and got about 25 records, as well as about 8 albums on CDs. It was quite the adventure getting there, but me and a couple of friends had a ball. Went to a couple stores, and the last one was right out of heaven. Before heading down there, I always imagined record stores with dollar bins with all sorts of old dusty vinyl. The cardboard stands that categorized everything, man we found a store with all that. The whole first experience was quite awesome. Anyhow, I found some AZ, and as a matter of fact Doe or Die. My first AZ album in fact. Usually I would already have all his stuff, but to me I always buy the physical album if their is one. Few stores around me, so I finally got it down in Noho. Got lucky with a couple other albums I don't have up in my area too. Anyhow, let's get to a track.

           When it comes to material lyrics, I am very picky. However, when you are one of the most underrated rappers and spit some of the greatest wordplay ever I can dig it. And that is what AZ holds under his belt, that and he has kept it real for well over a decade. His wordplay and style of rhyming is ridiculous. First time I heard him was off of Illmatic on, "Life's A Bitch" which you can read the post on how much that song changed me. However, this song is much darker than the latter, but no less lyrically golden.

           I'll post a couple bars I specifically dig, even though it is another case of great flow that seems to blend all his words together. Regardless I'll try and pick some stuff out.

I fucked with those beyond my age bracket

'cause they analyse and mack to get the papers and stack it

Leavin no trace to track it, keep on thinkin tappers is accurate

That mack shit, living the lifestyle, we filled with black wit

Kinda interesting. Shows us that AZ was clever enough to work with those older because they were smarter, which is a huge advantage in life. I notice myself, being the youngest in the family, I always had to shut up and listen, but man that has taught me to think before I speak, an underrated gift for certain.

Life's a performance so players play wit endurance

'cause from war sense, any villain's willing to get more intense

Another clever thought. Note that not only villains are willing to get more intense. In all aspects of life someone will always have more drive, you have to decide what is worth chasing, thus his mentioning of endurance. Man you can learn a lot with the words staring you down.

         And of course that beat is quite amazing, with Pete Rock on the track of course it is. Classic boom bip, where the drums carry the whole song. Little elements thrown into there to add some variety and that deep eery vibe. Something to bump late night in the city. And Nas singing on the hook, I love it. If you don't know I love when Nas sings, because when he sings off-key or whatever you wanna call it, everything is made easy. You can sing along so well, because anyone has that range ha ha. A nice sing-a-long. Woo, man what a great collaboration of efforts right here.

Nas Will Rock - Unreleased - Nas

Beat gives you that nostalgia, lace that with Nas' vocals and you
are taken right back into Queensbridge.

            Finding unreleased Nas material has got to be one of the best things ever, so much of it is pure gold. Whether considering it off a mixtape, such as the Illmatic demo; can someone say "classic!"; or anything that wasn't included on an official album. Well after continued work a few weeks ago I came across this. The beat is glorious, and the rap is simply amazing. Nas kills it to bring that old school vibe, as I am certain this was produced around the Illmatic era. With an impeccable flow and some of the dopest knowledge dropped, don't knock this, cause Nas rock well!
            From the very first bar you can tell Nas is going to kill this one. This is a very conscious track that brings a lot of life to perhaps otherwise dead ideas. With incredible imagery of the projects and his daily living laced right in with these philosophies, I found myself fascinated. I'll cover this verse by verse with so much to speak of. In the first verse he speaks of survival and he contemplates the purpose of life.
Also note I will be transcribing the lyrics for you! Couldn't find 'em anywhere else so I figured I might as well put them up.

Low profile, rap style slick as new now

give the crew pounds every time we cover new ground

still survivin' but there's a few down back in the essence

I'm askin' questions on the phone with jail adolescence 

Quiet confessions, the system is applying the pressure

My mind is guessin', is livin' and dyin' a lesson?

But not to be up large with the mirage of cars

Take me off track from what the gods focus on hard

Laid up smokin' cigars motionin' maids 

to bring me toast and eggs kosher 

ice chokers and words to smoke it

Always the culture lives in ultra madness

Devoted coach-bag bitch 

both the average nigga hopes to get mad rich

but what's the purpose? only the gods can watch the earth twist

I'm physically trapped down on the surface, where all the crack lurches

snakes and serpents, foul jakes that search us

clowns with 4 pounds this ain't a circus.

Man what a mouthful. Ha told you there would be some sick shit spit. Nas brings us many instances of imagery that immerse into his world, which is why he is such an amazing rapper, well one reasons. Well from those lines you see other reasons, such as his incredible wordplay. And perhaps my favorite? His thought provoking ideas that he spits with such ease, speaking of his situation here on Earth. He asks himself what is the purpose? Nas feels trapped physically, in need of transcending, to get away from such foolishness. Such as the mirage of cars, that doesn't phase him, but tricks others such as the addicts, and other clowns. 

           

Black clouds over the hood I'm on the corner with the thugs

Late night under the moon they assume i'm slingin' drugs

Cause I'm hooded up thought a G at night wasn't good enough

Pushed ones luck yo they had a brother put in cuffs

Luckily made it out of court comfortably 

Judge said I need a job ain't nothin' comin' free could've got a 1 in 3

I try to school these shorties under me but they can't see

from life to death so know we back to where we never left

The ghetto  it's a damn shame knowin' it's a man game

Shorty thinkin' it's time to make your plans change

All that run around tryin' to chase must've been a year

Been there, it's goin' nowhere Pops told me knuckle up no fair

I wished so many killings could be prevented

Whatever happens it was written meaning God made it

But during life you put your heart in it

Even though it seems we bein' targeted 

Let that brother R hit it

Nas brings up more points, more stories, and rich imagery to us on the 2nd verse. We are introduced to a dark opening, men under the moon in the streets of New York City. Then after some misinterpretation from the others, Nas gets in a mix up, and goes to court. Comin' out free, as the Judge suggests he gets a job, but Nas claims there is nothing out there for him. Then he speaks of the struggle many people face when in the Ghetto, time fly's by success hasn't been reached, so we try and reach new ideas to emancipate us, economically of course. Nas reflects on "shorty's" hopes of trying something new, but it never happened and Olu Dara; his father; told him to take life as it is. Of course, as a young person myself, this is very much a reality to me, just with different circumstances. As a teenager I wanna remain optimistic as I enter the real world, and leave my adolescence behind. And it sucks when you have to face the reality of a situation even if it goes against your positive mindset.  Next, Nas reflects on tragedies of death, but as I mentioned, he accepts it for what they are because he assumes God had it happen. And whatever the matter we should just strive through it and eventually prevail...

I'll be adding more to this post. Discussing the next verse, and the production of course. Enjoy the track for now! A download link should be included in the future.

The World Is Yours - Nas

Not a real jumpy track on Illmatic yet.

Let's see what Pete Rock and Nas can do about that.

           A more upbeat track for Illmatic. Not as philosophical as Life's A Bitch of course, but still clever lyrics and an absolutely killer performance by Nas. A lot of clever lines, but there is no direct message. Other than the world is yours, and with those simple words it becomes a motivational song. Looking at the entire song it really does bump you up, with the uplifting beat, and the fun and slick rhymes from Nas.
          I will just put some of my favorite lines down:

I sip the Dom P, watchin Gandhi til I'm charged
Then writin in my book of rhymes, all the words pass the margin
To hold the mic I'm throbbin, mechanical movement

Understandable smooth shit that murderers move wit

Wipe the sweat off my dome, spit the phlegm on the streets
Suede Timb's on my feets, makes my cypher, complete(quoted a lot)

 I trip we box up crazy bitches aimin guns in all my baby pictures

Beef with housin police, release scriptures that's maybe Hitler's

How ya livin large, a broker charge, cards are mediocre

You flippin coke or playin spit spades in strip poker

I can actually say I like the 3rd verse the most. Believe me I love them all, it is just I couldn't think of one rhyme up from that verse, therefore I didn't wanna just post the entire verse. Yet, you could really say any line is my favorite. They are all so well blended I even had trouble selecting the lines. I tried putting in one rhyme and thought, "Oh! That line is laced with that one right before it!". Ha, very good job Nasir, kickin' ass on the track. Oh yeah and so is Pete Rock.

           The beat is really cool. Has that old school feel to it, drums are hot. And that piano chord is absolutely catchy and really puts the happiness in this song. And my next favorite quality of this track is the scratching. Pete Rock does an incredible job cutting and scratching after the 2nd verse, when he says, "Break it down!". He is also the one that says the chorus along with Nas. Really fun track, and the scratches are just great. He breaks it up throughout the track. So you are really focusing on a lot. Which makes the track a terrific one, making you jump from one thing to a next. And all those things; verses, beat, and scratches; are all in top quality. There you have it another great track from Illmatic.

BTW: Samples:

Piano: Ahmad Jamal- I love music(love the song title)

&

T La Rock's "It's Yours" for the drums.