King of Storytelling

I often find inspiration for blogposts from random moments of my life.  The other night, I was listening to one of my Youtube stations when I came across Fabolous’ song, “I Miss my Love.”  Now, this song is one that many people do not know about because it was the last track on his album, Loso’s Way.  Admittedly, I overlooked this gem for many years, and it was not until a few years ago that I listened to the track.  Upon listening to the track, I realized that Fabolous is capable of telling an amazing, compelling story through his music.  That thought prompted me to think about the best storytelling songs of all time.  But, I have tabled that idea until a later date.  I plan on writing a collaborative blogpost for that topic so more than one perspective will be represented.  However, I could not wait to discuss my thoughts regarding the greatest storytelling artist of all time.

If you know me, or have read any of my blogposts regarding hip-hop, you know that I am an old school hip-hop fan.  By old school, I do not mean music from the 1970s or 1980s. Instead, I am referring to the Golden Era of hip-hop that occurred from 1992 to about 2003.  During that period, artists released classic albums full of great songs.  This time predates today’s era when an artist can become famous by releasing one catchy single.  During the Golden Era, artists such as Biggie, Tupac, Nas, Jay-Z, Mobb Deep, Talib, Common, Snoop Dogg, Ice Cube, Scarface, De La Soul, Redman, Outkast and many others battled for rap supremacy.  As the artists battled for the top spot, they were a lot more creative with their rhymes.  I think the sense of competition brought out the best in these great artists and made each of them think outside of the box for creative ways of telling their respective stories.

Reasonable minds can differ regarding who holds the storytelling crown.  Some might say Biggie Smalls was the best to ever do it and he certainly can make a claim for that title.  Others might contend that Slick Rick holds the title and his song, “Children’s Story” is one of the most well-known songs of all time.  Despite the stiff competition, the best storyteller, in my opinion, is none other than Nasir Jones.  When I thought about great hip-hop storytelling songs, I immediately recalled about three of four of his songs.  Then, after I had a few moments to think about his expansive collection, I realized that it was a no-brainer for me.  His collection of storytelling songs is unrivaled by any hip hop artist.  Below, I will briefly discuss five of my favorite Nas storytelling tracks. 

5.         Fetus.  This song is dope on so many different levels. Nas tells the story of being born through the eyes of a fetus.  He actually goes through the nine-month process, including arguments he heard his mother and father have from his mother’s womb.  This is easily one of the most creative songs—of any genre—that I have ever heard.

4.         Rewind.  If you have not heard this song, please check it out below.  This song is even more creative than Fetus.  Nas actually tells the story in reverse order.  I have no idea what inspired this kind of creativity, but it is certainly appreciated.

3.         I Gave You Power.  In this song, Nas tells the story of being a gun.  If you have not heard the song, you might be thinking that he is in some way glorifying violence.  That thought could not be further from the truth.  The imagery and underlying themes in this song are second-to-none.  This is definitely one of my favorite hip-hop songs ever.

2.         Blaze a 50.  In this song, Nas raps about meeting a mysterious woman so beautiful she would make “Bobby leave Whitney.”  Then, she plans this elaborate plan for the two of them to kill her rich husband and then escape to paradise with all of his money.  You will have to listen to the song to see how this story ends.

1.         Undying Love.  The imagery of this song is amazing.  This story does not have a happy ending.  In fact, it is a tale of deceit and murder.  But, the way it is told will leave you feeling as if you just left a movie—albeit a very short one.

What is your favorite hip-hop storytelling song? 

Peace