I have not posted a blog post in quite
some time. But, I was scrolling social
media this morning when I came across a post asking what is your favorite Nas
verse. I immediately thought about Nas’ second
verse from his song titled “Every Ghetto” from his 2001 classic, Stillmatic. It is one of the best verses I have ever
heard.
I’ve been listening to hip hop for as long as I can remember. And, I would be lying if I said I marveled at the verse when I heard it in 2001. But, hear me out: at the time Stillmatic was released, Jay-Z (my favorite emcee of all time) and Nas were embroiled in a highly publicized rap battle (Not to be confused with a rap beef like what Biggie and Tupac had). To be honest, I was rooting for Jay-Z to win the battle. So, I was not looking to give any brownie points to Nas. Consequently, I was not locked in on Nas’ lyrical prowess the way that I should have been (blame it on my youth). It was not that I did not listen to Nas’ music, but I can say that, at that time, I believed that Nas was an incredible emcee, but that he did not have the best ear for beat selection. And, this opinion likely diverted my attention from truly listening with an open mind.
I’d say over the past 5
years or so (those COVID years allowed so much time for self-reflection and
introspection), as Nas has continued releasing albums, I have focused on taking
a deeper dive into his music—and particularly the lyrics (as opposed to
skipping a song or breezing through it because I did not love the beat
selection accompanying the song). What I
confirmed is a fact that I have always known and that is that Nas is maybe the
most lyrically gifted emcee in the history of music. Sure, there are other emcees who are lyrical
savants, e.g. Black Thought, Mos Def (Yasin Bey), Andre 3000 and others. Unequivocally, Nas has some of the most
outstanding verses I have ever heard.
Just to name a few: 1) His verse on Self Conscious featuring
Prodigy; 2) his verse on Verbal Intercourse featuring Raekwon; 3) his
verses on Rewind; and 4) his verses on I Gave You Power.
But, today’s reaction piece is dedicated
to Nas’ second verse on a song titled “Every Ghetto.”
The verse:
My skin is a art gallery,
right with paintings of crucifixes
Hopin' to save me from all the dangers in the
music business
Was once a young gangsta hangin' with youth
offenders
But since I tasted paper it started losin' the
friendships
Watchin' kids freeze in winters, they still poor
How could I tease them with Benz's and feel no
remorse?
Drivin' past them in the lively fashion, diamond
colors clashin'
Red stones, blue stones, red bones and black ones
Fuck did I expect with bucket seats in a lex
And spendin' time in chuckie cheese with little des
Got guns when I'm with my daughter
Hate to bring a violent aura in her presence
She knows what Daddy taught her, it's lessons
Black princess it's a ugly world
I put my life up for yours, see I love that girl
Could you believe even my shadow's jealous?
My skin is mad at my flesh, my flesh hates my own
bones
My brain hates my heart, my heart makes the songs
Though my songs come from the father
I'm lonely, hold me, it's gettin' darker
My Reaction:
Sometimes, you hear a song, but the title
is incongruent with the substance of the song.
This happens quite often. But,
here, the song title and lyrics flow together seamlessly. If you have not listened to the song, I’d
suggest that you do so. But, the song is
about situations that happen on a daily basis in “hoods” all across the world. Whether you are from the hood in North
Carolina, or the hood in California, or New York, or Alabama, it is all the
same shit. Themes of jealousy, crabs-in-the-barrel,
violence, religion are at the forefront.
The first stanza he raps about his tattoos
and how he thought his religious tattoos would save him from all the dangers in
the music business. This is interesting
because religious tattoos and Jesus pieces are a staple in hip hop (and
religion is a staple in hoods because it gives people something to believe in).
But, regardless of the tattoos, there is no escaping the perils of the music
business—even for a star at the level of Nas. He also rapped about a theme of jealousy, which is prevalent
in hip hop music. The theme of obtaining
money, while simultaneously losing friends is nothing new. BIG said it best: “Mo Money; Mo Problems.” If you take it a step further, he is talking
about the crabs-in-the-barrel mentality that is prevalent in the hood.
The second stanza Nas shows empathy for people
who are poor and do not have an abundance of resources (whether financial or
other types of resources). And when you
think about it, this is basically most people who live in hoods across the
globe. He rapped about how they must
feel when they see him (or really any person with money or perceived to have
money) driving in a luxury car while wearing expensive jewelry while they are freezing
in cold weather because they do not have adequate clothing. This juxtaposition is startling. The idea of a person starving but seeing
another person who he can literally touch having seemingly everything is quite
a depiction of the harsh realities of life.
He acknowledged how he understands how these people could be envious of
him and his daughter—who is innocent, but the beneficiary of Nas’ wealth. How many folks can relate to this? How many people have overcome harsh
circumstances to make it out of the hood only for family members or other
people to hate them and their kids just because they possessed the ability to
overcome their circumstances? Again, it
happens every day in every ghetto.
The third stanza Nas raps about carrying a
gun when he is with his daughter. He hated
bringing a violent aura into her presence but he loves her. This stanza is all about being a father and
knowing that there are forces in the world that may want to do harm to your
child because of your choices or for no reason at all. But, either way, he was saying that he is
going to protect his daughter at all costs because its an “ugly world.” When I heard this verse in 2001, I did not
have a child. But, hearing it in 2025 as
I have a young son, this stanza resonates with me.
The last stanza is probably the most mind
blowing from a lyrical perspective. He doubled
down on his love for his child and how he would give his own life to save hers.
Then he compares the hate and jealousy
in the world to relationships inside of his body. Then, he goes into an in depth explanation of
jealousy and even breaks it down in terms that I have never even considered. He said his shadow was jealous of him and
that his brain hates his heart. I think
he used these comparisons to illustrate how crazy and illogical a hating spirit
can truly be. And, he ended it by referring
back to the “Father” who I believe is God.
So, he brought all the themes together.
This verse is a masterclass in emceeing.
If you have not listened to this song, I
hope I have convinced you to do so.
Peace
