[Olu Dara] See I come from Mississippi I was young and runnin' wild Ended up in New York City, where I had my first child I named the boy Nasir, all the boys call him Nas I told him as a youngster, he'll be the greatest man alive
[Nas] Let's go! Hey, hey, hey, hey Tribrary of these rap skits, styles I mastered Many brothers snatched it up and tried to match it But I'm still number one, everyday real Speak what I want, I don't care what y'all feel Cause I'm my own master, my Pop told me be your own boss Keep integrity at every cost, and his home was Natchez Mississippi Did it like Miles and Dizzy, now we gettin' busy Bridging The Gap from the blues, to jazz, to rap The history of music on this track Born in the game, discovered my father's music Like Prince searchin' through boxes of Purple Rain But my Minneapolis was The Bridge, home of the Super kids Some are well-known, some doin' bids I mighta ended up on the wrong side of the tracks If Pops wouldn't've pulled me back an said yo
[Olu Dara] Greatest man alive (Yeah, turn it up!) Greatest man alive!
[Nas] The blues came from gospel, gospel from blues Slaves are harmonizin' them ah's and oh's Old school, new school, know school rules All these years I been voicin' my blues I'm a artist from the start, Hip-Hop guided my heart Graffiti on the wall, coulda ended in Spoffard, juvenile delinquent But Pops gave me the right type'a tools to think with Books to read, like X and stuff Cause the schools said the kids had dyslexia In art class I was a compulsive sketcher of Teachers in my homeroom, I drew pix to mess them up Cause none'a them would like my style Read more books than the curriculum profile Said, "Mr. Jones please come get your child Cause he's writin' mad poems and his verses are wild"
[Olu Dara] Greatest man? The great-greatest man alive
[Nas] Hey, hey, hey, my Poppa was not a Rollin' Stone He been around the world blowin' his horn, still he came home Then he got grown, changed his name to Olu Come on, tell 'em 'bout the places you gone to
[Olu Dara] I been to Saudi Arabia, Mozambique Madagascar, Paris, Greece The Middle Africa is where we lived Better known as Queenbridge
[Nas] Nas, Nas you don't stop Olu Dara in the house, you don't stop Muddy Waters' Howling Wolf you don't stop From the Blues to Street Hop you don't stop Tell 'em Pop
[Olu Dara (Nas)] See I come from Mississippi (Let 'em know) I was young and runnin' wild (Runnin' wild) Ended up in New York City (Yeah!) Where I had my first child (That's me) I named the boy Nasir (Yeah, Daddy!) All the boys call him Nas (Luh ya, boy) I told him as a youngster He'll be the greatest man alive (You the greatest, Pop) Greatest man alive (You the greatest, Pop) Greatest man alive! Rest In Peace Ray Charles
[Verse 1: Nas] Word to mama, any lineup of rhymers Could bring any drama, anytime, the city's mine Nas Is Like, Love Undying, Money's My Bitch In Thugz Mansion, thugs dancin' around the fly shit Pharaoh garment's Prada, Egyptian camelback-riders Pyramid architects, Perignon bottles, money, jewelry want me to come Get me, hit me but don't miss me, you history Lead flowin' around like a Frisbee, Italian dons from Sicily kiss me This ain't 50, this ain't Jigga, this ain't Diddy, this ain't Pretty Pain, power, pussy and pistols, lyrically no one, hold none near me, hear me Kids cheer me like The Count of Monte-Cristo Steady poundin' soundin' like G without the lisp though My big bro told me plain and simple, "Nas do not look back" Watch where you took rap, no bookbags and trucker hats Just army jacks and diamonds that's flashin' What the fuck is that, freestyle
[Verse 2: Nas] Like Paul, Michael and Matthew, Peter, James and Andrew Phillip, Simon and Judas -- I'm disciple of music Street beats is the main thing minus the traitor And I'm not a dictator, I'm the righteous invitin' you haters Inside the life of the greatest, it'll take you through something real Get a smack in your face, 'cause I hurt up, trauma-tize, llama Bust shells, destroy yet try'ta prevent violence If I present iron somebody dyin', don't even worry 'bout it Then dress warm for the cemetery climate When I speak I need cemetery silence, terror See me, gold Hummers, Lamborghinis, man who stole the summer Hand straight gleamin', if I don't know you toe-tag you Drag you through the cement, fo-fo maggie Body parts in my man's Maserati car, then party hard in Madagascar While rigor mortis'll grab ya, him retarded, I'm pass that Gloves on, where the mask at? Too many love songs All the thugs gone, what happened? Where's the passion? Rappers battlin' non-rappers, carryin' on backwards Laughin' sayin' Nas thinks he's Farrakhan preachin' blackness Hell yeah, awareness is my alias Word to the 'Braveheart' written on my bare chest The realest, HERE IT IS!
[Olu Dara] See I come from Mississippi I was young and runnin' wild Ended up in New York City, where I had my first child I named the boy Nasir, all the boys call him Nas I told him as a youngster, he'll be the greatest man alive
[Nas] Let's go! Hey, hey, hey, hey Tribrary of these rap skits, styles I mastered Many brothers snatched it up and tried to match it But I'm still number one, everyday real Speak what I want, I don't care what y'all feel Cause I'm my own master, my Pop told me be your own boss Keep integrity at every cost, and his home was Natchez Mississippi Did it like Miles and Dizzy, now we gettin' busy Bridging The Gap from the blues, to jazz, to rap The history of music on this track Born in the game, discovered my father's music Like Prince searchin' through boxes of Purple Rain But my Minneapolis was The Bridge, home of the Super kids Some are well-known, some doin' bids I mighta ended up on the wrong side of the tracks If Pops wouldn't've pulled me back an said yo
[Olu Dara] Greatest man alive (Yeah, turn it up!) Greatest man alive!
[Nas] The blues came from gospel, gospel from blues Slaves are harmonizin' them ah's and oh's Old school, new school, know school rules All these years I been voicin' my blues I'm a artist from the start, Hip-Hop guided my heart Graffiti on the wall, coulda ended in Spoffard, juvenile delinquent But Pops gave me the right type'a tools to think with Books to read, like X and stuff Cause the schools said the kids had dyslexia In art class I was a compulsive sketcher of Teachers in my homeroom, I drew pix to mess them up Cause none'a them would like my style Read more books than the curriculum profile Said, "Mr. Jones please come get your child Cause he's writin' mad poems and his verses are wild"
[Olu Dara] Greatest man? The great-greatest man alive
[Nas] Hey, hey, hey, my Poppa was not a Rollin' Stone He been around the world blowin' his horn, still he came home Then he got grown, changed his name to Olu Come on, tell 'em 'bout the places you gone to
[Olu Dara] I been to Saudi Arabia, Mozambique Madagascar, Paris, Greece The Middle Africa is where we lived Better known as Queenbridge
[Nas] Nas, Nas you don't stop Olu Dara in the house, you don't stop Muddy Waters' Howling Wolf you don't stop From the Blues to Street Hop you don't stop Tell 'em Pop
[Olu Dara (Nas)] See I come from Mississippi (Let 'em know) I was young and runnin' wild (Runnin' wild) Ended up in New York City (Yeah!) Where I had my first child (That's me) I named the boy Nasir (Yeah, Daddy!) All the boys call him Nas (Luh ya, boy) I told him as a youngster He'll be the greatest man alive (You the greatest, Pop) Greatest man alive (You the greatest, Pop) Greatest man alive! Rest In Peace Ray Charles
[Olu Dara] See I come from Mississippi I was young and runnin' wild Ended up in New York City, where I had my first child I named the boy Nasir, all the boys call him Nas I told him as a youngster, he'll be the greatest man alive
[Nas] Let's go! Hey, hey, hey, hey Tribrary of these rap skits, styles I mastered Many brothers snatched it up and tried to match it But I'm still number one, everyday real Speak what I want, I don't care what y'all feel Cause I'm my own master, my Pop told me be your own boss Keep integrity at every cost, and his home was Natchez Mississippi Did it like Miles and Dizzy, now we gettin' busy Bridging The Gap from the blues, to jazz, to rap The history of music on this track Born in the game, discovered my father's music Like Prince searchin' through boxes of Purple Rain But my Minneapolis was The Bridge, home of the Super kids Some are well-known, some doin' bids I mighta ended up on the wrong side of the tracks If Pops wouldn't've pulled me back an said yo
[Olu Dara] Greatest man alive (Yeah, turn it up!) Greatest man alive!
[Nas] The blues came from gospel, gospel from blues Slaves are harmonizin' them ah's and oh's Old school, new school, know school rules All these years I been voicin' my blues I'm a artist from the start, Hip-Hop guided my heart Graffiti on the wall, coulda ended in Spoffard, juvenile delinquent But Pops gave me the right type'a tools to think with Books to read, like X and stuff Cause the schools said the kids had dyslexia In art class I was a compulsive sketcher of Teachers in my homeroom, I drew pix to mess them up Cause none'a them would like my style Read more books than the curriculum profile Said, "Mr. Jones please come get your child Cause he's writin' mad poems and his verses are wild"
[Olu Dara] Greatest man? The great-greatest man alive
[Nas] Hey, hey, hey, my Poppa was not a Rollin' Stone He been around the world blowin' his horn, still he came home Then he got grown, changed his name to Olu Come on, tell 'em 'bout the places you gone to
[Olu Dara] I been to Saudi Arabia, Mozambique Madagascar, Paris, Greece The Middle Africa is where we lived Better known as Queenbridge
[Nas] Nas, Nas you don't stop Olu Dara in the house, you don't stop Muddy Waters' Howling Wolf you don't stop From the Blues to Street Hop you don't stop Tell 'em Pop
[Olu Dara (Nas)] See I come from Mississippi (Let 'em know) I was young and runnin' wild (Runnin' wild) Ended up in New York City (Yeah!) Where I had my first child (That's me) I named the boy Nasir (Yeah, Daddy!) All the boys call him Nas (Luh ya, boy) I told him as a youngster He'll be the greatest man alive (You the greatest, Pop) Greatest man alive (You the greatest, Pop) Greatest man alive! Rest In Peace Ray Charles
