Nas Tracks In Depth

If I Ruled The World (Imagine That) 1996 

I remember growing up in the 90s hearing this song on the radio. This track appeared as the last song on Nas’ second album It Was Written. The lyrics in this song are profound and it holds deep historical context in reference to issues Black Americans are currently dealing with. Nas speaks about marijuana, better housing, the ‘miseducation’ of Blacks, traveling, imprisonment of our men and him ruling the world. It is seemingly a utopia he effortlessly spits to listeners. What helps this song move smoothly is the addition of Lauryn Hill’s soulful voice in the hook at the middle and in the bridge as well as the chorus. This track respectfully is one of the greatest songs Nas has ever released. Simply because it is an uplifting song in which his feelings towards the youth, current Black Americans and how he feels about America currently. 

Daughters (Life Is Good) 2012

After briefly listening to Life Is Good I selected two songs which stood out to me, Daughters and Bye Baby. Daughters is an interesting track in my eyes because as a Black man raising Black women in Western society has to be difficult especially with the hyper-sexualization of us in the mass media. It’s unfortunate that in the media, we as women are misrepresented. Nas alludes to this by bringing up issues he has had with raising his daughter who was born and raised in the 90s. I can relate to this song because as a Black women I saw the issues my father had with healthily balancing a relationship with me as a growing girl on a journey to womanhood. Nas poetically articulates his emotions and feelings he has about his daughter. He definitely wants his daughter to dream big yet he highlights the challenges he faces as a father. By highlighting condoms, letters to young men in jail and how she is seemingly defenseless he presents examples of the challenges. I like that this song organizes his psyche in an understandable manner since it presents exactly what he wanted to express.

Bye Baby (Life Is Good) 2012

Bye Baby is a very emotional song in which Nas expresses closing a chapter in his life. The four year marriage he had with the artist Kelis was seemingly a blissful period of his life at one point. It’s evident that their relationship had its’ issues but love was not enough to keep them together. Nas breaks down the pieces of himself which were flawed and her flaws as well. It’s a beautiful breakup song which I think was a necessary release. The track also appears to also be him reminiscing on what Kelis and him dealt with throughout their marriage. Counseling, having a child together, trust and material items are all things Nas points out in Bye Baby. By specifically pointing these things out it makes him appear to regret all the issues they faced in their relationship. The track also appears to also be him reminiscing on what Kelis and Nas dealt with throughout their marriage. As a whole I think the song was a great tribute to their marriage.