"I Can" is the second single from the Nas

Nas

Nasir bin Olu Dara Jones, who performs under the name Nas , formerly Nasty Nas, is an American rapper and actor. He is regarded as one of the most important figures in hip hop and one of the most skilled and influential rappers of all-time...

 album, God's Son

God's Son

God's Son is the sixth studio album by American rapper Nas, released December 13, 2002 on Columbia-imprint Ill Will Records. Production for the album took place during 2001 to 2002 and was handled by several hip hop producers, including Salaam Remi, Chucky Thompson, Ron Browz, and The Alchemist...

.

The song samples Beethoven's Für Elise

Für Elise

Bagatelle No. 25 in A minor for solo piano, commonly known as "Für Elise" , is one of Ludwig van Beethoven's most popular compositions. It is usually classified as a bagatelle, but it is also sometimes referred to as an Albumblatt.- History :The score was not published until 1867, 40 years after...

 and The Honeydrippers' "Impeach the President".
The music video, directed by Chris Robinson

Chris Robinson (director)

Chris Robinson is an American film director working mostly with music videos and commercials. He has directed commercials for brands such as iPod, Coca Cola and Verizon and music videos for songs like "Fallin'" and "You Don't Know My Name" by Alicia Keys, "Roc Boys" by Jay-Z, the grammy nominated...

, was shot in Philadelphia, and contains footage of Nas rapping while children stand around him. The video starts out with the music from the introduction of "Get Down," but it soon transitions into "I Can." As the video starts, a girl plays a piano in a vacant lot, and later one can see children jumping on a mattress in the same lot. The video also contains footage of break dancing and famous Egyptian structures.

"I Can" charted at #12 in Billboard Hot 100

Billboard Hot 100

The Billboard Hot 100 is the United States music industry standard singles popularity chart issued weekly by Billboard magazine. Chart rankings are based on radio play and sales; the tracking-week for sales begins on Monday and ends on Sunday, while the radio play tracking-week runs from Wednesday...

, #7 on the Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Singles & Tracks, #6 on the Hot Rap Tracks

Hot Rap Tracks

Rap Songs is a chart released weekly by Billboard in the United States. It lists the 25 most popular hip-hop/rap songs, calculated weekly by airplay on rhythmic and urban radio stations and sales in hip hop-focused or exclusive markets. From 1989 through 2001, it was based on how much the single...

 and #58 on the Billboard Year-End Hot 100 singles of 2003. This is Nas's highest charting single to date.

Track listing

1. "I Can" (Clean Version) (4:13)
2. "Of Course I Can" (Instrumental) (4:14)
3. "I Can" (Acappella) (4:03)