Nas Is Like
Encyclopedia
"Nas Is Like" is the first single from Nas
' third album I Am.... The song is the sixth collaboration between Nas and producer DJ Premier
. It was critically well received as it was a change from the more commercial and pop-oriented singles from It Was Written
and Nas, Foxy Brown, AZ, and Nature Present The Firm: The Album
. The song contains a combination of braggadocios and introspective lyrics over a choppy string sample.
Same time my man is murdered,/ the beginning and end"
In the third verse of the song, Nas uses similes to describe his prowess. These include: "I'm like a whole lot of loot, I'm like crisp money / Corporate accounts from a rich company / I'm like ecstasy for ladies, I'm like all races / combined in one man; like the '99 summer jam."
remained unknown. However, April 2008 an unnnamed MP3
file featuring the original sample used was uploaded to the Internet
by Dusty Kid from Strictly Breaks. Right after, the sample was identified as "Cantata of New Life" by John Rydgren. However, it was later revealed that the track was actually John Rydgren and Bob R. Way's 1966 song "What Child Is This?", from their record Thoughts on the Carols.
Other than this, the song also contains scratched vocal samples from Nas' previous songs "It Ain't Hard to Tell
" from 1994 and "Street Dreams" from 1996. The song also samples bird chirps from Don Robertson's "Why" and a vocal sample from Biz Markie
's "Nobody Beats the Biz".
and fellow Queensbridge rappers Nature
and The Bravehearts
and number 14 on the Canadian Singles Chart
. M.F. DiBella of Allmusic justifies the success of "Nas Is Like" stating: "Superproducer Premier comes to save the day...["Nas Is Like" is] nothing short of Illmatic
perfection. "Nas Is Like"'s symphonic composition is the perfect complement for an MC of Nas' supreme vocal quality and precise lyrics."
The song's popularity caused various songs to borrow "Nas Is Like"'s beat, structure and lyrics:
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...
' third album I Am.... The song is the sixth collaboration between Nas and producer DJ Premier
DJ Premier
Christopher Edward Martin , better known by his stage name DJ Premier , is an American record producer and DJ, and was the instrumental half of the hip hop duo Gang Starr, together with emcee Guru...
. It was critically well received as it was a change from the more commercial and pop-oriented singles from It Was Written
It Was Written
It Was Written is the second studio album by American rapper Nas, released July 2, 1996 on Columbia Records in the United States. Following the moderate sales success of his acclaimed debut album, Illmatic , Nas chose to focus his efforts in a more mainstream direction...
and Nas, Foxy Brown, AZ, and Nature Present The Firm: The Album
The Album (The Firm album)
The Album, also known as The Firm: The Album, is the debut studio album of American hip hop supergroup The Firm, released October 21, 1997 on the Interscope-subsidiary label Aftermath Entertainment.-Background:...
. The song contains a combination of braggadocios and introspective lyrics over a choppy string sample.
Content
The Lyrical presence of Nas was clearly evident from the first lines: "Freedom or jail, clips inserted,/ a baby's bein' bornSame time my man is murdered,/ the beginning and end"
In the third verse of the song, Nas uses similes to describe his prowess. These include: "I'm like a whole lot of loot, I'm like crisp money / Corporate accounts from a rich company / I'm like ecstasy for ladies, I'm like all races / combined in one man; like the '99 summer jam."
Production
In the 14 Deadly Secrets by DJ Premier, Primo said:Samples
The song is also notable for featuring one of the most sought-after samples by cratediggers. For almost a decade since the track's release, the main sample used by DJ PremierDJ Premier
Christopher Edward Martin , better known by his stage name DJ Premier , is an American record producer and DJ, and was the instrumental half of the hip hop duo Gang Starr, together with emcee Guru...
remained unknown. However, April 2008 an unnnamed MP3
MP3
MPEG-1 or MPEG-2 Audio Layer III, more commonly referred to as MP3, is a patented digital audio encoding format using a form of lossy data compression...
file featuring the original sample used was uploaded to the Internet
Internet
The Internet is a global system of interconnected computer networks that use the standard Internet protocol suite to serve billions of users worldwide...
by Dusty Kid from Strictly Breaks. Right after, the sample was identified as "Cantata of New Life" by John Rydgren. However, it was later revealed that the track was actually John Rydgren and Bob R. Way's 1966 song "What Child Is This?", from their record Thoughts on the Carols.
Other than this, the song also contains scratched vocal samples from Nas' previous songs "It Ain't Hard to Tell
It Ain't Hard to Tell
"It Ain't Hard to Tell" is Nas' second single and last track from his debut album Illmatic. Produced by Large Professor, the song samples Michael Jackson's 1983 hit single "Human Nature", "N.T." by Kool & the Gang, "Why Can't People Be Colors Too?" by The Whatnauts, "Long Red" by Mountain & "Slow...
" from 1994 and "Street Dreams" from 1996. The song also samples bird chirps from Don Robertson's "Why" and a vocal sample from Biz Markie
Biz Markie
Marcel Theo Hall better known by his stage name, Biz Markie, is an American rapper, beatboxer, DJ, comedian, singer, reality television personality, and commercial spokesperson. He is best known for his single "Just a Friend", an American Top 10 hit in 1989...
's "Nobody Beats the Biz".
Music video
The song's music video directed by Nick Quested shows Nas rapping in the Queensbridge projects and features cameo's by NBA player Ron ArtestRon Artest
Metta World Peace is an American professional basketball player and rapper who is currently with the Los Angeles Lakers in the NBA. World Peace gained a reputation as one of the league's premier defenders as he won the NBA Defensive Player of the Year Award in 2004...
and fellow Queensbridge rappers Nature
Nature (rapper)
Jermain Baxter , better known as Nature, is an American rapper, best known for his association with fellow Queensbridge-born rapper Nas.-Career:...
and The Bravehearts
The Bravehearts
Bravehearts are an East Coast hip-hop group from the Queensbridge housing projects in New York City. The group's roster originally included Jungle , Wiz , and Horse . Horse left the group in 2002, and Jungle and Wiz carried on as a duo...
Reception and Influence
"Nas Is Like" was positively received on a commercial and critical level. It reached number 86 on the Billboard Hot 100Billboard 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...
and number 14 on the Canadian Singles Chart
Canadian Singles Chart
The Canadian Singles Chart is currently compiled by the U.S.-based music sales tracking company, Nielsen SoundScan . The chart is compiled every Wednesday, and is published by Jam! Canoe on Thursdays....
. M.F. DiBella of Allmusic justifies the success of "Nas Is Like" stating: "Superproducer Premier comes to save the day...["Nas Is Like" is] nothing short of Illmatic
Illmatic
Illmatic is the debut album of American rapper Nas, released April 19, 1994, on Columbia Records. Following his signing to Columbia with the help of MC Serch, recording sessions for the album took place during 1992 to 1993 at Chung King Studios, D&D Recording, Battery Studios, and Unique Recording...
perfection. "Nas Is Like"'s symphonic composition is the perfect complement for an MC of Nas' supreme vocal quality and precise lyrics."
The song's popularity caused various songs to borrow "Nas Is Like"'s beat, structure and lyrics:
- During his brief feud with Nas, Memphis BleekMemphis BleekMalik Thuston Patrick Cox , better known by his rap persona of Memphis Bleek or "Bleek", is a New York rapper mainly known for his tenure with Roc-a-Fella Records and CEO of his own label Get Low Records...
recorded a song named "Memphis Bleek Is...Memphis Bleek Is..."Memphis Bleek Is...", is the debut single from Memphis Bleek, it was from his first album, The Coming of Age. The song was perceived as an indirect diss to Nas. It was considered a Nas diss because the song had a similar concept to that of Nas' song, "Nas Is Like." The song became a minor hit and...
" which stylistically mimicked "Nas Is Like". - On Royce da 5'9"'s 2007 mixtape The Bar Exam, he freestyles over the "Nas Is Like" instrumental and forms a song with a similar structure.
- Lyrics from "Nas Is Like" were later sampled in Braille and Rob SwiftRob SwiftRob Swift is an American hip hop DJ and turntablist. Swift is a former member of the turntablist group The X-Ecutioners as of late 2005 and as of 2006; with Mike Patton’s project Peeping Tom.-Early life:...
's 2008 song "The IV".
A-Side
- "Nas Is Like" (Main) (3:50)
- "Nas Is Like" (Clean) (3:57)
- "Nas Is Like" (Instrumental) (3:57)
B-Side
- "Dr. Knockboots" (Main) (2:25)
- Produced by Poke & Tone
- "Dr. Knockboots" (Clean) (2:25)
- "Dr. Knockboots" (Instrumental) (2:25)
Charts
| Chart (1999) | Peak position |
|---|---|
| Canadian Singles Chart Canadian Singles Chart The Canadian Singles Chart is currently compiled by the U.S.-based music sales tracking company, Nielsen SoundScan . The chart is compiled every Wednesday, and is published by Jam! Canoe on Thursdays.... |
14 |
| U.S. 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... |
86 |
| U.S. Billboard Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Singles & Tracks Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs, is a chart released weekly by Billboard in the United States.The chart, initiated in 1942, is used to track the success of popular music songs in urban, or primarily African American, venues. Dominated over the years at various times by jazz, rhythm and blues, doo-wop, soul,... |
30 |
| U.S. Billboard Hot Rap Singles 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... |
3 |
External links
- Nas - Nas Is Like Official Hip Hop Music Video