Nastradamus (song)
Encyclopedia
"Nastradamus" is the first single from Nas
' fourth album Nastradamus
. It was produced by L.E.S.
. The song contains the lyrics "You wanna ball 'til you fall, I can help you with that" which were viewed as a jab at Rocafella artist Memphis Bleek
, sparking the beef which would eventually involve Jay-Z
. The music video was originally released in 3-D
with Tower Records
providing "Nastradamus" 3-D glasses
as a tie in (this was the first ever Music Video to use the 3-D technology, wrongly credited to the 2008 Missy Elliott
video "Ching-A-Ling
"). Nas debuted the video with Carson Daly
on MTV
's TRL
in November 1999. The beat uses the sample "The Monorail Express" by the J.B.'s, the same one EPMD
used on their song "Let the Funk Flow" from their 1988 album Strictly Business. A music video directed by Jeff Byrd
was released too.
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...
' fourth album Nastradamus
Nastradamus
Nastradamus is the fourth studio album by American rapper Nas, released November 23, 1999 on Columbia Records in the United States. It was originally scheduled to be released as a follow-up album composed of material from recording sessions for his third album, I Am… on October 26, 1999...
. It was produced by L.E.S.
L.E.S. (producer)
Leshan David Lewis, better known as L.E.S., is a hip hop producer commonly associated with Nas. His first production credit was for Nas' popular song "Life's a Bitch" from the Illmatic album in 1994. He soon produced a single, "Sugar Hill", for AZ's album Doe Or Die...
. The song contains the lyrics "You wanna ball 'til you fall, I can help you with that" which were viewed as a jab at Rocafella artist Memphis Bleek
Memphis Bleek
Malik 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...
, sparking the beef which would eventually involve Jay-Z
Jay-Z
Shawn Corey Carter , better known by his stage name Jay-Z, is an American rapper, record producer, entrepreneur, and occasional actor. He is one of the most financially successful hip hop artists and entrepreneurs in America, having a net worth of over $450 million as of 2010...
. The music video was originally released in 3-D
3-D film
A 3-D film or S3D film is a motion picture that enhances the illusion of depth perception...
with Tower Records
Tower Records
Tower Records was a retail music chain that was based in Sacramento, California. It currently exists as an international franchise and an online music store....
providing "Nastradamus" 3-D glasses
Stereoscopy
Stereoscopy refers to a technique for creating or enhancing the illusion of depth in an image by presenting two offset images separately to the left and right eye of the viewer. Both of these 2-D offset images are then combined in the brain to give the perception of 3-D depth...
as a tie in (this was the first ever Music Video to use the 3-D technology, wrongly credited to the 2008 Missy Elliott
Missy Elliott
Melissa Arnette "Missy" Elliott , is an American rapper, singer-songwriter, record producer, and actressA five-time Grammy Award winner, Elliott, with record sales of over seven million in the United States, is the only female rapper to have five albums certified platinum by the RIAA, including one...
video "Ching-A-Ling
Ching-a-Ling
"Ching-a-Ling" is a song by Missy Elliott, and is the lead single for the Step Up 2 the Streets soundtrack. The song premiered on both Elliott's MySpace and official website on January 10, 2008. Within a week, it had debuted on the U.S. Billboard Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs chart. The song was made...
"). Nas debuted the video with Carson Daly
Carson Daly
Carson Jones Daly is an American television host. He is the host of NBC's Last Call with Carson Daly, a late-night talk show that began airing on January 7, 2002. Before his role as host of that program, Daly was a VJ on MTV's TRL, and a DJ for the Southern California based radio station KROQ-FM...
on MTV
MTV
MTV, formerly an initialism of Music Television, is an American network based in New York City that launched on August 1, 1981. The original purpose of the channel was to play music videos guided by on-air hosts known as VJs....
's TRL
Total Request Live
Total Request Live is a television series on MTV that featured popular music videos. TRL was MTV's prime outlet for music videos as the network continues to concentrate on reality-based programming. In addition to music videos, TRL featured daily guests...
in November 1999. The beat uses the sample "The Monorail Express" by the J.B.'s, the same one EPMD
EPMD
EPMD is an American hip hop group from Brentwood, New York. The group's name is a concatenation of the members' name "E" and "PMD" or an acronym for "Erick and Parrish Making Dollars", referencing its members, emcees Erick Sermon and Parrish Smith...
used on their song "Let the Funk Flow" from their 1988 album Strictly Business. A music video directed by Jeff Byrd
Jeff Byrd
Jeffrey Alan Byrd is a former Major League Baseball pitcher in 1977 for the Toronto Blue Jays.-Texas Rangers:...
was released too.
A-side
- "Nastradamus" (Album version) (4:13)
- "Nastradamus" (Clean version) (4:13)
- "Nastradamus" (Instrumental) (4:13)
B-side
- "Shoot 'Em Up" (Album version) (2:56)
- Produced by Havoc
- "Shoot 'Em Up" (Clean version) (2:56)
- "Shoot 'Em Up" (Instrumental) (2:51)
Chart positions
# 92 (U.S. Hot 100)# 27 (U.S. R&B)# 4 (U.S. Rap)# 24 (UK)