Lyrics:
"Hip Hop Is Dead"
Nas
[DJ
samples]
"Hip hop" "hip hop" "is dead"
"Hip--hip hop" "hip hop" "is dead"
"Hip--hip hop" "hip--hip hop" "is dead"
"Hip--hip hop" "hip hop" "hip hop"
[Hook - 2X]
If hip hop should die before I wake
I'll put an extended clip inside of my AK
Roll to every station, murder the DJ
Roll to every station, murder the DJ
[sample]
Hip hop just died this mornin'
And she's dead, she's dead
[Verse 1]
Yeah, niggaz smoke, laugh, party, and die in the same corner
Get cash, live fast, body their man's mama
Rich ass niggaz is ridin' with three llamas
Revenge in their eyes, Hennesy and the ganja
Word to the wise with villain state of minds
Grindin', hittin' Brazilian dimes from behind
Grindin', hittin' Brazilian dimes from behind
(Grindin', hittin' Brazilian dimes from behind)
Whenever, if ever, I roll up, it's sown up
Any ghetto will tell ya Nas helped grow us up
My face once graced promotional Sony trucks
Hundred million in billin', I helped build 'em up
Gave my nigga my right, I could have gave left
So like my girl Foxy, a nigga went Def
So nigga, who's your top ten?
Is it MC Shan? Is it MC Ren?
[Hook - 2X]
[sample]
Hip hop just died this mornin'
And she's dead, she's dead
[Verse 2]
The bigger the cap, the bigger the peelin'
Come through, something ill, missin' the ceilin'
What influenced my raps? Stick ups and killings
Kidnappings, project buildings, drug dealings
Criticize that, why is that?
Cuz Nas rap is compared to legitimized crap
Cuz we love to talk on ass we gettin'
Most intellectuals will only half listen
So you can't blame jazz musicians
Or David Stern with his NBA fashion issues
Oh I they like me--in my white tee
You can't ice me, we here for life B
On my second marriage, hip hop's my first wifey
And for that we not takin' it lightly
If hip hop should die we die together
Bodies in the morgue lie together
All together now
[Hook - 2X]
[sample]
Hip hop just died this mornin'
Hip hop just died this mornin'
Hip hop just died this mornin'
And she's dead, she's dead
[crowd chanting "Hip hop!" becomes beat]
[Verse 3]
Everybody sound the same, commercialize the game
Reminiscin' when it wasn't all business
If it got where it started
So we all gather here for the dearly departed
Hip hopper since a toddler
One homeboy became a man then a mobster
If the guys let me get my last swig of Vodka
R.I.P., we'll donate your lungs to a rasta
Went from turntables to mp3s
From "Beat Street" to commercials on Mickey D's
From gold cables to Jacobs
From plain facials to Botox and face lifts
I'm lookin' over my shoulder
It's about eighty niggaz from my hood that showed up
And they came to show love
Sold out concert and the doors are closed shut
"Hip hop" "hip hop" "is dead"
"Hip--hip hop" "hip hop" "is dead"
"Hip--hip hop" "hip--hip hop" "is dead"
"Hip--hip hop" "hip hop" "hip hop"
[Hook - 2X]
If hip hop should die before I wake
I'll put an extended clip inside of my AK
Roll to every station, murder the DJ
Roll to every station, murder the DJ
[sample]
Hip hop just died this mornin'
And she's dead, she's dead
[Verse 1]
Yeah, niggaz smoke, laugh, party, and die in the same corner
Get cash, live fast, body their man's mama
Rich ass niggaz is ridin' with three llamas
Revenge in their eyes, Hennesy and the ganja
Word to the wise with villain state of minds
Grindin', hittin' Brazilian dimes from behind
Grindin', hittin' Brazilian dimes from behind
(Grindin', hittin' Brazilian dimes from behind)
Whenever, if ever, I roll up, it's sown up
Any ghetto will tell ya Nas helped grow us up
My face once graced promotional Sony trucks
Hundred million in billin', I helped build 'em up
Gave my nigga my right, I could have gave left
So like my girl Foxy, a nigga went Def
So nigga, who's your top ten?
Is it MC Shan? Is it MC Ren?
[Hook - 2X]
[sample]
Hip hop just died this mornin'
And she's dead, she's dead
[Verse 2]
The bigger the cap, the bigger the peelin'
Come through, something ill, missin' the ceilin'
What influenced my raps? Stick ups and killings
Kidnappings, project buildings, drug dealings
Criticize that, why is that?
Cuz Nas rap is compared to legitimized crap
Cuz we love to talk on ass we gettin'
Most intellectuals will only half listen
So you can't blame jazz musicians
Or David Stern with his NBA fashion issues
Oh I they like me--in my white tee
You can't ice me, we here for life B
On my second marriage, hip hop's my first wifey
And for that we not takin' it lightly
If hip hop should die we die together
Bodies in the morgue lie together
All together now
[Hook - 2X]
[sample]
Hip hop just died this mornin'
Hip hop just died this mornin'
Hip hop just died this mornin'
And she's dead, she's dead
[crowd chanting "Hip hop!" becomes beat]
[Verse 3]
Everybody sound the same, commercialize the game
Reminiscin' when it wasn't all business
If it got where it started
So we all gather here for the dearly departed
Hip hopper since a toddler
One homeboy became a man then a mobster
If the guys let me get my last swig of Vodka
R.I.P., we'll donate your lungs to a rasta
Went from turntables to mp3s
From "Beat Street" to commercials on Mickey D's
From gold cables to Jacobs
From plain facials to Botox and face lifts
I'm lookin' over my shoulder
It's about eighty niggaz from my hood that showed up
And they came to show love
Sold out concert and the doors are closed shut
Did it ever bother you that someone as noted and well achieved in the game of Hip-Hop as Nas, would say that the thing that he adores and loves the most is dead? Were you on the defense when he said this, if so, why? Did you see this as a radical approach to push the culture? Or did you agree that hip-hop was truly dead? Is Hip-Hop Dead today?
I don't feel hip-hop is dead. I agree it has got exploited, yes, but with artists like Nasir Jones and like-minded individuals such as yourself insisting that we ponder this notion, I feel it is very much alive. If it is dead in some fans' eyes, songs like this mean there is hope after all. Great post.
ReplyDeleteThat's a dope record from Nas. I fuck with that album.
ReplyDeleteWhen the song first was released it really summed up how I felt at the moment. The thing is later that day I started to really reflect on it and realized Hip Hop isn't dead it was just unbalanced. In the attempt for the industry to milk the culture certain elements were highlighted leaving others in the shadows. I remember this was around the time BET was catching a little heat over the Little Brother situation.
ReplyDeleteI'm not sure how much authority I have on this topic but I do remember hip-hop being one of the first genres of music that I really enjoyed and that intrigued me at a young age. I grew up listening to 2-pac, Bone Thugs N Harmony, Wu-Tang, and definitely some Nas albums. It was something about the rawness of the content and defiance that sucked me in, which was a great segway for what has become one of my favorite genres PUNK. What really got me then though was the lyrical content of rap. Our family not having much money as a younger kid and having my mother raise three kids since I was 11 there was a lot of lyrics that I could relate to. I just feel that with technology and everyone thinking they can rap that it has watered down the real lyricists and hip-hop artist that Nas is speaking about. I don't think hip-hop is dead, but it may be harder to sift through to find the good stuff for people like me who may not have the time to look for it or feel overwhelmed by all the content for hip-hop and a lot of other genres. Most of the stuff I hear on the radio is not something I could listen to unless for the novelty of it of being at a party or something. Just watched the video for this song though. Tight concept and song!
ReplyDeleteI agree with Screen Sound, hip-hop isn't dead. There are those who've overlooked it's message and importance to African American's specifically. Overall it takes not just one but many to conquer society (its listeners) again. We've manipulated hip-hop so much that it's more broad and artistically creative. It could possibly be as big as it was once before.
ReplyDeleteI saw nas at lolla today and it just shows hip hop is alive and well. There are just so many "artists" crowding the Scene its hadr to find the good ones
ReplyDeleteI think its ironic you put this on your blog this week. I have been walking around singing this for the last few days in relation to my opinion on some of today's artists. Hip Hop is not dead. It has however been beaten into a coma and rests on life support.
ReplyDelete