Undoubtedly one of the best emcees of all time, Nas has released an abundance career over the course of his fifteen year plus career. Here, in no particular order, are the top ten Nas songs.
• I Gave You Power, Nas’ It Was Written(read review), 1996
One of Nas’ most creative singles in a career filled with many (see Book of Rhymes from God’s Son or Rewind from Stillmatic), I Gave You Power examines black on black violence from the perspective of a handgun. While It Was Written ultimately didn’t satisfy critical expectations, this song amongst a few others was proof that whatever Nas was calling himself, Nasty Nas or Nas Escobar, he was still one of the sharpest and most insightful emcees in the game.
• I Can, Nas’ God’s Son (read review), 2002
One of Nas’ standout qualities is his dedication to ensuring that each album contains insightful and provocative records. In an age where many emcees are content to slap together twelve tracks of violence and braggadocio, Nas has always tried to educate to some extent. Even on his weakest and most commercial effort Nastradamus, Nas rapped from the perspective of a prison cell on Last Words and spoke eloquently of the malaise affecting young black males on Project Windows. I Can is notable in that it was designed to educate and be catchy enough for radio play. It’s a rare positive rap song suitable for kids, and may even teach an adult a thing or two.
• What Goes Around, Nas’ Stillmatic(read review), 2001
A blistering barrage of rhymes assailing the ills of the black community also insightful illustrates karmic law. It’s a fitting end to an album which in many ways was a response to Jay-Z’s aural assault; it’s also a fitting response to a President who had just declared war. But independent of context, Nas has rarely sounded sharper or more focused since his debut.
• If I Ruled The World, Nas’ It Was Written, 1996
Nas’ utopic fantasy, coupled with a Whodini sample, and a chorus sung by the one and only Lauryn Hill is to date a winning combination. At once an appeal for greater collective responsibility, and a protestation of institutional injustice, Nas drops some of the most thought-provoking lyrics of his career.
• Life’s A B-ch, Nas’ Illmatic, 1994
An understated and eloquent jazzy affair, Nas and AZ effortlessly trade wisdom and inadvertently capture the archetypal psyche on inner-city black males in the nineties. The lyrics speak for themselves, and qualify not only as one of the top ten Nas songs ever, but one of the best hip-hop records ever.
• Made You Look, Nas’ God’s Son, 2002
This may seem like an odd inclusion on a list with four tracks from Illmatic and some of the strongest rhymes of Nas’ career. But this, the first single from his sixth studio album God’s Son, was the first time Nas made a commercially viable street record that was true to Nas. It’s also a rousing celebration of his triumph over Jay-Z/Roc-A-Fella, with a few pointed shots at the Brooklyn rapper. Nas sounds both at ease in his own skin, playing the part of the thuggish rapper without sounding forced (see It Was Written, I Am, and Nastradamus). He also seems to be enjoying himself for the first time in a while. This is the rallying cry of Nas, the street’s disciple.
• The World is Yours, Nas’ Illmatic, 1994
The rich, brooding Pete Rock beat is the perfect backdrop for Nas’ poetry. The source of Jay-Z’s hook for Dead Presidents, the verses are as heavy in detail and insight as anything he has ever produced. As with many of the tracks off Illmatic, not only does the song speak for itself, but it’s one of the best hip-hop records period.
• One Love, Nas’ Illmatic, 1994
The third verse of One Love was evidence in 1994 that Nas would become one of hip-hop’s preeminent storytellers. Indeed the first two verses, structured as letters to incarcerated friends, were evidence as well. But the third verse, wherein Nas attempts to educate a twelve-year old would be killer, is both gripping and chilling. This is definitely one of the top ten Nas songs ever, probably top five.
• One Mic, Nas’ Stillmatic, 2001
The innovative structure of One Mic coupled with the delivery, the memorable imagery (“pure, like a cup of virgin blood/mixed with 151, one sip’ll make a [brother] flip”), and the haunting instrumental, make this one of his most unforgettable and powerful songs.
• Memory Lane, Nas’ Illmatic, 1994
Nas raps movingly of his childhood in two verses that are some of the best that rap has ever heard in terms of wordplay and philosophy. The nostalgia-inducing Memory Lane is a meditation on inner-city life, an ode to the past, and quite simply one of Nas’ finest moments.
