If I could credit one artist for my love of hiphop, and even of music in general, it might be Nas. When he dropped Illmatic he brought a suburban white kid from the woods of Upstate New York to the streets of Queens. His words painted vivid pictures of struggle, violence, hope, despair and a world I could only imagine. He wasn't just yelling about women and money; he was a poet and a storyteller. An artistic genius.
20 years ago. Pretty hard to believe.
The smooth criminal on beat breaksNever put me in your box if your shit eats tapesThe city never sleeps, full of villains and creepsThat's where I learned to do my hustle had to scuffle with freaksI'm an addict for sneakers, 20s of buddah and bitches with beepersIn the streets I can greet ya, about blunts I teach yaInhale deep like the words of my breathI never sleep, cause sleep is the cousin of deathI lay puzzle as I backtrack to earlier timesNothing's equivalent to the New York state of mind