I held real dead bodies in my arms
Felt their body turn cold, oh
Why we born in the first place
If this is how we gotta go?

from Nas (Ft. Damian Marley) – Patience (Sabali) Lyrics on Rap Genius

Nas is hypothesizing about the meaning of life, specifically the confusing nature of tragic deaths, which seem to contradict wide-held spiritual and sociological beliefs about life.

Also how he grew up in the ghetto and watched a lot of his close ones die.

So do you think that if he did not watch some of his close friends die on the street, he would be bringing this up? Every action has a reaction. So if something bad happens, you will get the exact opposite action resulting from it.
Ie: family members die because of an unjust law and it brings a person to think outside of the box to change it… (Martin Luther King Jr)

Nas' mother died in his arms.

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