Who Are You Lyrics

[Intro]
Hudson

[Verse 1: Nas]
Heard you got your master's
Did college up, never looked back, now that's what's happening
And it's good to see you made it out the hood
With a degree, a true man with passion
Now you could enter the so-called "White Man's Society"
And go right past 'em
Looking in the Wall Street Journal for your face
But it's always absent
There he go, that's him
Eating flan and ambrosia
, watch on his arm, golden, laughin'
Try to get his attention, but he's flinching
Guess my grimy clothes threw him off
, so I mention
We were neighbors some time ago
He was kinda cold, in this restaurant, full of his kind and more
He sighed, tried to look surprised, I know
His side of the city where he resides, so
I had to go, I heard him laugh hard at some sad black jokes
Hate so-called "intellectuals"
No balls, he suggests we vote
He stand all proud, speaking to correct his folks
He want to lecture folks 'cause he professional
And he suggest that we don't sell dope
And I guess it's true, but who the fuck are you?
[Chorus: David Rainer]
Who are you, tryna tell me who I am?
Tryna tell me who I am?
Who are you, tryna tell me what I'm not?
Tryna tell me what I'm not
Who are you, tryna tell me who I am?
Tryna box me in, tryna find who I am


[Verse 2: Nas]
I'm Idi Amin, I'm Marcus Garvey
H. Rap Brown, I'm Muhammad Ali
I'm Reginald Lewis, George Washington Carver
I'm Nas with incredible music
, let's do it
Thinking of a master plan
Sipping on disaster, smoking on gangster

Watching niggas argue, chillin' on my bar-stool
With my Hell Up in Harlem hat in hand
With a girl named Pat
She more than a waitress to order your drink with
She divorced a banker and bought the bar
She got an automobile, she give an order to kill
You get caught and robbed, we could see your walk is off
You could lose your rhythm when you outta the gutter for a while
You easily go to soft from hard
Now we all about hustlers, number runners, hoes and sharks
And we all know the code of the block
And you talking some gibberish, anti-nigga shit
'Cause you marched back with Rosa Parks?

Brother, don't start, go build your Noah's Ark
You could float to the end of the world, and pretend what you not
But I know what you are
While I roll in my car, and I'm spending my knot
While my enemies plot, you ain't out of the shot
Matter of fact, you're an easier target
And I respect everything you accomplished
But I hope I never get old and talk that nonsense
So who the fuck are you?

How to Format Lyrics:

  • Type out all lyrics, even repeating song parts like the chorus
  • Lyrics should be broken down into individual lines
  • Use section headers above different song parts like [Verse], [Chorus], etc.
  • Use italics (<i>lyric</i>) and bold (<b>lyric</b>) to distinguish between different vocalists in the same song part
  • If you don’t understand a lyric, use [?]

To learn more, check out our transcription guide or visit our transcribers forum

About

Genius Annotation

“Who Are You” is a collaboration between Nas and David Ranier that appears on Nas' The Lost Tapes 2. On the track, the artists boast about their material possessions and lavish lifestyles, while questioning the credibility of their detractors.

“Who Are You” was reportedly recorded during the studio sessions for his July 2012 album Life Is Good. This track, originally named “Who I Am”, was released on Ron Artest’s “BALL'N” mixtape with DJ DJ Felli Fell after he and the Los Angeles Lakers won the 2010 NBA championships and just in time for 2011’s NBA All-Star Weekend on 02/18/2011.

Q&A

Find answers to frequently asked questions about the song and explore its deeper meaning

Comments