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Illmatic is one of the albums attributed to bringing hip hop back to New York in a time when the west-coast dominate the charts with Dr. Dre, Tupac, Snoop Dogg etc. Not only did Illmatic bring back focus to New York but the album itself sounded like NY and paid homage to “the golden age” with for instance “One Time 4 Your Mind” and sampling the first hip-hop movie Wild Style.
Wrote down all the pain within, top of the charts, triple platinum
Got the fake love back, money stacks, more plaques Nas – Rise & Fall
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The story concludes with the successful recording and release of I Am… (1999), which sold 3 million worldwide. After his Escobar persona in It Was Witten passed. I Am… was a very influential album that you could say changed the game – especially it´s storytelling and experimenting with different sounds, teaching a generation of rappers in telling stories. For instance: 2 Chainz, Ab-Soul, Schoolboy Q, J. Cole.
There is alot of pain on the album whether it´s “Undying Love”, “NY State Of Mind 2”, “Small World”, “We Will Survive”, “Ghetto Prisoners” or “I Want To Talk To You”.
As always with fame and money people try to take advantage of you to get money through fake love and stab you in the back later.
Change your style up, switch to southpaw
Jada, I was listenin'
So I made 'em a anthem to make some dividends Fat Joe (Ft. Lil Wayne) – Make It Rain
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A crazy motherfucker named Cormega Jungle, Cormega & Poet – Straight Outta Q.B.
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"The-the Bridge" "Queensbridge" "The-the Bridge"
"The-the Bridge" "Queensbridge" "The-the Bridge"
"The-the Bridge" "Queensbridge" QB Finest (Ft. Capone, Cormega, MC Shan, Mobb Deep, Nas, Nashawn, Nature & Tragedy Khadafi) – Da Bridge 2001
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Sampled from the original “The Bridge” by MC Shan. The classic record that set Queensbridge on the map. This fittingly placed on the album QB´s finest that all about “The Bridge”, one purpose was to unite QB and bring back legends. What better way then to do it over the classic tht brought QB the attention from the start.
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The crack spots are where Nas sold drugs.
Hit the jackpot is a metaphor since they are popular spot for fiends. So just how you get loads of money winning the jackpot so did Nas on all the places he sold. So all the drugs Nas sold, the money he made out of those drugs, actually paid of. (no pun intended)
Also, Nas states that he spends all of his money from every night after he has hustled.
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His Escobar persona was over which was prevelant in his third studio album.
Probably Nas' most self-aware moment, and one of the most honest, introspective lines in the rap canon. Nas admits that his drug-kingpin persona was exagerated. The truth is that Nas slung rocks for about one year, at a low level, between 1991 and 1992, and never shot or killed anyone. Some scenarios happened to people around him instead of himself.
Which can be said about numerous rappers like Ghostface Killah, or Jay Z having slalom slopes of cocaine and rapping about selling 7 years after his exit of the game.
He explains the line here at 11 mintes. in an interview with Charlie Rose:
Nas' is actually referring to literally selling drugs, as he had turned back to the street life after spending all of the money earned from Illmatic. With the stress caused by the pressure of living up to his 5 mic classic debut and the paranoia that the drug game brings, Nas' found himself forgetting his true calling. Which is writing rhymes and creating music, and not that of a drug lord such as Pablo Escobar.
This verse is a description of the lead up and release to his sophomore album It Was Written which brought Nas' incredible wealth and success. He was still using the Escobar moniker throughout the album.