NAS' "Who Killed It" - DECODED - SECRETS INSIDE - MAD SUBLIMINALS - PART ONE
First let me say that this is one of the densest records I've ever heard... and the 30s detective voice / slang makes it even denser... first off, the clear link between the girl and hip-hop needs to be established... they are one... give credit to Common, cause this is a metaphor that dies hard... Rakim's "I Ain't No Joke" bass line sets the perfect backdrop, know that there are mad hip-hop references in this...
First line...
"Look here she, pretty Mic Shank, Two Face Al, Lois and Gal"
Nas is defining hip-hop's identity... 3 styles... first the hard core underground... Mic Shank... the shank, weapon of the prisons... grimy as it gets... so the mic's a weapon... a tool of the underprivileged... a way to get what they desire through force... this is hip-hop essence, the hustle... at the same time it's sharp, precise, deadly... pretty, but not in a pretty way...
Two Face Al... the contradictory nature of hip-hop... the conscious lyrics, the nihilistic lyrics... Nas himself... the commercialism combined with the incessant drive to keep it real... two faces... the duality... is it good for the culture or bad?
Lois and Gal... the female element... the mainstream... the club tracks... the dance tracks... strip music... grind music... love rap.... dirty rap... the yang... but the yang that's been corrupted and disrespected...
"Body found dead in the als, death by strangulation, microphone cord, a dirty broad"
Hip-hop is dead... found in an alley... "death by strangulation"... no more air... no room for the real to breathe... coked by the microphone cords of pretenders, hustlers, false MCs... "a dirty broad"... dirty... innocence gone... sold soul for money...
"Guess they'll never play it again Sam, damn that was my jam"
Reference to the film "Casablanca", "play it again Sam" is what Bogart's character tells the black piano player Sam... hip hop is black music... Nas' music... and now the real is gone... dead... never to be played again... Nas is remorseful, "damn that was my jam"... he acknowledges that he plays a role in hip-hop's death...
"Now she's on the lam, she made it out with 200 grand"
Reference to the real MCs going independent... "on the lam"... on the lam from major labels... (ie AZ)... "made it out with 200 grand"... ball park figure for how much popular indie rappers make off a strong release...
"What a scam" ... saying these MCs deserve more than 200k...
"while these two compete on who's the star of the show" - him and Jay-Z
"Golden legs there makes off with the doe" golden legs = white legs = white people. White label execs to be specific... get the majority of sales from rap, while artists get raped on their deals...
"I read the paper there with Joe the butcher"
Joe the butcher = Fat Joe... butcher = unrefined... hacks at his tracks like meat... subliminal gettin at Joe for dissin Nas for signin to Def Jam... nevertheless he acknowledges Joe's criticism...
"said one glance is all it took ya - she's a real looker," Fat Joe sayin Nas has been takin in by lure of money... one glance from that angle of hip-hop, the big money corporate angle, is all it took for Nas to sign... Nas admits this, he too is about the paper...
"They say her old man's a bootlegger"
Hip-hop's father are the classics of Motown, Jazz, the Blues... her father is also the creator of her tracks... the producers who sample these old songs... illegitimately recreating them... illicit resales... bootleggin...
"transportin to whoever, and at this rate we'll never get her"
Samples used without discretion or respect to "whoever"... "at this rate we'll never get her"... if this continues, we'll never recover hip-hop...
"Fellows think I'll call it a night, all this talk of this mystery dame's getting me tight" Nas acknowledges that the question of who killed hip hop and her true identity may be beyond his comprehension... same thing he's said in interviews "I bit off more than I could chew by declaring Hip Hop is Dead"...
Pretty Mic shanked 2face Al over some gal (the gal being hip hop)
go tell that to whoever said this...
whoever did this is mad wrong
the hottest part was in the end..... how he talks about hip hop came from rhymin as slaves.. but then hip hop fell in love with kool herc (IE the break beat)
and for dumb nyggas who think nas dissin the south
the truth came out as we got to her suave house
chopped and screwed her mouth and sat me on the couch
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"Openin Eyes To The Lies History's Told Foul, Cuz I'm as wize as the old owl plus the gold child..."
"I forgive your weak ass hustlin' just ain't you
Aside from the fast cars
Hunnies that shake they ass at bars
You know you wouldn't be involved"
lol, listen yall i agree the guy is reaching on a lot of things but i think it shows this posters creativity and interest in hip hop because he put some thought into this. the wrong thought, but still some thought. i'll give this thread a 3.5
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on grass im bout as good as roger federer
lol, listen yall i agree the guy is reaching on a lot of things but i think it shows this posters creativity and interest in hip hop because he put some thought into this. the wrong thought, but still some thought. i'll give this thread a 3.5
I think he is more on point then off point.... good job
She said your conspiracy theories wont work without evidence// thats the reason Eric B is not president
^^ this is a good one.... "she" is hip hop and is basically saying to nas (detective) that your conspiracy theories (you saying hip hop is dead) means nothing without evidence...... therefore no one believes you..... and das the reason the real rappers arent running the rap game (eric b is not president.....)
in a nutshell nas has no proof that d4l caused hip hop to fail and the mainstream will not agree unless they have proof
"They say her old man's a bootlegger"
Hip-hop's father are the classics of Motown, Jazz, the Blues... her father is also the creator of her tracks... the producers who sample these old songs... illegitimately recreating them... illicit resales... bootleggin...
ah wtf are you talkin about
you make little to no sense i guess the track sorta flew over your head but i cant blame you for that at least you tried to make sense of it unlike the others
NAS' "Who Killed It" - DECODED - SECRETS INSIDE - MAD SUBLIMINALS - PART ONE
