BY MICHAEL GOODPASTER
(FOUR) THIEF'S THEME/HIP HOP IS DEAD
Thief’s Theme came out in 2004. I remember really being into the “Street’s Disciple” double album. Hip Hop is Dead came out two years later. Both tracks are good, but it could be because they both sample the same song. It’s not just any song. It’s the distinct melody of Iron Butterfly’s “In-A-Gadda-Da-Vida”. In 04 it was just a really cool song, but I can’t say it’s better than Hip Hop Is Dead. I remember when that track came out people were all up in arms over it. It had a strong message and might be one of the last things Nas did of relevance before tapping out to Jay Z.
(THREE) ONE MIC
This song samples “In The Air Tonight” by Phil Collins. The music is obviously good, but the actual track is one of Nas’s biggest. The whole “One Bullet” response was a bit silly, but this original track is just solid. The lyrical delivery is awesome and a lot of folks would say it’s his best tune. I dunno about that, but it’s damn good.
(TWO) HATE ME NOW
I loved this track. It was a great song for wrestling and I saw more than a few indie wrestlers use it back in the day. This 1999 track featuring “Puff Daddy”… yes, when he was still “Puff Daddy”! The song was just in your face. The classic melody is warped just enough to have a certain funk to it. Then there is the controversial video. There was a lot of religious stuff involved, specifically both men being crucified. Puffy was so pissed with the final result that he assaulted Nas’s manager with a champagne bottle. That’s awesome. Assaulting someone over religion! What would Jebus think?
(ONE) ETHER
Jay-Z had “Takeover”, a diss track on the iconic “Blueprint” album. It lashed out at Nas and was in the middle of their big war. The result was Nas coming back with arguably the greatest and most renowned diss track of all time… “Ether”! This was around the point when Jay-Z stopped being a human being or rapper and started being a “brand”. Nas, being an artist, went after Jay’s group, his appearances, him selling out, and tons of sharply worded personal attacks. Harsh stuff.
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