What defines my name?
What defines my name? (Nas)
N-A-S
What defines my name? (Nas)
N-A-S
What defines my name?
Name existed forever, means "victory helper"
Whole name means "protector", shortened it by two letters
Without the I-R at the end
The reincarnated Gil Scott, livin' in the bottle again
The World Cup in Moscow with a blonde who's a ten
Vape pen when I speak, it's like a lottery win
Quote my total, multi mogul
So fly, I can walk in any spot, every box be soakin'
From a time when weed was stronger
Today's street's are calmer
They used to kill for shades, sneaks, and bombers
Uh, my name existed forever
Before Christians came into America, even better
When click sounds in their mouths was language for humans
With stick figures in caves, my name's written fluent
Nasty, like way before even Rome had a sewage
From 50, 000 years ago if I could choose its origin
Since there's nothing to gain by assuming
I'ma say the definition of my name: 'The Truest"
I shocked 'em, like real bullets in prop guns
Creeped with baddies in sequin dresses who high strung
Fresh of the jet, you can see my vision, where I've come
How much time y'all got? Yo, Preem, let's drop somethin'
What defines my name?
What defines my name? (Nas)
N-A-S
What defines my name? (Nas)
N-A-S
What defines my name?
DNA of King James, kin of Saint Michael
Polygamous minded, seven wives on ridiculous timing
They always share the same title
That be the whiskey talk
That's foul like a stop-and-frisk, New York
At 20, I said I better quit by 30
Then by 30, I thought by 40 rappin' is corny
How wrong was I?
Never woulda thought at 50 new songs by Nas would be harder live
I leave 'em scared, like when they hear their name called but ain't nobody there
The definition of my name probably started where
I rode the E Train, fingers covered in ink stains
Writin' was like an escape, excited leave the beat flamed
It was Ra, Kane, Kool G, and Kris
Few names like Cool James, Face, Cube, and Rick
That was musically sick, successful and unnatural
I throw their songs in a cyanide capsule
The truth is poison to any fraud, demagogue
Rockin' suits at shows going against any odds
How could you hate me? I survived the 80s
The D's, the trauma, embalming fluid in laced weed
Inhale fumes from a stove of cook up to shows booked up
I chose to take the world over, look up
What defines my name?
What defines my name? (Nas)
N-A-S
What defines my name? (Nas)
N-A-S
What defines my name?
Ayo, thirty years later, Illmatic was dropped
Yet, man, what the fuck am I doing?
Ayo, Preem, chill, I got the rhymes, you got the beats
Aiight
Thirty years we back in streets, we back in the lab
Aiight then, let's go, Nas
It's time, it's album time, yeah
It's time?
It's time, Black, it's time
P-p-p-pow!
Premier album still gon' happen!