The light is there
See I come from Mississippi
I was young and runnin' wild
Ended up in New York City
where I had my first child
I named the boy Nasir
all the boys call him Nas
I told him as a youngster
he'll be the greatest man alive
Let's go Hey hey hey hey
Tribrary of these rap skits
styles I mastered
Many brothers snatched
it up and tried to match it
But I'm still number one
everyday real
Speak what I want
I don't care what y'all feel
Cause I'm my own master
my Pop told me
be your own boss
Keep integrity at every cost
and his home was
Natchez Mississippi
Did it like Miles and Dizzy
now we gettin' busy
Bridging The Gap
from the blues to jazz to rap
The history of music
on this track
Born in the game
discovered my father's music
Like Prince searchin'
through boxes of Purple Rain
But my Minneapolis
was The Bridge
home of the Super kids
Some are well-known
some doin' bids
I mighta ended up
on the wrong side of the tracks
If Pops wouldn't've pulled me
back an said yo
See I come from Mississippi
I was young and runnin' wild
Ended up in New York City
where I had my first child
I named the boy Nasir
all the boys call him Nas
I told him as a youngster
he'll be the greatest man alive
Greatest man alive
Yeah turn it up
Greatest man alive
The blues came from gospel
gospel from blues
Slaves are harmonizin'
them ah's and oh's
Old school new school
know school rules
All these years I been
voicin' my blues
I'm a artist from the start
Hip-Hop guided my heart
Graffiti on the wall
coulda ended in Spoffard
juvenile delinquent
But Pops gave me
the right type'a tools
to think with
Books to read
like X and stuff
Cause the schools said
the kids had dyslexia
In art class I was a
compulsive sketcher of
Teachers in my homeroom
I drew pix to mess them up
Cause none'a them
would like my style
Read more books
than the curriculum profile
Said Mr. Jones please
come get your child
Cause he's writin' mad
poems and his verses are wild
See I come from Mississippi
I was young and runnin' wild
Ended up in New York City
where I had my first child
I named the boy Nasir
all the boys call him Nas
I told him as a youngster
he'll be the greatest man alive
Greatest man
The great-greatest man alive
Hey hey hey my Poppa
was not a Rollin' Stone
He been around the world
blowin' his horn
still he came home
Then he got grown
changed his name to Olu
Come on tell 'em
'bout the places you gone to
I been to Saudi Arabia
Mozambique
Madagascar Paris Greece
The Middle Africa
is where we lived
Better known as Queenbridge
Nas Nas you don't stop
Olu Dara in the house
you don't stop
Muddy Waters' Howling
Wolf you don't stop
From the Blues to Street
Hop you don't stop
Tell 'em Pop
See I come from Mississippi
Let 'em know
I was young and runnin' wild
Runnin' wild
Ended up in
New York City Yeah
Where I had my first child
That's me
I named the boy Nasir
Yeah Daddy
All the boys call him Nas
Luh ya boy
I told him as a youngster
He'll be the greatest man alive
You the greatest Pop
Greatest man alive
You the greatest Pop
Greatest man alive