Music
Looking Back At Nas’ It Was Written
Yesterday (7/2), marked the 20th anniversary of Nas‘ sophomore album, It Was Written. For many artists, they cannot live up to the hype of their debut album; but for Nas, it seemed like a piece of cake. Off the first track alone, Nas grabs your attention as he spits over The Trackmasters-produced cut, “The Message.” In an interview with Complex back in 2012, Nas was inspired to write the record after the success of his first album and looking at the amount of competition that was coming out of New York:
There was a moment where it wasn’t just about being a fly guy with money, it was, ‘I’m still in the streets, I still got one foot in the streets.’ We were all gunning for that position or gunning people off of us trying to take our position. That was my position on ‘The Message’ like, ‘Yo, back up, everybody.’
“The Message” surely inspired rappers to come with Fabolous’ “Pachangas,” Joe Budden’s “1000 Faces,” and Kyndall’s “Bullet.”
A thug changes, a love changes, and best friends become strangers, word up.
Who could forget about the notable records, “NY State of Mind,” “If I Ruled The World” with Lauryn Hill, and “Affirmative Action,” where he introduces AZ, Cormega, and Foxy Brown as The Firm.
The album went on to sell over four million copies in the U.S. and proved the Queensbridge emcee was a force to be reckoned with. Whether it’s telling a story from a gun’s point of view with “I Gave You Power” or trying to help a good girl gone bad with “Black Girl Lost,” Nas teaches you about growth and becoming triumph ending the album with “If I Ruled The World.”
I would be lying if I said this album didn’t make me cry. At only 25, Nas had undergone many traumatic experiences, losing his closest friends to violence and looking to escape the high crime rates in New York. Through all the obstacles, Nas was still able to come out on top; as It Was Written remains his best commercial selling album to date.
Music
Kendrick Lamar Returns with New Drake Diss, ‘Euphoria’
For the last few weeks, Drake has been on Kendrick Lamar‘s head since his diss on Metro Boomin and Future‘s We Don’t Trust You track, “Like That.” After Drake returned fire with two diss tracks titled, “Push Ups” and “Taylor Made Freestyle,” Kendrick Lamar returns with with a six minute diss track towards Drake titled, “Euphoria.”
“This ain’t been ’bout critics, not about gimmicks, not about who the greatest/It’s always been about love and hate, now let me say I’m the biggest hater/ I hate the way that you walk, the way that you talk/I hate the way that you dress,” Kendrick spits, referencing DMX’s 2012 interview on The Breakfast Club.
Kendrick also mentions J. Cole on the track, rapping: “Cole and Aubrey know I’m a selfish guy, the crown is heavy/I pray they my real friends, if not, I’m YNW Melly.“
Stream “Euphoria” below.
Culture
Chance The Rapper Announces New Mixtape ‘Star Line’
Chance The Rapper quietly revealed his upcoming mixtape, “Star Line,” via Instagram. In his bio, he simply stated, “Working on my mixtape it’s called Star Line.” The project will feature collaborations with notable artists like Lil Wayne, DJ Premier, Lil Yachty, and more.
On X (formerly Twitter), Chance shared a teaser clip featuring appearances from Wayne, Preemo, Lil Yachty, Jermaine Dupri, T-Pain, Jazze Pha, and Vic Mensa. Additionally, he gave fans a sneak peek of a new track titled “Buried Alive” and polled them on whether he should drop a music video for it.
I’ll be ready to go pic.twitter.com/zYliNZJsjj
— Chance The Rapper (@chancetherapper) April 21, 2024
“Star Line” marks Chance The Rapper’s follow-up to his 2019 album, “The Big Day.”
Audio
Quavo Claps Back at Chris Brown with New Diss Track ‘Over Hoes & B*tches’; Chris Brown Responds
Quavo has fired back at Chris Brown with a new diss track, “Over Hoes & B*tches,” following Brown’s earlier release of “Weakest Link” aimed at him. This exchange began when Brown dissed Quavo on his track “Freak” from the deluxe version of his latest album, “11:11.” Quavo countered with “Tender,” prompting Brown’s response.
The latest track premiered on DJ Akademiks‘ livestream on Monday, Apr. 22, with Quavo targeting Brown and his associates from OHB, Saweetie and more.
“Lil boy wanna die ’bout some coochie?/You still fucked up ’bout Karrueche?/You tried to beat up Teyana, but Usher wouldn’t let you do it/The cocaine got him your honor, bipolar disorder, no wonder/You was the greatest, n***a, you fumbled/Going out sad, I’m watching you crumble.” Quavo spits.
Chris Brown has since responded to the diss stating that he’s disappointed.
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