Get Down by Nas Lyrics Meaning – The Untold Saga of Hustle and Survival
Lyrics
And Pappy Mason, gave the young boys admiration
Prince from Queens and Fritz from Harlem
Street legends, the drugs kept the hood from starving
Pushing cars, Nicky Barnes was the 70’s
But there’s a long list of high-profile celebrities
Worldwide on the thorough side of things
Livest kings, some died, one guy, one time
One day grabs me, as I’m about to blast heat
40-side of Vernon, I turned well he asked me
“What you up to, the cops gon’ bust you”
I was a teen drunk off brew, stumbled I wondered
If God sent him, cause two squad cars entered the block
And looked at us, I ain’t flinch when they watched
I took it upstairs, the bathroom mirror, brushed my hair
Staring at a young disciple, I almost gave my life to what the dice do
Yeah man, throwing them bones
Hoping my ace get his case thrown
His girl ain’t wait for him, she in the world straight hoeing
While he looking at centerfolds of pretty girls
Showing they little cooch, gangstas don’t die he’s living proof
The D.A. who tried him was lying
A white dude, killed his mother during the case
Hung jury, now the D.A. is being replaced
Pre-trial hearing is over, it’s real for the soldier
Walks in the courtroom, the look in his eyes is wild
Triple-homicide, I sit in the back aisle
I want to crack a smile when I see him
Throw up a fist for black power, cause all we want is his freedom
He grabbed a court officer’s gun and started squeezing
Then he grabbed the judge, screams out, nobody leaving everybody
Some niggas fuck they enemies in they ass when they catch ’em
Weird-ass niggas are dangerous, so don’t test ’em
They make you, disappear, this a year that I won’t forget
Sold CD’s double platinum, met mo’ execs
Southern niggas, independent label, real killers
Know the business, ran Tennessee for years, now they chilling
They had the coke game something crazy
Sold music out the trunk of they car, that shit amazed me
Put me onto heron blunts, sherm or something
Took a puff, what the fuck, I turned to punch them
Southern niggas ain’t slow, nigga tried to play me
I left from around them dudes, they cool but they crazy
Now I’m back around the old school that raised me
New York gangstas, we lounging, out in L.A. see
A dude wrote my dawg from Pelican Bay
The letter say, “Nas I got your back, the fools don’t play”
I rolled with some Crips down to a Crenshaw funeral
Never saw so many men slaughtered and I knew the ho responsible
The nigga still alive in a hospital
Midnight they crept in his room and shot the doctor too
See my cousin’s in the game, thugging and things
He plugged me with a dame who was half-Mexicano
Gave the ass up, I’ma mack daddy Soprano
She passed me the indigo, but the imbecile
Should of never tippy-toed, thought my eyes were closed
Opening the hotel room do’, to let her goons in
But I moved in a manner, on some Jet Li shit
I let the hammers blow, wet three kids
See honey thought I had something to do, with all the drama
Cause I was with a crew, that had her people killed
Called up my cousin, told him I ain’t fucking with you
He responded cool, but told me out here this how motherfuckers
All I really gotta say is that
If that’s how our people gon’ get down, how we ever gon’ get up?
How we ever gon’ get up if that’s how we get down?
A shame when you ain’t look at it
My folk is yo’ folk, but we all kinfolk
Somebody gotta make a change
Embedded within the vigorous rhymes and the pulsating beats of Nas’s ‘Get Down’ lies an intricate story of urban struggle and street wisdom. A narrative that delves deep into the inferno of the New York streets, ‘Get Down’ is more than just a song; it’s an auditory manifesto of survival amidst chaos.
While on the surface it pounds with the fervor of a typical hip-hop track, closer inspection peels back the layers to reveal a raw, unfiltered glance into the lives shaped by the city’s unforgiving sidewalks. This is a gaze into the heart of hip-hop, where every bar holds weight and every verse tells the tale of those who hustle beneath the city lights.
Echoes of a Ruthless Era: Nas Pays Homage to the Streets
Nas isn’t just rapping; he’s resurrecting the ghosts of New York’s infamous past. From Nicky Barnes to the narcotics that kept stomachs from growling, ‘Get Down’ is an homage to the street legends who inked their names onto the city’s history with invisible ink only the streets could read.
The lyricism is a tribute to the allure of power that these figures held over the youth, capturing the admiring gazes of those who tread the same paths. Nas paints a vivid tableau of an era that molded him, acknowledging the thin line between reverence and the descent into the labyrinth of crime.
A Portrait of Perseverance: The Hidden Meanings Unveiled
Amidst the braggadocio and the gritty storytelling, Nas embeds a profound social critique. He questions the cyclical nature of violence and retribution, the sense of brotherhood twisted by the streets. ‘Get Down’ is a sermon on the pulpit of hip-hop, with Nas the preacher and the beat his choir, highlighting the urgency of community upliftment.
It’s in lines like ‘All I really gotta say is that If that’s how our people gon’ get down, how we ever gon’ get up?’ where Nas delivers his most compelling sermon. He implores his listeners to look beyond the surface glamour of the gangster lifestyle and see the deeper impact it has on their collective futures.
The Price of Freedom: A Story in Every Verse
‘Get Down’ is narrative poetry, every verse an act in a play of street life. Nas sketches a world where the impossible choices made under pressure shape futures, describing a courtroom scene that feels more like a battlefield, where survival itself feels like an act of defiance.
Through tales of trials and tribulations, confrontations and narrow escapes, Nas isn’t just telling stories, he’s weaving a fabric that dresses the bones of urban existence, presenting a tableau of a life that often goes unheard beyond the echoes of sirens and street-corner storytelling.
Memorable Lines That Hit Harder Than Bullet
‘Street legends, the drugs kept the hood from starving,’ Nas rhymes, a line that hits with the force of a freight train. It’s in these moments where the genius of his storytelling shines brightest, as he balances glorification with an unapologetic introspection of the street economy.
Each felt line serves as a reminder of the harsh realities faces by the urban youth, the trade-offs between morality and survival. It’s these poignant, hard-hitting lines that linger long after the song has ended, echoing in the minds of those who understand the coded language of the streets.
An Anthem of Change: From Despair to Hope
Ultimately, ‘Get Down’ isn’t a glorification of street life; it’s a call to awareness and action. Through his unparalleled narrative skill, Nas conjures a vivid picture of life in the ghetto, refusing to shy away from its harsh realities, but also shining a spotlight on the resilience of its people.
The song is a reminder that amidst the trials, there is strength and potential for uprising. In his final rallying cry for change, Nas becomes a beacon of hope, a voice that’s both reflective of the community’s plight and optimistic for its capacity to rise above. ‘Get Down’ isn’t just another track; it’s the soundtrack of a people aching for progress.
