The Message by Nas Lyrics Meaning – Unpacking the Grit Behind the Rhymes
Lyrics
Your luck low, I didn’t know ’til I was drunk though
You freak niggas played out, get fucked and ate out
Prostitute turned bitch, I got the gauge out
96 ways I made out, Montana way
The Good-F-E-L-L-A, verbal AK spray
Dipped attache, jumped out the Range, empty out the ashtray
A glass of ‘Ze make a man Cassius Clay
Red dot plots, murder schemes, thirty-two shotguns
Regulate with my dunn’s, 17 rocks gleam from one ring
They let me let y’all niggas know one thing
There’s one life, one love, so there can only be one King
The highlights of living, Vegas style roll dice in linen
Antera spinning on milleniums, twenty G bets I’m winning them
Threats I’m sending them, Lex with TV sets the minimum
Ill sex adrenaline
Party with villains, a case of Demi-Sec to chase the Henny
Wet any clique, with the semi TEC who want it?
Diamonds I flaunt it, chicken-heads flock I lace ’em
Fried broiled with basil, taste ’em, crack the legs
Way out of formation, it’s horizontal how I have ’em
Fucking me in the Benz wagon
Can it be Vanity from Last Dragon?
Grab your gun it’s on though
Shit is grimy, real niggas buck in broad daylight
With the broke MAC it won’t spray right
Don’t give a fuck who they hit, as long as the drama’s lit
Yo, overnight thugs, bug ’cause they ain’t promised shit
Hungry-ass hooligans stay on that piranha shit
(I never sleep, ’cause sleep is the cousin of death)
(I ain’t the type of brother made for you to start testing)
(I never sleep, ’cause sleep is the cousin of death)
(I ain’t the type of brother made for you to start testing)
(I never sleep, ’cause sleep is the cousin of death)
(I ain’t the type of brother made for you to start testing)
(I never sleep, ’cause sleep is the cousin of death)
(I ain’t the type of brother made for you to start testing)
I peeped you frontin’, I was in the Jeep
Sunk in the seat, tinted with heat, beats bumpin’
Across the street you was wildin’
Talkin’ ’bout how you ran the Island in ’89
Layin’ up, playin’ the yard with crazy shine
I cocked a baby 9 that nigga grave be mine, clanked him
What was he thinking on my corner when it’s pay me time?
Dug ’em, you owe me cousin, something told me plug him
So dumb, felt my leg burn, then it got numb
Spun around and shot one, heard shots and dropped son
Caught a hot one, somebody take this biscuit ‘fore the cops come
Then they came asking me my name, what the fuck
I got stitched up and went through
Left the hospital that same night, what
Got my gat back, time to backtrack
I had the drop so how the fuck I get clapped?
Black was in the Jeep watching all these scenes speed by
It was a brown Datsun, and yo nobody in my hood got one
That clown nigga’s through, blazin’ at his crew daily
The ‘Bridge touched me up severely, hear me?
So when I rhyme it’s sincerely yours
Be lightin’ L’s sippin’ Coors, on all floors of project halls
Contemplatin’ war niggas I was cool with before
We used to score together, Uptown copping the raw
But uh, a thug changes, and love changes
And best friends become strangers, word up
(Y’all know my steelo)
(There ain’t an army that could strike back)
(Y’all know my steelo)
(There ain’t an army that could strike back)
(Y’all know my steelo)
(There ain’t an army that could strike back)
(Y’all know my steelo)
(There ain’t an army that could strike back)
Thug niggas, yo, to them thug niggas
Gettin’ it on in the world, you know?
To them niggas that’s locked down
Doin’ they thing, survivin’, ya know’m sayin’?
To my thorough niggas, New York and worldwide
Yo, to the Queensbridge Militia, yo
’96 shit, The Firm clique
Illmatic, nigga, It Was Written though
It’s been a long time comin’
Y’all fake niggas, tryna copy
Better come with the real though
Fake-ass niggas, yo
(They throw us slugs, we throwin’ them back, what)
Bring the shit, man, live, man
(Fuck that son, word up) ’96 shit
In the pantheon of hip-hop, certain tracks stand the test of time not just for their beats or flow, but because they encapsulate an era, a feeling, a moment etched in urban lore. Nas’s ‘The Message’ off his critically acclaimed sophomore album ‘It Was Written’ is such a track, a gritty narrative spun with the deftness of a street poet laureate.
As we dissect ‘The Message,’ it’s essential to understand the backdrop against which it was crafted. Amid the East Coast-West Coast rivalry of the mid-90s, Nas drops a lyrically dense masterpiece that narrates life on the streets, personal vendettas, and the perilous path of the thug lifestyle, all while fusing references that range from the cinematic to the deeply personal.
A Vivid Mosaic of Street Life
Nas’s opening bars ‘Fake thug, no love, you get the slug, CB4 Gusto’ hit hard, unveiling the deceit and betrayal rampant in the streets. Drawing inspiration from the comedy film ‘CB4,’ Nas illustrates the facade of a gangster lifestyle propagated by those who lack authenticity. Every verse is a fresco painted on the rough canvas of New York’s urban sprawl, with wordplay that evokes imagery as varied as a brutal gangland shooting and the luxurious escapism of Vegas life.
This isn’t just music; it’s a chronicle echoing the complex layers of street ethics. Nas narrates a world where life is a high-stakes game diced with ‘twenty G bets’ and confronted with death at every corner, symbolized by the ‘thirty-two shotguns’ and the ever-present ‘red dot plots.’
Anatomy of a Beef: Echoes of a Real-Life Rivalry
But ‘The Message’ isn’t entirely fictional. It’s woven with threads of Nas’s real-life tensions, most notably his subtle digs at rival rapper Tupac Shakur with lines like ‘across the street you was wildin’ talking ’bout how you ran the Island in ’89.’ It’s a lyric not merely to flaunt skills but to settle scores, to assert dominance in the rap game as much as in life itself.
The passage encapsulates a bigger picture of the rap industry in the ’90s where credibility was currency, where one’s past and pedigree became fodder for public and private feuds.
The Haunting Chorus: A Philosophy of Vigilance
One cannot delve into ‘The Message’ without feeling the weight of its chorus. The sampled line, ‘I never sleep, ’cause sleep is the cousin of death,’ is more than a catchy hook; it’s a stark axiom that captures the relentless mindset required to survive in an environment where weakness can lead to one’s downfall.
Like a mantra for the insomniacs who haunt the night, Nas channels the fatalistic spirit of the hustler, of someone for whom letting their guard down isn’t an option. This ethos transcends the song and holds up a mirror to systemic issues, to generations who find themselves caught in cycles of poverty and violence.
Friends to Foes: The Song’s Hidden Heartbreak
Buried in Nas’s sermon of street wisdom is the lamentation of loyalty lost – ‘a thug changes, and love changes, and best friends become strangers, word up’. Each word drips with resignation and a sense of betrayal from those once considered closest.
This poignant reflection serves as a stark reminder of the cost of the life depicted throughout the song. The message here is universal and timeless: the frailty of human relationships, especially when marred by the pressures of money, power, and survival.
Lines That Resonate Across Time and Speakers
‘The Message’ remains eternally quotable not just for the sheer bravado it exudes but also for its grounded wisdom. ‘Threats I’m sending them, Lex with TV sets the minimum’ and ‘Diamonds I flaunt it, chicken-heads flock I lace ’em’ capture the swagger and lifestyle that come with success in the game.
Moreover, the unflinching delivery of life’s harsh truths, of rising from the adversity of street life to claim a throne of one’s own, forges a connection with listeners that transcends the limits of genre. Nas doesn’t just give voice to his own experiences; he articulates a collective consciousness, becoming a vessel for the narrative of many.
