The 100 Best Nas Songs
By Gabriel Alvarez | May 25, 2011 | 12:36 pm | Permalink
#83. Nas "The Rise & Fall"
Produced By: Trackmasters
Album: N/A
Label: N/A
There exists some debate as to when this song was written. It's main focus is chronicling the ups and downs of the treacherous music industry, but it also offers insight into the creation of the controversial Escobar character, which, as we all know, was based on the dead Colombian drug baron Pablo Escobar. Although there are unanswered questions, like how much of what's depicted is truth and not fiction, this sparkling track still shines like a starry-filled night (with well-used, cut-up Slick Rick "The Moment I Feared" samples for the chorus). As Nas recounts, his financial problems started early on: "Three Gs worth of chronic a week/Promoters was mad, I stopped doing shows to spend my time on the street/Loot declined, eventually sold in my shine/Repo looking for my Lex... Pistol in my car, full clip/I read about Pablo Escobar and got on some shit/So-called man supplied all my chips/I was frontin'/Niggas thought I was rich and got mad 'cause they was pumpin.'"
As the story moves along, Nas starts running with dangerous cliques and eventually starts fearing for the safety of his loved ones: "Every night I slept with my weapon/To guard my family, for a minute, I forgot my profession/Not from Colombia or Nicaragua/Don't distribute coke from Antigua that's shipped out to Panama/Pablo Escobar's bloody reign came to an end/Far from my life, a kid who made his fame from a pen/Hit the studio and changed the game again/Wrote down all the pain within, top of the charts, triple-platinum/Got the fake love back, money stacks, more plaques/Had to see who I was just to know where I was at..." And that's a hard lesson in the music biz, folks.
T_VIZZY May 25th, 2011 at 01:00 PM
He did this track for his mother because she wanted him to stop with all the violent tracks and wanted to make a "happy" track, but she passed. So Nasir made this one for the children
young gun May 25th, 2011 at 03:12 PM
how the positive track about african american culture gone be 100 smh i think it should of got a higher rank
Jiggity Tiggity May 25th, 2011 at 03:16 PM
Has anyone made this into a play list file yet? I'm pretty sure I have all the songs, but having the play list would be sweet.
goose May 27th, 2011 at 02:04 PM
DO IT!!! Would be a huge help :D
sa May 25th, 2011 at 03:23 PM
Number 1 was meant to be "The World Is Yours"
Mel32 May 25th, 2011 at 06:35 PM
You're right
unclesam May 26th, 2011 at 01:03 AM
Agreed, but I get NY State of Mind too though.
ajsm August 5th, 2011 at 02:01 AM
No doubt "The World is Yours" is #1
Alex B March 7th, 2012 at 08:06 PM
I couldnt even find The World is Yours on this list, but it's definitely number one in my eyes.
Cigar May 25th, 2011 at 03:51 PM
Its one of the best tracks, i mean it coould be number 25 but not 84,cmon yall
dee May 25th, 2011 at 03:57 PM
Where is Drunk by myself
victor September 13th, 2011 at 05:43 PM
yo I love that joint
HATSTACKS May 25th, 2011 at 03:57 PM
is #49 some sick sad joke? shit doesn't even belong in his bottom 100, let's just forget it, and Jeezy, exist
Rawse May 25th, 2011 at 04:06 PM
Great list, but where the hell is Take It In Blood?
nastynas373 May 26th, 2011 at 11:04 PM
"Take It In Blood" is indeed my favorite Nas song, and should be top 30 for sure just for its content and lyrical and poetical value
Samantha May 28th, 2011 at 06:38 AM
i love take it in blood
Samantha May 28th, 2011 at 07:17 AM
Put poetry inside a crack pot and blow
GeeTee May 29th, 2011 at 05:38 PM
That's exactly what I was thinking once I started getting into the top 5. I was like man if I haven't seen it by now it will not be in top 5. It's in my personal top 5 Nas songs ever. Great list nevertheless, a couple questionable listings but very good, and the insight on all the songs were well written.
EnigMaa May 25th, 2011 at 04:09 PM
I LOVE ME SOME NAS!! Saw him at the DNA Lounge in San Fran back in the day! Still the BEST
nitido357 May 25th, 2011 at 04:13 PM
@Rawse YOU are quite right sir! That cut is lyricism cubed!