[Produced by Salaam Remi]
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[Intro: Nas & Olu Dara]
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The light is there
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Yeah yeah
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You see I come from Mississippi
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I was young and runnin wild
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Ended up in New York City
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Where I had my first child
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I named the boy Nasir
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All the boys call him Nas
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I told him as a youngster
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Hell be the greatest man alive (Lets go!)
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La-la-la, la-la, la-la, la (Ah!)
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La-la-la, la-la, la-la, la (Im the Magnificent)
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La-la-la, la-la, la-la, la
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La-la, la-la, Hey-Hey-Hey-Hey!
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[Verse 1: Nas]
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Chuck Berry of these rap skits, styles I mastered
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Many brothers snatched it up and tried to match it
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But Im still number one, everyday real
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Speak what I want, I dont care what yall feel
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Cause Im my own master, my Pop told me be your own boss
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Keep integrity at every cost, and his home was Natchez Mississippi
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Did it like Miles and Dizzy, now we gettin busy
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Bridging the gap, from the blues, to jazz, to rap
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The history of music on this track
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Born in the game, discovered my fathers music
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Like Prince searchin through boxes of Purple Rain
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But my Minneapolis was The Bridge, home of the Superkids
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Some are well-known, some doin bids
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I mighta ended up on the wrong side of the tracks
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If Pops wouldntve pulled me back an said yo
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[Chorus/Hook: Olu Dara & Nas]
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See I come from Mississippi
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I was young and runnin wild (Uh huh)
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Ended up in New York City (New york)
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Where I had my first child (Thats me yall)
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I named the boy Nasir (Yeah!)
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All the boys call him Nas (Thats whats up!)
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I told him as a youngster
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Hell be the greatest man alive
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Greatest man alive (Yeah, turn it up!)
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Gre-Gre-Gre-Gre-Greatest man alive!
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[Verse 2: Nas]
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The blues came from gospel, gospel from blues
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Slaves are harmonizin them ahs and oohs
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Old school, new school, know school rules
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All these years I been voicin my blues
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Im a artist from the start, Hip-Hop guided my heart
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Graffiti on the wall, coulda ended in Spoffard, juvenile delinquent
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But Pops gave me the right typea tools to think with
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Books to read, like X and stuff
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Cause the schools said the kids had dyslexia
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In art class I was a compulsive sketcher of
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Teachers in my homeroom, I drew pix to mess them up
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Cause nonea them would like my style
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Read more books than the curriculum profile
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Said, “Mr. Jones please come get your child
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Cause hes writin mad poems and his verses are wild”
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[Chorus/Hook: Olu Dara & Nas]
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I was born in Mississippi
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I was young and runnin wild
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Moved to New York City
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Where I had my first child
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I named the boy Nasir
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All the boys call him Nas
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I told him as a youngster
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Hell be the greatest man alive
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Greatest man – The great-greatest man alive (Tell em!)
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[Verse 3: Nas & Olu Dara]
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Hey-Hey-Hey — My Poppa was not a Rollin Stone
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He been around the world blowin his horn, still he came home
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Then he got grown, changed his name to Olu
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Come on, tell em bout all the places you gone to
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I been to Saudi Arabia, Mozambique (Yeah)
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Madagascar, Paris, Greece (Uh huh)
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But little Africa is where we live (Yeah)
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Better known as Queensbridge
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Nas, Nas you dont stop
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Olu Dara in the house, you dont stop
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Muddy Waters Howling Wolf you dont stop
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From the Blues to Street Hop you dont stop
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Tell em Pop
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[Chorus/Hook: Olu Dara & Nas]
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See I come from Mississippi (Let em know)
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I was young and runnin wild (Runnin wild)
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Ended up in New York City (Yeah!)
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Where I had my first child (Thats me)
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I named the boy Nasir (Yeah, Daddy!)
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All the boys call him Nas (Luh ya, boy)
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I told him as a youngster
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Hell be the greatest man alive (You the greatest, Pop)
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Greatest man alive (You the greatest, Pop)
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Gre-Gre-Gre-Gre-Greatest man alive!
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[Outro: Olu Dara]
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Rest In Peace Ray Charles
