Nas - Who Killed It? Breakdown
Probably not the correct section for this... but Nas is as Wu-Tang as u can get without being Wu-Tang... anyway, Who Killed It is by far the worst track on Hip Hop Is Dead, but i stumbled across the actual breakdown of the track as i will now present.
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Look here see, pretty mike shanked two face al
over some gal
translation: the microphone murdered the hypocritical MC over H.E.R.
find the body dead in the aisles
death by strangulation, microphone cord a dirty broad
translation: nas the detective sees the hypocritical emcee get strangled by the mic due to whoring hip hop (a dirty broad)...in other words, wack emcees normally kill themselves eventually and real hip hop prevails
guess they’ll never play it again Sam
damn that was my jam
translation: speaking of that one-hit wonder, like "ice, ice, baby" WAS the jam whether you acknowledge it or not
now she's on the lamb
she made it out wit 200 grand
what a scam
translation: speaking about hip hop cashing in as the result of this microwave music, which is all too typical
while these two compete on who's the star of the show
golden legs there makes off wit the doe
translation: because of that commercial rapper fell off, you got two now wanting to compete for the crown, meanwhile "golden legs" (I presume the Jewish executive or manager...i.e. the jerry hellers or jimmy iovines or Clive Davis...fuck it, the Jews practically RUN the industry, go ask ivor...) cashes in off of their beef
I read the paper there wit Joe da butcher
he said "one glance is all it took ya, she's a real looker
transalation: "joe da butcher" is presumably that street thug, gangster rapper or whatever, and how he got attracted to H.E.R.
they say her old mans a bootlegger
transporting in any weather and at this rate we'll never get her
transalation: pretty much self-explanatory, I guess, but speaking on the issues with bootlegging, illegal downloads or whatever...something like lupe's album was passed down so much due to bootlegging that we never got the ORIGINAL version...a lot of shelved albums happened due to this
fellas think its time to call it a night
all this talk of this mystery dames getting me tight
transalation: the conversation about the current state of hip hop continued until late at night and it was getting nas a bit uptight about how messed up hip hop is right now
thought I saw her in my eyesight, right
hate to spoil the party
what are you guys havin? the same?
waiter another round for the gang
transalation: still uptight about hip hop, nas thought he seen REAL hip hop, but it was at the club, partying it up (speaking on how hip hop is not more clubbish these days than ever)
its strange how I always felt outta place
joe da butchers my ace, but in comes freckle face
while at this "club scene" nas admits he was trying to fit in, but still feels out of place, he's cool with being a "thug" AKA "joe da butcher" but parts of him wants to be that "backpack rapper", that nerd or geek, AKA "freckle face"
pretty much, nas right there is reflecting on how his career been contradictory. speaking about fronting the thug image, or being the party-goer, or being that pack packer all at once...
so I said see you later
fore hurt him and his two ugly thumb breakers
met them in Louisiana wrestling gators
and any idiot can tell there involved wit the caper
transalation: nas pretty much leaving the thug image behind to be down with the more conscious effort...the rest of that line is a subliminal knock on the south and how they embraced that thug image in which they're as much to blame in killing hip hop
so I pulled the revolver on my waist up
between the patrol car and the grey truck
behind the streetlamp was a silhouette
white gloves and a real long cigarette
whattya ya know all this time she's got me in her scope
transalation: now since nas is NOW more "conscious" in what he's doing, it means he's more apprehensive in what’s out there, in reference of hip hop...especially with the aforementioned domination of the south and them being the supposed culprit of "killing hiphop"..but that's until he sees H.E.R. being hidden...that "got me in her scope" is an obvious knock on INTERSCOPE records, suggesting that label is keeling "real hip hop" hidden
she spoke says "the devils got you guys be the throat"
transalation: nas is stating that the industry that controls hip hop now got us looking like pawns attacking each other for no reason or merit
"your conspiracy theories won't work without evidence
that's the reason why Eric b is not president"
transalation: nas is stating that here we are blaming this or that as the REASON of killing hip hop, but we don't have no proof to back it up, and while we're too busy trying to point fingers at each other, we forgotten what "true hip hop" used to be
ya see?
Look here see, "I know you got soul" your trying to hide it
transalation: hip hop today is "soulless", nas begs to differ and has optimism that there's still some soul in hip hop
"how did you kill a man" out in "cypress"?
One eyed Charlie
he only hangs with the "criminal minded"
says you guys did it "doggy style" is he lying?
transalation: returning back to the beginning of the tale about the death of the commercial rapper...speaking about how these commercial rappers always want to front a STREET GANGSTER image, hence "he only hangs with the criminal minded", and also how this character is fucking hip hop over doggy style
she says " "walk this way" ill tell you a "children’s story"
we hit the bodega got her a few 40s
we jumped in my ride
we drove and she cried
twist off the cap there and opened her mouth wide
"swallowed it"
whole bottles half empty
drinks like a fish, now she's past "tipsy"
transalation: a quick trip back memory lane to where hip hop used to be the bodegas and drinking 40oz and (surprisingly not mentioned) smoking blunts...her drinking like a fish details how easily "loose" hip hop can get
truth came out as we got to her "suave house"
"chopped and screwed" her mouth and sat me on the couch
transalation: another obvious knock on the south, but not in a negative tone, just stating that the south put in some game into hip hop
I said, "its getting late c’mon give it to me straight
who's ya sponsor lady?"
She says, "Bill gates"
transalation: I would believe it...bill gate probably OWNS hip hop right now as well as everything else, lol
"whattya born 77? 78?"
she says "nah it goes way to an earlier date"
slave times
claims the slaves said rhymes
but she fell in love wit some fella named Clive
who? "Clive Campbell from Sedgwick Ave, the Bronx"
now she shows me the cash
I said who's Clive? Don't play wit me skirt!
she said Clive Campbell.....he's Kool Herc
transalation: now if you don't get this then you're slow as hell, but I will say this part though...that line where she ask to show him the cash, you got to remember that hip hop is now a prostitute, and being whored over for money
Ahaaa Ahaaaaa
listen up sweetheart, now we getting somewhere
as she's talkin she starts vanishing in thin air
transalation: nas STILL don't know who kills hip hop, but implying it maybe US that killed it, because as soon she starts talking, she begins to vanish, in other words we tend to IGNORE or ACKNOWLEDGE, a lot of our culture have "vanished" due to lack of acknowledgement
but before she drops the money bag on the floor and died
she said if you really love me, ill come back alive
"Hip hop is so fuckin' dead!"
Translation: the love of money is the root of all evil, hip hop dies once she accepts the money, however hip hop will resurrect IF we really want true hip hop back....BUT the last line in a whisper states otherwise...hip hop is so fuckin' dead
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