I was practicing shot after shot at a local recreational center near my house. It was packed, people dribbling up and down the courts and games of 5V5 with kids and adults. At this specific center, the overseer is an OG and plays classic hip-hop tracks on the gyms speaker. Songs pass by as i’m playing basketball. Tupac, Biggie and etc, but there was this one song that stood out which i really enjoyed. I noticed that when this song was playing, all my jump shots swished through the net. After i finished playing basketball i walked over to the OG and asked him “Who sang that song, You played it a few minutes ago?” i asked.
“Which one? I played lots of songs. How does it go?” he answered.
“It goes like this, freedom or jail clips inser-.”
“Oh, Nas sings that Song. Its called Nas Is Like” he replied as he cut me off.
Nasir Bin Olu Dara Jones better known as his stage name “Nas” was born on September 14th, 1973 in Brooklyn, New York specifically in the infamous QueensBridge neighborhood where many mainstream rappers have grown up in. Growing up in the tough environment of his neighborhood QueensBridge where many drugs and killers dwell, Nas raps about his everyday life in the “hood” while giving out key lessons as well. He was influenced to rap by his upstairs neighbor “Ill Will”.He also introduced Nas Hip-Hop as being a rapper himself. Over his career, he went from the average joe to a true poetic star. He put more emotion into his lyrics, which made him an even bigger icon in the music industry. Some of his more poetically driven albums include “i am…” which includes the song “Nas Is Like”.
In the rap industry, the literary device simile is widely used lyricism because of its comparing properties which can help the audience visualize the content and message of the piece. Specifically in the poetically influenced song “Nas Is like” written by Nas, he uses many literary devices such as rhyme and allusion, but simile stands out the most. He even includes a simile in the title of his song. By using smilie, nas explains the theme you don’t need to fit into a specific crowd, be unique. In the verse “Nas is like earth, wind and fire.” Nas is concluding that hes unique. He’s comparing himself to three major important things in our world, comparing himself to things not all people have. He saying he has all the the major components of a unique rapper which other people don’t and reveals the theme.
Nas also uses the literary device loaded language. Loaded language is used in verse 5 when he says “On rooftops, tape cd covers to trees. Line up the barrel with your weak picture and squeeze.” In that line he’s saying that most rappers he “competes” with aren’t at the same level he’s at. He’s saying he’ll basically demolish any rapper that tries him, they aren’t as unique as him which reconnects with the theme.
The greatest strength of the song is the use of literary devices. Nas packs an emotional punch to the audience, he uses all devices to explain his life story which creates a poetic atmosphere Instead of the traditional hardcore gangster rap. This atmosphere projects his overall message to the audience perfectly while telling life stories as well, which many could connect to. As for all the pros, there’s also cons. If you just happened to listen to this song randomly without studying the lyrics, you probably wouldn’t have understood the theme of the song because he only conveys the theme most in a couple of lines.
“Nas Is Like” uses loaded language, similes and many other devices to convey the theme to be yourself and be unique, you don’t need to fit into a specific crowd. I use this song as a motivational reminder for myself. I don’t want to be the average Joe who wears Jordans etc. I was to get shoes i enjoy, not what other people want me to wear. I’m on my own positive vibes, i do me. This is critical for the world to understand and not just me because if we all fit into a crowd and try to resemble ourselves to other people, life gets boring because everyone’s the same and there’s nothing new. That’s the meaning of life, to live and learn new things. I recommend you to
live by this theme, just experiment it. You’ll see how much more joyful life would be.
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