not going back

本名為Nasir Jones的Nas，是爵士音樂家Olu Dara的兒子，雖出生在充滿音樂薰陶的環境，叛逆的Nas，卻在國二時期便輟學到街頭討生活，還好有音樂支撐，加上自我努力學習下，激發對饒舌詞彙的高敏感度，不斷藉由犀利文字描繪險象環生的街頭文化。1991年Nas助陣於Main Source演唱會上，完全展放實力的公開表演，造成東岸饒舌圈不小震撼， 3rd Bass團員MC Serch聞風而至，力邀Nas在原聲帶《Zebrahead》中試露一手，引起Columbia唱片公司興趣，簽入旗下發行首張個人大碟《Illmatic》，獲得節奏藍調/饒舌榜亞軍+流行榜Top12，不僅快速突破百萬銷量，並獲AMG網站5星滿分評價，滾石雜誌四星肯定，The Source則讚譽此輯為嘻哈樂界完美示範盤。

hip hop is dead[Nas:]

What nigga! What bitch-ass niggas! What! Babe, babe, start the car!

[Kelis:]

Nasir, come on let's go! Get in the car now, let's go! Throw it out, let's go!

[Nas:]

Aight, aight, aight, yeah. But I got 'em. But I got 'em, though.

[Kelis:]

This is crazy, why'd you just throw it out of the car? This is so stupid, what are you doing? Why are we even out here? Why are we out here? What's going on? This is retarded, yo we gotta.. This is crazy. Never again. you'd throw everything away, for what?

[Nas: laughs]

Yeah my man Kool G Rap told me son do not look back

Chill up in the mansion with a fat glutious max, relax

When people act schoolin' with facts, tell 'em

At this point in my life I'm all about chillin'

Ridin' around in something sick and the dress flies

And twist, homie's hermano just died I gotta let it ride

That's what I got the public thinkin' my nigga

Just cause I ain't in the hood don't mean shit my nigga

I know who died before the body dropped

I know the guns that were used how much money the shooter got

Cause on the private yacht I'm still within earshot of it all

The top ten list of the most grimiest guys of all time

Is all we talk when we talk of New York y'all

Who to call and who to stay away from

Whose mother's address to have just to play it safe son

Women they lust up so quick to give 'em up

What cars and what trucks they drive in what towns

They spend the most time in when they grindin'

I found out most of them are cowards they hidin'

Behind reputations that's sour

Not going back

[Kelis:]

The streets keep tryin' to say

Come back around this way

I've already gone that way

I won't go back today

[Nas:] I'm not goin' back

[Kelis:]

The streets keep tryin' to say

Come back around this way

I've already gone that way

I won't go back today

[Nas:] I'm not goin' back

[Nas:]

First thing that happen when you make a little paper

You think the Marriot is livin' in a skyscraper

Till you come across some ever more flyer paper

Realize that five-star 'tellies are even greater

Terry-cloth robes, elegance, movie shit

Heated-up marble floors with jacuzzis in it

First-class flights, diamonds in your crucifixes

All those things you still ain't really doin' shit kid

Cause in reality I'll learn my salary

The way I flaunted it then would now embarrass me

It kinda make me wanna hate bling it's a race thing

How they sell blacks to bootleg shit infact

Real millionaires spend 60 mil on paintings

Whores charge niggas with raping

Cause we come out doors of Maybach cars

Watch us make bets on race tracks smokin' cigars

So they counter the laws to take what's ours

Bout 500K on a lawyer to beat the charge

So you can't stop us from making a billion dollars

Instead of goin' back I'm buying the projects

But I'm not going back the hood's in me forever y'all

But I'm not going back

[Kelis:]

The streets keep tryin' to say

Come back around this way

I've already gone that way

I won't go back today

[Nas:] I'm not goin' back

[Kelis:]

The streets keep tryin' to say

Come back around this way

I've already gone that way

I won't go back today

[Nas:] I'm not goin' back

[Nas:]

And of course y'all know what I'm not going back to

Those no friends and I'm not going back to

Ten carat gold no I'm never going back to

Sony if they don't have dough to going back to

Y'all know that I'm not going back to

Those liars who would..

(Not going back to)

Not help you if they could..

(Not going back to)

Coke on the stove in the hood..

Y'all should know that I'm not going back

The hood's in me forever y'all

But I'm not going back

[Kelis:]

The streets keep tryin' to say

Come back around this way

I've already gone that way

I won't go back today

[Nas:] I'm not goin' back

[Kelis:]

The streets keep tryin' to say

Come back around this way

I've already gone that way

I won't go back today

[Nas:] I'm not goin' back

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