Nas Says His Place In Hip-Hop Is Secured & The Album Is Too (Video)

Hours after his 2017 BET Awards performance, DJ Khaled releases the latest video from his Grateful album. The veteran DJ-turned-superstar has made a lot of noise in the last 12 months through Nas collaborations. On “It’s Secured,” the pair keep the chemistry bubbling, alongside some chorus work from Travi$ Scott.

My Poetry’s Deep: Nas Schools Harvard On His Lyrics (Video)

The video features a car chase, tying into its invasion theme. Nas owns his greatness in two verses, talking down to run-of-the-mill rappers with lines like “I’m principle-driven, only real ones feel me / Most needed protection from the OGs to get bigger / No disrespect to them, but I never needed them older ni**as.” Like Henry Hill in Goodfellas, Nasir Jones came up around the wise elders but made his pathway to greatness in the streets and the studios.

In the second verse, The Firm organizer really leaves his mark: “Watch out for insecure ni**as / They take your soul out your body / They not secure / I pray the Lord stop an opp before I go backwards / Resort to violent reactions, that’s childish / My life’s a dream to rappers / Afraid they moments have past ’em / It’s all different hustles (Straight up) / Ni**as movin’ bricks / Young ni**as rappin’, doin’ shows, hittin’ they licks / Everybody holding shmoney in pics / Don’t get robbed. Boy, is you dumb? / All them swipers gettin’ it how it come (Yep) / Forty-three, morbidly ambiguous, you serious? / Gettin’ it, lyricist / Idiots, you ain’t nearin’ this / Out of New York’s biggest and richest / I’m the template, low-key the busiest / The game chose me, deal with it / So I’m the quiet type, ‘Mr. One Mic.’

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Not always one to brag, boast or toast, Nas owns his shyness and throws a slick bit of wordplay with “morbidly ambiguous.” The elite lyricist turned venture capitalist cannot be pinned down, on or off the mic.

Picking up from last year, Nas also addresses his album still being done. Appearances like this have only made the anticipation grow.

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Grateful also features JAY-Z, Pusha T, Jadakiss, Drake, and Raekwon, among many others.