May 07, 2017

Nas Breaks Down Lyrics to 'It Ain't Hard To Tell' (Video)

Nas Illmatic Autographed 1994

Nas recently sat down with Professor Elisa New to discuss the lyrics to his track “It Ain’t Hard To Tell” off his classic debut album, 'Illmatic.' With production by Large Professor, 'It Ain't Hard To Tell' was the second single, released in January of 1994. Nas' Illmatic was one of the first albums selected for the Hip-Hop Archive at Harvard University, and the University is also home to the Nasir Jones Fellowship. In the conversation, Nas breaks down lines like “Wisdom leaks from my grapefruit, troop” and “I dominate break loops," as well as going more in-depth on his "criminal slang." It's important to acknowledge that rap lyrics are poetry and should be recognized for the layers of complexity and sophistication embedded in each bar. In the words of Killer Mike, "If the record you open doesn't give you all that, then f#ck your favorite rapper." Watch the full conversation below.