J. Cole - Let Nas Down Lyrics
[Intro]Freedom or jail, clips insertedA baby's bein' born same time a man is murderedThe beginning and end, so far as rap goesIt's only natural, I explain my plateauAnd also what defines my name[Hook]Yeah, long live the idols, may they never be your rivalsPac was like Jesus, Nas wrote the BibleNow what you're 'bout to hear's a tale of glory and sinNo I.D. my mentor now let the story begin[Verse 1]I used to print out Nas raps and tape 'em up on my wallMy niggas thought they was words, but it was pictures I sawAnd since I wanted to draw, I used to read 'em in aweThen he dropped Stillmatic, rocked the cleanest velourFast forward, who thought that I would meet him on tour?I'm earnin' stripes now nigga, got Adidas galoreBackstage I shook his hand, let him know that he's the manWhen he said he was a fan it was too hard to understandNo time to soak up the moment though, cause I was in a jamHov askin' where's the record that the radio could playAnd I was strikin' out for months, 9th inning feeling fearJeter under pressure, made the biggest hit of my careerBut at first, that wasn't clear, niggas had no ideaDion called me when it dropped, sounded sad but sincereTold me Nas heard your single and he hate that shitSaid you the one, yo why you make that shit?I can't believe I let Nas downDamn, my heart sunk to my stomach, I can't believe I let Nas downI got defensive on the phone, resentment was in my tone, ***** it[Hook][Verse 2]I couldn't help but think that maybe I had made a mistakeI mean, you made "You Owe Me" dog, I thought that you could relateBut while I shot up the charts, you mean tellin' meThat I was not up to par, when I followed my heartGranted, my heart was tainted by my mind, I kept on sayin'Where's the hits? You ain't got noneYou know Jay would never put your album out without noneAnd dog, you know how comeLabels are archaic, formulaic with their outcomesThey don't know, they just study the chartsMe, I study the shows, the fans, study their heartsI had a feelin' I was killin', and this music we were spillin' outWould change lives forever, ***** the label, put it outFriday Night Lights blew, that was classic number 2Now it seemed as if the Nas comparisons was comin' trueStill no release date from the label, are they insane?Coach told me play the game to change the game but on the wayI let Nas down, I got no one to blame, I'm ashamed I let Nas downBut this is God's plan, you could never understand, ***** it[Hook][Verse 3]I always believed in the bigger pictureIf I could get them niggas to listen outside my core then I can open a doorReintroduce 'em to honesty, show 'em that they need moreThe difference between the pretenders and the Kendrick LamarsAnd so, I took the fall like the son of the LordOn the cross, dyin' for that fake shit you niggas boughtFor the past decade, if I should pass please let this be my last essayTherefore I write from the heartApologies to OG's for sacrificin' my artBut I'm here for a greater purpose, I knew right from the startI'm just a man of the people, not above but equalAnd for the greater good I walk amongst the evilDon't cry mama, this the life I choose myselfJust pray along the way that I don't lose myselfThis is for the nigga that said that hip-hop was deadI went to Hell to resurrect it, how could you fail to respect it?Lettin' Nas down, I got the phone call quietly I mourned dog, I let Nas downYeah, and on this flight may I never lose sight, ***** it[Hook]
