Nas breaks down "It Ain't Hard to Tell" with Harvard Poetry Prof. Elisa New
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- Опубліковано 30 кві 2017
- Nas breaks down "It Ain't Hard to Tell" with Harvard Poetry Professor Elisa New for Poetry in America.
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Nas rose from the projects in Queens to speaking with a Harvard professor regarding his lyrics. He is a true Hip-Hop icon.
Mikki Farmer GZA rose from the slums of Brooklyn/Shaolin to giving lectures in universities and work with NASA, another true Hip-Hop icon
I didn't know that about the GZA. The Wu-Tang alumni is also dope. Good looking out.
Rs!
DZA they from Staten island boy
Mikki Farmer
Why hello there, fellow Space Ghost.
She said his pen was extreme 🙏🏾
ryno6040 she want it 😂
holding the m16, see with the pen I'm extreme
It's in N. Y. State of Mind
His pen is extreme
Check this out - Stogie T - ua-cam.com/video/0NnCP4sS7A0/v-deo.html
I think this is better than having a Grammy
The Grammys are racist if a black person makes a pop like album or anything that’s not hip hop it gets marked as urban.
“Urban is a politically correct way of saying the n word”-Tyler the Creator.
Grammys are for sale and always have been.
Lol Grammy’s is a (NWO) joke
Yes it is
I realize the Grammys was full of shit after I found out Lil Wayne got a Grammy but Tupac didn’t.
Nas 43 looking like 23
I think he be inhaling those Cuban cigars his voice all types of fuked up
JonathN leviyev 😂Yh man concerned for his throat
Facts, cuz when he was 23, he actually looked 23. Lmao crazy how that works.
well he looked 10 when he was 19
@@Sasat123 look up Interviews from the 90s his voice was always like that
They need to add Illmatic to the English curriculum.
One of the best hip hop album....which should be part of hip hop history.a
@@patrickmillion it's the best hip hop album of all time
Illmatic the way nas did the album he was so poetic.
Seconded
Facts
Damn back when illmatic was released 22 yrs ago who would've thought that someday in the near future professors would be praising this hip-hop album of a young man from Queensbridge. Legendary.
Straight up...I did. The essence of real rhymes is poetic and timeless.
Eventually someone is going to study rap in the future. He is one that they might study but I feel it might be more Wu-Tang, DOOM or Immortal Technique. I say maybe 200 years from now.
I thought the same thing too never thought this generation will be so thoroughly about illmatic album
23 years ago
M. Man OCD much? 😂
Imagine being 43 years old and breaking down lyrics that you laid when you was 19 years old to a Professor
Thats why he is the greatest
surprised they didn't seize it without a warrant. in the united states of america. so touchy. it would hurt peoples feelings. death sentence! lol.
Everyone included in the song is a professor of some sort, Large Professor, Nas and a harvard one
@@csar07. got you🤝🤝
Wasn't he 16 when he started writing illmatic, with New York State of Mind, then around 17 he wrote it ain't hard to tell, and I think at 18/19 he released the album
Right up there with Big and Pac...A true poet
Traversy Media love your programming/development course.
Lol Nas is over big and pac
Dumitru Nancu
Stra8 facts Nas is the GOAT
Keyser Soze Jesus I hate you Pac stans trying to discredit Biggie over 20 years later
@Keyser Soze why you slandering a dead man's name I guarantee he's not what you just described him as, biggie over pac in terms of replayability, longevity, lyricist, flow all of the above pac isn't even top 10 in terms of MC's and lyricism but in terms of influence he's up there
My favorite rapper of all time! Nasir Jones!
Lions Fan shut da fuck up punk
Lions Fan come on dont act that way... you are Ignorant
my boy woodie destroys him
JRoc Da Mic definitely one of the best to ever do it
JRoc Da Mic AZ is my favorite
What a time we live in. Music that was once considered for thugs or ignorant people is now finally being broken down by those in the upper class and being seen for the true art that it is. We so called thugs and street people were ahead of our time and our genius is finally being appreciated. The first shall be last and the last shall be first...
One up
The basic instructions before leaving earth
That's Why it's time to bring true words to them, that the path of every underground culture...and you can't do nothing about that! We've lost something and we have now opportunities to be heard and should profit of that situation , and I'm not speaking only of cash benefits
VZA The reason it was seen that way back then was due to the lifestyle a lot of it portrays, how trashy a lot of it can be, and the informal, broken english vernacular that a lot of it uses. It has taken this long for people to open their ears and realize that a lot of it is poetic and there is often actually something being said in rap, whether or not it's necessarily always said in the best way possible, or in a way that's "proper"
@Champ Champ White ppl don't care about that, they want to know about that cryptic, greatest of all time NY slang, they got that other shit mastered because they created it!
"Beyond the walls of intelligence, life is defined"
One of my favorite lines from any song in any genre
I think of crime, when im in NY state of Mind
Can you guess mine?
…rhymes so ill
They should be
Locked in a cell
It ain’t hard to tell.
Nothing NaS wrote will ever beat when he says : "Cuban link flooded jesus , My actions are one wit the seasons" & "why shoot the breeze about it when u can be about it , my degrees are routed to those project brick houses"
The way he worded that track will never get old or outdatted ever !!!!! Idc how much slang changes over the years
Man I love how interested she was in the meaning behind his lyrics and I love how Nas was equally interested in not only explaining to her the meaning, but also in discovering new parallels that perhaps he would have never thought of. Brilliant!
FlipStar26 I totally agree that was dope
Yeah this was a really nice interaction between the two parties
This shit was dope
i like how Nas actually read lyrics he knows by heart. lol. found that funny
I like that he read too. Made sure they had it down correctly.
Cmon it's over 20 years back, you know how much stuff he's done since then?
Omar Scruggs slot of people don't get that. I said the same when people slammed canibus for pulling the pad out in the battle. Yeah he shouldn't have done it, but better that then not spit anything. These type emcees with tons of complex rhymes juggling new material with show material it's just crazy, that's why they are at a disadvantage in a battle situation.
+mc365mc Nah man a rap battle is a completely different scenario. You gotta have that shit memorized, it comes with the territory
Prince JellyFish you not getting the point. Yes it shouldn't be done in a battle. My point is, memorizing is why established artist don't battle in these battle leagues. They are at a disadvantage because they have to have play list of songs memorized for shows, they are also working on new material, so then to dedicate time and effort to come up with additional material for the sole purpose of a 1 time event is more difficult for the traditional artists vs a guy who doesn't do anything but write material for one time use. This is especially true for an artist that composes very complex rhyme schemes like CanIBus. If you had a 1 day contest to make a diss record canibus would destroy most of those dudes in the battle league.
"Oh now it is, since you said it" - exactly what William Shakespeare would probably say if he came back and got question by some of these Literature teachers/ professors lol
That's the point of Poetry.... it's open to be interpreted.
He didn’t get questioned, she’s treating rap as poetry and said what her interpretation of the lyric was. Poetry is always open to interpretations. Notice how he said he ain’t think of it that way?
Cake Rap (Rhythm And Poetry)
They are talking only about the poetry aspect.
Even if one has intent it's all subjective to the reader. If you think "the lady" over analyzed it know that's what people do with poetry. I like this, i hope this would be a series, with many rap artists. Maybe it is
Nas: The bird
The Professor: Ah yes, the creature with wings that can be found soaring in the sky
Nas: Yes
Nas: The word
The Professor: Ah yes, the unit of language comprising one or more spoken sounds or their written representation, functioning as a carrier of meaning.
Nas: Word
ԐԀɪ DԆŮМS W
It’s incredible to see a Harvard prof fully appreciating Nas lyricism
The teacher being philosophical and all while Nas is thinking to himself, "I was just making these lyrics when I was bored" lol
OG Awesomoby so true
Lol
Not really. Do you really think best of hip-hop lyrics just came out of boredom? They didn't work hard on it?
@@mjz5254 well, sometimes they do, just like that, a thought comes to mind and you elaborate on it
Nah, when Nas wrote this he was being mad philosophical, up to 2 mins I only hear this teacher being basic AF.
This dude doesn't age though... Nas has discovered the fountain of youth...
LOLWAT Pac is my favorite rapper ever, but let's be real his vocabulary was pretty average. Pac music doesn't need to be broken down because it was straight forward.
LOLWAT Nas 65 years old...😂🤣
Craig Washington Nas was born in 1973 he's only 43 years old where did you get 65 from?
nigga stop making shit up, lmao
that is not true at all. He just didn't use metaphors in his raps often but his rhyme style was straight up poetic
Harvard Professor: "The way you rap one could never take it all in."
Nas: "Right"
Word
Yes
She broke the lyrics down to Nas in a better way that made him say damn i didn't think about it that way😂😅
It wasn't a 'Better way' it was another "perspective" - Its all his words either way. jesus christ.
Remember Nas was only a teenager writing this poetry and with no HS education.
Nas was so godly when writing Illmatic he didn't even realize half the shit he was pulling off. Also, the production on that song is unbelievable.
No shit he had pete rock, premo, qtip, large profesor and les
Jesus Christ is Lord God of all! God bless you all! Nothing, and I mean NOTHING, is too difficult for the Lord our God, with Christ, ALL things are possible!
@@jasonmcmechan2072 dude it’s a figure of speech calm down.
@@jasonmcmechan2072 stfu
Not sure any artist can do what he did on their intro record. That's the goat.
Nas lowkey making some of these meanings up as he's going along lmfao
Faiq Mustafa loooooooool
It's a joke man chill tf out, Nas is the GOAT
Faiq Mustafa lmao like when he said "now it is, since you said it"
hahahah i get what u mean lmfao his face when shes saying these deep meanings that she wasnt even intending
he wasnt intending*
Nas is undoubtedly the greatest rapper of all time
Too Spu I would say mos def but has is definitely top 5
Mos Def is amazing but can you point out how over the course of discography and years of work that Mos is better?
Mayur Doshi I'm just saying lyrically I like.mos more not.knocking.nas
*emcee*, but I know what you meant.
Peak nas is probably the goat but rn he is too inconsistant
Professor: "'Givin' mics menstrual cycles' - are those cycles in any way metaphorically related to the '[break] loops'"?
Nas: "Now it is! Since You said it!"
ROFLMBAO!!!
Anthony Muhammad My point exactly!
Nigga was just making mics bleed and the woman had to add her own flip
true but the best part of art is that different people from different parts of the world in different times can understand the art in ways that even the artist did not intend for.. thus making it timeless
Anthony Muhammad i lost it when that dropped
Art can change each time you experience it. What it means to one person it may mean something else to the next. Is this lost on today's emcees?
I can't wait to watch Kendrick break down his lyrics in 25 years.
Bandstand hey what's up man
Bandstand kendrick lamar is no where close to nas level. NOT EVEN CLOSE
kendrick is clever but not on Nasir's level
Bandstand trust it won't be the same!
He will never be as good as Nas!
"I'm from it. I'm of it. I love it."
Damn
The best part about this is that Nas is learning from her as much as he's teaching her. His ability to be receptive about other perspectives about lyrics he wrote is cool...
he is explaining himself to a jew, I'm glad you think that is cool ... sell out!
@@user_unknown1488 okay, dummy...
@@GoTPLATANOS get back on the plantation negro, there is cotton to pick okay.
That shit was deep...very good, nas a legend.
Edu Macation the GOAT
OnPoint yes i love the fact that he goes hard at what he says & do
You know you are the GOAT when you discuss your songs with a Harvard professor!
They aren't songs.
LeatherCladVegan Yes they are
@@LeatherCladVegan ?
@@alexmoorehead8501 A song is sung. Nas doesn't sing. His tunes are not songs.
@@LeatherCladVegan damn we got a Ben Shapiro fan here
He was a true prodigy…can’t even fathom to be 18 or 19 with that amount of knowledge/ wisdom
Rap is one of the greatest form of poetry . Honestly it IS the greatest form of poetry the many different routes and how deep it goes is unprecedented
Well, it is actually precedented (the ancient greeks and romans have written beautiful poetry and they also used a rhythm/flow). But i agree that it’s one of the greatest forms of poetry.
Nas is GOAT
Patrick Echols things some ignorant 13yo says in 2017
Az would demolish nas
And am a sheep!!!!!!
pac is
@@ironmind674 nah, nas would probably come on top , only because his disses go hard as hell
1:42 Her interpretation of "dominating break loops" is so much of a reach that it's almost a cliche that it's being said by an English teacher lmao. (or poetry professor, you get the idea)
Although as an MC, if someone sees more into your lines than they actually are, it's like getting a compliment, so I totally understand that Nas just goes with it
+Sixfeet Stacks She said what he meant, just in a more articulate form. She wasn't straying from the meaning at all. "Give me this form and I will dominate it".
That's where the poetry comes in.
I think she just had a clumsy lack of understanding into the way he sees the world and that line gave her glimpse into it. Her explanation wasn't reaching, in fact it was almost stating the obvious. She does that a lot in this. Still awesome tho
Sixfeet Stacks thats her job
no its not reaching imo because it ties into the overall theme of the line.
The break loop and menstruel cycle connection she made was fire🔥🔥🔥🤦♀️🔥
Not one rapper alive or dead can top Nasty NAS... Best of all time...
Rakim
@@rwarren4637 Great choice, I'd agree Rakim but really it's hard to compare objectively like apples/oranges ya know?
@tvm2209 I know Rakim seems comparable because of his reputation that comes from the influence he had since he came up before the Golden era, he therefore had huge influence, but to compare him to Nas is insane, Nas is levels above everyone, Krs and Pac come close, but damn Nas is a half man half amazing with the pen.
"Street knowledge amazing to scholars when we coin phrases for dollars" -Sauce Money
Powerful
He got that from AZ is you didn't know
Fredemon1 !!
Fredemon1 ooh..that bar is fire!
Amazingly perfect quote...
amazing interview on poetry i wish they would do more of this and explain more and further about his poetry .
Genius! :D
.com
Herman Lauve Hansen damnn you read my mind!
F medina they should make a show like this, and breakdown all the raps with the level of stature this one clearly has. I thoroughly enjoyed this.
Nas made one of the best albums ever as a teenager!!! Dude has so much talent!
Dope ass interview. She listens and speaks accurately. Props to them!
When he was saying he gives "mic's menstrual cycles", he was talking about making the mic his bitch, not the art of mastering musical cycles lol. I guess you can interpret it any way you want though
Alex Johnson that's why nas agreed, he didn't want to explain it lol
Alex Johnson that's a good way to look at it. I always took it as he regularly kills the mics... metaphorically making it bleed.
Enabler I am referencing rap lyrics where Nas uses the metaphor to describe the microphone being his bitch. Nobody is disrespecting anybody's mother. Get off your high horse
'' Nobody is disrespecting anybody's mother.'' That's not what I said... Nas is giving the mic mentrual cycles, which means the mic is a female, so automatically you assume he means the mic is his ''bitch''. There is something about your culture that makes you think you have to degrade women in order to be a real man...
Are you saying female is synonymous with bitch? That is very rude sir, where are your manners. Those are two entirely different words
One of the GREATEST!!!!!
#Facts
Xolani Nkosi the GOAT
Crazy how much she actually understands in these deep lyrics. Nas even tells her that this song is living when she asked a question about the cycles being related to the loops and he replys now it does. Crazy nice vibe and learning experience.
He is the human epitome of 'Ready since I was Born' 💯
Nasty Nas...one the greatest to ever do it
Deep , Dope and Insightful. Hip Hop has spawned so many great multi layered writers who create visual universes within their verses. Glad to see Brother Nas highlighted in such a positive way. Salutes!
A BEAUTIFULLY SUCCINCT synOPSIS on the WONDERS and _CAPABILITIES_ , of *_HIP-HOP_* !!
One of the greatest poets period.
I'm glad that such prestigious people are recognizing the greatness of Nas's writing. I hope in a few decades Lupe Fiasco gets his own segment like this.
‼️‼️‼️💯💯💯💯!!!
He is now a professor! You sort of predicted it
Wow i thiNk nas is the most intelligent rap hip hop artist.. nas should be lecturing hip hop rap music at Harvard university
Ever heard of Gary Grice AKA the GZA, genius, maximillion? If not you better ask somebody
right
right
Judba Kilam Lol there's no way somebody knows who Nas is and doesn't know who GZA is
Judba Kilam “Uh! The GZA! Uh, God damn! The GZA!” - Method Man, Shadow Boxing
With guys like Nas and Mos Def, you could hear the natural artistry. I would like to recite a portion or Respiration by Black Star (Mos Def), please and thank you, "So much on my mind that I can't recline. Blast the holes in the night til' she bled sunshine. Breathe in. Hell vapors from bright stars that shine. Breath out. When we smoke we trace the skyline. Heard the base ride out like it aint your mating call. I cant take it y'all. I can feel the city breathing. Chest heaving against the flesh of the evening. Sigh before we die I'm like the last train leaving." You're welcome.
Nicolas Dane common's verse was legendary
you have a lot of those lyrics wrong bro, you should google them
Mos def is wack af kid nas is top 5 u shldnt compare the 2
Nicolas Dane my top 3 all time rap songs.
Nicolas Dane Yeah, Mos was transcendent on that one. Intelligence in hiphop is in the cemetery
The fact she reflected her analogy of "your pen is extreme" originlly written for (NY state of Mind) - "Holdin' an M16, see, with the pen I'm extreme"
to his breakdown of the first verse is highly respected! Two different individuals finding common ground through literature regardless of the poets background. Dope shit.
Nas is hip hop itself. He is a self taught philosopher. He is a icon that is still relevant today
The lyrical ability Nas possessed when Illmatic came was sooo far ahead of its time. How did he have the mental acuity to shape sentences like that?! Even now when I listen to it I get chills at how he manipulated vocabulary. A true master of his craft. Half man.
I almost cry while I’m watching this, because we don’t see hiphop like this nowadays.... There ain’t nothing to breakdown.
Hahaha fr though
There's things to break down if you search for it deeper than the mainstream
kids just looking for a quick dollar now... no passion.
It's fucking plenty.
There is, but deep underground
give it 20 more years and nas will be giving the Nobel prize in poetry.
A true example of someone who studies poetry to find its meaning to a true artist who is poetry.....no explanation needed......it speaks to your soul....those that know, know!!!
💯💯😁🙌🏾🙌🏾!!!
I like who Nas chooses to give interviews to, every time it’s a unique conversation
Love the fact that this professor has so much respect and appreciation for his work.
That song cannot possibly be broken down in under 5 minutes.
Respect.
You know Nas is the real deal when Harvard is studying him.
This Reminds Me Of The Teacher From Everybody Hates Chris... Trying Too Hard To Relate Ha!
Jr Mac De'Swade "spinning words like records" she really is reaching lol
Sergio Ramos "Now It Is, Since You Said It."
Lol that's kinda the nature of art but she is still reaching
Sergio Ramos "Now That's The Reason Why Your Pen Is Extreme"
Jr Mac De'Swade lol ah man that teacher in that show was a triiip
Prof. New is not only cool for doing this, but ahead of her time. I studied literature at Notre Dame and earned a Master's of Arts while DJing and spinning "It Ain't Hard to Tell" with "Gin 'n' Juice". No professor in my seminars was receptive to something of this nature. I had a classmate who was a massive Smiths fan who wrote a paper about Morrissey's lyrics. His grade was a pass at best.
NaS a Genius...ahead of his time...to think he wrote all these rhymes when he was still a teenager is mind blowing.
No doubt the greatest rapper of all time, and I love the friendly open conversation props to the professor too! Open mindedness.
I'm glad for Nas that he achieved this level of icon that decades later people still not only remember him, but praise and love his work. A lot of guys never made it this big despite being just as skilled. Like AZ for example who I always thought was very underrated. Nas just transcends rap though, he's a true cultural icon and will be recalled as a legend for centuries after his death. I wish 90s style lyrical/gangsta rap would make a comeback in the mainstream.
To this day, nobody has ever had a better pen game then him including Rakim
Rakim is God The Father.... Nas is Gods Son.... feel me ?
Nah, Nas is the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit
Blasphemy
Young Wavy for sure 😊
Nas is not the GOAT. his 1st two albums are classics, but he couldn't hold on to that consistency. that's what really hurt him. he was pretty much off everybody's rap radar until the battle with Jay.
He's self-taught. Harvard recognizes brilliance and genius.
Only a lyrical genius gets this kind of air time!!. This dude is an inspiration to Hip Hop and Rap.
I applaud nas on getting his most memorable album dissected by some great minds from a great institution...but did those lyrics really need analyzation? They werent that deep, they were all pretty straightforward to me 🤔 but what do I know I've only been listening to that album for over ten years...
MrRealm1537 For someone not from that world, probably.
MrRealm1537.....Yes. the poetic form yes indeed...furthermore Nas delves deeper into the young black mind so many people find inquisitive and alluring...his flow on that track was melodic like graffiti flow...the beat itself was inspiring...touching on an 80s note that symbolized the rise of the Hip Hop culture which so many can relate to like everyone can relate to Michael Jackson worldwide but also catchy to the ear...very clever....no lie I have been dissecting those verses for years and still am impressed of the flow not really a gangsta flo but still gangsta in the mental that was how he got you.
Only one I didn't understand was "grape fruit troop". I dominate break loops was self explanatory yet she dragged that one out lol
It does. Not everyone is from that "world". I remember listening to Mo Money Mo Problems as a kid in Nigeria. I liked diddy's line "bigger than the city light down in Times Square" it wasn't until I moved to New York that I finally understood it lol. Sometimes you understand by growing or by exposure to other cultures. The analysis might not help you or me, but it helps others.
"Deep like the shining" makes sense when you watch the movie.
My Playlists it's a word though
He is a true Poet !
Oh my God Nas has to be one of the greatest writers of all time
"The street is my world... It's everything. I'm from it. I'm of it. I love it. " Nas
Or maybe " I'm off it" I'm french so I'm not sure
Nas is *the* goat
nas will never age wow
They could never understand how his lyrics moved us, we listened over and over again to the same songs the same lines...he was half man half amazing!
He's so lyrical. He's about so much more than these corny ass rappers today. He speaks to something more than cars, jewelry and money. He's a living legend.
NAS has ALWAYS been on a different level...
NaS, my favorite Hip Hop MC of all times! In my humble opinion, the best & the greatest to ever do it! Salute.
Nas is my favorite rapper of all time
Beautiful. My eyes are tearing!
This is actually the first song I ever heard by him and was immediately hooked. I've studied it for so long and still find lines that have a deeper meaning than I thought.
The greatest hip hop album ever.
great interview!!! love it
I love this man so much
This is my favourite Nas record of all time, this is what made him my living #1 rapper, "I dominate break loops, giving mics minstrel cycles, street disciple" this blew my 12 year old Jamaican brain to pieces
A true poet. The best to ever do it.
This is truly beautiful.
I love how interested she is for him to break it down
yo shout out to this interviewer. amazing interview. you did way better most of the hip hop channels . much respect to the work you put in for this video .
nas = G O A T
Akhil chandrashekar exactly
Nas is a poet, a poet of the streets, there has never and will never be another Hip Hop artist like him, Nas experienced the REAL hood life, and he didn't let the streets define him either, Nas surpasses all of the other Hip Hop artists like Snoop and Biggie as much as I love them, Nas is up there with The Beatles and Bach in my opinion.
This is just amazing
Thank you professor elisa.❤💯🔥
Wow.....such an insightful discussion. Immensely enjoyed it.
Intelligence and fineness! 😍❤️
This is honestly so beautiful
He is such a beautiful soul
Love! Especially happy that he starts the interview talking about how rappers should progress in their subject matter as they grow. More should embrace their art in this way. Nas is all the stronger for it!
Nas is GREAT!! His music is true knowledge and timeless!!!
I truly, enjoyed this!
Brilliant explanations
I guarantee if Pac was being interviewed by her, he would thoroughly impress her.
Pac is more charismatic
lol no
Meh nah
J Pete not sure
tupac might has been more charismatic and a person but comparing pac and nas as rappers is disrespectful to nas.
He is true poetry