@@theRawest821 Nah that song is about prostitutuion and slavery. "Shorty say what you like, just to back it up I'll let you hold my ice. Now I say you "owe" me something!" He telling woman she obligated to give up pussy.
@@jonjones7137nah he telling the truth about that I used to be in the bridge and lefrak a lot around 97-2000 they started saying he sold out wit the firm shit
@PLawton2900 stop acting like this song is the only type of record nas makes... u know it's a lil club track that he actually went into the studio to make. He don't make those often. Hell he made that in 99..
😂😂😂lol and he followed up that line with "Pay me back when you shake it like that girl" foh U selected the one passable "conscious" bar. Went from Black Girl Lost to this was always gonna be a problem
@@mjdagoat7916 nah he touches on everything.....the only rapper in history to be able to do that....he can give you culture, history, women, street etc....in 2 or 3 bars and it still sounds ill....he could be talking to his woman when he say shake it like that girl....
@@MeandMec he could be talking to his own girl like shake it like you owe me rent?😂 So he's a pimp ?! 😂😂😂Lol. Bro the song had nothing to do with monogamy Dude I love Nas, have ALL his albums but this wasn't it. The song is great but in the context of what Nore is talking about there's some merit because of what his image he portrayed up until that point.
@@justarandomniggafrm206 / Hate on what, the truth...🤦🏽🤦🏽🤦🏽 Has the Prince of the hood that spoke for the hood ever given a free concert in the hood for those that couldn't afford his tour shows...🤔🤔🤔 Is he invited to speak @ any nation of Islam conventions...🤔🤔🤔 Do he mingle with poverty, maybe @ parties or non celebrity clubs...🤔🤔🤔 Has he stood up to any incorporated gangs for their wickedness towards us hood people...🤔🤔🤔 Some prince, yea, I'm just a hater that always gotta be...👍🏽👍🏽👍🏽
What range? Its just typical nas but over a pop beat and chorus. Real range would be different topics, or variance in vocal abilities. Some singing or something.
@@m.m4982 the topic is different. Nas doesn't typically do club records, he's known for conscious records, and gangster stuff. He probably has three Pop or club records in his entire catalog 💯💯
Nore isn’t lying tho! When Nas started making more “commercial” songs, working with Puff, Timbo, Trackmasters, etc., people grumbled that he sold out. It’s easy to look back with 25 years of hindsight and see how brilliant it was to have a line like “Pay me back like 40 acres to Blacks” in a massive club song, but back then, some folks couldn’t see it.
Thing is Beyoncé was all comfortable beside Nas in the video and those times Nas was blazing and Destiny’s Child was regular b*tches-thing is If Nas had Hit he wouldn’t have said a thang - no one would ever know. Not GayZ tho - he would tell the World in a beef.
If there's a guy who didn't sell out in rap, that was Nas. Coming from QB, clawing to the top in the 90's while Pac and Biggie were going at it, came into the 2000's a star, bodied Jay Z who's arguably the most entrepeneurial rapper ever, helped some young bucks like J Cole be noticed and never EVER stepped down his game. Just released an album yesterday and he doesn't even sound outdated like most of the old heads. Still on top of the game. Nas is just an everlasting prodigy
3dom or jail clips inserted a babies been born same time a man is murdered the beginning and end, as far as rap go it’s only natural I explain, my Plato & also what defines my name
@itsrelativ3967 I noticed that too I remember him performing it live on some show he was just going through the motions like he just wanted to get it over with
Nas was judged the harshest in hip hop history just because of how pure his art was. The people forgot he was an ARTIST though, who wanted to express his art in many different ways. Luckily history will be in his favor when the people realize he was still keeping it pure and true to the culture and his people, even on popular songs like You “Owe Me” and “If I Ruled The World”. Even “Black Girl Lost” gave a voice to young women in the hood who were misguided. Nas was brave enough to take it there, even if it sacrificed temporary success.
You know what's funny... Pac did the samething and didn't get the hate that Nas got. Pac came out with "I get around" after all the socially conscious records that we loved him for.
It was a pop record & he was hitting without pop records so when he did this it kind of looked a certain way. Still followed it up with major classic albums.
Yeah it WAS a lil narrative around that time (based on how Nas origins was considered for the underground/streets)...but it was a weak narrative...the song was 🔥🔥🔥🔥.... Nas has received hate in the media almost his whole career 🤦🏽♂️
This is the reason why I say Nas is held to a different standard then everyone. Because Jayz and everyone can do songs like this without any criticism. Nas can’t have fun or experiment. This song was dope and still is. The Goat
Jay was definitely critized for putting out stuff like this. Change Clothes, Dirt Off Your Shoulders, hell the whole Black Album was critized for biting from The Beatles. Jay-Z is a well known Shark Biter. That claim has remained through most of his career.
No it's called trying to appeal to the lowest common denominator trying to get that jiggy era money which for Nas was like devolving coming from the lane of semi-conscious street rap.
Yea nobody liked u owe me in 99. Sounded very commercial but now that we are older we tend to go back to nastrudamus and see the value in it. People was brainwashed back then even tho I fw the song in ‘00 and now it’s still like j Cole said one of his commercial hits but definitely seemed off.
Because the fans werent the ones saying it. His hating ass peers and the media were mad he could also show mainstream appeal. That song was a banger in clubs and he still had something to say. It showed he was versatile. They wanted him to stay in his lane. And he said nah You owe me back like forty acres to blacks 😂
I don't think I Am was a response to that. IIRC the album was meant to be a double album "I Am Nastradamus" then they got split in to 2 albums after some songs got leaked. Nastradamus was released the same year
I literally just wrote up there that the Hate Me Now video was what really had MF’s like we lost Nas for good!! But shiiiit, that shit was fkn fiiiiire!!!!
Nah I remember people looking at Nastradamus a bit weird. I was one of them. You came from “Nas is like” to this? I did like “come get me” but it definitely was one of his weaker releases. This is from a NYC native who was about 16-17 when it dropped.
Only NYers had this take. That 98/99 run Nas had was records we banged in the South. Hate Me Now and It's Mine were all bangers down here. I had no clue about this sentiment till much later. But like most things Hip Hop, NYers inflated ego think what they say is gospel. Those backpack geeks wanted Nas in a box.
@herbertdowdy1829 I had 0 clue about why people hated The Firm or why critics said Nas went commercial with If I ruled the world. I only learned about that like 12 years ago. I think that's why Eastcoasters gassed up Jay's Take Over Diss, bc it went over a ton of people's heads outside NY. The hot line hot song bar, I didn't know what he was talking about. I came to the conclusion later Those backpackers wanted Nas to be an MF Doom lane forever.
@@NoNo-ng9slFacts on Facts on Facts 💯 this is exactly what happened. When the artist evolve from the back pack boom bap beats . They couldn’t keep up and we’re salty . Still salty in 2023 and beyond
The fact that the clubs still play “oochie walley”, and “u owe me” 20 plus years later is proof that the backpackers were WRONG. They put Nas and other artists in a box for no reason other than not wanting to see growth or versatility.
Yup the backpackers were wrong‼️ But I believe they was keeping Nas in that box because they didn't wanna loose him to system, what they didn't understand was you can't mould your own saviour you take'em as they come and keep faith 🙌🏽
No they didn't. Y'all newbies must have forgot why Jay was so comfortable dissing him. Nas had one foot out the door and stillmatic would have been his last album if he didn't deliver.
Around 2000 rumors were circulating that The Great One had lost his edge, his wit, his flavor and fire. People was on that Space Jam Monster took his talent shit. I remember it too, at just 10. Def Jam 2000 was dominating. Stillmatic shut everybody tf up. Nigga pulled a rabbit out the ass No Problem 😂
I can see it & not at the same time, cause that was Nas first Pop / Club song but he still was spitting heat, kept his style & was conscious at the same thing for a pop / radio hit “ you owe me back / like 40 acres to blacks … “ as the hook , not even getting to the verse ,
To put things in context THAT WAS selling out coming straight out the golden era. The 90's was so thorough if you made a song for women to dance to you was seen as not rapping from your heart (selling out) or pandering to stay relevant..something almost every artist does today.
@@d2dar459 not really I just think we've gotten too conformist today. Before black women and stripping became a synonymous thing making songs for women outside of a genuine love song like Method Man "All I Need" was all a man had to say to a woman in a song. But rappers realized they make more catering to women so rappers don't really even speak honestly to women anymore in songs its all pandering to sell a record. That's fake af and that's why the game being fake af is normal now.
He's not lying I remember when Nostradamus came out and when this song got premiered everyone was like WTF is this??!! Everyone still loved Nas but dudes were looking like 🫣
Maybe ppl in the comments not old enough or dont remember but Nore is right. Fans and critics came at Nas after that record and Oochi Walley saying he went pop
Funny thing is both records got a lot of play in the clubs. I think Nas wanted to switch his style up a little and brag and shine like his peers were doing.
Totally agree. The record ended up maybe growing on some people. But at the time when we first heard it initially it was certainly a different topic from the Nas we knew. At the time we(15-20yr olds) wanted artist to just talk about street life and struggles lol.
How is that selling out?? One thing i respect about Nas is he makes all kinds of music, just because you put him in a box, Nore, doesn't mean he sold out.
you should also respect yourself a little more so you dont make yourself look crazy for not listening to comprehend......Nore literally said, "Not me!", as in Nore never said Nas sold out, he heard ppl saying that. Listen to comprehend, NOT respond 😒
Nore wrong anywwy,people were saying Nas sold out before that song😅. Alot of fans of Illmatic were saying he sold out by the second album. He wasnt supposed to be doing the flossy rap and materialism,and pop records like everybody else. You would have to understand who his audience was after Illmatic dropped to get it. You Owe Me was when people started washing they hands of him,and writing him off. Partially this song,but mostly because his album quality was declining. While there were alot of new cats on the rise
@@jonathanstorie6370exactly,people are looking at it in hindsight. Plus alot of people werent on to Nas when Illmatic dropped. So Hate Me Now was loved and seen as normal. But for alot of his original fanbase,that song was definitely seen as THEE sellout move. He was already getting backlash by It Was Written. Just because it wasnt Illmatic part 2 lol
@@driskolestateshow absolutely isnt. In any way. Objectively wrong. You can say a song us selling out or pop, or radio and still acknowledge the track is still fire.
