Nas – Japanese Soul Bar Lyrics

Showing love to the land of the rising sun, “Japanese Soul Bar” sees Nas assess his standing as an independent figure in rap, noting how his humble beginnings have helped shape him into the rap icon and business mogul he is today.

The song is produced by Hit-Boy, who, along with all other songs on Magic 3, has executively produced Nas’ last six albums, with this LP serving as the finale in the duo’s incredible string of music from 2020-2023.

Japanese Soul Bar Lyrics by Nas

[Intro]
Japan, I ask you
Do you love hip-hop music?

[Chorus]
Cigars in the Japanese Soul bar
Drinkin’ Scots ’til daybreak, KD3 had gold bars
These vibranium can’t break (Uh)
That’s the one, do music for fun
Give deals to artists (Yeah) pull up to the office (Yeah)

[Verse]
Yeah, I’m from the project so quadruple in my youthful
So I could boost you, unlimited game I could shoot you (Woo)
I own my masters now but the reversions is crucial (True)
I used to wonder, was they ever jerkin’ the Juice Crew?
Wanted Dead or Alive, should have been platinum five times (G. Rap)
A young Russell, Rick Rubin and Fly Ty ran the music biz (Uh)
Andre Harrell saw the future is Hip-Hop
L’Ermitage hotel balcony, Louis flip-flops
Meetings in the mezzanine (Woo)
With production companies, talkin’ ’bout me directin’ things
Said I need a CAA, instead I went to ICM
Said without an agency, all my chances might be slim
My humble beginnings ain’t what my hunger diminished (Uh-huh)
I burn out of this game before I would run into millions (Sheesh)
See that’s a major fumble (Uh) and I made for the jungle (True)
So I called Jungle, I said, “Put away the bundle” (Let’s go)
Truly, they gon’ cry when they see this movie (I know)
No dry eyes in the theater, the viewers are livin’ through me (Uh)
Been thinkin’ ’bout who could play me in Tokyo, Paradisio, Belize (Yeah)
Karaoke, I’m participatin’, singin’ Barry
White that is (Ha)
On a good night like this (Yeah, yeah)
How do I write like this?
First of all, you gotta have a good life like this (Woo), a real life like this

[Chorus]
Cigars in the Japanese Soul bar
Drinkin’ Scots ’til daybreak (Uh), KD3 had gold bars (Yeah)
These vibranium can’t break, that’s the one, do music for fun
Make deals to artists (Yeah) pull up to the office

[Outro]
Make deals to artists, pull up to the office, yeah
Konichiwa, yeah
Japanese Soul bar, red light bulbs
A turntable, record selection
Pictures and frames from those days
Soul music, uh

[Interlude]
Somebody from Queens brought it live tonight
You see a lot of Bronx acts, a lot of Brooklyn acts but you never see Queens acts in the fever really
But Nasty Nas, one of the youngest artists out right now, who’s doin’ this thing, new artist
Who’s keepin’ it live, keepin’ it real
This is Nasty Nas
And the whole Queensbridge mafia, can I say that?
Now, Nas, you have a different stock
I, I, I, I know
There’s a lot of rappers out there
Who I’m sure you looked up to over the years
But right now a lot of new rappers and older rappers lookin’ up to you
How do you feel to be like, uh, uh, a livin’ prodigy?
I mean, it’s a pride, it’s a blessing
I’m a product of Hip-Hop, you know what I’m sayin’?
I’m a product of the old school and the newest of the new