Nas – What This All Really Means Lyrics

As he so often does, Nas reminisces on his beginnings and career path on “What This All Really Means”. Produced by Hit-Boy, It’s the eighth track on Nas’ Magic sequel album.

He references specific points in his career that he had to overcome, such as the bootlegging of the original I Am… The Autobiography album, noting how “tough people last, but tough times don’t”.

What This All Really Means Lyrics by Nas

[Intro]
I finally see
See what it all mean
Yeah

[Refrain]
The feelin’ of the first time seein’ your name on a flyer
It just was yesterday, picture that on the day you retire
And they still shocked and amazed, I made it up higher
‘Cause I came up with them hot heads that played with the fire

[Verse 1]
Product of the ’80s, Prada Milan store for the lady
I’m a carnivore, constantly come with concepts to pay me
I’m responsible for they most cockiest behavior
My DNA in they G’d up ways, and they surveyin’ us
Showed ’em my scrotum is goldеn, rap game stomach was swollen
I left thеse bastards on your doorsteps, behold ’em
Ideas come and go away but I already thought ’em
So years later, they still knew when I go record ’em
I done hooked up with a beast, never stingy with the beats
Experimental, accident records wind up killin’ the streets
“Black and Proud” shirts, white Jesus pieces on cuban links
Civil war chick, yo, she black and white on Egyptian sheets

[Chorus]
And I can see the jealousy, I think they really scared of me
Do what I do and let it be
And that’s the way I always been since I was seventeen
I finally see what this all really means

[Verse 2]
Did a double album when rap double albums was startin’
They bootlegged I Am, an album I put my heart in
Nipsey met me to do a doc about it ‘fore he departed
He talked to Stoute about it too ’cause he was ‘part of that project, yeah
Back then, we charted with the CDs and tapes
And I still come out the field, you either scrape or get scraped
You either in and out, you rollin’ or you just in the way
What this all really means, I had to reload the Drac’
Eighty years old, I’m still gon’ have a chain, a kilo it weigh
Speedos on the beach, my belly out when I land in Capri
Wearin’ black owned designer (Uh) math on my mind (Okay)
It’s a while ‘fore I get there, almost passed forty-nine
I be on the block easy with a glass full of wine
Red Chrome Heart lenses to see I’m in my third prime
The Q-U double E-N-S
Y’all gon’ need some EMS when we drop this and that’s a bet

[Refrain]
The feelin’ of the first time seein’ your name on a flyer
It just was yesterday, picture that on the day you retire
And they still shocked and amazed I made it up higher
‘Cause I came up with them hot heads that played with the fire (It’s facts)

[Chorus]
And I can see the jealousy, I think they really scared of me
Do what I do and let it be (Uh)
And that’s the way I always been since I was seventeen
I finally see what this all really means
[Outro]
It’s everything, from the hard times
(I finally know what this all really means)
The bad times (Anthony Saleh, we got a team)
The better times
All mixed in-between
Sunshine and rain
Yeah, yeah
Tough people last, tough times don’t, yeah
Tough people last, tough times don’t
Now I see