In this song Nas says that each person must overcome their own adversity if they are to succeed. He has overcome poverty and violence so can speak on such matters of personal responsibility, but acknowledges that some people have it harder than others. This shows an awareness of the personal struggles and mental illness each individual may have on their own path. He speaks highly of hard work, acquiring knowledge, professions beyond rapping and basketball (the ghetto dream). He values honesty in all pursuits and the importance of being humble. He warns of the risks of the music game and describes how women and young stars are often preyed on by record companies who use money, drugs, fame and sex to exploit them which often leads to risks of Sexually Transmitted Infections (STI/STD) and being left ruined and destitute after the industry is tired of your sound. He argues for a feminist perspective of mass media and the way it oversexulaises young girls. He also challenges traditional histories around America’s foundation and speaks of Black America’s heritage prior to slavery and the autonomy that was robbed of their race. The answer to correcting this, he says, is learning and education. The backing track is classical composer Ludwig van Beethoven’s Fur Elise.
Link to Lyrics: https://genius.com/322621
Humanity4HipHop 