Nas’ Message To The Youth
In the wake of Derrion Albert’s senseless murder, Nas encourages everyone to increase the peace via his blog on Global Grind. Read what he had to say after the cut. It was written.
Dear Young Warriors fighting the wrong wars! Killing each other is definitely played out. Being hurt from the lost of a love one was never cool.
Dear Young Warriors fighting the wrong war! I know that feeling , that frustration with life and needing to take it out on someone, any one. But….
We chose the dumbest things to go the hardest for. I remember seeing deaths over 8 ball jackets, fila’s , and name plate chains. Deaths over “he say she say”!!!!! “I’m from This block or I’m from that block”, or “my moms n pops is f*cked up now the whole world gotta pay”!!!
I remember feeling like I was the hardest “n*gga” breathin. And I couldn’t wait to prove it. But let’s think. What r we really proving?? And proving what to who?? Everybody knows Chicago breeds the strongest of the strong but I just feel, me, being ya brother from another state feels your pain as if I grew up with you in ya very own household.
You have the ability and mindpower to change they way we are looked at. Look who’s watching us young warriors, look who’s throwin us in jail constantly, look at the ignorance in the world. Look at the racist dogs who love to see us down. Lovin to bury us in the ground or in jail were we continue this worthless war on one another. Young warriors…. We are WASTING more and more time. We gotta get on our jobs and take over the world. Cuz this movie left the theaters years ago, Juice, Menace, Boys n the Hood , Blood n Blood Out, Belly!
When we see each other why do we see hatred? Why were we born in a storm, born soldiers, WARRIORS….and instead of building each other up we are at war with each other.. May the soul of this young person find peace with the almighty. I’m with you young warriors. You’re me and I’m you. But trust me! you are fighting the wrong war.
This sh*t sucks !!
-Nas
Whatever.. hypocrisy from a rapper. SMH
This is as senseless as Sean Bell.. the white cops are as guilty of senseless black violence as the black youth but what do rappers really push in their music?
I’ll give nas a pass on this because he’s more conscious than most but without an album or tracks to counter-act the ignorance what does he think the kids are listening to??
i feel him 100%
We need to do better. Parents arent the only people who raise children. WE ALL DO, as a community, as a WHOLE! We need to be better examples for our future.
RIP Derrion Albert
Maybe your family’s loss will help enlighten a few minds.
nas is the real deal…his music will be more timeless than ANY other hip hop artist ever because he’s REAL TalK…his ambition in life/music is to change minds in the positive direction, NOT money…keep talkin nas, we’ll listen!
how is it hypocrisy? he never said he was the best influence. In fact, he acknowledged that the things he once believed in are now senseless. Anyone can agree, as we grow, we begin to see what’s REALLY important in life. Furthermore, I do agree that if anyone should speak on this, it should be Nas.
I think this is a great message that needs to be spread throughout the country! I have lost loved ones to violence and it is unnecessary pain that millions of us deal with all the time. So if we can try to let the younger generation know that we are only hurting ourselves and that there is more to life than violence every little bit helps, especially coming from icons like Nas!
SAW THIS ON WORLDSTAR ITS VERY SAD AND ALSO PROVES THAT WE NEED TO TURN FROM BEING WARRIORS TO EMBRACERS! GANGSTAs of love !
RIP Derrion Albert. Hopefully people will see your tragic death and it’ll make them want to change their communities.
iCandy you definitely haven’t heard shit Nas has ever recorded.
I Can? ever hear that?? That’s not positive?
Also, Nas is dope. He speaks the truth. Whether it’s about something as tragic as this, or speaking about stories from his hood. he always keeps it real.
These comments are just what’s wrong wit our people. Who fuck cares about music to counteract this. Music can’t countrer act this. Us hatin us goes back to slavery and. Ur upbringing and nas can’t change that. This nigga made I can for the kids and nigger talking about our race but u NIGGERS complained so much u didn’t get the message. I don’t give a fuck if its luke or easy e if u a black man and saw that shit the way these kids don’t give a fuck about each other u wanna say somethin reguardless of ur career. That aint got shit to do with him being a rapper that’s about being a black man. I mean he could be talkin about a lolipop in a robot voice or dancin on me and niggaz would love that I guess. Its 2009 and we are a mess, and this is from a nigga who was born in the projects. I KNOW what I’m talkin about
Why are Jay and Alicia blacked out? Who’s spreading lies on the internets?
Pardon me ya’ll but iCandy I’m not sure you really ever listened to Nas like the people who swear by him. True, I can agree that many rappers spit shit with no regard to who’s listening but Nas isn’t one of those brothers so this is not a “whatever” moment or “hypocrisy” from yet another rapper. When the God Nas tried to put out an album called “NIGGER” last year idiots who rushed to judge and didn’t give him credit as an intelligent brother missed the message like thunn said. It wasn’t to degrade our people, it was to bring awarness and discuss the issues that face us in the black community. Revisit this album and all those before it to listen to the God and see the difference between the poison these bullshit rappers are putting out as oppose to the jewels Nas gives but the masses don’t listen. Black people need to wake the fuck up!!!!!!!!!! Its disgusting and that shit makes me wanna cry that a young brother was beaten to death in the hands of his own brothers!!! Where are these kids parents???!!!! They failed them!!!! AND MY LAST COMMENT IS THIS…….MY BLACK PEOPLE ALWAYS WANT TO MARCH AND CALL AL SHARPTON WHEN THE COPS KILL US BUT WHERE THE FUCK ARE THEY WHEN WE KILL EACH OTHER??????!!!!!!!!!!! WAKE UP MY BROTHERS, WE ARE KILLING US, NOT THE COPS, NOT ANY OTHER RACE, ITS US!!!!!! WHERES THE FUCKING ACCOUNTABILITY???!!!!!! WHAT KIND OF FUCKING COWARDS BEAT A KID TO DEATH??????!!!!!! WHAT HAPPENED TO SHOOTING A FAIR ONE????!!!!!!!!! I PRAY FOR THE YOUNG GOD DERRION ALBERT AND HIS ATTACKERS ALIKE, I PRAY GOD HAS MERCY ON YOUR SOULS BECAUSE AS A RESULT OF YOUR COWARDLY ACT A FAMILY HURTS, A FAMILY IS BROKEN, A LIFE WILL NEVER BE, THAT POOR KID WILL NEVER GET TO EXPERIENCE THE LIFE THAT YOU TOOK FOR GRANTED AND WHILE YOU’LL AT THE VERY LEAST HAVE YOUR MIND IN PRISON HE HAS NOTHING AND WE AS A NATION ARE LEFT WITH YET ANOTHER FUCKED UP MEMORY AND REMINDER OF HOW FUCKED UP HUMAN BEINGS CAN BE. AGAIN, PEACE TO THE GOD NAS FOR SAYING SOMETHING ABOUT THIS AND KEEP SCHOOLING THE YOUTH!!!!! PEACE BLACK PEOPLE!!!!!
google Willie Lynch. every black man in america should be required to read this at a very early age.
watch the video then read WILLIE LYNCH papers.
also no hate but i agree f*ck making a change music, stay your ass in school, Steve Erkel the new cool!
This was a tragedy….completely senseless, I couldn’t stop thinking about it all day. All I could think about was that these kids have essentially been brain-washed/conditioned to not value theirs or anyone else life.
@iCandy – Understand your frustration with artists who seem to contradict themselves at every turn. Nas is one of those, however you also have to realize they are just human. I am sure if someone taped my life they’d probably see a few. But one thing Nas has done is grow and admitted his faults
“American Black’s the teenager of this world
Give us 20 more years to grow up, already geniuses
What I mean is this
I used to worship a certain Queens police murderer
‘Til I read the words of Ivan Van Sertima
He inserted something in me that made me feel worthier
Now I spit revolution, I’m his hood interpreter” – “We Are Not Alone”
Thanks to Nas for at least standing Up and Saying something,me being 33 and coming from a generation that fell victim to the same things these young warriors are falling victim to I must say We must reclaim our Youth ,we must Take accountabilty what we are saying in these Rap/Hip Hop records?? we must do the opposite of what our O.G.’s did for us..or else we will be complicit in breeding a whole new generation of hopeless,heartless,mindless cannon fodder that will be used as tools against US?? i wonder why Oprah didnt ask JayZ how many children do he think Died from Marcy trying to Emulate the GOD MC?? or how many young warriors are doing multiple life Bids under the Rockerfella Drug Laws for folllowing the Blue Print?? How is it in this day & time of Millionaires And damn near Billionaire Blacks we are in the worst condition ever?? babies being aborted at alarming rates,Prison Population @ 2million+??,MisEducation at an all time high?? Poverty & Unemployment at all time Highs??? Mentally,Spiritually,Emotionally,Physically we are Sick & Unhealthy,thats just a half of the Ills to our society and all we wanna talk about is Cars,Clothes & Hoes????????? and niggaz got the audacity to talk about the New World Order? Moreso than anybody these Rap Niggaz got alotta blood our their hands and they had better do somethng real soon to Wash it off or else…….
sad tragedy. nas was always the best and a more intelligent mc in the game. i wish hip hop was more responsible.fuck this lil’ (enter name here e.g. wayne,mama,boosie etc.)
I support Nas in this response to pure ignorance and evil. Now we, the people, must challenge those in these high places to act and never cease, and have to be right with them along the way. This just can’t be a step toward the right directions, we need to do an entire 180 of how we as black men conduct ourselves, on a mental, emotional and spiritual level, in our everyday lives. Take back our homes with love for wife, children and God (whichever you choose because they all are love). Take back our communities from the violence, sex, and self-degradation taking place. Redefine the formula that is us.
ICandy i agree wit u 100% its obvious nas nobody in hear really listens to Nas. I got every single Nas album plus his unreleased and his demo tape before illmatic. He about all that positive shit. this the same guy that got a song talkin kill kill kill murder murder murder. And a song call thefts Theme. Even on some of his so called positive song his still talk that don shit yall need to really listen yall nas album. And im not say Nas has no positive song every rapper has some. But he has way more negative then positive. Listen to his lyric for real listen to his albums for real before yall comment. His first 2 album was mainly gangsta moblife type shit and his followin 3 Nasturdonas, I am, Stillmatic damn near the same jus a lil bit more positive. His only real positive album was God Son and that cause of the situtation wit his mom R.I.P.. I agree totally wit wat he sayin but the 90s rapper built this gerneration well asleast in urban communities
and now that this rapper are gettin old and bout to call it quits pretty soon now they tryin to as positive as possibly like Jay-z Nas DMX-who is makin a gospel album. but when they was tryin to get where they at they did not care as much music wise they was talkin that i when to hell for snuffin jesus or kill kill kill murder murder murder – Nas, i sold my soul to the devil or it dark and hell is hot – DMX, i never prayed to god i prayed to gotti shit or nigga been prayin god so long that we atheist – Jayz.
darrius no offense but u sound very unintelligent and young, of course people are gonna change as they get older they learn more and see more of the world. But LIKE HE SAID he used to be like these kids so he understands them and no better person to relate to these kids than someone who used to be like them and learned better and changed. This is not about nas, old rappers or what he used to be this is about OUR FUTURE young brotha. If u listened to the N.i.G.G.E.R album he said I used to worship a certain queens police murderer (papi mason) til i read the words of Ivan Van Sertima, he instilled something in me that made me feel worthier not i spit Revolution im his hood interpreter. now that small lyric explains where hes coming from yes he WAS all those things u said be he got wiser and u should do the same. When that album dropped all u fake hip hop heads complained instead of listening to those lyrics. Lil wayne talkin about pussy to babies, Gucci Mane snuffin women on camera, JIm Jones got young niggaz in the hood gettin killed over bootleggin his shit. These are who u kids listen too and dont be fooled them niggaz is old Too
ok thats enough iCandy and Darrius can shut the fuck up now, he said specifically in his letter that he was once one of those frustrated dudes like them, “Shoot Em Up” was recorded nearly 10 years ago, “Theif’s Theme” was recorded nearly 5 years ago. Nas and rap music aren’t the cause for the violence out there, if thats the case then were rappers before them responsible for the violence and shit the Nas, Jay, etc saw when they were growing up? Everyone wants to point fingers at this and that person as to who’s responsible for the condition of black america but we fail to look at ourselves!!! I can site ever line Nas ever spit since 1991, I’m 26 years old and often I’ve said that Nas’ music practically raised me and I’ve never been in trouble with the law, I’m college educated, I work on wall street and I now take care of my single mother who raised me with no dad at home. My point is that it starts at HOME!!!!!!! Where do these kids come from who beat this young boy to death??? Who are their parents??? Where did they go wrong??? So if the question is the message in Nas’ music u have to realize that Nas was 17 when he started recording Illmatic, that’s just one year older than Derrion Albert so you heard pain all through that album and he told you what was going on in his hood…..we can go on for days about the correlation between music and its direct impact on real life situations but mobster flicks and music will always be there, the source of the problem is that our parents aren’t always there! They need to be there more than all outside influences and teach like my mom did and all the good parents did.
At least he is reaching out to young people and trying to make a change. People change, things happen in life that give them a new insight on what is important. Let the man say what he feels like saying and do not hold something he did in his past against him. He is trying to reach out, let him reach, even if he only grabs one young person hand, at least he touched someones life in a positive way.
NO B.Dot in here Huh. Not ignorant enough
1-2-3
We Don’t Believe You!
Icandy says
Whatever.. hypocrisy from a rapper. SMH
and
I’ll give nas a pass on this because he’s more conscious than most but without an album or tracks to counter-act the ignorance what does he think the kids are listening to??
i say
Icandy is a clown
Do you research before you try to call someone out
i wonder whats on your ipod…
[…] afternoon, Nasir stopped by Bow Wow’s second home and spoke on his letter to the youth. He also ensured that his son Knight wont succumb to the streets when he gets […]
[…] afternoon, Nasir stopped by Bow Wow’s second home and spoke on his letter to the youth. He also ensured that his son Knight wont succumb to the streets when he gets […]
Nas is the man.