Nas- "I can" Lyrics

[DJ Timmy Richardson]

[Kids]
I know I can (I know I can)
Be what I wanna be (be what I wanna be)
If I work hard at it (If I work hard it)
I'll be where I wanna be (I'll be where I wanna be)

[Nas]
Be, B-Boys and girls, listen up
You can be anything in the world, in God we trust
An architect, doctor, maybe an actress
But nothing comes easy it takes much practice
Like, I met a woman who's becoming a star
She was very beautiful, leaving people in awe
Singing songs, Lena Horne, but the younger version
Hung with the wrong person
Gotta astrung when I heard when
Cocaine, sniffing up drugs, all in her nose
Coulda died, so young, now looks ugly and old
No fun cause when she reaches for hugs people hold they breath
Cause she smells of corrosion and death
Watch the company you keep and the crowd you bring
Cause they came to do drugs and you came to sing
So if you gonna be the best, I'ma tell you how

[Chorus - 2x (Nas and Kids)]
I know I can (I know I can)
Be what I wanna be (be what I wanna be)
If I work hard at it (If I work hard it)
I'll be where I wanna be (I'll be where I wanna be)

[Nas]
Be, B-Boys and girls, listen again
This is for grown looking girls who's only ten
The ones who watch videos and do what they see
As cute as can be, up in the club with fake ID
Careful, 'fore you meet a man with HIV
You can host the TV like Oprah Winfrey
Whatever you decide, be careful, some men be
Rapists, so act your age, don't pretend to be
Older than you are, give yourself time to grow
You thinking he can give you wealth, but so
Young boys, you can use a lot of help, you know
You thinkin life's all about smokin weed and ice
You don't wanna be my age and can't read and write
Begging different women for a place to sleep at night
Smart boys turn to men and do whatever they wish
If you believe you can achieve, then say it like this

[Chorus]

[Kids]
I know I can (I know I can)
Be what I wanna be (be what I wanna be)
If I work hard at it (If I work hard it)
I'll be where I wanna be (I'll be where I wanna be)

[Nas]
Be, B-Boys and girls, listen up
You can be anything in the world, in God we trust
An architect, doctor, maybe an actress
But nothing comes easy it takes much practice
Like, I met a woman who's becoming a star
She was very beautiful, leaving people in awe
Singing songs, Lena Horne, but the younger version
Hung with the wrong person
Gotta astrung when I heard when
Cocaine, sniffing up drugs, all in her nose
Coulda died, so young, no looks ugly and old
No fun cause when she reaches for hugs people hold they breath
Cause she smells of corrosion and death
Watch the company you keep and the crowd you bring
Cause they came to do drugs and you came to sing
So if you gonna be the best, I'ma tell you how

[Chorus - 2x (Nas and Kids)]
I know I can (I know I can)
Be what I wanna be (be what I wanna be)
If I work hard at it (If I work hard it)
I'll be where I wanna be (I'll be where I wanna be)

[Nas]
Be, B-Boys and girls, listen again
This is for grown looking girls who's only ten
The ones who watch videos and do what they see
As cute as can be, up in the club with fake ID
Careful, 'fore you meet a man with HIV
You can host the TV like Oprah Winfrey
Whatever you decide, be careful, some men be
Rapists, so act your age, don't pretend to be
Older than you are, give yourself time to grow
You thinking he can give you wealth, but so
Young boys, you can use a lot of help, you know
You thinkin life's all about smokin weed and ice
You don't wanna be my age and can't read and right
Begging different women for a place to sleep at night
Smart boys turn to men and do whatever they wish
If you believe you can achieve, then say it like this

[Chorus]

[Nas]
Be, be, 'fore we came to this country
We were kings and queens, never porch monkeys
It was empires in Africa called Kush
Timbuktu, where every race came to get books
To learn from black teachers who taught Greeks and Romans
Asian Arabs and gave them gold when
Gold was converted to money it all changed
Money then became empowerment for Europeans
The Persian military invaded
They learned about the gold, the teachings and everything sacred
Africa was almost robbed naked
Slavery was money, so they began making slave ships
Egypt was the place that Alexander the Great went
He was so shocked at the mountains with black faces
Shot up they nose to impose what basically
Still goes on today, you see?
If the truth is told, the youth can grow
They learn to survive until they gain control
Nobody says you have to be gangstas, hoes
Read more learn more, change the globe
Ghetto children, do your thing
Hold your head up, little man, you're a king
Young Prince thats when you get your wedding ring
Your man is saying "She's my queen"

[Chorus]

Save the music y'all, save the music y'all
Save the music y'all, save the music y'all
Save the music

[ March 05, 2003, 06:43 AM: Message edited by: DJ Timmy Richardson ]

[Alanda Marquette from DiscoLadyLand]

I really love this rap and my girls like it too. I will print the words, my oldest wanted the words. Thank Timmy!

[Drrtynewyork]

nas is king of ny smokin.gif

[GROOVE VICTIM]

Gotta luhhh the kids!!!!!!!!

Definately something we should all listen to with our kids!!!

Peace

graemlins/thumbsup.gif

[Gojay]

Big up! Good to see a positive note in rap.

peace,
Gojay

[lola desire]

i agree that the overall message of the song is pretty positive.

one thing that's a little disturbing, has two verses about young girls/women gone astray, but only warns the boys kinda lightly in a couple of lines.

why is that? do our boys not need to be addressed too?

[The Real Dragonfly Jones]

Nas brought it back with a Slick Rick "Children's Story/Hey Young World" flow. This is what's been missing in hip-hop.

[DJ Timmy Richardson]

Originally posted by lola desire:
i agree that the overall message of the song is pretty positive.

one thing that's a little disturbing, has two verses about young girls/women gone astray, but only warns the boys kinda lightly in a couple of lines.

why is that? do our boys not need to be addressed too?Ask your hubby.....

[Djay Raare]

Nas is the King of NY. Not just to blow it out there but he's came out with the illest music i've heard strictly street hop like he say's in made you look!!! big ups to Nas......
and I know I can, be what I wanna be, If I work hard at it, Ill be were I wanna be PEACE .....
graemlins/OLA.gif graemlins/OLA.gif

[the 18th letter]

Originally posted by lola desire:
i agree that the overall message of the song is pretty positive.

one thing that's a little disturbing, has two verses about young girls/women gone astray, but only warns the boys kinda lightly in a couple of lines.

why is that? Mama's baby, poppa's maybe. In the situations of underage parents it is usually the girl who's life is put on hold to be the single parent. Usually, not always.

[Brut by Faberge]

Originally posted by rammeh:
</font><blockquote>quote:</font><hr />Originally posted by lola desire:
i agree that the overall message of the song is pretty positive.

one thing that's a little disturbing, has two verses about young girls/women gone astray, but only warns the boys kinda lightly in a couple of lines.

why is that? Mama's baby, poppa's maybe. In the situations of underage parents it is usually the girl who's life is put on hold to be the single parent. Usually, not always.</font>[/QUOTE]yeah...it's understood that many times, it is the young girl/woman who has to directly "deal" with the fact that a baby's been made since she's walking around carrying it. and warning and reaching out to girls probably addresses the issue in the immdiate...in the short-term.

clearly it is only by educating and teaching young boys and girls EQUALLY about the pitfalls of early premarital sex that the problem can be picked apart and tackled in it's totality.

when i was growing up, the traps and realities of early screwing were put out there in a way that spoke primarily to us females. "keep your legs closed...don't be a slut" "boys will be boys...they can't help it when their little things get hard" and it's obvious, despite positive intentions, that these are the same "ideas" floating around today, only not quite as polarized as they once were.

by and large, i love the lyrics to this song, and it's about time a message like this had a presence on pop radio. we gotta keep in mind though, that it's still written from a man's perspective, in a so-called man's world. and nasty nas has dropped more than a couple tunes dissin women himself.

[ultra]

Nas always drops the knowledge! Big up Nasir!

[djmarbll]

Nas is the only conscious mc that's selling records right now. He's one of the main resaons I still love hip-hop. Keep spitting the knowledge.