Album Intro [It Was Written]

Hey Nas, hey, hey, boy
You see what they done did to Jimmy and Lee?

Mmm-hmm, damn, man

I can't take it, man

Sho' can't

You think this is gon' ever change?

Man, damn, this place, man
Damn these chains, these damn chitlins every damn night

This cotton

Shit

I can't take it, man

Harriett done left the night befo'
It's time we go
Ain't no place for black folk here
Man, promise land callin' me, man

It's callin' me too

It's time we go

Yeah, I'm with you

Ayy, man, ayy, damn these chains, man
Damn you, master, you ain't my master, man

You ain't nothin', you ain't nothin'

Ayy, Randy, Randy, get the dogs
Get the hounds, we gonna have ourselves a hangin' tonight

1996 (yeah, dunn, what the deal, nigga?)
Back up in this nigga (haha, 199-)
The right way, though, you know?

(Double-tre son, you know ain't nothin' coincidental or accidental, dunn)

No doubt

(You know how it's goin' down, man)

It was all written

(No question, I'm sayin', man, I mean, how we playin', man?
You know what I'm sayin'? They dealt us in, son
They playin' with a 54 deck, you see with the
Jokers in and everything, you know what I'm saying?)

Son, I'm playin' with the 52

(You wanna stress on how I used to play, that's how I play)

But, yo, they takin' us into this next millennium, right now

(I'm sayin' law, you know what I'm sayin'? We gotta lay the law
'Cause without law ain't no order, you know what I'm sayin'?
That's why these cats are slippin' through
You know what I'm sayin'? They got the rules missin', though)

True

(Word up, though, you know what I mean?)

Son, these niggas look faker than the new hundred dollars, son

(Yeah, you see that they look Monopoly money, right?)

Word, with the big ass face on it

(Yo, what I'm sayin', we see through all that, though
You know what I'm sayin'?)

No question

(All eyes seein', son, you know it was written, no question)

Yo, no doubt
In the Qu'ran it says Nas, the men
Nesa's the woman, you know? It was written