I been revisiting Nas albums (I’m up to Hip Hop is Dead rn) and as a fan since the early years I never really counted him as a storyteller rapper. His lyrics and imagery always was top of mind when it comes to him.
Here are a few of my fav songs and verses where the god was at peak storytelling mode
Undying Love - im a big film guy, this arguably might be Nas the most cinematic of his stories
Sekou/Live Now - he strays away from the story at some points but still feel its strong enough to be up there with the others
One Love (3rd verse) - so strong they had to recreate it in Belly
Streets Disciple - being an early Nas fan you always would hear “Rest in Peace Ill Will”. On the 2nd verse of Streets Disciple he tells us a little about him I think for the first time
A couple of wholesome stories: Getting Married, War, and I Can
Poison and 2nd Childhood realism felt like a warning when unheard it as a kid. The stories told here always stuck with me.
Underrated**: UBR -** not hyperbole I don’t know another rapper that can do anything like this. The biography of one hip hops most well known luminaries. Not his song but Body in the Trunk deserves recognition**.** Nore** **isnt known for his lyrics so to hop on a track with him and spit a cohesive story was a feat itself
Poppa was a Player - telling the personal story of his father but somehow still relatable, genius writing. Criminal it was never a part of a proper album
The 2 most popular stories: I Gave You Power inspired countless rappers, telling a story from the perspective of a gun is the most creative writing across any genre. Rewind telling a story backwards is sheer genius
EDIT: Mistakenly put “One Mic” instead of “One Love”