When listening to Illmatic, I always await my favourite track on that album, ‘It Aint’ Hard To Tell’ with a certain excitement.
To me, it’s the moment that Nas throws social commentary out the window, jumps on the mic and shows off his lyrical prowess and clever wordplay, he rhymes within rhymes, within rhymes again. He’s hard to touch on this track, IMO.
I think the 2nd verse, is potentially my favourite. But I sway between Verse 1 & 2, at the moment I’m going with Verse One due to the introduction and lines like:
‘My mic check is life or death, breathin a sniper’s breath
I exhale the yellow smoke of buddha through righteous steps.’
But what’s yours?
Originally Posted by Nas It Ain’t Hard to Tell Verse OneThe mic is contacted, I attract clientele
My mic check is life or death, breathin a sniper’s breath
I exhale the yellow smoke of buddha through righteous steps
Deep like The Shinin’, sparkle like a diamond
Sneak a uzi on the island in my army jacket linin
Hit the Earth like a comet, invasion
Nas is like the Afrocentric Asian, half-man, half-amazin
Cause in my physical, I can express through song
Delete stress like Motrin, then extend strong
I drank Moet with Medusa, give her shotguns in hell
From the spliff that I lift and inhale, it ain’t hard to tell
Originally Posted by Nas It Ain’t Hard to Tell Verse TwoNot stories by Aesop, place your loot up, parties I shoot up
Nas, I analyze, drop a jew-el, inhale from the L
School a fool well, you feel it like braille
It ain’t hard to tell, I kick a skill like Shaquille holds a pill
Vocabulary spills I’m +Ill+
plus +Matic+, I freak beats slam it like Iron Shiek
Jam like a tech with correct techniques
So analyze me, surprise me, but can’t magmatize me
Scannin while you’re plannin ways to sabotage me
I leave em froze like her-on in your nose
Nas’ll rock well, it ain’t hard to tell
Originally Posted by Nas It Ain’t Hard to Tell Verse ThreeI’ll leave your brain stimulated, niggaz is frozen
Speak with criminal slang, begin like a violin
End like Leviathan, it’s deep well let me try again
Wisdom be leakin out my grapefruit troop
I dominate break loops, givin mics men-e-straul cycles
Street’s disciple, I rock beats that’s mega trifle
And groovy but smoother than moves by Villanova
You’re still a soldier, I’m like Sly Stone in Cobra
Packin like a rasta in the weed spot
Vocals’ll squeeze glocks, MC’s eavesdrop
Though they need not to sneak
My poetry’s deep, I never fell
Nas’s raps should be locked in a cell
It ain’t hard to tell
word i actually think the 2nd verse he flowed best on….most ppl cant tell the difference in flows between the 3 verses but the 2nd verse was def his best flow . Being as that im a lyrical guy i actually think hands down the first verse is the best but you can easily make an argument for any of the 3 being the best….thats the beauty of this track….thats the beauty of illmatic
on a sidenote has anybody ever noticed that usually on a 3 verse song the 2nd verse is typically the best verse….obviously this isnt a example of it but just listening to rather unique by az then hurt me soul by lupe got me thinkin that….its countless songs where thats the case
Interesting, I think that’s why I sometimes feel verse 2 is even better… plus I like the way he brings up Aesop in there as well as his flow as you mention, the way he breaks this down is quality:
‘Nas, I analyze, drop a jew-el, inhale from the L
School a fool well,’Definitely agree with you about his flow.
But the third verse, he checks out with one of the best lines on Illmatic,
My poetry’s deep, I never fell
Nas’s raps should be locked in a cell
It ain’t hard to tell!Amazing track… in every way.
As for the 3 verse song, that’s a thread in itself, I sometimes find the 3rd verse to be the best, I’m unsure, I’d have to go through and listen to loads of cuts to investigate as such lol.
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