Nas - Nas Is Like (dirty) -

: Critics point to lines like "Nas is like, Iron Mike, Before the Christ after the death" as some of the most complex poetry in the genre.

: Premier chopped the sample into three parts and layered it with bird chirps and a heavy, boom-bap drum sequence. Nas - Nas Is Like (Dirty)

Lyrically, the song is a "lush litany of hip-hop braggadocio" where Nas defines his persona through a barrage of vivid metaphors and similes. : Critics point to lines like "Nas is

: The opening lines— "Freedom or jail, clips inserted, a baby's bein' born / Same time my man is murdered" —are often cited as one of the best "movie-like" openings in rap. : The opening lines— "Freedom or jail, clips

: DJ Premier famously found the core orchestral string sample on a 10-inch Lutheran church record he was about to throw away.

: In signature Premier style, the hook consists of precise scratches of Nas’s own voice from past hits like "It Ain't Hard to Tell" and "Street Dreams," effectively letting Nas "sample himself". Lyricism: A Masterclass in Similes