Nas' "NY State of Mind"
2/26/20261 hr 4 min
Why does “N.Y. State of Mind” still feel like the gold standard for hip-hop lyricism three decades later? Diallo Riddle and LUXXURY dig into Nas’ landmark track, tracing its origins from Queensbridge to Columbia Records, unpacking DJ Premier’s haunting piano sample, and exploring how a dream team of producers reshaped hip-hop forever.
Songs Discussed:
“N.Y. State Of Mind” - Nas
“Halftime” - Nas
“The Genesis” - Nas
“Professor Booty” - Beastie Boys
“Subway Theme” - DJ Grand Wizard Theodore
“Live At The Barbeque” - Main S...
Clips
Transcript preview
First 90 secondsNas· Soundbite0:00
The smooth criminal on beat breaks. Never put me in your box if your shit eats tapes. The city never He's talking about, "Don't put me in your boombox if your, if it eats cassettes."
Diallo Riddle· Host0:09
So you, there was a time when you would put a cassette in a boombox- Yeah ... and if you pushed the wrong button, it would spit out all the- [laughs] It would spit out all the cassette tape.
Luxury· Host0:16
It would eat your tape, yeah.
Diallo Riddle· Host0:16
It would eat that tape.
Luxury· Host0:17
Yeah.
Diallo Riddle· Host0:17
[record scratching] So, Luxury, today we're talking about a song from one of the greatest rappers of all time, and easily one of the most masterful storytellers hip-hop has ever seen. His poetic realism and philosophical rhymes paint a vibrant portrait of the community, and it kind of is unparalleled anywhere else in hip-hop.
Luxury· Host0:35
And the beat on this track is by one of hip-hop's greatest all-time producers, DJ Premier. Not the first time we've talked about him on the show. Probably won't be the last.
Diallo Riddle· Host0:42
No.
Luxury· Host0:42
And the sample itself is hypnotic for reasons we're gonna delve into, but in part it's because it contains a note that you rarely heard in music, in popular music I should say, at the time this song came out.
Diallo Riddle· Host0:53
Also, this song is a large part why the album got five mics in a magazine called The Source. And for those of you who don't know, you're gonna find out a little bit about The Source, and even for those who do know, you're gonna find out- [laughs] ... the story behind him getting five mics in The Source. We've got so much to unpack. We're talking One Song, and that song is New York State of Mind by Nas.
Nas· Soundbite1:13
Rappers, I monkey flip 'em with the funky rhythm I be kickin'. Musician, inflicting composition of pain. I'm like Scarface sniffin' cocaine. Holdin' it [record scratching] [upbeat music] Hey, One Song listeners.