THROW BACK : NAS – I GAVE YOU POWER

ISSA THROWBACK


“I Gave You Power” is a 1996 classic jazz fusion-styled song on Nas’s second album It Was Written. It is considered a standout song, one of Nas’ greatest hits like if anybody ever said Nas ain’t hip hop again (CC Lonzo Ball) tell them to Listen to “I Gave You Power”, this song turn J cole’s Hip hop life around you can ask him, and it will forever remain a classic Hip hop song.

“I Gave You Power” is Nas poetry and story telling at it finest, seen hip hop heads interpret this song in so many version an it just amazing that a rap son can be so extra–ordinary. You can say the song simply means as title of the song, “I Gave You Power, suggests that with out him, the gun, you are nothing in the street. This could also apply to the world level, where countries with more might(weapons) has more power. Like the nuclear Weapons giving the United States and her freaky counterparts power.

And another interpretation here is that Nas gave that Gun a life and made it similar to a human being. To see this, you have to look at the subtleties throughout the entire song.

In the first verse, the gun is a child. He was created as a gun and he really doesn’t care. He simply does when the owner says. An example is when Nas says “Been in the hands of mad thugs.” He’s passed around, traded, and sold by everyone, but does whatever they say, similar to how a child usually listens to an adult without question. They simply know that they’re older, so they have authority. This is further proved when Nas goes to say “makin me kill but what I feel it never mattered.” It’s rare and basically unheard of for an adult to ask a child for their opinion. Nas concludes this thought with the last line in the 1st verse. “so I beg for my next owner to be a thoroughbred. Keep me full up with hollow heads” The final mind state of a child is that they don’t care. Most of the time, if you tell them to do something, they’ll do it. They aren’t going to stop and consider consequences. Nas was created to kill, and that’s what he wants to do, no questions asked. “When I’m empty I’m quiet, finding myself fiending to be fired.”

In the 2nd verse, he compares his own body to a gun, furthering the idea of him being the actual gun. This is also seen as the time of adolescence. During this time when a person’s sexuality starts to develop, they go through a point where they start to explore their own body, which is what Nas is doing. Also, he’s starting to see the world for what it is, creating his own perception, which is seen when he says “Results of what happens to ni%%as shock me.” He is also realizing the consequences of his actions.“I’ve been used in robberies, givin ni^^as heart to follow me. Placin peoples in graves, funerals made cause I was sprayed.” Finally realizing what he’s actually doing. However, once again, the biggest proof comes, once again, from the last line. “But yo I had some other plans, like the next time the beef is on, I make myself jam right in my owner’s hand” In the end, he still doesn’t care. He knows what he’s doing, but he’s simply pushing it off. He shows no sign of remorse or sympathy because he’s young and reckless. He plans on jamming in his owner’s hand as an act of defiance. it’s His way of saying he has the power in the relationship, and they can’t force him to do anything, the type of rebellion constantly seen during the teenage years.



In the final verse, He’s an adult now. He’s grown, he’s learned. He’s spending time with the other objects in the drawer. There is one part that simply proves that he has grown into an adult. “He pulled the trigger but I held on, it felt wrong, Knowing ni%%as is waiting in hell for ‘im. He squeezed harder, I didn’t budge, sick of the blood, Sick of the thugs, sick of wrath of the next man’s grudge.” In the end, he purposely jams, but his reasoning behind it has changed. Before, he wanted to jam just to teach his owner a lesson, but now, he jams because he has grown and he doesn’t want to go around killing people. He has finally learned the consequences of his actions and has built a moral stance on it. He’s tired of these children games and understands that it’s wrong, but he sees the other guy pull out a gun. One that’s just like him and knows no better. And it has no problem killing his owner. In the end, Cop’s start coming and he glad because he’s going to be taken away out of this lifestyle, but before they can come, he’s picked up and another person, doomed to continue on in this game and eventually reach the old age that tech he speaks about has reached, when he’s tired and miserable.

In an interview with Hiphopdx fellow New york rapper 50 cent Said

“I think it was It Was Written, Nas’ second album, he had a song where he was the gun. And it was one of those things that had a strong impression on Hip Hop culture at that point because it was a song that was like ‘wow.’ It had good metaphors, it was strong, and it gave you a visual. And he’s one of the great storytellers within Hip Hop music culture.”

“I Gave You Power” was beautifully perfected to tell an amazingly poetic story.

Check it out and download

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