Ten years ago, Nas put out the album Stillmatic. Is it his best work? Well, that’s a personal call. Does it posses the greatest song he’s ever written? Of course. There’s a song on this album, that when I first heard it- I couldn’t believe what I was hearing. I didn’t think anything this raw could exist. It has evoked so much imagery and feelings, even someone who hates hip hop would love this song.

One Mic, in my mind, is the best track Nas has ever recorded. I know a lot of rappers get a lot of shit for being accused of being like this, and like that. Listen to One Mic and you’ll get what Nas is about. His way with words on this track is just stunning. The way the track builds and builds grips you so tightly, you feel your frustration and eagerness boil over with him. The tension is so great, you feel it too. You feel every single word. There’s no way you actually couldn’t- unless you are made of stone and uneducated.

This isn’t a comparison because you cannot compare the two, but like Tupac; Nas is a true poet. There aren’t many of them about in Hip Hop anymore.

One Mic is a work of art. It’s a film in song form, there is so much going on. It is a whirlwind of sheer intensity. There’s anger, love, tension, violence within the song. The song empowers you in a way that no other can. So many turn to break-up songs for empowerment, why? Why would you do that? It’s shallow. You don’t need a song to tell you that you are better off without another. You should know that instinctively. With One Mic, you feel like you can take on the world, that you are unstoppable. That feeling is far greater than realising you are better off without another person. Sadly, not many see this. Oh well.

My favourite piece of imagery in the song comes in the first verse, “One knee I ducked, could it be my time is up. But my luck, I got up, the cop shot again. Bus stop glass bursts, a fiend drops his Heineken. Ricocheting between the spots that I’m hidin’ in. Blackin’ out as I shoot back, fuck getting’ hit!” This dear reader is utterly powerful.  You can picture all of this in your mind. You can picture Nas or whoever ducking down as shots are being fired. You can sense the panic he is feeling- then the relief comes when you know he’s alright. You can see the bullets hitting the glass pane on a bus stop, and a drunkard dropping their beer on the ground in shock. It’s such fantastic imagery but sadly- happens every single day. But does anyone raise awareness and report on it? No, they don’t. They ignore it. Well done Society, I hope you’re fucking proud.

The second verse is full of religious imagery, and as someone who isn’t religious it isn’t my place to say anything on it. If you’re religious, you’ll feel what Nas is saying in your gut. If you’re not religious, you can somewhat understand how much it means to Nas and how powerful it is.

The last verse, for me, is the greatest. It’s just the best thing Nas has written. Certain lines means a lot to, certain lines just make you feel so much. I don’t get how anyone could hear this and not be moved in any way at all; it’s just so bloody powerful.

“What I stand for speaks for itself.” Something so simple is just so powerful. He doesn’t need to justify himself, all he says and does sums that up. That’s how it should be, always. One should never ever feel the need to justify themselves. Go against what is expected of you. Fuck what anyone tells you to do, be your own person and grow a backbone. You have to; it’s the only way to survive. I love that line so much. It’s so dominating.

“What you call an infinite brawl, eternal souls clashing. War gets deep, some beef is everlasting. Complete with thick scars, brothers knifing each other up in prison yards, drama, where does it start?” Favourite part of the song, no doubt. I love “eternal souls clashing” there’s something about those three words that have some hold over you like nothing else in the song.

It’s quite simply one of the greatest Hip Hop songs ever written. Now, Hip Hop has been around for quite some time and yes there have been some amazing tracks- but there is nothing of this calibre. Obviously I’d always favour a Tupac or Eric B & Rakim track, but One Mic is on a completely different level. The way it builds and builds, the sound effects, the Phil Collins sample- everything about this track is mind-blowing. The video captures every single detail in a way that you may not get in the song. It’s total brilliance and I’m not entirely sure if anything has been as inspiring since.