N con state of mind a song simply by nas ...

Literary Products, Song

NY Frame of mind Literary Analysis

Even though it was released in 1994, Nasir Jones’ (better known by simply his level name – Nas) Illmatic is still considered one of the best and most influential hip hop albums of them all. The starting track off his debut album, NY State of Mind, is one of the most intricate tunes ever registered, every single term was chosen for a reason. I admire Nas because he came up from children growing up in the ghettos of New You are able to, to being a hip hop story. I enjoy most of Nas’ tracks, as I just like his sights and his flow, but I selected to analyze NY State of Mind as a result of history behind it, the legacy that it leaves on hip hop, and the sophisticated lyrics that it contains. NYC State of Mind is one of the deepest tunes that I tune in to consistently.

In NY State of Mind, Em uses his imagery skills to color a picture of his town. Using this images, he shows us the struggles of living in a great urban area, struck by simply violence and poverty, in this case, Queensbridge. Nas highlights the increasingly hazardous streets he lives in, saying anybody “without guns will be goners”. Following Nas gives his firsthand account of living in A queen, we can start understand the further meaning to this song. In NY Way of thinking, Nas represents a critical perspective of New You are able to. Nas would not agree with the ‘thug lifestyle’ that has become a favourite in his hometown. As Em states, New York “ain’t the same” and he must have a ‘New York state of mind’ or person to be extremely aware and cautious with the impending threat that is out there all around him.

Various literary devices are used in NY Way of thinking. Nas repeats several times throughout the song “I never sleep, because sleeping is the aunty of death”. This is a metaphor. Nas does not mean that he actually never sleeps, but rather that he is constantly alert in order that he will certainly not be a fairly easy target for being robbed or perhaps killed. An additional literary unit Nas uses in BIG APPLE State of Mind can be symbolism. When ever Nas hip hop “bullet openings left inside my peepholes”, he’s using the bullet holes like a symbol intended for the constant danger, even intended for innocent bystanders in his neighborhood. Nas uses personification to higher explain his city when he says “this city by no means sleeps”. This individual gives the city of New York your characteristic of sleeping. Nas uses a simile in the second verse when he says that they are” placed like hostages”. He compares him great friends becoming arrested by police to hostages. The last literary unit Nas applied comes towards the ending from the song when he alludes to Michael Jackson’s Smooth Legal in the collection “the easy criminal upon beat breaks”.

NY State of Mind is a very deep track with a large amount of history, and lots of literary gadgets. It is no surprise why it may be an anthem for people moving into the ghettos of New You are able to, as well as the standard for additional hip hop songs.