VA

“Face to face with my omens I never ran” - Store Run

Kings Disease II dropped on a Friday. I remember this because I take my Friday walks very seriously. I cut through the new-builds onto the main road, pick up my coffee, stay in the park for a few minutes and then take the scenic route back home. It’s not as regimented as it sounds but it is clockwork. So when Nasir Olu Dara Bin Jones’ fourteenth studio album dropped on the 6th August 2021, I was tapped in. I always have a sound in my rotation (courtesy of Spotify) which usually fluctuates between mellow bars, upbeat Gospel or cheesy pop. For the next few weeks, there would be no rotation. It would simply be the lyrics of Nas on constant repeat. And in hindsight, I’m all the better for it.

“All I need is one mic (that's all I ever needed in this world, fuck cash)

All I need is one mic (fuck the cars, the jewellery,

All I need is one mic (spread my voice to the whole world)” - One Mic

When Nas ends One Mic, the seminal song on his fifth studio album Stillmatic, he ruminates on his current status and makes a powerful declaration. This line runs deep for me because I started listening to Nas’ music at a significant moment in my life. I recently turned 26 and for the best part of 3 years, I’ve been going through an emotional and mental shift. I’ve been resting, journaling and being gentle with myself. I’ve been more introspective and trying to reflect this shift in myself, my relationships and my endeavours.

From the time I spent with my brothers in New York, I loved the way they would make an assessment on the thoroughness of a brother. Their accents would wheel off the response as a charge of integrity: “Yeah I know him, he’s thorough”; in other words, he is who he says he is. This is an important verification especially when the wrong assessment can potentially lead to life-altering situations. For brothers and sisters that have come from the other sides of the track, our main goal has been to achieve financial security. To hear Nas (arguably while at one of his many peaks) put this aside and assert that his goal was to share his gift to the entire world changed my disposition to how I saw all my plays. The vanity metrics slowly prove themselves more meaningless while the impact compounds. Bread is nice but purpose is better.

The older I get the more I appreciate what Nas did with One Mic. Can you stand in integrity as yourself and be proud of who you are. Forget the money, cars and jewellery. Away from the glitter and noise; are you at peace with yourself?

I had heard of Nas in passing. I really began to be drawn to Nas, not from his music but when I heard of his feats as a venture investor in early 2017. I was drawn to his ability to capture and leverage his social capital as an iconic Hip Hop artist. His debut album Illmatic, which he dropped at 20 years old is considered by many to be the greatest album in Hip Hop history. His sharp, honest and piercing reveal of life as a young black American navigating the Queensbridge projects resonated with everyone who put it on the wax, pushed the CD or turned on the radio. It was real. Word was bond and that bond stretched beyond the stairwells of his projects buildings. It stretched to the townships in South Africa, it stretched to the favelas in Rio and it stretched to the American suburbs in California where a young computer scientist had just joined Netscape as an upcoming product manager.

After rising through the ranks of Netscape and having a stint at AOL, Ben Horowitz would begin a series of profitable entrepreneurial pursuits with Marc Andreessen. The two would then launch the renowned VC: Andreessen Horowitz. On the surface, it could seem quite confusing to understand why Ben Horowitz would resonate with Nas when you look loosely at their backgrounds you can see that they come from two totally different backgrounds. The magic is in the authenticity of Nas’ story. Horowitz labels Nas the “greatest storyteller of our generation.”It is in the DNA of a good venture capitalist to understand, perceive and tell stories. To embrace narratives and to make assessments on what they believe the future will look like. So when the kid from the Queensbridge Projects tells the different boroughs in New York that the world is theirs; he makes a profound assessment of what their future will look like. Providing not only them but also us with the hope that we will embrace a more inclusive and equitable world. It’s these stories that resonate with Ben Horowitz. It’s Nas’ confidence to stand from his vantage point and to honestly, authentically and confidently tell his story. When doing the press run for his book The Hard Things About Things, Horowitz said the number one reason readers had given him for why they liked his book came from a lesson he took from Nas: “be exceedingly honest”.

“I’m contemplating at the home base

How I’m used to breakfast in the ghetto sippin’ OJ

That’s a picture right there, a moment in time

Before anybody wanted a photo of mine

Before the internet energy and social decline

Destroyed the vibe, foolin’ us with the headlines” - Nobody

As the years roll by and we navigate adulthood and its complexities, there are moments that strike you as the purest. The moments without blemishes that make your heart leap and put your soul at peace. I’ve had some great experiences over the past few years, but the ones that give me the greatest sense of joy are the parked car conversations scheming of a life filled with our dreams, late-night revision sessions reminiscing over the funny antics that had taken place in school earlier that day and impromptu karaoke sessions with my sisters. I hold those moments extremely dear to me. Times were simple, or at least they seemed more simple now. Today is a blessing and I’m extremely grateful for it but there will always be a special place in my heart for the moments shared with the people I care about deeply. In some ways that’s a beautiful expression of life; the moments that in hindsight are most dear to us in retrospect were relatively simple. That’s a picture right there, a moment in time. A moment to cherish. A moment to always remember.

“Me and my higher self, we often would speak

Somehow we lost the connection, might meet at Joshua Tree” - Nobody

One of the questions I ask brothers whenever I meet them is what’s the level of their self-talk? What tone do you approach when engaging with yourself? This is an important question to ask because your self-talk determines so many outcomes for you. Your thoughts provide a canvas on which you can write the story of your life. For so long we are taught to embrace a survival mindset in which we are constantly badgering ourselves to do better - we’re critical of everything we do which keeps us in an unhealthy dynamic of self-inflicted pain. We convince ourselves that we have to be tough with ourselves because the world is tough. We fail to understand the balance required in pushing ourselves to be more whilst nurturing a love for who currently are. I’ve been journaling for about 8 years now and it provides a cathartic opportunity to introspectively assess how I’m doing. Some days it’s a few lines and other days it’s a number of pages. I’ve learnt that while quantity helps to provide some useful data points, the effectiveness of journaling largely lies in the consistency of practice. Providing the space to consistently check in with myself has over the years provided me with a safe outlet to reminiscence, grieve and celebrate. It’s been an important method for me to maintain balance within myself to navigate life, whilst never losing the spirited beauty of living.

Nas’ line on Nobody metaphorically describing the decision to check in on himself resonates. The Joshua tree (Yucca Brevifolia) has beautiful meaning both in its macro understanding and its micro understanding. From the macro, the Yucca brevifolia serves as an example of resilience and strength demonstrated by the way that it is able to survive harsh environments. Like many other desert flora, the Yucca Brevifolia has a deep and extensive root system and if able to survive the rigours of the desert, it can live for hundreds of years with some specimens able to survive a thousand years. On a more micro level, the Joshua Tree is native to the Southwestern United States. For the people native to the area it is a reminder that they are home. It’s known across the world but will always belong to them.

“Second chapter and you get what you give

It’s power in how you live, I sit and talk with the kids

And tell ‘em just how it is, go straight to avoid the bids

Livin’ fast can wait, stay down and work on your grades

Speak gospel for the next generation

You can have it all, just don’t side with Satan

I have seen that take down most of the greatest” - My Bible‍

In a world where we receive instant messages, next day delivery and access to all the information in the world on demand - delayed gratification can seem like an alien concept. However, delaying your gratification in a world obsessed with immediacy is important. The ability to trust the process while simultaneously seizing the day will prove to be a net positive for those who stay the course.

“I deserve the threads in my closet

Big boy deposits, Nike shares and stock tips

Catching up with those who had a head start

Used to get eviction notices that had a red mark” - Nas is Good

One of the most important realisations for me last year was the importance of accepting who you are in your entirety. In a dinner table conversation with Oprah, Toni Morrison was asked where she gained her profound knowledge of self from - she replied; “well I have to admit that I’m very comfortable with my flaws and I’m very comfortable with my gifts.” In Nas Is Good I get the same sentiment when he says; “I deserve the threads in my closet / Big boy deposits, Nike shares and stock tips”. This line is more than flexing. It’s an affirmation to himself for himself. It’s a reminder that the Presidents he sought to represent him back when he was a teenager have done exactly that as a byproduct of his respect for the process. As a black man, this is particularly profound. All it takes is a quick look on social media to see people branding you as undeserving and Nas stands above the noise - elevated like a king who has more important affairs to manage. The opinions of people who have limited insight into you shouldn’t matter more than the thoughts you have about yourself. This requires a level of personal vulnerability that a lot of us would admit we haven’t developed yet. However, this personal relationship is vital for our esteem and confidence. Are you able to look yourself in the mirror and say you like the person staring back at you, that you are inspired by his strength and resolve or that his confidence is admirable? Nas’ confidence looks both innate and cultivated. Innate from the strong background his family and Queensbridge provided him with but was also cultivated personally as he put his feet forward to learn about himself and his history, to embrace new opportunities and to learn from mistakes.

I’m back in the park and listening to Nas speak about the love he has for the place he came from and his ability to wear jewellery in the place that raised him. “Pull up with all of my jewels on and Nas is good.” For people with proximity to the projects and council estates, we know exactly what this means. It’s a luxury reserved for those who manage to navigate their way while still keeping respect and honour for where they came from. It’s the gift you receive for never forgetting where you took your first steps and made your first moves. It’s the reward for staying true to your gift, shunning vanity and pursuing impact for the people dealt a bad hand in society. I’m making my way back home with the album coming to an end leaving me introspective. How am I going to use my position and resources to assist people that look like me, the people that are from where I’m from, the people who helped me to hone my gift before the world took notice?

“It’s Nas ‘till I’m gone, give my all, give ‘em more” - The Pressure

The name Nasir is an Arabic name that means "helper" or "one who gives victory" and for so many of us, his words have done exactly that. His songs have provided the tempo and cadence for our own stories. Every bar encouraged us to raise the bar in our own endeavours. For kids coming from the other side of the tracks - he’s a blueprint. From sitting on the benches in the projects to sitting on cap tables. From Queensbridge Houses to Queensbridge Ventures. From Life’s a B**** to Life is a Bible. You’re representing for all of us, more power to you Uncle Esco.

“Yo, I woke up this morning  

Had to pray to God and thank Him ‘cause I made it this far

I kept it me, Ima stay me no matter what

No matter who change up Ima try to get ‘em to see the right path

‘Cause I think I’m on the right path” - My Bible

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