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  1. Tracks
  2. Nas
  3. The Lost Tapes
  4. Purple

TRACK

Nas

Purple

Release date: 23rd September 2002

From The Lost Tapes
Spotify
More on Nas

About This Track

Nas holds power and doubt in the same breath across 'Purple', a meditation on the weight of street authority and its human cost. The track finds him circling the paradox of the hood's devotion: those who follow him would die for him, yet they pray for his downfall. He moves through the logic of survival with precision, naming the mothers at wakes, the young men steered toward bars instead of stars, the paranoia that comes with being both loved and envied. The production sits low and sparse, letting the verses breathe. Nas builds his argument methodically, each couplet another turn of the screw. His state of mind, as he names it, is purple; the colour of bruises, of the haze between clarity and numbness. He's not celebrating the role he occupies. He's examining it, and what it costs everyone around him.

"Purple" is a track by Nas, from the album The Lost Tapes, released 23rd September 2002. Full lyrics are available below. Dork has published 2 articles about Nas.

About the Artist

Nas

Nas

Lyrics

Purple

[Intro]

Light it, uhh

Light it up, uhh

[Verse 1]

The whole city is mine, prettiest Don

I don't like the way P. Diddy did Shyne with different lawyers

Why it's mentioned in my rhymes? Fuck it

It's just an intro, hate it or love it, like it, bump it, or dump it

Write it across the stomach, spell "God's Son"

Life is like a jungle, black, it's like the habitat of Tarzan

Matter of fact, it's harder than most can imagine

Most of my niggas packed in correctional facilities

Half of them passed on, MAC strong, couple of shots

Made the ghost leave a body, now they hauntin' the block

Where they used to stand at, somebody's takin' their place

A younger man perhaps, hand slaps, can't understand that

Same walk, same talk, I wonder can that be possible?

A thug dies, another step inside his shoes

And they will hurt you, layin' low with a bottle

I'm blowin' circles, my state of mind purple

[Break]

Light it, light it, uhh

Yeah... light it up

Light it up, uh

[Verse 2]

Y'all just wanna deal with drama

Talk about niggas who've got things, y'all ready to kill his mama

Everything you into is underworld related

You sell your man out, not even your girl is sacred

You don't trust a soul, hold up, you moldin' soldiers

To pull guns quick and always look behind their shoulder

Think of how many dudes died tryna be down with you

Everybody's under six feet of ground, but you

Still standin', still roamin' through the streets, that's real

You a survivor, knowin' all the beef is ill

You got a bunch of thugs with you, even now, that's ready

Trustin' your judgment, quick to put it down, they deadly

The hood love you, but behind your back, they pray for the day

A bullet hit your heart and ambulances take you away

That ain't love, it's hate – think of all the mothers at wakes

Whose sons you killed and you ain't got a cut on your face?

Unmarked police cars roam the streets hard, the heat is God

Somebody tell these shorties reach for the stars

Instead, they tell 'em how to reach through the bars–holdin' a mirror

Lookin' down a tier in jail, makin' weapons to kill ya

Weed smoke, three tokes, nigga, pour more Henny

He sighs with eyes that seen a war too many

Cold-blooded murderers, universal

Hood to hood, blowin' smoke, state of mind is purple

[Break]

Light it up, light it up, light it up, uhh

Light it up… light it up, light it up, uhh

Uhh… uhh, uhh, light it, light it, uhh

[Verse 3]

These hot-headed youngsters always get into trouble

Reactin' before thinkin', they easily irritated

And murder's premeditated, it's a fact that we sinkin'

When we should be climbin', in a nutshell, it's just jail

Drug sales, liquor, and diamonds, niggas rewindin'

Instead of movin' forward to blow up, so what's the science?

People shoutin', police pushin' the crowd

And on the ground's a young soldier with meat hangin' out him

Am I hallucinatin' off the hazin'?

Or did I just see a nigga shoot another nigga's face in?

It's a ugly nation, cops circle the block with mug shots

Photograph pictures of suspect faces

It's usually two or three niggas who innocent

But if they lock the wrong ones up, then someone'll snitch

A divide-and-fall strategy, they aren't fair

I dig in my bag of weed that's covered with orange hair

This Color Purple'll make Whoopi give me the pussy

And Celie, Oprah and Danny Glover gots to feel me

This is how I escape the madness

Too much of anything'll hurt you, so my state of mind's all purple

Lyrics provided by LRCLIB

View full lyrics page →

Track details

From The Lost Tapes

2002
Listen
Album
The Lost Tapes
The Lost Tapes
Nas
Release year
2002
  1. —Purple
  2. —Everybody's Crazy
  3. —U Gotta Love It
  4. —Poppa Was a Playa
  5. —Fetus
  6. —Purple
    3:39
  7. —Doo Rags
    4:03
  8. —Doo Rags
  9. —No Idea’s Original
  10. —Black Zombie
  11. —Blaze a 50
  12. —My Way
  13. —Nothing Lasts Forever
  14. —Drunk by Myself

More from Nas

Albums & EPs

Magic 3
Magic 3
2023
Magic 2
Magic 2
2023
One Mic, One Gun
One Mic, One Gun
2022
Made You Look: God's Son (Live, 2002)
Made You Look: God's Son (Live, 2002)
2022
Magic
Magic
2021
It Was Written (Expanded Edition)
It Was Written (Expanded Edition)
2021

Explore

More tracks by Nas

  1. 3rd Childhood
  2. Bouquet (To The Ladies)
  3. Intro Commentary
  4. It's Time
  5. Junkie
  6. Living To Die
  7. My Story Your Story
  8. Nas speaks on AZ
  9. Nas speaks on Big L
  10. Nas speaks on De La Soul

Showing 10 of 20

If you like Nas

JAY-Z

JAY-Z

Mobb Deep

Mobb Deep

AZ

AZ

Big L

Big L

Raekwon

Raekwon

Gang Starr

Gang Starr

Credits

Production & Engineering

Writer
Hill, Inc., Nas
Producer
Hill, Inc.
Assistant Engineer
Jake Ninan, Paul Gregory
Mixing Engineer
Kevin Crouse
Recording Engineer
Kevin Crouse
READ MORE ABOUT NASREAD MORE ABOUT NASREAD MORE ABOUT NASREAD MORE ABOUT NAS
READ MORE ABOUT NASREAD MORE ABOUT NASREAD MORE ABOUT NASREAD MORE ABOUT NAS
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