Violet Grohl is playing a Dork's Night Out at London's 100 Club•
All Points East has revealed four days of free community events in Victoria Park•
BTS are turning London into a citywide celebration ahead of their 'ARIRANG' shows•
Steve Lacy has teamed up with SZA on new single 'is it cool?'
•
My First Time explore the urge to escape on new single 'Paris, Texas'•
deBasement have announced their new EP 'HARDBODY' and shared teaser track 'CUT THE LINE'•
Mura Masa and Ledbyher join forces on break-driven new single 'Needja'•
Beck and Sierra Ferrell have teamed up for a new version of 'Ride Lonesome'•
Baby Queen turns the spotlight on herself with new album 'I Hope You Don't Remember Me'•
Cara Delevingne has released new single 'Need It', co-written with Fiona Apple•
Empress Of has announced her new album 'Dream House', featuring Blood Orange and Cecile Believe•
Ravyn Lenae weighs up an old flame on new single 'Saturday Night'•
Cruz Beckham has announced his debut EP 'Wear & Tear'•
Brandon Flowers has 'Plans' ahead of his solo return 'Thrasher'•
Carly Rae Jepsen has dropped her new single 'On Wires' ahead of double album 'Day and Night'•
Audrey Hobert has unveiled a new video for 'Sex and the City' as she begins her headline tour•
The Dork 2025 Readers' Poll nominations are in, featuring CMAT, Turnstile, Wolf Alice, Djo, Hayley Williams and loads more•
flowerovlove has released her first-ever first Christmas track, 'wishlist'•
Mighty Hoopla and Olly Alexander have announced Trans Mission, a concert for trans solidarity•
JADE has announced a deluxe edition of her debut album, 'THAT'S SHOWBIZ BABY! THE ENCORE'•
Violet Grohl is playing a Dork's Night Out at London's 100 Club•
All Points East has revealed four days of free community events in Victoria Park•
BTS are turning London into a citywide celebration ahead of their 'ARIRANG' shows•
Steve Lacy has teamed up with SZA on new single 'is it cool?'•
My First Time explore the urge to escape on new single 'Paris, Texas'•
deBasement have announced their new EP 'HARDBODY' and shared teaser track 'CUT THE LINE'•
Mura Masa and Ledbyher join forces on break-driven new single 'Needja'•
Beck and Sierra Ferrell have teamed up for a new version of 'Ride Lonesome'•
Baby Queen turns the spotlight on herself with new album 'I Hope You Don't Remember Me'•
Cara Delevingne has released new single 'Need It', co-written with Fiona Apple•
Empress Of has announced her new album 'Dream House', featuring Blood Orange and Cecile Believe•
Ravyn Lenae weighs up an old flame on new single 'Saturday Night'•
Cruz Beckham has announced his debut EP 'Wear & Tear'•
Brandon Flowers has 'Plans' ahead of his solo return 'Thrasher'•
Carly Rae Jepsen has dropped her new single 'On Wires' ahead of double album 'Day and Night'•
Audrey Hobert has unveiled a new video for 'Sex and the City' as she begins her headline tour•
The Dork 2025 Readers' Poll nominations are in, featuring CMAT, Turnstile, Wolf Alice, Djo, Hayley Williams and loads more•
flowerovlove has released her first-ever first Christmas track, 'wishlist'•
Mighty Hoopla and Olly Alexander have announced Trans Mission, a concert for trans solidarity•
JADE has announced a deluxe edition of her debut album, 'THAT'S SHOWBIZ BABY! THE ENCORE'•
Dork
News
Features
Reviews
Magazine
Shop
Listings
Directory
Festivals
Hype-THE BEST NEW NAMES, FIRST
Upset-DORK'S HOME FOR ALL THINGS LOUD
Festival Guides-YOUR ESSENTIAL FESTIVAL COMPANION
Hype-THE BEST NEW NAMES, FIRST
Mixtape-DORK'S BEST NEW TRACKS
Play-DORK'S NEW MUSIC FRIDAY EDIT
Upset-DORK'S HOME FOR ALL THINGS LOUD
Playlist Covers
Playlist Directory
Recommender
Before Doors-LIVE SESSIONS
Music Video Directory
Down With Boring-THE DORK PODCAST
Chart Attack-UK NUMBER ONES, DISSECTED
Dork Live
Dork Radio
Live
Live 24/7
Dork Radio
Dork
Down With Boring

Join thousands of music lovers getting the best new tracks, exclusive interviews, and breaking news delivered straight to your inbox every week.

In print now

June 2026

Latest issue variants

View archive
Dork, June 2026 (Bleachers cover)

Bleachers

Dork, June 2026 (Myles Smith cover)

Myles Smith

Dork, June 2026 (Towa Bird cover)

Towa Bird

Advertise
|
Support|
About Dork|
Privacy Policy|
Genres|
Years|
Sitemap|
RSS|
Cookie settings
© 2026 The Bunker Publishing Ltd. All rights reserved.
Powered by PlaywireAdvertise on this site.
  1. Tracks
  2. Prodigy
  3. Nas & Ill Will Records Presents: QB Finest
  4. Self Conscience

TRACK

Prodigy

Self Conscience

Release date: 21st November 2000

From Nas & Ill Will Records Presents: QB Finest
Spotify
More on Prodigy

About This Track

Prodigy and Nas stage a dialogue between impulse and restraint, with Prodigy's conscience speaking back to him across five verses. The track treats the inner voice as a separate character, one that has kept him alive through years of street life, offering guidance when violence looms and counsel when survival is at stake. It's a conversation about the weight of responsibility: kids to raise, bills to pay, enemies who might strike. The conscience doesn't preach morality so much as self-preservation, asking whether the crew would feel the bullet if it found him, whether they could fix what breaks. The production samples Mike Oldfield's 'Tubular Bells (Part I)', layering a haunting piano beneath the verses. Prodigy's voice moves between the two roles without fanfare, letting the lyrical content carry the shift. The song works because it doesn't resolve the tension between the two speakers; instead it settles into a kind of mutual respect, each acknowledging what the other brings to survival.

"Self Conscience" is a track by Prodigy, from the album Nas & Ill Will Records Presents: QB Finest, released 21st November 2000. Full lyrics are available below.

About the Artist

Prodigy

Prodigy

Lyrics

Self Conscience

[Prelude: Prodigy]

Yo..

Is it ill, do it need to be fixed?

(That shit is real, dunn; and stop talkin' like your skills don't kill)

Nah, it's just that sometimes I feel like that

I can write more fouler than the last

[Verse 1: Prodigy's Conscience]

Yo, that shit is cash, trust me, dunn; I'll never lead you astray

Take my word, niggas wanna hear how you think

It be that shit that you wouldn't expect to win

That stay playin' in they decks over and again

Speak your thoughts, put your all in it

Whatever's in your mind, spit it

Place your anger on the page, release tension on the tape

A stress verse, seem to be what they most thirst

Makes fake niggas disperse, they never challenge what works

[Verse 2: Prodigy]

Balancin' the weakness, is what I specialize in

Dunn, you my nigga 'cause you keep me hype while I'm writin'

Kept me on point in the night when it might go down

Keep me eyes wide in the daytime as well

Kept me focused on what's real and nuthin' else

I find it healthy, to conversate with myself

I kick it with my delf (I kept you alive all these years)

It's that inner voice you shoulda took heed to and shit

Coulda been home instead of bleedin'

Maybe next time you'll listen when it speaks

[Verse 3: Prodigy's Conscience]

Yo, dunn, I got a story to tell

Remember last week's mission?

I told you bring the gun (Yeah, I remember) Nah, listen!

Without me, you'd be a memory

I'm the one you could come to for guidance

Bring you home alive when you wildin'

Kept you out of harm's way, told you when to spray

Told you when it's time to put it away

And when the cops came, you was safe

[Verse 4: Prodigy]

Without question, I stay aware, dunn, I'm listenin'

Everytime we speak it's real, I know your intentions

Is to make sure we both safe and livin', and breathin'

You gets all respect from me, dunn, believe it

[Verse 5: Prodigy's Conscience]

Yo, we got kids to raise and bills to pay

Enemies to lay down when they stand in our way

It's only us (What about the clique?)

Now, if you die, is they comin'?

When you shot, do they feel the bullet?

And when you broke, can they fix it?

Aight then, you keep writin'

And let me do the thinkin', I brought us this far without mistaken

[Verse 6: Nas]

Voices in my head from choices that I dreaded choosin'

Cautions I shoulda took heed, lost in my weed, steady losin'

Thug stripes, badges of honor, forced to succeed

Whores on they knees, fuckin' with millionaires, killers and thieves

I fuck until there's no feelin' where I bust and I pee

I lusted cars, but I suffered, and my scars run deep

I stay to myself, one deep, pray to my God 'cause he

Say when it's hard get on one knee, and ask Thy for forgiveness

Fuck the cash, the ice

Ferraris with two-twenty on the dash when your life ain't right

See, niggas smile up in your face and stick a knife in your back

Snake shake your hand and got his dick up in your wife back

Why's it like that? It's life, black — this is the game

The way I see it: Both bitches and niggas, is the same

I trust myself, I can't fuck myself

When hoes leave and no weed, I still know me, just myself

Fear is weakness, learn from what experience teaches

Beware of leeches, the vampires, my secrets

Never follow, 'cause most niggas is straight up cowards

Take care of my body's the temple, my mind is the power

Lyrics provided by LRCLIB

View full lyrics page →

Track details

From Nas & Ill Will Records Presents: QB Finest

2000
Listen
Album
Nas & Ill Will Records Presents: QB Finest
Nas & Ill Will Records Presents: QB Finest
Nature
Release year
2000
  1. —Fire
  2. —Find Ya Wealth
  3. —Kids in Da PJ’s
  4. —Real Niggas
  5. —Self Conscience
  6. —Street Glory
  7. —Teenage Thug
  8. —Money
  9. —Power Rap (Freestyle Interlude)
  10. —Intro
  11. —Our Way

More from Prodigy

Albums & EPs

Young Rollin Stonerz
2014
H.N.I.C
H.N.I.C
Return Of The Mac
Return Of The Mac

Explore

More tracks by Prodigy

  1. Hot Wheels
  2. Next Level
  3. 3 Stacks
  4. Angel
  5. As If
  6. Beast With It
  7. Blacc Panther
  8. Bless You
  9. Broken Apple
  10. Broken Rappers

Showing 10 of 50

If you like Prodigy

Mobb Deep

Mobb Deep

Cormega

AZ

AZ

Capone-N-Noreaga

Capone-N-Noreaga

Styles P

Styles P

Roc Marciano

Roc Marciano

Credits

Production & Engineering

Writer
Jugrnaut, Mike “Trauma” D, Nas, Prodigy
Producer
Infinite Arkatechz, Jugrnaut, Mike “Trauma” D
Executive Producer
Big Horse Vernon Bully, Ill Will Records, L.E.S., Nas
Mastering Engineer
Chris Gehringer
Mixing Engineer
Kevin Crouse
READ MORE ABOUT PRODIGYREAD MORE ABOUT PRODIGY
READ MORE ABOUT PRODIGYREAD MORE ABOUT PRODIGY

No coverage available for Prodigy yet.