It Ain't Hard to Tell

Nas

About It Ain't Hard to Tell

"It Ain't Hard to Tell" is the second single and last track from American rapper Nas' debut album Illmatic. Although the track was technically the second single on the album, it was the first single to be released after the album was pressed in 1994. The first single, "Halftime," was released two years prior to Illmatic's debut. "It Ain't Hard to Tell" was produced by Large Professor, and samples Michael Jackson's 1983 hit single "Human Nature", "N. T." by Kool & the Gang, "Long Red" by Mountain & "Slow Dance" by Stanley Clarke. The single reached #91 on the Billboard Hot 100 chart. In 1991, Nas recorded a demo tape for Columbia Records, featuring the original version of "It Ain't Hard to Tell" named "Nas Will Prevail". This version is roughly 90 seconds longer, includes longer different verses, and has a more subdued, jazzier beat close to the album version. Pitchfork Media's included the song at number 28 on their Top 200 Tracks of the 90s. 


Year:
1994
3:22
1,059 
#6

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It ain't hard to tell, I excel, then prevail
The mic is contacted, I attract clientele
My mic check is life or death, breathing a sniper's death
I exhale the yellow smoke of buddha through righteous steps
Deep like The Shinin', sparkle like a diamond
Sneak a uzi on the island in my army jacket lining
Hit the Earth like a comet, invasion
Nas is like the Afrocentric Asian, half-man, half-amazing
Cause in my physical, I can express through song
Delete stress like Motrin, then extend strong
I drank Moet with Medusa, give her shotguns in hell
From the spliff that I lift and inhale, it ain't hard to tell

The buddha monk's in your trunk, turn the bass up
Nas, stories by Aesop, place your loot up, parties I shoot up
Nas, I analyze, drop a Jewel
Inhale from the L, school a fool well, you feel it like braille
It ain't hard to tell, I kick the skill like Shaquille holds a pill
Vocabulary spills I'm Ill
Plus Matic, I freak beats slam it like Iron Shiek
Jam like a tech with correct techniques
So analyze me, surprise me, but can't magnetize me
Scanning while you're planning ways to sabotage me
I leave em froze like her-on in your nose
Nas'll rock well, it ain't hard to tell

This rhythmatic explosion, is what your frame of mind has chosen
I'll leave your brain stimulated, niggas is frozen
Speak with criminal slang, begin like a violin
End like Leviathan, it's deep well let me try again
Wisdom be leaking out my grapefruit troop
I dominate break loops, giving mics men-e-straul cycles
Street's disciple, I rock beats that's mega trifle
And groovy but smoother than moves by Villanova
Yet still a soldier, I'm like Sly Stallone in Cobra
Packing like a rasta in the weed spot
Vocals'll squeeze glocks, MC's eavesdrop
Though they need not to sneak
My poetry's deep, I never fell
Nas's raps should be locked in a cell
It ain't hard to tell

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Nas

Nasir bin Olu Dara Jones ( /nɑːˈsɪər/; born September 14, 1973), better known mononymously as Nas ( /ˈnɑːz/), is an American rapper and actor. He is also the son of jazz musician Olu Dara. Nas has released eight consecutive platinum and multi-platinum albums since 1994, four of which topped the Billboard charts upon release and has sold over thirteen-million records in the United States alone. Nas was also part of the hip hop supergroup The Firm, which released one album under Dr. Dre's record label Aftermath. Aside from rapping, Nas is also an occasional actor and has appeared in feature films such as Hype Williams' directorial debut Belly, Ticker and In Too Deep and the television show Hawaii Five-0. more »

4 fans

Written by: John Bettis, Gene Redd, Roy Handy, Cleveland Horne, Robert Bell, Ronald Nathan Bell, Robert Mickens, Dennis Thomas, Richard Westfield, George Brown, Claydes Smith, Steven M. Porcaro, William Paul Mitchell, Nasir Jones

Lyrics © Universal Music Publishing Group, Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC, Warner Chappell Music, Inc.

Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind


10 facts about this song

Album Placement
"It Ain't Hard to Tell" is the final (10th) track on Nas' debut album, 'Illmatic,' released on April 19, 1994.
Genre
The song falls under the genre of East Coast Hip Hop, a style of hip hop music that originated in New York City during the 1970s.
Samples
The track heavily samples Michael Jackson's 1983 hit, "Human Nature." It also samples "N.T." by Kool & The Gang and "Slow Dance" by Stanley Clarke.
Peak Position
The song peaked at number 91 on the Billboard Hot 100 chart, number 17 on the Hot Rap Singles chart, and number 76 on the Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs chart.
Producer
The song was produced by Large Professor, a well-known American hip hop producer from New York City.
Lyrics
In the song, Nas raps about his rapping skills, and it includes one of his most quoted lyric, "I rap in front of more n****s than in the slave ships."
Music Video
The music video shows Nas rapping in various locations in Queensbridge, New York, reflecting his roots and upbringing in that area.
Critical Acclaim
"It Ain't Hard to Tell" is widely regarded as a classic hip hop song, and it received substantial praise from music critics for Nas' lyricism.
Song's Influence
The song served a milestone in East Coast Hip Hop, matching lyrical complexity with raw street narratives.
Legacy
"It Ain't Hard to Tell" helped establish Nas as one of the most promising up-and-coming artists in hip-hop during the mid-90s, and it continues to be praised as one of his best songs.

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    "It Ain't Hard to Tell Lyrics." Lyrics.com. STANDS4 LLC, 2024. Web. 19 Mar. 2024. <https://www.lyrics.com/lyric/1935560/Nas/It+Ain%27t+Hard+to+Tell>.

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    It Ain't Hard to Tell

    6.9M
    65,667     1,467

    Top Hot 100 Songs 1994

    Billboard #91


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