Nasty (Nas song)

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"Nasty"
Nas nasty cover.jpg
Single by Nas
from the album Life Is Good
ReleasedAugust 9, 2011
Recorded2011; Instrument Zoo Studios (Miami, Florida)
GenreHip hop
Length3:04
LabelDef Jam
Songwriter(s)Nasir Jones, Salaam Gibbs
Producer(s)Salaam Remi
Nas singles chronology
"Ghetto Dreams"
(2011) 		"Nasty"
(2011) 		"The Don"
(2012)

"Nasty" is a song by American rapper Nas. The song, released via iTunes on August 9, 2011, is the first single from his eleventh studio album Life Is Good.[2][3] The song is produced by Nas's long-time producer and frequent collaborator Salaam Remi. The song was listed at #37 on Rolling Stone Magazine's "50 Best Singles of 2011", and was also named as the best hip-hop song of 2011 by Rap Genius.[4][5] The song was later featured on the soundtrack to the 2012 film Project X. It was also featured in the video game "The Crew".

Recording[]

"Nasty" was written by Nasir Jones and Salaam Gibbs, and produced by the latter under his production name Salaam Remi.[6] Gibbs provided and arranged the use of many of the instruments making up the song's instrumentation, including bass instruments, keys, guitars and drums.[6] The song was recorded by Gleyder Disla at Instrument Zoo Studios—a recording studio in Miami, Florida.[6] It was mixed by Manny Marroquin, Chris Galland and Erik Madrid at Larrabee Studios, Universal City in California.[6] Additional vocals were provided by disc jockey Big Kap, although his vocals are uncredited.[6] "Nasty" was mastered by Chris Gehringer at Sterling Sound, New York City.[6]

Composition[]

"Nasty" is a hip hop song of three minutes and four seconds in length.[7] The song is backed by a "minimal", boom bap orientated production, with guitars and drums interspersed throughout.[1][8] Unlike many modern hip hop songs, "Nasty" maintains a simple construction throughout: according to Rob Markman of MTV News, the song consists of nothing more than "hard rhymes over an infectious loop".[9] Evoking many of the "infamous park jams" held in the Queensbridge district of New York City in the 1980s, a disc jockey can be heard shouting "Are y'all ready to see Nasty Nas?" as the song begins.[9]

Music video[]

Background[]

A music video for "Nasty" was filmed in New York City, and directed by Jason Goldwatch.[10] The video is set in Queensbridge, Queens, the district of New York where Nas grew up.[10] Whilst filming the video, Goldwatch wanted to make the imagery featured in the scenes where Nas visited Queensbridge as realistic as possible: thus, he sent scouts to find real homeless people, as well as old women and drug addicts, that could appear in the video.[11]

Synopsis[]

The video begins inside a limousine, with Nas' face hidden in shadow.[12] The limousine is then seen travelling through New York City, and shots of Nas' journey – which he is undertaking with two women – are alternated with those of him in a recording studio, performing "Nasty".[12] Upon arriving at the district of Queensbridge, Queen, Nas exits the limousine and walks through the area, observing the life of the inhabitants, which includes some playing a game of craps. After greeting many of the inhabitants and walking with a group of children for a short period, Nas enters the main apartment complex of Queensbridge.[12] He locates a particular room and greets the tenants: after observing them for a while, he walks into a room which is shown to be the recording studio seen earlier in the video.[12]

Track listing[]

Digital download[7]
  1. "Nasty" – 3:04

Credits and personnel[]

The credits for "Nasty" are adapted from the liner notes of Life Is Good.[6]

Recording
Personnel

Release history[]

Country Date Format Label
Canada[13] August 9, 2011 Digital download Def Jam Recordings
United States[7]

References[]

  1. ^ Jump up to: a b Breihan, Tom (June 14, 2011). "Nas: "Nasty"". Pitchfork Media. Retrieved July 23, 2012.
  2. ^ Nas - Nasty (single)
  3. ^ Nas official site
  4. ^ "50 Best Singles of 2011: Nas, 'Nasty'". Rolling Stone. Archived from the original on January 7, 2012. Retrieved 2014-04-10.
  5. ^ "Top 100 Rap Songs of 2011 | Rap Genius Blog". Rapgenius.com. 2011-12-13. Retrieved 2014-04-10.
  6. ^ Jump up to: a b c d e f g Life Is Good (Liner notes). Nas. Def Jam Recordings. 2012. p. 13. 602537109531.CS1 maint: others in cite AV media (notes) (link)
  7. ^ Jump up to: a b c "Nasty – Single by Nas". iTunes Store. Apple. Retrieved July 23, 2012.
  8. ^ Adaso, Henry. "Nas – "Nasty"". About.com. The New York Times Company. Archived from the original on November 19, 2012. Retrieved July 23, 2012.
  9. ^ Jump up to: a b Markman, Rob (June 14, 2011). "Nas Gets 'Nasty' On New Single". MTV News. MTV Networks. Retrieved July 24, 2012.
  10. ^ Jump up to: a b "Video: Nas – 'Nasty'". Rap-Up. Devin Lazerine. October 11, 2011. Retrieved July 23, 2012.
  11. ^ McKynzie, Amber (October 18, 2011). "Nas' "Nasty" Videographer Jason Goldwatch Talks Art". XXL. Harris Publications. Retrieved July 23, 2012.
  12. ^ Jump up to: a b c d "Nasty – Nas". Vevo. Retrieved July 24, 2012.
  13. ^ "Nasty – Single by Nas". iTunes Store. Apple. Retrieved July 23, 2012.

External links[]

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