[Intro: Nas]
Slow it down
This shit feel good up here
Yeah, it's Illmatic
It's Illmatic
Let's go back a little bit, it go

[Chorus: Nas]
One time for your mind, one time
Yeah, whatever
One time for your mind, one time
Yo, whatever
One time for your mind, one time
Yo, whatever
Hey one, check, check it out

[Verse 1: Nas]
When I'm chilling, I grab the buddha
Get my crew to buy beers
And watch a flick, illin' and root for the villain, huh
Plus every morning, I go out and love it sort of chilly
Then I send a shorty from my block to the store for Phillies
After being blessed by the herb's essence
I'm back to my rest, ten minutes, some odd seconds
That's where I got the honey at, spends the night for sexin'
Keep lubrication, Magnum protection
Hitting up my stereo's remote control quickly
Ron G's in the cassette deck, rocking the shit, G
I try to stay mellow, rock, well a cappella rhymes'll
Make me richer than a slipper made Cinderella, fella
Go get your crew, Hobbes, I'm prepared to bomb troops
Rest in peace to my mom dukes
When I was ten I was a hip-hoppin' shorty wop
Known for rocking microphones and twisting off a 40 top
[Chorus: Nas]
One time for your mind, one time
Yeah, whatever
One time for your mind, one time
Yeah, whatever
One time for your mind, one time

[Verse 2: Nas]
You know the hard times, kid
Shit, cold, be starving make you wanna do crimes kid
But I'ma lamp, ‘cause a crime couldn't beat a rhyme
Muslims yelling "Free the mind"
And I'm from Queensbridge, been to many places
As a kid when I would say that out of town, n***as chased us
But now I know the time, got a older mind
Plus control a 9, fine, see now I represent mine
I'm new on the rap game, n***as never heard of me
Yet I'm a menace, yo, police wanna murder me
Heini Dark drinker, represent the thinker
My pen rides the paper, it even has blinkers
Think I'll dim the lights, then inhale, it stimulates
Floating like I'm on the North 95 Interstate
Never plan to stop, when I write my hand is hot
And expand a lot from the Wiz to Camelot
The parlayer, I'll make your heads bop, pa
I shine a light on perpetrators, like a cop's car
From day to night, I play the mic and you'll thank God
I wreck shit so much, the microphone'll need a paint job
See, my brain is incarcerated
Live at any jam, I couldn't count all the parks I've raided
I hold a MAC-11, and attack a reverend
I contact eleven L's and max in heaven
[Chorus: Nas]
One time for your mind, one time
Yeah, whatever
One time for your mind, one time
Yeah, whatever
One time for your mind, one time
'92 to 2099
One time for your mind, one time
One time for your mind, one time
One time for your mind, one time