First Verse on N.Y. State of Mind by Nas (1994)

C'mon man. This is one of the greatest verses ever, that kicks off one of the greatest songs ever that gets one of the greatest albums ever into motion. Nas empties everything that's in his head over DJ Premier perfection — so pure, so intense, just a pinnacle of east coast rap.

Verse begins at: 0:22

Choice bar: "It drops deep as it does in my breath. I never sleep, cause sleep is the cousin of death" (There is better wordplay, story telling and visualization found here but how can you get more iconic than this?)

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