Nas has always used his craft to raise the consciousness of his fans. Whether it’s inspiring the youth with songs like “I Can” or waking the world up to what goes on in the ghetto with “N.Y. State of Mind,” the Queens native always spoke truths in his raps.
His new video, “Ugly,” is no different. Nas and Hit-Boy, get chauffeured around New York, revealing the ugly things that plague low-income communities. He speaks about poverty, jealousy, and hatred. It even exposes the problems people face who are aiming to escape the struggle. The “Ugly” video is shot in black and white because Nasir’s message is pretty simple; the struggle is still real for people apart of the ghetto.
“Damn, big dog
Dove in that water and got hit with a cannonball
Ugly Christmas sweater party with no Santa Claus
Companies profit off of black trauma
That’s ugly, mad ugly just like Sheneneh and Wanda,” raps Nas.
“Ugly” is a single released from Nas’ Magic project. Magic, which dropped in December of 2021, is the fifteenth studio album from the New York story-telling hot-spitter. It was also the second album that Nas dropped in 2021, along with King’s Disease II, nominated for a GRAMMY. Magic is a nine-track project produced by Hit-Boy, and it adds to the historical Hip-Hop catalog of Nas.
Check out his video for “Ugly” below.
