I Can
by Nas

Album: God's Son (2002)
Charted: 19 12
Play Video

Songfacts®:

  • Nas wrote this song about believing in yourself at the request of his mother, who asked that he write something inspirational for children.
  • This is built on samples of Beethoven's classical piece "Fur Elise" and The Honey Drippers' "Impeach The President." >>>
    Suggestion credit:
    Donovan Berry - El Dorado, AR, for above 2
  • Nas told Rolling Stone magazine about this song: "That was a groundbreaking period for me. That was my biggest radio record I ever had, and like 'If I Ruled the World,' it was used by tons of schools for their graduation. A song like that helped me because I have a daughter, and because I make so much music that when she was younger I didn't want her to listen to, I owed her and other kids something, something real, something real that's up their alley, to show that I cared, that I'm a human being, that I'm not just about giving you a tune about what happens in the 'hood and all that every day. I've got to be a real human being, and that was one of my real human being records right there, for my daughter. So yeah, that's one of the most important records I ever made."

Comments: 2

  • James from Riverside, Cathats why most hip hop i listen to now is christian hip hop, all the new stuff is just junk.
  • Lilly from Chicago, IlThis song has great lyrics. I wish more rap and hip hop songs would have lyrics like this, that inspire, rather than degrade. I'm glad this was a big hit, because it shows that positive messages can make for successful songs, which is something not understood by most mainstream artists today.
see more comments

Editor's Picks

"Stairway To Heaven" Lawsuit: A Timeline

"Stairway To Heaven" Lawsuit: A TimelineSong Writing

Untangling the events that led to the "Stairway To Heaven" lawsuit.

Pam Tillis

Pam TillisSongwriter Interviews

The country sweetheart opines about the demands of touring and talks about writing songs with her famous father.

Jules Shear - "All Through The Night"

Jules Shear - "All Through The Night"They're Playing My Song

Shears does very little promotion, which has kept him secluded from the spotlight. What changed when Cyndi Lauper had a hit with his song? Not much, really.

Francesca Battistelli

Francesca BattistelliSongwriter Interviews

The 2011 Artist of the Year at the Dove Awards isn't your typical gospel diva, and she thinks that's a good thing.

Michael Schenker

Michael SchenkerSongwriter Interviews

The Scorpions and UFO guitarist is also a very prolific songwriter - he explains how he writes with his various groups, and why he was so keen to get out of Germany and into England.

Deconstructing Doors Songs With The Author Of The Doors Examined

Deconstructing Doors Songs With The Author Of The Doors ExaminedSong Writing

Doors expert Jim Cherry, author of The Doors Examined, talks about some of their defining songs and exposes some Jim Morrison myths.