Life's a Bitch
by Nas

Album: Illmatic (1994)
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Songfacts®:

  • This Illmatic track finds Nas and East New York-based rapper AZ reflecting on their hopes and dreams. A longtime and frequent rhyme partner of Nas, AZ's contributions to this and the opening track "The Genesis" represented his debut on wax.
  • The song is notable for the trumpet solo at the end, performed by Nas' father Olu Dara. An innovative Jazz artist, Dara had played with avant-garde musicians such as David Murray and Art Blakey before his son's claim led to him making albums under his own name.
  • Producer L.E.S.'s soundscape samples a portion of The Gap Band's 1981 ballad "Yearning For Your Love."

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