Reach Out
by Nas

Album: Life Is Good (2012)
Play Video

Songfacts®:

  • This song features the voice of Mary J. Blige, who is returning the favor after Nas rapped on her 2011 track, "Feel Inside." The Queen of Hip-Hop Soul sings snippets from DJ Hotday's Hip-Hop remix of New Edition's Running Scared soundtrack single, "Once In a Lifetime Groove." "I remember buying it from a flea market," Nas told UK newspaper The Guardian. "When I hear Mary singing, I'm taken back to late '80s New York - to Queens, to Harlem, to the rest of the boroughs."

    He continued: "It was storytelling, and it was super local – when you heard a record from Brooklyn, it introduced you to Brooklyn in a way nothing else could do. When hip-hop was smaller, this is how we found out about different places – and that still lives in all of us who love Hip-Hop."
  • This samples the piano loop from Isaac Hayes' "Ike's Mood I" and DJ Hollywood's "Hollywood's World."

Comments

Be the first to comment...

Editor's Picks

Dave Mason

Dave MasonSongwriter Interviews

Dave reveals the inspiration for "Feelin' Alright" and explains how the first song he ever wrote became the biggest hit for his band Traffic.

U2

U2Fact or Fiction

How did The Edge get his name? Did they name a song after a Tolkien book? And who is "Angel of Harlem" about?

Michelle Branch

Michelle BranchSongwriter Interviews

Michelle Branch talks about "Everywhere," "The Game Of Love," and her run-in with a Christian broadcasting network.

Millie Jackson

Millie JacksonSongwriter Interviews

Outrageously gifted and just plain outrageous, Millie is an R&B and Rap innovator.

Waiting For The Break of Day: Three Classic Songs About All-Nighters

Waiting For The Break of Day: Three Classic Songs About All-NightersSong Writing

These Three famous songs actually describe how they were written - late into the evening.

Jim Adkins of Jimmy Eat World

Jim Adkins of Jimmy Eat WorldSongwriter Interviews

Jim talks about the impact of "The Middle" and uses a tree metaphor to describe his songwriting philosophy.