Nas is hands one of the greatest storytellers in hip-hop history. His itemize is lined with noteworthy examples, with songs like the underrated "Pussy Killz," the not-linear masterclass "Rewind," the conceptually-charged "I Gave You Power," and the historically cogitating "Concluding Real North**a Alive."

Whether he'south recalling a fragmented retentiveness with startling detail or building an unabridged track around a fleshed-out narrative, storytelling is i category that Nas has scored a 10 on ten. On his brand new anthologyKing's Illness Two,he continued the tradition with another welcome dose of hip-hop history, "Decease Row East."

Mind: Nas - Decease Row East

Fans may have noticed that Nas has been opening up near his complex human relationship with 2Pac in various interviews; in a coincidental turn (or maybe not) an unreleased freestyle surfaced in which Nas took a few jabs at his former foe. Possibly seeking to reshape the narrative, Nas took to the booth and proceeded to paint a moving-picture show.

The New York native transports listeners dorsum to the nineties, when Suge Knight'south Death Row Records was casting an impenetrable shadow over the game -- going so far as to extend over the E coast. Nas tips his lid to the characterization's undeniable presence in the chorus. "I had run-ins with Suge, ni**every bit would've been shook," he raps, alluding to the feud between East and Due west. "At the top of the beefiness, they started Decease Row E / Damn, I even saw their tees on some of my Gs / Notorious label, the story was made in the streets."

2Pac Nas Redman

Nas, 2Pac, and Redman in 1993. Al Pereira/Michael Ochs Athenaeum/Getty Images

Positioning himself and his Braveheart compatriots as "the smartest, not hardest," Nas alludes to his confrontation with 2Pac, which occurred during the 1996 MTV Video Music Awards in New York. "Back when Jungle told Pac, "Information technology's on" soon equally we walk upwardly out this / Lookout man signs, Outlawz exterior the music hall," he raps, recalling how Jungle stood up to Makaveli. "Agglomeration of ghetto superstars actually down to lose it all / Both sides was thuggin'."

In the second verse, he opens with a bar that basically summarizes that tumultuous hip-hop era: diamonds and MAC x'southward.It sounds flashy, glamorized to those disassociated with the lifestyle, but Nas wishes he had the benefit of hindsight. Still, he did intend to squash the feud with Pac, taking the steps to do so. "Before Makaveli the Don left, booked a flight, flight out West," he recalls. "Nosotros was tryna squash the whole shit in Vegas / No media to eat information technology up and leak information technology in the papers."

What's interesting is the way Nas recognizes the extent of Death Row'due south bear on, grounding it with anecdotal evidence gleaned from his environment. "Come across Suge, he was a dangerous threat," he raps. "Chiliad.O.B. virtually turned half of New York red / Brothers I grew up with threw upwardly they sets / Some even had them Death Row chains hang off their necks." It's noteworthy that Nas draws a connection between Suge and theM.O.B --Members Of Blood -- a gang to whom police claimed Suge has ties. Every bit Nas explains, their influence fifty-fifty permeated the East Declension, no doubt fueled by the excellent music Tha Row was dropping.

2Pac and Suge Knight. Jeff Kravitz/FilmMagic/Getty Images

Nas also makes sure to dispel the rumor that 2Pac was prepare up past the late rapper Stretch, though he doesn't elaborate further. His assertive tone seems to point a deeper noesis of the topic, simply perhaps some topics are meliorate left alone. He does make sure to conclude on an inspiring note, outlining his intention to settle the beef with Pac and move forrard every bit collaborators. In a spoken terminal bulletin, Nas explains the route he might have taken to rebuild what was destroyed:

"I flew to Vegas to shoot the "Street Dreams" video and link with 2Pac. Tried to squash the East Coast/West Coast beef. We didn't talk, but he was yet alive in the hospital. And it rained that day in Vegas. Residuum In Ability."

"Death Row East" closes out with a sobering moment, a snapshot of reality that really contextualizes the death of 2Pac Shakur. Consider that there were no cyberspace headlines breaking the news, nor social media, or even a concatenation-reaction of text messages. For a number of hip-hop fans, the news of Pac's death was cleaved by and so-Hot 97 host Ed Lover, who appear the tragedy during a Nas concert of all places.

Those who listened to the vocal in its entirety heard Ed Lover's proclamation, which Nas used as a bookend. Imagine -- hearing about the death of a rap superstar at a concert, and all the circuitous emotions that might surface given preconceived notions on Nas and Pac'due south dynamic. In the total video, embedded below, Ed Lover stresses how certain things run deeper than rap. "You lot might have heard about a beef 2Pac got with Nas," explains Lover, addressing the stunned crowd. "We tin recognize a brother that passed away. I don't give a fuck what 2Pac said on a record, no affair what he didn't deserve to dice that fashion."

It's a testament to Nas' pen game that "Expiry Row East" has driven many to reflect on the by, and how things might accept gone under different circumstances; when all is said and done, it's songs like this that will ensure that hip-hop history is preserved.

Remainder in peace 2Pac Shakur, and much respect to Nas for adding yet another compelling story to his expansive shelf.

Watch: Ed Lover announces 2Pac'southward decease at a Nas concert