Time Is Illmatic: The 20 Best Lyrics From Nas’ Seminal 1994 Debut Album Illmatic

4. “The city never sleeps, full of villains and creeps/ That’s where I learned to do my hustle, had to scuffle with freaks/ I’m an addict for sneakers, 20’s of buddha and bit*hes with beepers/ In the streets I can greet ya, about blunts I teach ya/ Inhale deep like the words of my breath/ I never sleep, cause sleep is the cousin of death” – “N.Y. State of Mind”