Nas

Doo Rags

2002 · Ill Will CK 85275 · USA

Artist
Nas
Title
Doo Rags
Release
The Lost Tapes
Year
2002
Label
Ill Will # CK 85275
Format
CD · Album
Language
English
Country
USA
Songwriter
Precision
Genre
Hip Hop · Rap
Primary theme
Post-War

Annotation

Influential and popular East Coast Hip Hop artist, with his highly-rated debut album Illmatic considered a 90s classic. Born Nasir Bin Olu Dara Jones on 14 September 1973 in Brooklyn, New York, USA. The post-war song "Doo Rags" contained a Civil Rights message, regarding the recruitment of African-American into the army: "political thugs...persuade us to pull trigger in army boots, yellin' join the armed forces", while there is "war in the ghetto" and "murderers wearin' police uniforms, Confederate flags I burn", a reference to policy brutality and racism. The narrator then moved onto Vietnam, noting "we lost the Vietnam War, intoxicated poisons" - presumably a reference to Agent Orange, the defoliant / herbicide used by U.S. forces during the Vietnam War, which had long term negative health effects on the Vietnamese and US soldier whom came into contact with the chemical. It is frequently referenced in post-war songs. It moved onto the image of the drug-addicted veteran: "needles in arms of veterans".

Annotation by Justin A. Brummer

Annotation — Civil Rights Songs

Influential and popular East Coast Hip Hop artist, with his highly-rated debut album Illmatic considered a 90s classic. Born Nasir Bin Olu Dara Jones on 14 September 1973 in Brooklyn, New York, USA. The post-war song "Doo Rags" (C2Records # 85275) contained a Civil Rights message, regarding the recruitment of African-American into the army: "political thugs...persuade us to pull trigger in army boots, yellin' join the armed forces", while there is "war in the ghetto" and "murderers wearin' police uniforms, Confederate flags I burn", a reference to policy brutality and racism. The narrator then moved onto Vietnam, noting "we lost the Vietnam War, intoxicated poisons" - presumably a reference to Agent Orange, the defoliant / herbicide used by U.S. forces during the Vietnam War, which had long term negative health effects on the Vietnamese and US soldier whom came into contact with the chemical. It is frequently referenced in post-war songs. It moved onto the image of the drug-addicted veteran: "needles in arms of veterans".

Annotation by Justin A. Brummer

About the artist

American rapper, born 14 September 1973 in Brooklyn, New York. [Source: Wikipedia]

Themes

Civil Rights · Draft · Police Brutality · Vet · Flag · Agent Orange · Drugs

In collections

Civil Rights Songs · Rap / Hip Hop Songs