Released November 6, 2007 Recorded 2007 Length 4:43 | Format CD single Genre Hip hop Label Columbia/Sony BMG | |
"Surviving the Times" is a 2007 hip hop song by Nas from his Greatest Hits album. The song's lyrics focus on Nas career before and just after Illmatic. The song makes reference to Nas' signing with Columbia Records, being turned down by Russell Simmons for Def Jam and him meeting Large Professor and Kool G Rap for the first time. The song also samples Nipsey Russell's song "What Would I Do If I Could Feel" from the musical The Wiz in the intro and chorus. A different version of this song appeared on Nas and DJ Green Lantern's Nigger Tape. It contains the same lyrics but is produced by Cool & Dre.
Nas had this to say about the song:
Actually, I had it done a good while ago. I forgot I had the record. It was just perfect to go with the Greatest Hits. It just came from a conversation. I needed people around to remind me of certain things that happened, so I got a lot of information from somebody that was hanging around while I was in the studio. It's crazy, because when I talk about people from a whole other rap era, I don't know if people understand how much that meant to me, just coming up around legends like Kool G Rap and Eric B. and Large Professor and people like Akinyele who was around in the early stages that I met through Large Professor from a rap group named Main Source that most cats today never even heard of.