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Halftime (song)

{{short description|1992 single by Nas}}

{{About|the song by Nas|the musical concept|Half-time (music)|other uses|Half time (disambiguation)}}

{{Infobox song

| name = Halftime

| cover = Nas - Halftime.jpg

| alt =

| type = single

| artist = Nasty Nas

| album = Zebrahead (Soundtrack From The Original Motion Picture) {{noitalic|and}} Illmatic

| released = October 13, 1992

| recorded = 1992

| studio =

| genre = Hardcore hip-hop

| length = 4:20

| label = * Columbia

| writer = Nasir Jones

| producer = Large Professor

| chronology = Nas

| prev_title =

| prev_year =

| next_title = It Ain't Hard to Tell

| next_year = 1994

| misc =

}}

"Halftime" is a song by American rapper Nasty Nas, who would change his name to Nas after the release of the song. The song was released as his debut single, the sole single from the Zebrahead soundtrack album and the lead single from his debut album Illmatic, on October 13, 1992.[{{Allmusic|class=album|id=r121804|pure_url=yes}} Zebrahead Soundtrack] "Halftime" was produced by Large Professor, Remixed by Joe "The Butcher" Nicolo and features samples of drums and vocals from "Schoolboy Crush" by Average White Band, horns from "Soul Traveling" by Gary Byrd, and the bassline from "Dead End" from the Japanese cast recording of the musical Hair. The song was the first song created for Illmatic, and was released circa one and a half years earlier than the album.{{Cite web |last=Isenberg |first=Daniel |date=May 23, 2012 |title=Large Professor Tells All: The Stories Behind His Classic Records (Part 1) |url=https://www.complex.com/music/2012/05/large-professor-tells-all-the-stories-behind-his-classic-records-part-i |access-date=April 10, 2023 |website=Complex}}"

Background

{{Quote box|width=35%|align=left|style=padding:8px|quote="I went over [to Large Professor's house], and he made the "Halftime" beat in front of me, and he was gonna give it to me at the time. I didn't know what to do with it. I didn't know why I didn't know what to do with it, because I loved the shit out the beat. Then I heard it on "Halftime," and I was like, Goddamn, I was a stupid ass for not touching this beat!"|source=— Busta Rhymes interviewed by XXL{{Cite web |date=February 27, 2009 |title=FEATURE: Still Ill |url=https://www.xxlmag.com/feature-still-ill/ |access-date=April 10, 2023 |website=XXL}}"}}

Producer Large Professor had already produced the instrumental of the song when he came into the studio session. After hearing the instrumental, rapper Busta Rhymes wanted to use it and tried writing to it but ultimately struggled with writer's block. Then in Nas' first own studio session he "had his weed ready, he had the crew coming through, his books [of rhymes], the fresh gear, sittin' back with a freshly rolled, and another one being rolled, like, ‘Yo, play the beat... Nah yo, play the other beat.'" "Halftime" was the first song produced for Illmatic. {{Cite web |last=Isenberg |first=Daniel |date=May 23, 2012 |title=Large Professor Tells All: The Stories Behind His Classic Records (Part 1) |url=https://www.complex.com/music/2012/05/large-professor-tells-all-the-stories-behind-his-classic-records-part-i |access-date=April 10, 2023 |website=Complex}}"

Content

"Halftime" features an up-tempo beat led by percussion and trumpets over which Nas rhymes. Memorable lines include "You couldn't catch me in the streets without a ton of reefer/That's like Malcolm X, catchin' the Jungle Fever" and "I'm as ill as a convict who kills for phone time."[http://ohhla.com/anonymous/nas/illmatic/halftime.nas.txt Nas - Halftime Lyrics] Nas also uses this song to give a "shout-outs" to Willie "Ill Will" Graham, Nas' childhood neighbor and best friend, who was shot dead in 1992, and the Queensbridge Crew, a reference to the Queensbridge housing projects in Queens, NY, USA. He also reveals he's a fan of Marcus Garvey, the Jackson 5 and Mr. Magic.Nas. "Halftime", Illmatic / Zebrahead (Original Soundtrack), Columbia/Ruffhouse, 1992.

Significance

The inclusion of "Halftime" to the Zebrahead soundtrack by MC Serch led to Nas's breakthrough as a rapper, as a record deal with Columbia Records and the release of his debut album, Illmatic (1994), followed.Columnist. [https://web.archive.org/web/20070607003602/http://www.rollingstone.com/artists/nas/biography Biography: Nas]. Rolling Stone. Retrieved on 2009-10-28.Kulkarni (2004), p. 95. According to Vibe magazine, the song "created a niche that only Illmatic could fill".Da Ghetto Communicator. "[https://books.google.com/books?id=1SsEAAAAMBAJ&pg=PA36&dq= Next: Nas]". Vibe: 36. April 1994.

Sampling

Lyrics from "Halftime" are sampled in these songs:

Track listing

;A-side

  1. "Halftime" (Radio Edit) (4:19)
  2. "Halftime" (LP Version) (4:19)
  3. "Halftime" (LP Version Instrumental) (4:19)

;B-side

  1. "Halftime (Butcher Remix)" DJ Bubie (4:41)
  2. "Halftime (Butcher Instrumental)" (4:42)

Notes

{{Reflist}}

References

{{refbegin|colwidth=30em}}

  • {{cite book| author = Neil Kulkarni | title = Hip Hop: Bring the Noise | url = https://archive.org/details/hiphopbringnoise0000kulk | url-access = registration | publisher = Thunder's Mouth Press| date = 2004| isbn = 1-56025-586-2}}

{{refend}}

External links

  • "[http://www.discogs.com/Nasty-Nas-Halftime/master/176677 Halftime]" at Discogs

{{Nas singles}}

{{authority control}}

Category:1992 debut singles

Category:Nas songs

Category:Songs written by Nas

Category:Song recordings produced by Large Professor

Category:Hardcore hip-hop songs

Category:1992 songs

Category:Columbia Records singles

Category:Ruffhouse Records singles