When Nasir dropped “N.Y. State of Mind” in 1994 (off his magnum opus, Illmatic), the Queens prophet lived in a different time. It was the mid-90s and Polo Ralph Lauren, DKNY and Tommy Hilfiger were the staple clothing of the era. Crack was still consuming communities, though not quite as harsh as in the 80s.
Flash forward to 2015. It’s a different era – over 20 years later. Gentrification devoured Brooklyn, Supreme is the new Polo, molly/ecstasy and lean are now the drugs of choice. Yet, it’s still really all the same – and Harlem’s Dave East makes this clear in his “N.Y. State of Mind” freestyle. Stream it below and get familiar with the old-but-same New York.
