Gil Scott-Heron – New York is Killing Me Ft. Nas (Remix)

Guest post by Lucy Donnelly

I want to be in New York. I want to be there, I want to be there, I want to be there. It is a sort-of obsession with me. Understandably, in my eyes – what insomniac doesn’t want to live in the city that never sleeps? I was there in the winter of 2009 for three months until mercilessly kicked out by Those-Who-Refuse-To-Grant-Me-A-Visa and as such have been in a state of nostalgia and post-travel depression ever since. Thankfully there is enough New York-related musical material to support these bouts of geographical melancholy. LCD Soundsystem ‘New York I Love You (But You’re Bringing Me Down)‘ is a favourite. Alicia Keys/Jay-Z collabo is an obvious one. And this is my latest: the most unfortunately recently deceased soul-jazz poet genius Gil Scott-Heron wrote the song ‘New York is Killing Me‘ for his 2010 album (the first in sixteen years, actually) ‘I’m New Here’ and the remix by rap-star Nas does just that. Kills me.

Do you want the grit of the ghetto? The soul of the streets? The… the… ok I am out of alliteration. Well, Gil has it all. His husky, grinding baritone grabs you from the get-go and describes a cold, lonely New York – in fact, his voice alone is indicative of one who has lived a life below ground and knows more of the ‘fast lane’ and its consequences than any celebrity hoodlum out there. That voice betrays a wisdom that can only come from one who has seen it all, drunk it all and apparently also smoked it all. The profundity and heart in his lyrics, scant and simple though they may be, cut to the chase and have their intended impact. “Lord have mercy, have mercy on me”, he cries over the top of handclaps and a churning bass that supports, rather than distracts, from his to-the-point and gut-wrenching phrases. This song depicts the dark side of the Big Apple and First World Problems.

Shall we discuss the input of Nas? Ok here we go:

“It’s 24 frames in every second of a movie,

Characters, tourists, travelers and Arabs cook Halal food

It’s foul moods on the average”

That is so New York minus the postcard greeting. And that’s not the half of it. His words are just so fucking poignant. Aren’t they?

“And the gangs in New York are like wolves in sheep clothing

Navy men off the ships in sidewalks strolling

Ladies watching shopping stressing hard

With maxed out credit cards and her depressing job

Grey skies, anekatips winter’s cold

US Open Tennis, charity dinners for the rich and old

Giving nothing to the poor to strengthen their soul

I can see why some get up and go, and move where it’s slow”

These are lyrics that paint a bleak yet direct and relatable picture, yet also one contrary to the norm. That the gangs of New York are not the rough ‘n’ tough black guys with guns of the ghetto… that they are in fact the middle-class military men, the women making up for emptiness in their lives with instant gratification of purchases they can’t afford automatically turns a common stereotype upside-down and makes you think about societal values in huge cities like New York that despite their population can be the most alienating places to live. The use of the word ‘soul’ – one generally associated with African-American choir music and Christian ideals of spirit and togetherness – is particularly ironic in this landscape of greed, loneliness and individualism. Not the greatest side of humanity, but a strikingly honest and realistic one it must be said.

This is one of the best and most cohesive remixes I have heard in recent years. There is clearly a fundamental compatibility between Nas and Gil that defies most of the crude collaborations you hear nowadays. Rather than one overriding one another, they appear to complement each other with a dynamic that defies the general rule of ‘remix’ (as seen via majority of Sydney DJs – is that blasphemy? Whoops). Perhaps this has something to do with the fact that Gil was also good friends with Nas’ father, jazz aficionado Olu Dara. Whatever – it works.

So, though this song is definitely not an uplifting one as such, it conveys a sense of rawness and a legitimacy through its truthfulness not evident in many other New York-related songs. More than that, it enables me to believe I am once again below street level in Union Square with my Metrocard, trying to figure out the turnstiles. Despite the admittedly depressing connotations and references to urban life as a continuous state of human desperation, it is still a song with a ‘groove’ and one where the darkness of its nature does not detract from its accessibility. If nothing else, you’ll love the hand clapping.

Did I mention I want to be back in New York?

Gil Scott-Heron – New York is Killing Me Ft. Nas (Remix)