It might not be a fair assessment, but there does appear to be a stigma surrounding soundtrack songs as a general rule. While there are many exceptions -- especially on OSTs helmed and curated by competent rappers like 8 Mile and Black Panther -- seldom do these soundtrack cuts reach that album quality benchmark. Today, Nas has come through to flip the script on its head with "Fallen Stars Flying," a new track off HBO's Between The World And Me Soundtrack. And judging from a preliminary listen of the lyrically-potent drop, he succeeded in doing exactly that.
"Heavy gold chains and velours, body language boss, on this highly dangerous course between the streets and up north," he raps, in his opening verse. "Carti' specs, pray the angels direct my walk / I just talked with big homie up in federal court." Though King's Disease was a breath of fresh air for Nas fans, "Fallen Stars Flying" does feel a little closer to his vintage sound -- vividly rendered storytelling over gritty sample-based production. Fans will be pleased to see another solid drop from the legendary lyricist, and should this be the caliber Between The World And Me is bringing to the table, perhaps we'll see more where that came from.
QUOTABLE LYRICS
Heavy gold chains and velours, body language boss
On this highly dangerous course between the streets and up north
Carti specs, pray the angels direct my walk
I just talked with big homie up in federal court