10 Rap Songs That Sampled Classical Music

The first single and best track of Nas’ third album, this is a song every member of the rich-and-famous club has somewhere in them, but rarely let out. At some point, they surely all wished to say: To hell with acknowledging luck or showing gratitude, I made it because I’m that good. To hell with charity or redistribution, my wealth is mine and I deserve it.

Hate Me Now is the bonfire of humility.

It’s also more original than it seems. Welcoming hate as a sign of success is nothing new, but something about Nas’ way of doing it, his anger, his fury, coupled with the loud and overpowering sonority of O Fortuna, sets this one apart and gives it an intensity that few of his other songs share.

Notice he doesn’t just passively accepts hate in a laid-back, “haters gon’ hate” attitude. He wants it, he encourages it, he aggressively demands it (“Do it now, told you, do it now !”), almost craves it.

It goes beyond a simple haters diss track, it’s a portrait of the artist as a ticking-time bomb that too much criticism will make burst in a torrent of maniacal pride and bitter hostility.