I Can
by Nas

Album: God's Son (2002)
Charted: 19 12
Play Video

Songfacts®:

  • Nas wrote this song about believing in yourself at the request of his mother, who asked that he write something inspirational for children.
  • This is built on samples of Beethoven's classical piece "Fur Elise" and The Honey Drippers' "Impeach The President." >>>
    Suggestion credit:
    Donovan Berry - El Dorado, AR, for above 2
  • Nas told Rolling Stone magazine about this song: "That was a groundbreaking period for me. That was my biggest radio record I ever had, and like 'If I Ruled the World,' it was used by tons of schools for their graduation. A song like that helped me because I have a daughter, and because I make so much music that when she was younger I didn't want her to listen to, I owed her and other kids something, something real, something real that's up their alley, to show that I cared, that I'm a human being, that I'm not just about giving you a tune about what happens in the 'hood and all that every day. I've got to be a real human being, and that was one of my real human being records right there, for my daughter. So yeah, that's one of the most important records I ever made."

Comments: 2

  • James from Riverside, Cathats why most hip hop i listen to now is christian hip hop, all the new stuff is just junk.
  • Lilly from Chicago, IlThis song has great lyrics. I wish more rap and hip hop songs would have lyrics like this, that inspire, rather than degrade. I'm glad this was a big hit, because it shows that positive messages can make for successful songs, which is something not understood by most mainstream artists today.
see more comments

Editor's Picks

Harry Shearer

Harry ShearerSongwriter Interviews

Harry is Derek Smalls in Spinal Tap, Mark Shubb in The Folksmen, and Mr. Burns on The Simpsons.

Glen Burtnik

Glen BurtnikSongwriter Interviews

On Glen's résumé: hit songwriter, Facebook dominator, and member of Styx.

Creedence Clearwater Revival

Creedence Clearwater RevivalFact or Fiction

Is "Have You Ever Seen the Rain" about Vietnam? Was John Fogerty really born on a Bayou? It's the CCR edition of Fact or Fiction.

We Will Rock You (To Sleep): Pop Stars Who Recorded Kids' Albums

We Will Rock You (To Sleep): Pop Stars Who Recorded Kids' AlbumsSong Writing

With the rise of Kindie rock, more musicians are embracing their inner child with tunes for tots - here, we look at pop stars who recorded kids' albums.

Phil Hurtt ("I'll Be Around")

Phil Hurtt ("I'll Be Around")Songwriter Interviews

Phil was a songwriter, producer and voice behind many Philadelphia soul classics. When disco hit, he got an interesting project: The Village People.

Graham Bonnet (Alcatrazz, Rainbow)

Graham Bonnet (Alcatrazz, Rainbow)Songwriter Interviews

Yngwie Malmsteen and Steve Vai were two of Graham's co-writers for some '80s rock classics.