"Fast Life" is the second single from American hip hop artist Kool G Rap's 1995 album ''

4,5,6 ''4,5,6'' is the debut studio album by American rapper Kool G Rap, released on September 26, 1995, on Cold Chillin' Records. The release followed his break-up with DJ Polo in 1993. The album was mostly received neutrally among critics, but was war ...

'', featuring Nas Escobar. Released with the song "4,5,6" as a

B-side The A-side and B-side are the two sides of phonograph records and cassettes; these terms have often been printed on the labels of two-sided music recordings. The A-side usually features a recording that its artist, producer, or record compan ...

, it later also featured on the compilation album '' Greatest Hits'' (2002).

Background

Produced by Buckwild, "Fast Life" is a track that glorifies the criminal lifestyle with Kool G Rap and Nas Escobar portraying themselves as powerful and wealthy

cocaine Cocaine (from , from , ultimately from Quechuan languages, Quechua: ''kúka'') is a central nervous system (CNS) stimulant mainly recreational drug use, used recreationally for its euphoria, euphoric effects. It is primarily obtained from t ...

kingpins, boasting of their luxurious possessions and ruthless efficiency. The Mafioso theme of "Fast Life" is set early as the song opens with a sound bite from the 1983 film '' Scarface'' (

Al Pacino Alfredo James Pacino (; ; born April 25, 1940) is an American actor. Considered one of the most influential actors of the 20th century, he has received numerous accolades: including an Academy Award, two Tony Awards, and two Primetime Emmy ...

's Tony Montana saying "The time has come, we gotta expand, the whole operation. Distribution, New York, to Chicago, L.A. We gotta set our own market, and enforce it.") and Nas later references such

mob Mob or MOB may refer to: Behavioral phenomena * Crowd * Smart mob, a temporary self-structuring social organization, coordinated through telecommunication Crime and law enforcement * American Mafia, also known as the Mob * Irish Mob, a US crimin ...

figures as

Lucky Luciano Charles "Lucky" Luciano (, ; born Salvatore Lucania ; November 24, 1897 – January 26, 1962) was an Italian-born gangster who operated mainly in the United States. Luciano started his criminal career in the Five Points gang and was instrumenta ...

, Bugsy Siegel and Frankie Yale. G Rap and Nas go line for line in the third and final verse of the song which '' Complex'' has described as "mind-blowing". The song's

chorus Chorus may refer to: Music * Chorus (song) or refrain, line or lines that are repeated in music or in verse * Chorus effect, the perception of similar sounds from multiple sources as a single, richer sound * Chorus form, song in which all verse ...

goes as follows: :Livin the fast life, in fast cars :Everywhere we go, people know who we are :A team from out of Queens with the American Dream :So we're plottin' up a scheme to get the seven figure

C.R.E.A.M. "C.R.E.A.M." (an acronym of "Cash Rules Everything Around Me") is a song by the American hardcore hip hop group Wu-Tang Clan, released on January 31, 1994 by Loud Records, as the second single from their debut studio album ''Enter the Wu-Tang (36 ...

Speaking of his collaboration with fellow Queens rapper Nas in a 2014 interview, Kool G Rap stated:

Music video

The music video for "Fast Life" was directed by Brian "Black" Luvar and shows Kool G Rap and Nas Escobar living lavishly as they plot the construction of a mythical "Fast Life Hotel and Casino".

Samples

"Fast Life" samples the following songs:Fast Life at Who Sampled
/ref> *"Trackin' Shoes" by

A.B. Skhy A.B. Skhy (originally New Blues) was an American electric blues band from Milwaukee formed in 1968. They recorded two albums before splitting up in the early 1970s. History Formed in Milwaukee in the late 1960s as New Blues, the band comprised De ...

Happy Happiness, in the context of mental or emotional states, is positive or pleasant emotions ranging from contentment to intense joy. Other forms include life satisfaction, well-being, subjective well-being, flourishing and eudaimonia. Sinc ...

" by Surface And was later sampled on: *"Jam" by

A Tribe Called Quest A Tribe Called Quest was an American hip hop group formed in Queens, New York City, in 1985,Q-Tip

featuring Consequence *"Still Strugglin'" by

Raekwon Corey Woods (born January 12, 1970), better known by his stage name Raekwon The Chef, or simply Raekwon (), is an American rapper. He rose to prominence as a founding member of the hip-hop group Wu-Tang Clan, which achieved mainstream success ...

*"Gunz From Italy" by

Club Dogo Club Dogo was an Italian rap group from Milan (Lombardy) that consists of Guè Pequeno and Jake La Furia, and beatmaker Don Joe. The group was born in 1999 from the friendship between rappers Gué Pequeno (whose stage name was Lucky Luciano) and ...

featuring Kool G Rap *"Fast Life" by Bassi Maestro *"Fast Lane" by Vado featuring Raekwon *"AutumnLeaves" by

Bones (rapper) Elmo Kennedy O'Connor (born January 11, 1994), known professionally as Bones (stylized sometimes as BONES), is an American rapper, singer and songwriter from Howell, Michigan. He is also the founder of the music collective TeamSESH. O'Connor is ...

Track listing

12"

;A-side #"Fast Life" (Original) (4:54) #"Fast Life" (Instrumental) (4:54) #"Fast Life" (Acapella) (3:52) ;B-side #"4,5,6" (Original) (3:20) #"4,5,6" (Instrumental) (3:20)

CD

#"Fast Life" (Original) (4:54) #"Fast Life" (Instrumental) (4:54) #"Fast Life" (Acapella) (4:50) #"4,5,6" (Original) (3:20) #"4,5,6" (Instrumental) (3:20)

Charts

References

External links

Fast Life
at

Discogs Discogs (short for discographies) is a database of information about audio recordings, including commercial releases, promotional releases, and bootleg or off-label releases. While the site was originally created with a goal of becoming the la ...

{{authority control 1995 songs 1995 singles Kool G Rap songs Nas songs Cold Chillin' Records singles Mafioso rap songs Music videos directed by Brian Luvar Song recordings produced by Buckwild (music producer) Songs about crime Songs about drugs Songs written by Kool G Rap Songs written by Nas Songs written by Ed Townsend