"Fast Life" is the second single from American hip hop artist Kool G Rap's 1995 album 4,5,6, featuring Nas. Released with the song "4,5,6" as a B-side, 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 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'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 figures as Lucky Luciano, 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 100 Best Nas SongsThe 50 Best Nas Verses The song's chorus 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.
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".The King Of Kool
Samples "Fast Life" samples the following songs:Fast Life at Who Sampled "Trackin' Shoes" by A.B. Skhy "Happy" by Surface
And was later sampled on: "Jam" by A Tribe Called Quest featuring Consequence "Still Strugglin'" by Raekwon "Gunz From Italy" by Club Dogo featuring Kool G Rap "Fast Life" by Bassi Maestro "Fast Lane" by Vado featuring Raekwon "AutumnLeaves" by Bones (rapper)
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 Chart (1995) Peakposition
References
External links "Fast Life" at Discogs