'Like Smoke': The Amy Winehouse/Nas Duet Off 'Lioness: Hidden Treasures' (AUDIO)

Among the tracks that'll be released on Amy Winehouse's posthumous Dec. 6 album Lioness: Hidden Treasures is her sorrowful Nas duet, "Like Smoke," which was recorded in 2008 and premiered this Wednesday on New York City's Hot 97. It's known Winehouse wanted to collaborate with Nas (as in Nasir Jones, as in "Me And Mr. Jones") for years, but reports are conflicting on whether he recorded his lines for the duet before or after Winehouse died this year. Certainly the verse about "occupying Wall Street" sounds like a recent addition (or maybe Nas is short for Nastrodamus?). In any case, the finished product is smooth no matter the recording process, as well as very, very sad. We've got the track below and his and her excerpts below that. Strange fact: Winehouse and Nas also share a birthday.

LISTEN:

Winehouse:

I never wanted you to be my man
I just need your company...
Don't want to get dependent on
Your time or who you spend it on
Then lose the way you love me
Like smoke
I hung around
In the unbalance

Nas:

Will I marry again, maybe, I guess...
I be out in London, Camden
Hunting for the answers
Why did God take away the homie
I can't say that I'm a firm believer
That we all meet up in eternity
Just hope the big man
Show me some courtesy...

(via Prefix, Jezebel, Hulkshare)

Comments

[FlipMode]

05:44 PM on 11/07/2011

Nas' part was done AFTER her death... he talks about being in Camden searching for answers, why God took away his homie.

[sarac]

11:02 AM on 11/06/2011

I heard her version of 'Our Day Will Come" this week and it's amazing. Her voice had the sound of an 'old soul'.

[shellfish789]

04:50 AM on 11/06/2011

Amy has a good voice, but the wrong songs........I like her very, very much and I'm a musician, but these tired songs has got to go!....she is too young to have old sounding songs.....she needed new sounding songs with her amazing voice.....

And as far as Tony Bennett....I love his voice too...but he's been in this business for a long time and I was very surprise he did not know Body and Soul lyrics by heart.....

[JB Chandler]

08:35 PM on 11/04/2011

Nas learned that he needed to jump on Amy's bandwagon after missing out somehow on Biggies.

[dennishastings]

08:35 PM on 11/04/2011

I'll have to hear the song first. But the rhyming sequence by Nas just isn't as good as Amy's. Doesn't rhyme in the same places. Will give it a listen.

[Brenda Starr]

07:31 PM on 11/04/2011

This song is truly lovely!

[ghostgirl21]

07:03 PM on 11/04/2011

Nas and Amy= creative gold.
Damn,I miss her.

[WasteNJ]

01:51 PM on 11/04/2011

Cool, this is a smooth relationship song, very well put together. Nas can't really do a bad verse.

[ghostgirl21]

07:05 PM on 11/04/2011

Word,NJ.

[NormdePlume]

12:47 PM on 11/04/2011

I realize that's the title of the work, but honestly do we have to perpetuate poor grammar?

[Brenda Starr]

07:31 PM on 11/04/2011

It's OK in art, but I totally agree about the grammar thing.

[NormdePlume]

12:43 PM on 11/04/2011

"The reunion of her and Mr Jones". Really? Just Google "grammar" when in doubt. Please.

[WasteNJ]

01:55 PM on 11/04/2011

The article is poorly written, the author doesn't sound like they know anything about Nas, for example that he actually has an album titled "Nastrodamus"... But the song is pretty good.