The temptation is to say, wait, you know, speed efficiency, the human just slows things down.

Let's cede it to the bots.

And then if you have both sides doing that, you could wind up in a nuclear conflict that no one even chose. Welcome to Independent Americans. Welcome to episode 499.

Tomorrow is 500. Holy smokes. I'm your host, Paul Reichoff. Today is Tuesday, April 21st,

and I'm coming to you from New York City, USA. And the weather here is cold again. Damn, a little colder

after a brutal Knicks lost last night here in Madison Square Garden and New York.

More on that later.

But it was in the 40s this morning for my run, and it's supposed to warm up and be in the 70s later this week, but not before some rain.

Because up and down is our normal for 2026. And that is definitely what we're going

to dig into today. But first, today's artist of the day, the artist I introduced my little

boys to each day is different. And today's artist is the great and powerful Nas. Nas, one of the

most important lyricists, hip-hop artists and artists of all kinds of our time.

And why?

Because 32 years ago, this week, Nas released Illmatic.

And everything changed after that.

He was signed to Columbia Records, if you don't know, after the help from MC Search from third base. That masterful

album was produced by DJ Premier, large professor Pete Rock, Q-tip, L-E-S, and Nas himself.

It got a platinum certification after the first million and has sold over two million

cents, maybe one of the greatest hip-hop albums ever,

definitely one of the greatest of all time, including New York State of Mine, life's a bitch,

and yep, the world is yours. And it is yours, the world is yours, even though Trump thinks it's his.

And I'm going to bring you a certain type of energy today that I always try to bring you

...