After Nicki Minaj abruptly pulled out of Hot 97’s Summer Jam performance due to Peter Rosenberg’s remarks about “Starships,” Nas stepped up to the plate to fill her time slot and brought out Lauryn Hill during his set. During an interview with Rap-Up, Esco weighed in on the controversy in the wake of the festival, stating that he’s been there before and that “These things happen.”
“I’ve been there before and things like that happen every couple of years. I guess this is the second time something has happened like that between the artist and the radio station,” he said. “We don’t always agree and the nature of hip-hop can be aggressive and get real gangsta on you now and then. That’s just what it is. These things happen.”
He said that he’s “not clear on all of [the details]” on why she canceled her performance, recalling how he did the same thing given his beef with Jay-Z. He explained that he “got cool” with Hot 97, but understands why the Harajuku Barbie would be upset.
“I think it was just really messy. When you’re in the heat of that moment, no one has time to inform anybody, but we spoke after briefly and it seemed like it was a crazy situation for her to handle. When put in that position, it’s no easy thing and I guess I was in support of her, in support of Hot 97. I’ve been there before, so at the end of the day, it could be fixed. It’s one hip-hop family, let’s unify it.”
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He also touched on how he linked with Lauryn Hill to come out as a surprise guest during his set. “Nicki had asked me to come out during her set and so I figured that would be a great way to go into my show. I only wanted to bring out Lauryn during my set, so she was with it. That’s my sister,” said Nas, noting that he would “love to” collaborate with her again. “I don’t really keep in touch with anyone except my family. Artists, we’re too busy to be in touch, but we’ve seen each other through the years and it’s just love.”
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