Nas, who once dedicated “We Will Survive” to the memories of The Notorious B.I.G. and Tupac Shakur, recently discussed the impact of their deaths during an interview with MTV’s Relentless Ultra Presents Soundchain With Zane Lowe.
“Those two things hit me real hard, because I knew both of them,” Nas says. “I knew Biggie more, but what they meant to the art form can never be redone, can never be replaced. And when those two guys passed away, I thought [it] was the end of Rap.”
On “We Will Survive,” Nas has a verse about Biggie. “You can’t kill nothin that’s Ready to Die,” Nas raps on the track. “You was like God to us in the form of Allah.”
The song also features a verse dedicated to Tupac, who he once feuded with. “We had words ’cause the best supposed to clash at the top,” Nas rhymes on the song. “But kept it brotherly, when we seen each other and stopped / In NYC / At MTV / people watched / We was both deep / After you left, I got no sleep.”
Nas Addresses Jay Z Beef Impact
While discussing Tupac Shakur and The Notorious B.I.G. due to their feud, the conversation also shifted to discuss Nas‘ own feud with Jay Z, which has since been resolved.
“Today’s music industry it’s really about money now and back then during that period, when you talk about me battling with Jay, it was about something else,” he says. “It was not just about being the top guy in Rap. It felt like we were leaders of nations. Not that we were egotistical as, ‘I’m the leader.’ No, not in that sense. I mean what you felt surrounding us was there was an importance in what we were doing that mattered more than just success. It was more than just, ‘Oh my record’s going to sell.’ Yeah we need the records to sell to make money. That was something we thought about, but put that aside. When ‘Pac made ‘Dear Mama,’ and these records and then he had to switch up to get in war mode, these were chess moves. This was real… Today, it’s a whole ‘nother world. I’ll just leave like that.”
Nas and Jay Z have collaborated on several songs since their feud was resolved, including “BBC” off last year’s Magna Carta…Holy Grail album by Jigga.
we need new nas album
Either nas is really short or jayz is really tall.
I was bout to say the same thing.
Jigga is 6’2″ and nas can’t be taller than 5’6″
Who cares? Nas is the superior MC. F what you see and heard
STUF asshole #MIKEBROWN
You wanna stuff his asshole? Wow, you’re gay.
“we need a new Nas album” -yea we really need his 12th album of the same old street bullshit. blunts, cigars, niggaz this, niggaz that, bentleys, with a little bit of clever “thug” poetry just here and there…
Just like we really need Jay’s 13th album of the same old money bullshit. Wealth, I’m a hustler, designer shout outs, Beyonce, “uh” at the end of every line, with a little bit of art and Blue Ivy here and there. So what’s your point?
you sound stupid when you try to trivialize jay-z the same way as nas. roc-nation is a dynasty. you feel like you’re part of something big when you buy an album. just like with death row back in the day. now i cant say the same for nas
cash money tried to recreate that feeling but in the end were too homo and corny to pull it off
Nas is the best to ever do it! No cares what someone has created, we are taping about my fu, fu nigga!!! Nas is the GOAT! Jay can’t hold a candle to Nas’s lyrics and rap flow!
FOH!
“Black Republican” is still their best collabo song followed by “Success”.
Need that new album Nas!!! It is amazing to me how people still compare the two rappers. Look all what Jay has accomplished in the hip hop industry and beyond, but why is there a debate to this very day on who is the best between him and Nas? Nas is the People’s Champion! Nobody is messing him lyrically on that Mic period! Nas just have that gift, you feel me! The dude pen game is like no other! I am not say Jay is not that dude but please be for real. Nas has beating this guy in every favorite rappers poll. Google Nas! His shit is incredible! It is not about what you have and how much money you have, it is about rapping, remember! That is it! Rapping!
Music business hate me cause the industry aiAnnotaten’t make me
Hustlers and boosters embrace me and the music I be making
I dumbed down for my audience to double my dollars
They criticized me for it, yet they all yell “holla”
If skills sold, truth be told, I’d probably be
Lyrically Talib Kweli
Truthfully I wanna rhyme like Common Sense
But I did 5 mill’ – I ain’t been rhyming like Common since
When your cents got that much in common
And you been hustling since your inception
Fuck perception. Go with what makes sense
Since I know what I’m up against
We as rappers must decide what’s most important
And I can’t help the poor if I’m one of them
So I got rich and gave back, to me that’s the win/win
So next time you see the homey and his rims spin
Just know my mind is working just like them
– Jay Z
And this is why Jay-Z won