In the past months leading up to the July 17 release of Life is Good, a lot has been made of Nas’ personal life and his tumultuous divorce from singer Kelis. Now, in a recent interview with Billboard, the Queensbridge emcee explains how his personal life ended up being pressed on wax with his impending tenth solo album.
Nas compared Life is Good to Marvin Gaye’s 1978 album Here, My Dear, which famously chronicled his own divorce. Nas said that he’s been a fan of the album for years, but was resistant at first to follow in Gaye’s footsteps with Life is Good. Eventually, however, he said that recording the project became his means of expressing his frustrations with his divorce.
“I thought Here, My Dear was brave, beautiful, honest, scary and daring. I remember putting several artists on to it, from Maxwell to Jay-Z,” he recalled. “I couldn’t imagine what Marvin was going through when he was recording it. And I couldn’t imagine me being in a similar position, years later…when I started working on the record, I tried to avoid [getting too personal]. The timing was just calling for me to not avoid all the shit that was going on out there. It was like a 10,000-ton gorilla in the room watching me. This is the way I got it off of my chest. This album talks about life, love and money. It talks about the fact that marriage is expensive. Life Is Good represents the most beautiful, dramatic and heavy moments in my life.”
Nas also explained that working with producers No I.D. and Swizz Beatz helped him open up more on records. He said that being to talk with both producers about their own marital issues helped make the album more universally appealing in its content and message.
“When I sat down with [producers] No I.D. and Salaam [Remi] and originally told them what I wanted to do, we felt like we were waking up a certain fan that doesn’t buy rap anymore,” he said. “Our goal on the album was to just do what’s real. No I.D. has been married twice. Swizz [Beatz] has also been married twice and has gone through baby-mama drama. So the conversation between all of us was great.”
RELATED: Kelis Addresses Nas’ “Life Is Good” Cover Art: “For Someone To Be Genuine Is Awesome”
Hear, My Dear is a good album from Marvin Gaye. Nas says that Life is Good will be like that album; lets hope he delivers.
nas is the goat
Word. At least one of the best to still be doing it.
Rest of these new skool rappers making me mad as hell
slow down nas time will tell
This tells you all you need to know about Jay-Z. Jay didn’t listen to Marvin Gaye growing up? He simply doesn’t respect any of the greats. No love for Marvin Gaye, Tupac, Eazy-E, D.O.C. Jay is such a snake. No wonder most people surveyed think that he had something to do with the Biggie shooting. Puffy and Jay-Z had the most to gain from killing Biggie.
Fuck you are a retard
BIG TIME RETARD
Jay didnt hear the album because it was not a popular album not too many people knew about it…it was a flop…Marvin Gaye made the label stop promotion. It became popular as of lately. But Jay is very well versed in old music have you EVER listened to how soulful his albums are??…Jay brought soul back to hiphop with The Blueprint
to be honest…just blaze and kanye west brought soul back to hip hop with the blueprint, but you’re right about Here My Dear not being popular(since its depressing as fuck) so its not surprising that Jay never heard it
also, i don’t even know if its even really that much more popular now, but i could be wrong
Nas has Helen Keller ears. Salaam Remi SUCKS
LMAO
very true
You’re doofy. Salaam Remi is a ill producer. Niggas just don’t like beats anymore unless they’re on some trippety-trappety Lex luger shit. Salaam Remi’s beats are gritty east coast shit that ya’ll wouldn’t know nothin’ about.
don’t need luger beats….don’t need that poppy shit…..stop fucking with this whack Remi……everything he does is 2nd rate……
Agree with Sensaye.
this nigga still comparing himmself to real greats to big up his own shit? lmao. fuck outta here.
co sign
Anonymous your comment was removed for violating our legend policies.
Don’t act like no one else compares their work to great musicians as well.
Nas aint relevant no more. he needs new artists to stay relevant. he is pity. stop ickridin da great artists from YMCMB u old ass talentless bitch. Lil Wayne is da GOAT. everybody knows it. swag
guys that still use the word ‘swag’ = FAGS!
only homes use the word swag and listen to YMCMB
homo
young money is wack bro ony middle schoolers listen to shit like that, to make em look cool lol
nas spits knowledge, shit you need to learn bro,
^^^^^^^^^^^
Ya’ll niggaz need a proof reader lmao.
Life Is Good but are the beats also GOOD?
1/2 the beats by Remi = 1/2 the album a C at best
salam remi sucks, no one in the game works with him. probably this album will have shitty beats as always with an nas album
you are the intelligent jew, bubba
“no one in the game works with him”
Well, why won’t you say that to The Fugees, Imi Kamoze, Jazmine Sullivan, Big Boi, Nelly Furtado, Jurassic 5, Kevin Lyttle, B.o.B, Usher, Miguel, Anthony Hamilton, CJ Hilton, Canibus, Lil Flip, Joss Stone, Melanie Fiona, I-20, Ludacris, Leona Lewis and Chrisette Michele then?
Sadly I think this a filler album to hold us off until we get Lost tapes 2 and the Premo collaboration. This marks his outroduction from Def jam so I really think this will be a lackluster album.
Being a huge Nas fan it disappoints me that he still picks wack ass beats. After Stillmatic the beats started to deteriorate, and it’s refreshing to see that the hip hop community agrees his beats are so so. I’m keeping my fingers crossed since he has NO ID seems to have a bulk amount of the production.
Remi had a few bangers, but seriously he is to Nas what Rob Schnider is to Adam Sandler. Why does he still use him?
album will be straight trash. i mean, this nigga’s second best work is compilation.
What this article didn’t tell you is that def jam is re signing nas. It was in the same billboard article.
^ That one seems to have slipped by GOOGLE. Sounds like a tall tale.
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http://www.datpiff.com/B-ROLL-YA-Young-Black-And-Gifted-Vol-2-mixtape.358568.html
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don’t you ever compare the bullshit you do to Marvin Gaye again, bitch.
Marvin gaye shits on this fake gangster called Nas Escobar go do a song with rick ross
Exactly. Nas is a complete fraud. Fuck his fake ass music.
haha its unbeleivable you can easily tell that its the fagget no life who keeps writing these bullshit hating ass comments. get off nas dick u groupie hoe.
Album shaping up to be a classic. Look out for summer on smash. Getting released for July 4th weekend
Fuck that 15 year old trashing the gawd mc
Nas is Re signing todef us, read the fu
L billboard article.
Just google nas and you’ll see billboard article pops up as news
No it doesn’t
Re signing to def jam my bad
If Marvin Gaye were alive would he even know who Nas was? I think not.
How does “Nasty”, “The Don”, “Another Black Girl Lost 2”, and “Daughters” have ANYTHING to do with Kelis? This proves my point that this dude just freestyles in interviews. lol.
this nigga always needs someone bigger than him that he can compare his coasters to.
This album is going to have a heavy 90’s era influence theme to it. So real hip hop heads should be real intoxicated after they hear it.
Sidebar note: To all the so called “Backpackers” Illmatic was 18yrs.ago fam move on.
Thank you my man. I’ve been saying this a lot. Salaam isn’t as bad as everyone is making him out to be. Although I would add Nazareth Savage, Street’s Disciple and War to that list. Those are also dope beats by Salaam. And Suicide Bounce was made actually made by Nas himself.
You’re all idiots! Now shut the hell up and show some respect for one of the greatest to ever bless the mic. Nuff said.
“Thief’s Theme”
Good song.