While performing in London with Distant Relatives partner Damian Marley, Nas stopped by Tim Westwood’s BBC Radio show to discuss his next solo project. According to the Queensbridge emcee, his next solo LP feels like “magic moment” in his career. He also mention a bevy of producers he’s hoping to collaborate with on the project. In turn that echoes his rumored collaborative albums with DJ Premier and Dr. Dre, Nas also added that Kanye West has expressed interest in producing the entire LP.
“I’m definitely looking at my [next] solo project as one of the most important records of my life,” he explained. “It’s going to be magic. That’s all I feel. I feel a magic thing happening, brewing. I keep calling it a magic moment. That’s what it’s going to be. I feel that the stuff that I’m writing down, the directions that I’m thinking about going into…it doesn’t even matter what producers [produce it], if it’s Swizz Beatz, if it’s [DJ] Premier, if it’s it’s Alchemist, Dr. Dre, Kanye West, all of these guys are guys that I love and guys that I’ve been talking to about getting in on the project. Actually, Kanye hit me up saying ‘I want to do the album.’ And RZA…Those dudes inspire me to go in there and do what I’m supposed to do at this day and age…I gotta deliver.”
Nas also discussed how he and Damian Marley connected for their critically acclaimed LP Distant Relatives. He says that what was initially supposed to be a song on 2006’s Hip-Hop is Dead turned into and EP and then eventually became a full-blown album. He also expressed how much he admires Damian’s work ethic.
“I like how [Damian Marley] gets down,” he said. “We’ve been talking bout doing more work together. We were supposed to do something on the Hip-Hop is Dead album, but it never materialized. We’d been talking back and forth and then we just planned to do an EP, but we just kept going and did an album [that eventually became Distant Relatives]…we were flowing, and [Damian’s] work ethic is some of the most focused work ethic I’ve ever seen in my life. He’s ill.”
The full interview can be found here.
Let the standard Nas comments beginPeoepl act like givin nas his credit takes away form their favorite MC:
1.Nastradamus was wack
2. His only good album was illmatioc
3.Jay-Z revived his career
4.He’s not “real”
5.He has poor beat selection
6.Untitled and hip-hop is dead were gimmicks
stop repepating everything you heard. calling ni can guarentee 80% of people who say this crap are under 21 and don’t even remeber it was written, i am or even stillmatic
your dummb
Fuck out of here with that bullshit.
Hip Hop is Dead, Stillmatic, It Was Written and Lost Tapes are all classic. God’s Son and I Am… are solid as well.
Illmatic – greatest rap album.
Nas never fell off.
I don’t think he was saying those things like he meant them. He was saying them because that’s what the typical Nas hates says. He’s saying stop saying that shit because it’s not true…
Smh. All you gotta read is SACTOWN. That place is dead and full of lames, obviously dudes gonna hate on one of the best to do it.
People want to talk about classic albums.. Nas has them under his belt, yet the amount of classic material this guy has is still unmatched…so these haters are just not being too real with it!
your a fuckin moron. if you want to rant about Nas being “not real” or “wack” (as opposed to “whack”) go right ahead, but do so by yourself in your parents basement listening to your Soulja Boi discography where you opinion matters…… bitch
How the fuck would you even know if NAS is not real or not if you never even actually met him and known him personally throughout the entire layers of his life? Of course you’re gonna say he’s not real because you don’t even know him you stupid fuck! It’s easy for someone to say that another person is not real when you don’t even know the person. RFLMAO!!! Some people are true idiots I tell you…
LO! Nas is my favorite rapper. i was saying what everyone else says.
Nastraamus was a misunderstood album with minimal marketing at that time, It was supposed to be on some new era ish, cuz everyone thought Jesus was coming back, Y2K, etc, etc, it is still a better album than over 80% of albums released within the last three years. Nas does not have to live up to yall’s hype he is the hype he is hip hop, Jay-Z didn’t rebirth his career Nas was chillin, Jay-z got tired of going to New York and the people keep saying you still aint ill as Nas, so as a true hip hopper he challenged him, he just forget that he was neva on Nas lyrical level, Jay-Z tells you this is his last three albums if you really listen, Jay-z is the greatest rap business man since P-Miller, so naturally you don’t waste money on a fight you can’t win, you link up and get mo money, Enough Said on that, His music defines how real he is, but no one called Nas out for being fake exept Tupac, and Nas handled that too, if you listen… Alot of hate for Nas cuz he don’t do what the industry tells him, he’s not brainwashed like many of these Down Lo booty busting rappers, Shit if Nas aint real then who da hell is….. And Illmatic is still the absolute best HIP HOp album ever made, even Jay will tell you that, you must be one of those old ROCK fans well throw your diamond up and keep cuz you know nothing you speak about
Let the standard Nas comments beginPeoepl act like givin nas his credit takes away form their favorite MC:
1.Nastradamus was wack
2. His only good album was illmatioc
3.Jay-Z revived his career
4.He’s not “real”
5.He has poor beat selection
6.Untitled and hip-hop is dead were gimmicks
stop repepating everything you heard. calling ni can guarentee 80% of people who say this crap are under 21 and don’t even remeber it was written, i am or even stillmatic
They haters always repeat these same 6 comments you posted..LOL! That is how you know that they are sheep and don’t know shit about Nas’ very dope collection of music! Nas is the GOAT…niggas is mad because he does not kiss ass, jock the hottest right now emcee or follow the bullshit radio formula and he still more lyrical then their foavorite rapper…becuase Nas is a true MC and artist to the fullest!
wow. some of ya’ll are beyond dumb & ignorant. read all of what Sactown is saying
homie did Jay tell u that that album was wack or did u really listen 2 it. Now i like hov but Nas is the standard, actually RAKIM But Nas is him also with a lil street. Jay is about $$$$$$, and its nothing wrong wit that but cant compare Knowledge with a get money emcee. In that era Nas lyrically out shinned Jay. Now thats real
Greatest MC of all time. I been around since the Kane and Rakim days and still listen to the new niggas that come out. All things considered, Nas is the best…ever.
nas is still the best alive…he just dont do dem dumb ass dances and auto tune n wats hot rite now. nas dont appeal to younger people cuz he too real for dat deese kids look for gimmicks and catchy hooks…if they dont understand what they hearin they just trash it…i got all nas albums and u gotta listen to what he sayin, not juss dance and nod to da beat. if u dont listen u shoudnt even comment.
Dudes who say that Nas is wack…. should cut both ears off LOL… what the fuck u be on crack cocaine???? Maybe his beat choice was not always on point but damn callin Illmatic his only good one is a gay move.
Ether is the upmost best greatest diss track I have ever heard.
The only bone Ive ever had with NAS (and who am I to talk?) is his beat selection. Some are str8 up hits, we all know that…..but man, sometimes I scratch my head with some of his selections. That’s part of the problem (going back 10-12 years ago) when emcees would try and make a greatest hits album with 10 different producers. I get it, but some of the most timeless albums were produced by one man behind the boards……it flows better. It the exception, not the rule.
The Unreleased NaS LP “NaSdaq DowJones aka The Lost Tapes II” absolutely shits on every hip hop album released in the last few years except maybe OB4CL…Pt.2, and that is saying alot. NAS’ unreleased tracks nearly overshadow Jay-Z’s entire catalogue.
NAS IS THE BEST ALIVE, THE ONLY RAPPER THAT COMES CLOSE TO HIM IS EMINEM, BUT THAT’S LIKE COMPARING APPLES TO ORANGES, IT DEPENDS ON WHAT YOU LIKE, I WANT A NAS ALBUM PRODUCED COMPLETELY BY DJ PREMIER, & MAYBE A FULL ALBUM PRODUCED BY DR. DRE IF HE PUTS ALL HIS EFFORT IN IT, LAST TIME HE DID THAT WAS LIKE DOGGYSTYLE, & I AINT INTERESTED IN NAS ON KANYE PRODUCTION, I DON’T LIKE THE SOUND KANYE IS GOING FOR RIGHT NOW
cosign
But Imagine If Nas had the beat and chorus for Kanye’s current track ‘Power’. You know he would rip it right open. I could hear Nas on that track.
dude! Nas will forever be one of the greatest rappers ever! Nastradamus was a bad CD and the last Untitled CD wasnt great…but other than that, I can listen to all his albums straight. He’s beats aren’t always the greatest because dude doesn’t need great production to get it done.
*Illmatic is voted one of the greatest albums ever created.
NAStradamus wasn’t a bad cd. for Nas, maybe, for most everyone else? one of their better ones, or even their best one. Nas set the bar so high with ILLmatic, It was Written and I Am… that NAStradamus felt rushed, which it was.
@JonRoss agree. When you put Nastradamus against the rest of Nas’ catalog, it sucks. When you put it against hip hop in general back then it was a decent album. If you put it against nowadays it was a great album.
People that say Nastradamus sucked are comparing it to other Nas cds, namely Illmatic, which just isn’t far to compare any cd to Illmatic.
Nas is the best alive
Nas should stay away from Kanye West. Premo or Large P. The best work in Nas’ career was produced by Premier or the extra P. Kanye doesn’t have the trademark New York sound. Those are the beats that Nas rips the best. Nas Please Stay away from Kanye!!! Its a suicide mission.
U must’ve not heard “The Game” by Common. Go check that out then come back and rewrite your statement.
You sir are an idiot, have you heard nas over a kanye beat it never fails, we major , poppa was a player, let there be light.
Still Dreaming GOAT Nas/Kanye collab
a kanye produce cd might just be good for nas
Distant Relatives is definitely the best album of the year so far. Nas and Damian mixed hip hop and reggae perfectly and made a modern masterpiece. Nas’ next album is going to be great like always. His only flaw was Nastradamus but all of his other albums truly make up for that. Nas is most definitely one of, if not, THE best to ever do it.
As for Kanye producing the album, I think Kanye can really lace up some great beats for Nas. I liked what Kanye did on “Still Dreaming” and “Let There Be Light” off HHID. Even though Kanye is going the more progressive, electronic route for himself, Jay-Z, etc., doesn’t mean he can switch it up for other artists. Remember how Late Registration had a little more commercial sound than College Dropout but then he completely turned the tables on Common’s Finding Forever? Don’t doubt his skills because Kanye can cover all grounds. I think he can really bring it on Nas’ next album. That’s just me though.
To be honest, if he couldnt better his first album in 8 attempts then why would the 9th be any better.
Name one rapper with an album better than Illmatic and you are a fucking idiot!
Has there ever been an album that topped Illmatic? And yet hip hop is still around….
KANYE WEST ON HIS NEXT ALBUM WOULD BE SICK ….. GOOD ASS JOB IS GETTING MAD PRESS AT THE MOMENT . SO THAT WOULD BE GOOD FOR NAS AS FAR AS ALBUM SALES GO .
ANYWAY NAS HAS HAD BAD ALBUMS BUT HE HAS ALSO DROPPED CLASSIC’S AS WELL IT ISN’T LIKE HE WOULDN’T BE IN MOST PEOPLE’S TOP 5 OF ALL TIME .
DO YOU KNOW WHY PEOPLE HATE ………….?
IT’S BECAUSE NOBODY SHOW’S THEM ANY LOVE
REAL !!!!!!!!
i doubt this is gonna happen. it’ll make too much sense for Nas to actually work a album with dope producers, he prefers wack beats
Not sure if you’re disrespecting the GOAT’s actual talent
But word I agree to some extent but Illmatic It was written and HHis Dead showed great beat selection
His 2 two LPs had great beats. HHID? That was a bit uneven. Chris Webber? C’mon Nas
All-time GOAT in my opinion
Argubaly the best discography in hip-hop
HAte all you want Nas bodied your favourite rapper and won the beef
No matter how much more millions he makes JAY-Z WILL NEVER BE BETTER THAN NAS!
That Kanye idea should be good
He always comes full throttle for the legends of the game
Jay is the better business man and entertainer.
Nas is the vastly superior poet, lyricist, rapper, emcee, battle rapper, raps about shit with meaning, etc.
Nas raps about the struggle and politics. Jay raps about bitches, ice, and whips
Give me Nas any day of the week over Jay. Jay doesn’t have close to the lyrical talent that Nas has.
The haters are so use to saying the same old copy and paste bullshit about nas that they sound like robots…programmed idiots!
The truth hurts………
Nas + Kanye beats = A great album.
Oh and as for the haters.. Just shut up and post your bs somewhere else. Is it a sin to like Jay Z and Nas at the same tim? Holy shit people.
Not a sin, just strange…
You sound stupid you can appreciate both varieties of Hip Hop from Jigga, and Nas, you don’t have to choose one, but there will be one you lean toward a lil more based on your own perception, and outlooks. And whoever said Nas is broke doesn’t know shit bout music, A guy who dropped that manyalbums going atleast Gold, many Plat, gets a FAT check every month. Dick head why yall worried bout pockets listen to the mucis, Once Nas is gone alot of shit leaves with him,
Nas should let Kanye produce his album because right now he’s a broke bum……….
no your a broke bum. Nas is a multi millionaire that gets respect everywhere except from faggots like you.
Damn yo, why catchin feelings like that? Are you lil Dest or another one Nas’ relatives or something?
He sounds really excited about working on this new album. He seems really focused and the list of producers he shot off is very promising. He proved he still has it lyrically with Distant Relatives (arguably the best album of 2010) and with recent features such as Khaled’s Victory. I have high hopes for this new album. Glad to see him back on his grind & motivated. Seems like a really positive dude. I heard this whole interview & I love the way dude is so honest in real…in a way that so many people can relate to him and what he is feeling and going through. I think that sets him apart from so many celebrities…there no facade, you get what you get.
Nas is the greatest to ever do it. I agree his beats arent always the best but his lyrical content more than makes up for the production. Thats the problem wit niggaz nowadays too much emphasis on beats and no lyricism. Nas catalog>>>>>Jay-Z catalog
no doubt!
And niggaz that are lyricist, like Nas, Ras Kass, Chino XL and Canibus, don’t put enough emphasis on beats, which keeps them from receiving the profits that they truly deserve. As much as “hip hop purists” hate on Diddy, the fact is that Diddy helped Biggie profit off of his lyrical talent, by supplying with Biggie with superb and listenable production to compliment Biggie’s superb lyricism.
Please get everyone you just mentioned to work on your album. Fuck Salaam Remi Nyquil beats
Naw, Swiss Beats and Alchemist shouldn’t be on Nas’s new album, them dudes been failing a whole lot lately. Especially Swiss beats with all those wak ass dance songs he’s responsible for in the past 3 years.
Kanye and RZA should do the whole album… lol
Seriously… Nas… Kanye and RZA producing? C’mon man? That’s a classic, Classic Nas… Gimme a Modern Day Illmatic soN!! lol that’s probably impossible though.
PeaCe.
that would be interesting to see where Kanye would go with this one. i can’t see Nas rhyming to the futuristic beats like Stronger and I Wonder. i don’t know if he’s be good with the soul sample wither. so like i said i don’t know how well it would work but Kanye’s the best porducer ever in my opinion so i’m sure it would be a quality release
I think Nas would kill a Kanye soul sample beat. That’s what I had in mind reading this article. Memory Lane by Nas makes me think he can handle it.
Nas would have killed Power!
I think Just Blaze’s productions would be a far better fit with Nas. I can’t imagine Kanye doing anymore than 2 tracks for a successful Nas LP.
damn what ya’ll talking about.kanye produce damn near the whole blueprint cd.use that in relation to nas.
I would LOVE to see an entire Nas album where he goes back to his roots and rhymes over Premo and Large Professor only.
and q tip!!!!
Yea he can be involved too lol
Premo’s, Large Pro’s and q tip’s beats are so damn boring which is why Illmatic wasn’t a commercial success. If Nas wants to keep up with those child support payments without going broke, then he better stick with producers that can balance out his laid back flow with some live and hardcore beats, not a bunch of boring jazzed out beats.
A sequel to Stillmatic…some ill lyricism and some radio but hard shit
@justsayin I could give a fuck if it is a commercial success. If you want bangers, go listen to Timbaland bullshit.
I’ll take the smoothed out shit anyday of the week.
Large Professor? I mean, he’s good but… really?
Nas should be the first East Coast cat to get either Black Milk or DJ Quik to do a whole album for him.
Too late, Sean P beat him to it. (Random Axe)
I hope he doesn’t let Kanye do the whole album, one or two fine
THIS IS GONNA BE FINEST DAY IN HIPHOP WHEN THIS ALBUM DROPS
NAS BEST RAPPER ALIVE
NAS AND DJ PREMIER BEST DUO!!!!
I agree that nas is the absolute greatest rapper to exist but why does other websites and large groups of people say tupac was the best ever and i thought he was an average gangtsta rapper who got big after he died.
U’s a dummy dat fell in love wit Hip Hop after ’97 during the ‘Pac dead, Biggie dead’ buzz…nywayz who told Nas is the ‘absolute greatest rapper’? Check Rap & Hip Hop archives sucka!!
Big up to Nas one of the illest on the M.I.C
what you are saying is bullshit,nas can never be compared to the legendary 2 pac.2pac was a real mada fucker who was not afraid to speak his mind via his music.the dopest nigga ever
Nas has a history of throwing out bullshit just to get a rise out of fans. He hardly ever delivers on his promises of production teams or collaborations. This dude either needs to put up or just shut up.
This is true. He rarely keeps his word prior to albums. Even with some ideas or concepts. I’m still waiting on Unauthorized Biography of Krs One. That was six years ago…lol
this is gonna b the greatest album i ever hear n my entire life till i die
Nice! Big up to Nas. Can’t wait to hear that new album. I wonder when he’s thinking of dropping it?
Susan recommended me a nice community, ______ H o t B l a c k w h i t e * C o m ______ where black & white singles are looking for lovers to share interracial lifestyle with…. 😀
Nas outshine every1.even pac cld feel some1 wz above him.
Nas is legendary, one of the G.rappers.O.A.T……….Nuff respect to him and all the rappers repping that real hiphop, looking forward to his new album
Man, the new hiphopdx site is wack! Dont fuck with the comments section its the best part of this site!!!
THE KING NAStradamus!!!
Someone please tell this nigga that the fans want that album with Primo. I mean, really though? God Son needs to have his ear closer to the streets and know thats all he needs to drop
Why bother getting Kanye when you can have Primo produce an LP? I wouldn’t mind an album produced by Primo as well as Dre and Kanye though.
Premier’s work the past couple years has fallen off a little. Maybe Nas would bring the best out of him. It will be really interesting who Nas does select for his production crew as tight beats seem to be way more crucial listeners today than lyrics. It shouldn’t be that way, but it is what it is.
i think he should let premier, q-tip, swizz, and just blaze do his album. its a good balance of minimal, soulful beats that let nas lyrics shine and modern day bump thats listened to today. and for features he should have jay-z, lauryn hill, j cole, lupe fiasco, jadakiss, jill & i think a drake collabo over a just blaze beat would be interesting.
I believe Kanye producing the entire album is a hot concept. With Kanye beats and Nas’ thought provoking lyrics that would probably be the hottest album in whatever year it drops. However, hopefully Kanye won’t get too caught up in doing futuristic beats. Give us the Nas we know and love…not the grimmy dude.
Peace,
Liyah
@lankaistai What’s real hip hop? When I listen to rap music from back in the early eighties it was live and hardcore, not mellow and boring like a primo track or like the entire illmatic album. It was written is Nas’ greatest album, followed by I Am.
what! Ilmmatic boring, you off your marbles god. Yo man Illmatic is a milestone in history. Premo bring the ill on the beats man. So does Q-Tip. One Love was one of Nas’s best tracks.
@JUSTSAYIN………. stop fukin sayin, cus all you JUSTSAYIN is BULLSHIT… Primo = best producer EVER
@hip hop historian… yeeessss you’re right, couldnt agree more… @justsayin… you outta your fuckin mind.. “not mellow and boring like a primo track or like the entire illmatic album” okay chief, don’t listen to hip hop anymore then… because you just criticized two of the greatest elements hip hop has ever had, if not the greatest two elements… you say somethin about negative nas AND primo in the same sentence then you obviously dont know hip hop or like it so keep quiet
Hmm someone mentioned Hip Hop is Dead and Untitled being bad. But I actually liked those albums because Nas successful made two concept albums. To be honest there aren’t many rappers both good and bad making concept albums anymore. Usually their albums are songs, depending on the artist they have different concepts or are just full of hits. I thought HHID and Untitled worked because Nas was able to get a bunch of perspectives on each concept.
That and Illmatic is amazing, It Was Written took YEARS for people to truely appreciate (myself included to be honest) and The Lost Tapes is the best “non” album I’ve ever heard. Seriously TLT is better then a lot of rappers albums.
God’s Son had a lot of emotion because it was made after Nas mom passed, which worked for me because when I bought that album, I was going through a lot of changes in my life and loved the album because I can relate to it.
The only wack albums I think Nas made was Nastrudomus because it was rushed for some reason and Street’s Disciple. Even SD touched on so many topics this was the epitome of Nas’ bad beat selection
Just my 2 cents.
I 1000% agree with you those where by far his worse. However both albums still had classics on it.
nas next album will be great
http://watchthishiphop.blogspot.com
I think Q-tip and Nas should do a track together, I think it will become full circle in his music career and also get lauryn hill too.
this may sound crazy but,iv been listening to hip hop for like a decade and from where im from almost no one listens to rap music,most dont even know that shit (of course i dont live in america,duh) and yall talking about nas like he’ a fucking legend(like pac,biggie etc) while i dont even know him?wtf? So im going to download distint reletives right now(cuz they dont sell them here,crazy right?no shit) and listen and rate.while im doing that what r his best hits other than D.R?
distant@@not distint.sorry
if you want to hear why nas is a legend you don’t star from his most recent work, you listen to where he started from, Illmatic.
cant wait! nas is a mc’s mc
I reckon Nas should take the Jay-Z route and have a few different producers on the album. Of the producers he’s been talking about, I would like an album of DJ Premier, Dr. Dre, Kanye West, Pete Rock & RZA beats. That would definitely be good.