DAVE EAST & NAS PERFORM FORBES LIST AT SXSW [VIDEO]
During the Mass Appeal “Live At The BBQ” show at SXSW, Dave East and Nas connected on stage for a live performance of “Forbes List.”
NAS PREVIEWS J DILLA COLLABORATION “THE SICKNESS” PRODUCED BY MADLIB [VIDEO]
While at SXSW, Nasty Nas gave fans at the Mass Appeal concert a taste of the collaboration with J Dilla titled “The Sickness” that Madlib produced from the upcoming Dilla album The Diary.
NAS EXPLAINS HOW HE ALMOST COLLABORATED WITH NOTORIOUS B.I.G. ON THE GIMME THE LOOT REMIX [VIDEO]
Did you know that Nas and Biggie almost ended up collaborating for a remix to “Gimme The Loot?”
Let that sink in for a minute…
In an interview with DJ Khaled, Nas revealed that he and the Notorious B.I.G. were in the studio working on a remix to “Gimme The Loot” when marijuana ended up undoing it all.
“He wanted to get me on Ready To Die, and by the time I finished my first joint that was already out. He was trying to get me on Ready To Die, and it never happened. So he wanted to do the ‘Gimme The Loot’ remix,” said Nas. “He put up the beat, and I started writing. But he started smoking.”
Esco continued, “He had some of that chocolate. He lit some of that up, and it was late. We’re lit. I’m like, ‘I ain’t got nothing. This is over today.’”
The rest of the interview is pretty dope as well but that jewels is a headrocker.
J DILLA – THE INTRODUCTION
Nas recently announced that another posthumous J Dilla release will be coming courtesy of the Queensbridge emcee’s Mass Appeal record label. Titled The Diary, you can check out the first single titled “No Introduction” and prepare for the album’s release on April 15 with the tracklisting below.
1. The Introduction
2. The Anthem f. Frank & Dank
3. Fight Club f. Nottz & Boogieman
4. The Shining Pt. 1 (Diamonds) f. Kenny Wray
5. The Shining Pt. 2 (Ice)
6. Trucks
7. Gangsta Boogie f. Snoop Dogg & Kokane
8. Drive Me Wild
9. Give Them What They Want
10. The Creep (The O)
11. The Ex f. Bilal
12. So Far
13. F*ck The Police
14. The Diary
USHER FEAT. NAS & BIBI BOURELLY – CHAINS [VIDEO]
Usher continues to tackle social injustice with his latest video for “Chains” that features Nas and Bibi Bourelly.
“‘Chains’ is my way of spreading light on the issues we face in our social injustice system. As artists we have to use our platform to spread awareness and inspire action. Please visit chainshub.org and @sankofadotorg to learn how you can get involved and build a more effective social movement.” – Usher
NAS – MARCH MADNESS (REMIX)
Nasty Nas put his own spin on Future’s “March Madness” during OVO Sound Radio’s show the other night. The results are glorious.
JADAKISS FEAT. NAS & STYLES P – RAIN
The man who proclaims to be Top 5 connects with his Lox brethren and the emcee who is known as Top 5 of all time for the track “Rain.”
BILLBOARD NAMES NAS’ NY STATE OF MIND AS #2 GREATEST HIP HOP BEAT OF ALL TIME
Billboard recently published a ranking of the 10 greatest hip hop beats of all-time. Grandmaster Flash and the Furious Five’s “The Message,” Produced by Ed Fletcher, Clifton “Jiggs” Chase and Sylvia Robinson, took the top spot. Coming in at #2 was the Nasir Jones and DJ Premier collaboration on “NY State of Mind” off of Nas’ classic Illmatic. Here’s the description below.
DJ Premier is arguably the best hip-hop producer of all time, and this may he his finest beat, and the one that represents him the best. He was raised in Texas before moving east, but his mid ’90s work — particularly on Nas’ flawless Illmatic debut — basically exemplifies the classic New York underground sound that folks like Joey Bada$$ idolize to this day. It’s been called “boom bap,” and the drums that start this classic Nas highlight (arguably the best album opener of all time) could very well be the inspiration for the term. It features also another Premier signature — one of his weird, unidentifiable monotone chirps, sampled from who knows where — and then the piano riff fades in, as sinister as the darkest Queensbridge stairwell. There’s no escape from the street scenarios it inspired Nas to describe — or this unforgettable beat once it gets into your nodding head.
You can check out the rest of the list here.
DAVE EAST FEAT. NAS – FORBES LIST
It was going to happen sooner or later. Nas and Dave East collaborate for this joint from Mr. East’s upcoming Hate Me Now project.
NAS – OBEY YOUR THIRST DOCUMENTARY
Nas shared his story with The FADER x Sprite. “Growing up in Queensbridge, hip-hop was the most amazing thing I’d ever heard,” says Nas in the Obey Your Thirst documentary, made by The FADER and Sprite. “There was nothing more important to me than having a voice. I wanted to make a big impact on this art form. I wanted to open up a doorway for another generation.”
Considering that these are words coming from one of the most revered rappers of all time, behind one of the most beloved albums of all time in 1994’s Illmatic, it’s safe to say that Nas has succeeded in making his dreams a reality. But how did he make it all happen? In the video, Nas gives up-and-comers some advice, insisting on following your vision regardless of what other people say: “Why do something that’s not you? Trust in yourself and always push the envelope.”