He spoke about the rumor circling around that Def Jam would drop him if he didn't change the title of his next album, "Nigger".
"Somebody told me that [one] about me getting dropped. That sounds funny, though. I guess that just stays a rumor. But I enjoy those rumors too, because that means there’s fear. That starts a revolution. It sparks something within the hip-hop community, within the streets, within the people outside the streets. It raises an eyebrow to the situation, you know? Nobody wants to deal with the word “nigger,” because what comes with the word “nigger” is a whole history where you show so much injustice, and you show so much that has not been fixed yet. So it’s a scary thing. But it’s also uncomfortable when I’m dealing with it. Like, no one can tell me what to do. None of the black leaders, none of these motherfuckers, record companies, none of them can tell me what to do. Because you can’t stop what I want to do, you understand?".
So what was up with mentioning Tiger Woods on the track "These Are Our Heroes"? What was that about?
"A lot of times, when people look at me, they look too deep into it. Tiger Woods standing up for this white lady who said something about him being lynched is a coon move to me. God bless the brother. I like to see him doing his thing, but that’s a flaw to his character. That’s an issue I would have with Tiger Woods; not who he is married to. I don’t even know who he’s married to. I saw Cuba Gooding do a hand spin or some shit on an awards show—that’s very coonish to me. I can’t remember what Taye Diggs did, but I didn’t know he was married to a white woman. You know who my hero is? Richard Pryor. He was married seven times. My favorite wife of his is Debra, one of the white girls."
In other news…
How does Nas feel about fans screaming out at concerts to play "Ether" and why did he stop performing it?
"Awww, man… People come to the shows and start to go through eras with me, and that moment right there is the greatest rap battle of this generation. So of course they’re going to chant that shit. After the first year, there was no need to be out there yelling people’s names and cursing them out and shit. In 2003 I brought KRS-One out to Summer Jam, and he told me he don’t like doing “The Bridge Is Over.” I understood. You’re out there saying people’s names that you’ve since reconciled [with]. You’re talking about another person that’s alive, and for the crowd it’s exciting, but for the one who’s saying it, that’s some shit."
What about Nas' longevity in the game? Did he think he would still be making albums in 2008?
"Did I ever see myself on a 10th album? No, because there weren’t long careers for rap dudes back when I did my first shit, especially in New York. You had your Dana Danes, Slick Rick, Beastie Boys, Rakim, Run-DMC, Kool G, you had your superstars; then you had your underground dudes who would survive for two albums. I always saw myself as the more polished underground cat. I didn’t see it really going past the first album. I did not see it. The plan was to get out of the P’s. That was it. Get out the P’s, set up a little something for the homies, go to school, try to learn how to write some other shit, novels, screenplays or figure out what you want to do in life. At the time, we didn’t see any of our generation go platinum until Biggie. Him and Bad Boy showed me how to do it. I just thought it would be one record. At most, two."
Nas has also been tapped to write a new track for an upcoming Mike tyson Documentary which will be scored by Salaam Rami.
You can read the entire interview here.
COMMENTS
Nas doesn't give up. Thas one smart Nigga.
Thank God he didn't quit after that first album got him out of the PJs. No tellin where hip hop game would be right now if he hadn't drop HHID and sparked everybody into makin real shit again.
Some say Nas is a gimmick for naming his Albums the way he does for controvesy to sell. Cats like me say it is needed to spread the word of how cats is killin it. Looked at what Hip Hop Is Dead spwaned? A whole new community claiming its alive and actually producing good music.
Nas is smart, and is one of the only greats left actually using his status to make a difference. Mad Props to the GOAT
i agree witcha about nas being smart. he is a breathe of fresh air in an industry that is oozing ignorance.
smart is an understatement for nas.
Lol This Dude Startin To Sound More Like A Muslim Then Gods Son Lol...What He Call Tiger Again LOL!! Thats Funny...I Gotta Get The Album
Nas Album Is Definately A Must Cop In My Book. I Like Tha Cat Cause He Keeps It Real E And J Smooth With That Realness To It. One Of Tha Greastest MC Alive Best Story Teller And Then Sum. Real Humble Shyt He Sayin About Not Expecting To Be 10 Albums Deep In Tha Game At Least He Wasn't Like "Who U Think U Talkin To? I'm Nas Blazay Blah Bullshyt" He Kept It 100... SCREAM AT ME,1..
Yeah nas is a storyteller fro real. up there with the other great tellers, Snoop Dogg, Slick Rick, Outkast shit Em too. all good at givin yo the pictures in their heads.
o.n.e.
myspace.com/statusrec
Man his arugment is so legit and people like i dont want to here the word nigger. Then you hiding from the truth to. Doing what he doing it takes a bold person so much props to Nas i see what you doing.
i dot like that talk bout tiger..i thought the point of this album was to show how we have to overcome the "touchy" subjects. if she said that and no mind was paid attention it would have never started controversy..but it was a big thing and only more tension between races came off it.
however when tiger let it go...it fizzled. see what im saying.
PREACH!!
I heard the new joint he did. The lyrics always come correct but the beat was wack.
my nigg, best lyricist of all time shittin on these dumb niggas (and bitches). Pac best overall. Bout to go see Jay and Mary at MSG and get it crackin in NY for the weekend. Hit up Mars 2121, 40 40 or sumthin, ya know, do the mothafucka ya digg...suckas
man i wanted to hear ether too when i saw nas but i feel what hes sayin about not wantin to bring that shit back
I wonder if Nas is blazing right now.
and now you read it on DS, wow, thats kool man
Interview was done yesterday..how that old?
actually it was done april 21st
u guys didnt know Albert has a time machine?
whoa chill out i did not mean to offend you and your publishing skills and where you got the idea that im fat i dunno cause i weigh about 140lbs and whatever but this article is similar to this 1 http://www.hiphopdx.com/index/news/id.6786/title.nas-talks-biggie-pac-beef-tiger-woods-being-a-coon-and-more
and they had this out april 21st so yea its whatever yo i dont really care
Nas is humble,cool,and outspoken...most rappers try to wild'out in interviews and sound gangsta
Nas is defintely a living legend....classy and spits some hot shit
Nas is defintely by Nigga, the only problem I had from him over his decade of music was the coming together with Jay after that slick talk from Jay about my Nigga. Now I am looking foward to the Nas and JayZ album but damn hommie that was to quick to join sides after that beef. I see Nas a humble Nigga leaving Jay shit out of his mouth now but I can't say the same thing for Jay Z. I know hommie and he always likes to say the last word. I HOPE THEY CAN STAY BEEF FREE. Can't wait for the ALbum NIGGER, going to cope 4 of them for you suckers not support my Nigga !!!!
hahaha........nigga said Tiger woods got coonish ways.........i coulda sworn i was tha only nigga callin other niggas on they coon ways fa real fa real
tiger more like an uncle tom, but yeah coonish fit his ass to.
YOU CAN TELL JUST NY THE WAY NAS TALKS HE IS ON A TOTALY DIFFERENT LEVEL THE THE WHOLE ENTIRE RAP GAME. ONE SMART NUGGA THAT SPEAKS WITH CLASS AND BRAINS. GOOD SHIT NAS. HIP HOP NEEDS THIS.
NICE ARTICLE, how come people starting beef on this page remember
LOVE HIP- HOP HATE WACK RAPPERS
Uhmm.... Yeah.
I just want the album...
lil' wayne the greatest. you must be getting high wit his ass.
u kno he's joking right
The day I give a fuck about anything one of the stunt monkeys from king kong has to say about me dick ridin is the day I join the weezy fanclub.
Bitch you been a member here for 1 week.
And no more pictures of you blowing kisses. Thats what the chimpanzees at the zoo look like when they get a bad banana.
^^^ U so right bout the banannas. Glad I'm not the only one that thinks this chick look like a gorilla.
lmao dam gethip did it again man i was gne say sumin 1st but fuck it lol
Why tha fuck iz u talkin bout wayne in a NaS disscussion? go 2 tha lil wayne section to dickride wayne...
fuck nas, naw nigga fuck you. wayne gay and wack!!!!!!!
Nas is the Truth, hands down like ‘6:30’. Sonn always amazes me when I read shit he said. And he’s right for attacking Tiger, even Jim Brown called out tiger. I was mad disappointed how he handled that shit. But you know Nas don’t get a check from Nike, he ain’t scared to speak up.
Him retiring Ether, proves again the man bodied Jay. And their Union was a good look for hip-hop, plus they understood that beefing over a Jump off like Carmen is wack.They both have money, both are repin NY strong,…yo the I DECLARE WAR concert was fire, Jay & Nas on stage together..wow & jay being NAS is hype man, Nas being JAY’s Hype man, all classic joints,..now that was hip hop alive on stage.
I’m Happy Sonn droped more records, I can’t see my Ipod without:
-I gave you power
-NY state of mind
-Live Rap Niggaz
-Hate me Now
-If I ruled the wolrd…..man I can go on & on,…but yeah NAS thanks for the classic joints, I wish Lil Weezy listened to a Nas album, maybe he might learn a thing or 2
"No one can tell me what to do. None of the black leaders (Al Sharpton), none of these motherfuckers, record companies, none of them can tell me what to do. Because you can’t stop what I want to do."
...lol, i like his mentality, NaS rules the hip hop world
Nas is one of the best hands down i dont give a fuck what his cd is called Nigger is a sick title fo a cd no one gots da balls to do that but my nigga nas props fo that shit im coppin the mothafucka is gona be a nasty cd ya digggggggggggggggggggggggggggggggggggggggggggggggggggggggg
Good article on a legend in the game.
Reel Talk u can trash me 4 sayin it + all dat good shit but Ima say it anyway. Nas a beast + alot of da stuf he said n da article made sense 2 me(Fo Sho da shit bout Tiger Woods) But when he said dis:
I can’t remember what Taye Diggs did, but I didn’t know he was married to a white woman.
So he mad at Taye Diggs 4 marryin a white lady? Come on reel talk dats a coon move 2 me.
He said "didnt know"
Which means that it wasnt the reason why he dissed taye.
He went on to say that pryors white wife was his favorite, which further asserts his view of not caring about who these black celebrities marry.
Its Uncomfortable to say it.......true but ima go in that shop and say yeah, pass me that nas new album, nigger, Possibly the greatest to ever do it, Nasir Jones- Illmatic inda building, oh yeah, i like jay too but i still play ether.... dont ask me why
Yo what if you worked in a record store and a white kid came in and was like "yo lemme get that new nigger album!" what would you do? I just thought about that.
I'm not even going to lie, and I know I might catch mixed reactions on this. But I'd prolly give that kid a look, or even say something to him. Idk I just believe in my heart no matter how "down" a white person is or whatever the fuck you want to call it, they still get a kick out of saying that word.
well as long as the kid called the album nigger and not a person i think it shouldnt matter or offend anybody
Naw it still won't work that way, regardless of how the white kid says nigger without sayin it to another person, they still gonna get their ass beat...
I'm not saying I'd curse the kid out or anything, but I'd tell him straight up some people may take that offensive. come on, Your whole life you've been told you can't say a certain word, You'd definitely get a kick out of thinking you can freely say that shit.
the point of his single be a nigger too was to let people remove the offensiveness and hatred behind the word rendering it powerless yadig
NAS IS THE TRUTH YEA TIGER MAN I WUZ SURPRISED WHEN I HEARD BOUT DAT 2 ITS RIDICULOUS BUT WUT CAN U DO SUM PEOPLE ARE JUZ BROUGHT UP LIKE DAT I GUESS DEY AINT BROUGHT UP LIKE 2 DEFEND AFTER EACH OTHER U KNOW HE NEEDS 2 GET TAUGHT
Since STILLMATIC GODS SON been the STREETS DISCLIPLE cuz HIP-HOP IS DEAD... NIGGER.
"My next few albums instead of projects
They'll be a difficult test inside the cover for your minds optics"
Can ya'll see the difference? Between Nas and the other rappers?
He doesn't have to call himself the best rapper alive. Because the proof is in the pudding.
Best rapper alive. a real black leader.
Can't wait for the next classic!
Peace!
lol proof in the pudding
This man is the best.
top 5 dead or alive
nas the best that live's
people that say lil wayne are 15 years old
kissing daddy in the mouth
get the fuck outta here
Yo, he could never get me to agree with calling his album Nigger, I still think it's a desperate PR attempt...but, the tracks I've heard so far have been 100. Nas sounds hungry again, I could smell the pissy project hallways on those tracks, and that's real hip hop 4 U.
Damn...He called Tiger a coon, and said Cuba was acting coonish. That's some funny shit!
The word coon is hilarious... but it means more than just a nigger, it's like some niggas do ignorant shit that is past being called a nigger cause they can see the ignorance their doing....... so you call them coons/koons
nas needs to chill with the tiger woods talk, people make mistakes dont have to make a fuckin circus out of it
Yeee Nas needa fall back with the TW shit.. But other than that he gone [hopefully] drop a classic.. With Nigger, Or whatever the fuck it will be called.. Hes got the right attitude.. Dudes on the top level.. And there isnt many dudes up there with him.... But him joinin sides with Jay back then was a fucked up move.. After calling Jay fake, Dickrider etc.. Idk, Jay seems to ride Nas then, And now.. Nas seems to be on that, Business shit.
Nas is 100% right..cant wait till the album drop.GtA4 track is crazy!
THE REAL BEST RAPPER ALIVE!!!!
i heard that track nigger. wouldn't you like to be a nigger to. only nas could pull that shit of. nigger, nigger, nigger. nas my motherfuckin niggs.