NAS: HIP-HOP'S PROTECTOR

Hip Hop is NOT Dead.

I think Nas just got confused with his own recent recordings cause "Hip Hop is Dead" is straight garbage.

hip hop is straight garbage whatever happened to rap we had in the 90's that day is over and todays rap is crap PERIOD ! you fucking newbs

not kissing kayce's ass here, but regardless of any potential foreshadowed criticism 'bout a rap/ hip-hop piece on jambase, I applaud the genre exploration.
Nas is respectable. "jam" can often drowned out the subtle artform of free verse (caucasion white lexicon) or in this case (african american/black lexicon): Hip-hop. Thanks for an intimate look at an artist swimming against the mainstream of his particular craft. the_goff.

Oh fuck. I've been trying to stay away from this kind of stuff, but I've been sucked back in.

Free Verse/Hip-hop. Intersesting point, but I gotta disagree...

Nas goes on stage and raps over pre-recorded music. Say what you will about the other questionable bands jambase has been putting on here recently, at least they play their own instruments.

"When I say "Hip Hop Is Dead" it means it once was alive and it's not alive now." Nas

Perhaps one the most non-insightful things I've ever read.

that was a good read - thanks for the article.

jurassic 5, blackalicious, tribe called quest, the roots...there's definately some really good rap out there still if you track it down

really good interview, i'm glad i read that. i'm not a hip-hop fan, but really enjoyed what he had to say about it. surprisingly intelligent guy in my opinion.

Nas is f*ckin dope......i dont know to much about this album but Illmatic...... what else is there too say?

And i will def agree w/ THEIVYWALL...still alotta good rap out there

Kayce nice. Your interview's solid. Many of you are definately right, there's a lot of shitty "rap" music, but there is some killer shit available that many have not been exposed to. I like the fact that Jambase is doing more genre defining shit, as opposed to sticking strictly w/"jam" associated groups. This site is a spot for MUSIC, and people there's a lot of different music out there go see it! Peace

OK, I'm a 35 year old white man that will admit to listening to rap since the days of Run DMC. NAS hits the nail on the head to why my list of fave rap artists (i'm a fan of all theivywall's mentioned groups) has grown shorter.

Rap overall is, to me, no different than McDonalds. The genre pipes the same lyrics, same images, and seemingly the same story in an effort to sell shoes, long T-shirts (or whatever style is deemed "in"), and cars most folks cannot buy. It is negative. It is redundant. It is boring.

Rap, today, is where Rock-N-Roll was at with the fag hair bands of the 1980s. Where is Rap's Nirvana to save it?

Perhaps I'm thrusting Nas in the rap group when maybe he is something else. If so, I apologize.


"Rap, today, is where Rock-N-Roll was at with the fag hair bands of the 1980s. Where is Rap's Nirvana to save it?" Standingtaller.

Yep. That makes total sense to me.

Jambase should give Kayceman his own parking space and his own private bathroom with a koi pond in it for just on for writing this piece. Say what you will but Nas is very deep and the only probably the only household name in modern day hip hop that has an IQ thats not his shoe size.

While I won't label some of those people who've posted negative comments on this board as "hata's" (notice I said, some) people need to realize that in just about any genre of music their are bad apples that make it look bad to most people. I think the reason that hip-hop is sooo fucked up and why it got ruined was becasue MTV only only plays the bullshit videos with chlamydia ridden rent-a-ho's, bling bling made out of conflict diamonds, italian cars, and expensive champagne being poured everywhere, fake MC's who rap about materialism over cookie cutter beats. Therefore, thats what sells, and thats the type of acts that major labels sign and spend millions of dollars in publicity on. It gives a lot of mostly urbanized kids a false sence of hope and tells aspiring MC's that they gotta conform to that type of style in order to get the yacht and the benz and the "getting shot" publicity stunts. Anybody who thinks that this is what hip hop is all about is obviously misled becasue the TRUE, indie, underground, backpacker whatever you want to call it is where its at.

I encourage you all to go and rent the documentery called "Hip-Hop: Beats and Beyond to see where I'm comin from.

Again, just about every third band in every genre sucks big time be it a phoney gratitious metal band, a stupid, stinky jam band, a rap artist, a country artist, or someone into electornica, etc. That's why with music, you gotta seek and you shall find. On that note, I leave you with these two quotes.

"This goes out to all the real emcee's/The ones without a deal emcees" - Inspectah Deck of Wu-Tang

"Don't be hatin'" B-Rad from Mailbu's Wanted.

Oh yeah and BET are spinless sellout's who should be buried in shame for taking Tavis Smiley off the air just to play a block of these terrible videos by the likes of Nelly.

Very good interview. Kinda cool to see someone on a major label that is an artist. And Tavis Smiley is indeed great.

Hey. Do an article about Liquid Soul from chicago!! They blend hip hop, funk,jazz and rock! Its more a more diverse sound, than normal rap hop. ehh.. all inclusive is cool but sometimes I wonder if they need to call this clear channel base instead.. hehehe.. joking. whatever is cool. peas....

Ivywall. I agree with u man ...

Great interview, Nas is one of the most talented lyricists ever, and anyone who disagrees needs to listen to Illmatic.

rap is rhythm and poetry...not music.

THIS IS WHY IM HOTTT

IM HOT CAUSE IM FLY U AINT CAUSE U NOT

^this is why rap can suck my balls

Can't wait to see Nas in the QC.

Eventhough I'm a Nas fan, I vowed never to see him after his performance in Chicago a few years back. He took over 90 minutes to take the stage after the opening acts were finished and then played a 30 minute set (if that).

I heard that he does that everytime he comes to Chi... he doesn't like the city or something.

I also agree w/ ivywall. Nas is mainsteam pop brag about what i have a who i kill rap. Not Hip-hop that has lyrical content pertainting to topics other that bitches blunts money and cars. The Roots, Tribe called quest, Most def, Pharcyde, J5 etc. Also when he performs he just yells over the music played staight from his album. Hes a studio superhero w/ no live tallent

it's a shame so many fans of this website are so closed minded about other stles outside of their precious "jam". Music is music. An artist does not always have to have a live backup band to be a quality artist. Hell, a quality artist does not even have to play live. It is true that many hip hop artists do not have a solid stage presence but it's also true that a lot of "jam" band can't work their live magic in the studio. By lumping dislike for a particular artist onto a whole genre of music is doing disservice to other artist is that genre. There are more bands than i can count in the so-called jam scene that suck or cannot write a decent song without having it supported by a lengthy and sometimes pointless guitar solo or drum solo. I don't bash the Dead because I think Phish sucks. Open your mind and musical taste to other styles instead of listening to the umpteenth Panic bootleg. I like this site and check it almost daily. I appreciate that other styles are beginning to get some notice. I mostly get a laugh out of the fools posting their love letters to Trey or crying that Panic has not resurrected thier dead guitarist for the next tour. Get a life.

The film that Maximus mentions above, Hip-Hop: Beats & Beyond is great because it takes a good hard look at the superficiality of the posing, bragging, sexist elements in popular hip-hop/rap. Russel Simmons, for all his success, comes off as rather unenlightened in the film. While I am open to it, I have found most rap to be just unintelligable crap- manufactured for consumption like fast food. One notable exception is KRS-One. I believe he sets himself apart from the rest. Milesgone, good call on Liquid Soul. They bring in hip hop elements but keep good old musicianship as a strong feature. They tear it up live.

I find it amusing that people like scooterdjembe and toysRus feel perfectly comfortable making jeering comments in regards to NaS when it is apparent they did not entirely grasp the content of the interview. ToyRus, it appears you failed to understand NaS' portion on tv today misrepresenting Hip Hop. He explicitly states that artists today like MIMs (from whom your lyrics were quoted)are gaining success as club rappers, rappers without talent who simply rely on beats, not lyrics, and audiences today confuse and fail to perceive articulate, socially conscious rappers as seperate from club rappers. People overgeneralize hip hop artists as consistent with this trapstar, club rapper image. NaS is embarrased to call himself a hip hop artist because ignorant people like you fail to perceive the distinction between club "rappers" and those like NaS. People like you guys prove the legitamacy of his words.

Don't get me wrong, im not saying you have to like the Hip Hop genre of music, because to each is own, im simply saying dont place talentless club rap and artists like NaS, J5, Tribe, Run DMC, The Roots, and Blackalicious in the same category

all this southern rap bling-bling crap is going to be the death of hip hop.

"Rap, today, is where Rock-N-Roll was at with the fag hair bands of the 1980s. Where is Rap's Nirvana to save it?"
-
sounds like the musings of a homophobe idiot. Nirvana did not save rock it just created clones. and regarding "It is negative. It is redundant. It is boring.". Turn off your MTV and do some searching in the hip hop underground. Check J5, Del, Kool Keith, MF Doom, the Stone's Throw label, the Roots, Quasimoto/Madlib, the Coup, and any number of indie labels. Hip hop has become a target for racist rednecks and fratboys to target their hate.

good to see something different on here, pretty refreshing

although i dig nas's older classic shit, his new stuff hasnt really done much for me...but i disagree with "hip-hop is dead" he shouldve called it "rap is dead" hip-hop is still thriving and evolving, i mean look at all new different hip hop fusion acts nowadays, galactic doin a hip hop album, bands like liquid soul and treologic, etc etc...its not 1994 when rap was still ill, but hip hop is still progressing while rap is goin down the shitter

First of all, let me say this was a great interview, very insightful.

Second of all, fuck all those people bitching about hip-hop on jambase, stop being so close minded! I'm hardly a fan of every single artist that gets covered here, but I'm glad that they do get covered and that there is a diversity of music in general, and on this website. Oh, and I CERTAINLY don't go and bitch about "Why is this being covered, they aren't a jam band."

If you don't like hip-hop, that's fine, but you don't need to come here and bitch about it, go spread your negativity elsewhere.

Nas is amazing, and while he's had his share of good songs and bad songs, he practically epitomizes hip-hop. Check out this article from a while back:

http://www.hiphopdx.com/index/features/id.346/title.nas-who-is-the-street-s-disciple

how many people have been shot at his concerts??????? if u could even call it a concert..

Good writing. Of course, I would expect nothing less.
But, the need for an article of this size on Nas on this site. Maybe. But, how many ahve really seen Nas or any rap show that has not been overly commercialized. I'll tell you of a few I have seen: The Roots, Arrested Development (please don't slay me yet), Jurrassic 5, Snoop Dog, to name a few. Please, JamBase, if you are to write about rap, and it does belong here, find someone or a group of someone's who our community can really give a damn about.

Hip Hop is dead? Best news I've heard all day.

Perplexing

To start, great interview, Nas' new alblum is great. But to the people who are bitchin about Jambase covering Nas you really need to listen to the music before you make fun of it. Sorry scooter but "Nas is mainsteam pop brag about what i have a who i kill rap." that is probably the farthest you can go in the wrong direction of describing Nas. Also saying that he is a studio superhero, Nas can battle rap and freestyle, and his studio alblums are very lyrical. Nas is a rapper that actually tries to deliver a message. Sorry to single you out but you are so so far off base.

Rap is dead it about money, bitches, and how good i look...the shit is horrible. BUT HIP HOP is where its at. Check out FELT W/ Atmosphere & Murs, Aesop Rock, Slug, Eydea and Abilities just to name a few

Nas is the TITS!!!

Solid article... all this mention of other hip hop acts and no talk of Granola Funk Express... we'll now they've been mentioned.
Who is he? ... Agent 2-3.

HIP HOP IS DEAD? HE HAS NEVER BEEN TO A J5 SHOW.

I was very pleasantly surprised to come upon this article on JamBase of all places.....Kudos to Kayceman and JamBase for branching out to hip hop....if we have to put up w/all these articles about crappy indie bands, it would be great to have more features on hip hop.

The only thing I didn't agree with is the grouping of NaS' second album, It Was Written, with all the crap he put out after it. He had two hot albums, his first two, then fell off the map, now he's back. Hip Hop is Dead is a pretty good album, not great, but good.

Mainstream hip hop is dead, but there's so much good shit out there right now, you just gots to find it....

Go to the Rock the Bells festival this summer if you want to see some cutting edge hip hop, mixed in w/some of the greatest ever.

Hip Hop lowers the IQ. But not as much as Country.

marcsmall1 - are you under 25 - I'm guessing you are, not trying to rag on you but your age shows through, give a serious listen to some Willie Nelson, Johnny Cash, Hank Williams, Guy Clark, Waylon Jennings, Townes Van Zandt, Gram Parsons, Emmylou Harris and a plethora of other amazing country artists and then tell me country's crap. Just like hip-hop - the junk they play on mainstream pop-country and pop-hip-hop radio is generally crap, but there is lots more if you look a little beneath the surface that exists. Great article Kayce.

WhatItIS...you mentioned FELT, which is a great hip hop duo. However, it is Slug and Murs, not Atmosphere that compose the group. Either way, I'm down with Nas and usually dig his albums.

If you're looking for more rap, try some Sage Francis, Bliss N Eso, or Brother Ali.

keith--you are assuming...Actually I'm 33....I was refering to mainstream country of today....not cosmic americana of the greats.

I gotta agree with KeithRichardsForPres and tip my hat off to him. All of the artists he mentioned are great musicians. Country is probably the biggest gnere of music with a bad name but if you really look, you'll see some great stuff and not all that Toby Keith stuff with fans who are mainly overly patroitic, mullett sporting, teethless, meth addictided, semi-literate, pickup driving, war mongering, racist people who watch Hannity and Colmes for their music guests yet lack indoor plumbing.

Kayce, great interview questions as usual. Jambase has really grown with its readership and continued to review and interview pertinent artists. Keepin' me informed and educated. More stuff like this please!
run

There's a place for articles like this....It's called The Source Magazine. Why is this article on jambase? There's absolutely nothing jamming about Nas. What's next? Timberlake?

Also...why is it that hippies always mention the same for rap groups: The Roots, Blackalicious, Jurassic 5, and A Tribe Called Quest? I've seen 3 out of the 4 and they were all awful. I think there should be a term for these 4 bands...nevermind the previously suggested "Conscious Hip-Hop." I think we should label this genre as "Dave Matthews Rap" because the only people that like it are Abercrombie and Fitch-wearing frat boys who also go to Dave Matthews shows. Anyone with me on this?

Dermatis,

For a guy who is constantly jumping all over people for being close-minded, you seem awful eager to throw out an all-star lineup of stereotypes when it involves an artist you don't care for. Granted, there is no excuse for the garbage that Toby Keith plays, but layoff the hate speech.

hey TakeTheBus if you really want to get technical the group is comprised of Atmosphere + Murs....Ant produced the whole second album.

enough on the genres folks. hip-hop, rap, jam, cosmic americana - if you really want to define Townes and Willie and Waylon and Johnny - let's call em "outlaw country" - or better yet - why not just let music be music and enough of the fucking genre talk (which i myself am contributing to at some level)...good music moves people - let's let jambase support and cover "good music" by however they define it and stop the need to throw around genres...rock on folks

Kindskatz thanks, I knew someone would say that... FELT is the shit just check it out people...maybe try something new for a fucking change...LATE

good music comes from all genres. an old music head and i love peps from all over! is much crap also which anyone with knowledge/experience not hard to see/hear the difference. all for covering good muze. rap has took a shit for a while now from beautifal beginnings (36 now). great article and refreashing to see. although as far as i know still love my eric b & rakim, public e, krs 1, furious five, run, digable planets, etc....as far as i know hip hop is slim, dump money hunger and get back to artistic flavor! nice article.

just for the record...

definitive jux. all y'all who this hip hop is 'dead' or sold-out or whatever the fuck anyone's going to say...come see that shit. blah blah blah. shut the fuck up.
go peep el-p's new album or anything any of those cats have done in the last 7 years and we'll see what's what. please-
stop crying

anything that that suggests creativity, original thought, positivity, intellectualism...i'm with it. regardless of genre. a lot of folks are fed up with rap (call it what you will) for the same reason they are fed up with pop music. b/c quite often it is the antithesis of what i mentioned...unoriginal, easily digestable, negative and shallow. that's just one man's opinion. i've come to the realization that nothing is good or bad, it just is. when it comes to music, i think people are just looking for something that reflects who they are. that's the wonderful thing about music...there's something for everyone and that something can be a catalyst for bringing together like-minded folks.

im glad they are reviewing different genres of music, spices this site up a bit. goin to see Nasty Nas in detroit in april, which im looking forward to.

i dont think that Tribe should be considered abercrombie and fitch-dave matthews rap. there is plenty of good hip hop out there, past and present : Black Star, COMMON, Souls of Mischief, Hieroglyphics, Mr Lif, mos def, talib, old school OutKast, and that WU TANG CLAN

Rap nowadays sucks....bring back the jam in jambase.

this is why i'm hot,
i don't gotta rap,
i can sell a mill sayin' nothin' on a track

this is why i'm hot,
this is why i'm hot,
this is why,
this is why,
this is why i'm hot

this is why i'm hot,
this is why im hot,
this is why,
this is why,
this is why i'm hot

i'm hot cuz i'm fly,
you aint cuz u not,
this is why,
this is why,
this is why i'm hot


Still think Hip-Hop ain't dead?

Hip Hop is most certainly NOT Dead, Examples of Music you NEED to listen too if you like "hip hop" -- People Under The Stairs (Definetley check these guys out, they are the shit!!!) , Tribe Called Quest, Heiroglyphics, Del The Funky Homosapien, Souls of Mischeif, The Roots, Planet Asia, Blackalicous, Pharcyde, Visionaries, Pharoe Monch, Brother Ali, MURS, Little Brother, Jurrasic 5, Atmosphere, SLUG, De La Soul, Mos Def, Talib Kweli, 7L and Esoteric, High and Mighty, Aceyalone, Freestyle Fellowship, Peanut Butter Wolf, Rasco, Tha Alkoholics, The Beatnuts, Common, Dead Prez, Dialated Peoples, Kool Keith aka Dr Octagon, J Dilla, Jedi Mind Tricks, Sage Francis, Living Legends, LMNO, Mad Lib, etc, etc, etc.......

Still think hip- hop ain't dead? You're God Damn Right I know it ain't dead! And if you think it is you are a damn fool. Nas is mainstream garbage, just like everything you hear on the radio. Do some research if you want to hear some creative lyrics, and dope ass beats, pretty much everything I just listed is sick. And don't think hip hop has nothing to do with jamming, a lot of beats are sampled from old jazz records that influenced people like the Dead and Phish.

Hip Hop is dead my ass

Who cares if hip-hop is dead or dying? Don't The Source or BET have their own websites? Did you catch that great Umphrey's article on BET's website? YEAH RIGHT!! My concern lately after reading some of the more recent articles & comments, Is JamBase dying?

Jambase has been infected wtf is the shit doing on here wtf happened to the jams where are those reviews wasteing time on this crap get it together JAMBASE its getting pretty lame

I guess I have to clarify with my use of "fag" to describe the glam-rock on the 1980s. The word was not a cut on gays. It was a derogatory description of rockers that dressed as women and their music being scripted nonsense.

"Nirvana" and the grunge scene were cited as a rescue from this genre and I was simply saying that rap needs guys like NAS to rescue rap in the same manner.

It is sad to see that political correctness is alive and well within the quick assuming wimps that post on here. Mtv hath trained you well.

If you want to understand Hip-Hop listen to everything created in 1988!! This is hip-hop's greatest year ever. There is such a wide range of hip hop variety.

good interview, but did anyone else get deja vu? i feel like i read the same article a couple years ago. maybe just me...

also, reading these posts i am struck with a deep sense of paranoia. some of these posts had to have been inserted by some computer program scripted to stir the pot or promote meaningless, cliched opinions.
are so many of you really that mad that a music website posted an article about NaS? it bothers you that much? there are only so many adjectives a team of writers can use to describe another soaring guitar wail by 'jamband x'. its all starting to sound the same calf mountain jam and tea leaf green bore me anymore.

it's good to see that Everybody likes J5 so much. "Most Def" too. after that it's a contest to see who can list the most hiphop names a hippy hasn't heard of. here i'll scroll my itunes and see what i can come up with...nobody mentioned q-tip i don't think, what about mac dre or devin the dude. gotta dig the devin, his new album just dropped, 'waiting to inhale". awesome.
anyway. try to stay calm. illmatic is all you need to know about NaS, and if you don't like rap, don't listen to the radio.
spiralbeard.

If you wanna hear a funny and true way that someone is talking trash on all of these rappers then I highly reccomend that you pic up any of Kool Keith's albums. He tells it how it is and will keep you laughing. Check out this track from his 1999 album under the alter ego of Dr. Dooom (one of his million alter ego's) called "I Run Rap"

Yeah
Number one MC in the world a.k.a. Dr. Dooom
Straight out of solitary
I got the block locked down
Transfer me to conquer in the Pelican Bay
You don't wanna step in my cell
I eat your ass for real
Even veterans go out with tight pants and lipstick

Most rappers flex up they vexed up they actin hard
Attendin Catholic school at mom's house they soft as lard
They roll in packs, carryin yo-yo's, and balls and jacks
That kid you peeped it, his boys wearin Victoria's Secret
Mean mugs get crushed up, your bra's showin, pickin dust up
You light your trees up, I'm just the man to skin yo' knees up
Walk behind you, tuck your stomach in, I redesign you
Urgent emergency, your girl is cryin, they can't find you
I move with bowling ball bags, you try to ask for Zig-Zags
You got your panties on with wigs on, y'all playin tag
Walkin in tough kid, your girdle's showin, watch your doo-rag
G-strings get touched, watch your skid marks like Starsky and Hutch
Y'all scope erections, while rappers run to different sections
I ride in limos pull your thongs in, from here to Wisconsin
Droppin this A-bomb make, tough MC's, put on Avon
Eject your wigs in Hunts Point, your pumps in truckers rigs

I'm the man of the hour
Watchin girls takin a shower
I run rap, tell MC's to watch their back

Rappers with panty-liners, rent cars, with no recliners
I get ill, serve the best MC's with Massengil
While crowds chill, take your haltertops, down to Big Bill
Right on your mic stand, your flower shorts, you've been hurt
Male with a dildo, your ass is low, call policemen
Three million rappers on labels, sportin skirts release men
I teach men, pull my pants down, piss on each men
Frustrate the rectums on the night flight, I cruise on East and
look at your contracts, while Vaseline, smears your buttcrack
I counteract tracks, while you ate rhymes smokin crack
Skinny kid two pounds, with phony legs, bustin two rounds
That man is slinky, jacks off, and rappers host his Twinkie
Underarm smell, keep the mics warm, y'all shirts is stinky
Panties look great on you with wedding rings around your pinkie
Now stop BS then cut your weight down, you'd be like Vester
Facin your whole crew, with cardinals on like Uncle Fester
Lo-lo-lo-Lopez, your moms call me Frankie Sanchez
On deck with penis out, pine tar like Tony Perez
Big battin average, send your girlfriend out, tossin salad
I run rap, tell MC's to watch their back


Rappers get maxi-pads and O.B., their time of the month
No time for phone calls from tough guys, y'all puff them blunts
Some serious stretch marks, cock-diesel MC's end up pregnant
Nine months in time stuck, you rhyme, grabbin inmates jock
Sportin your white dress, with Timberlands, you try to impress
Petrol with bulletproof vest, your man is havin incest
Knock up your celldon, your big group, they roll with Alvin
Drag queen on Front Street, program, all your SP-12 beats
Y'all roll up dust, smokin PCP, I come with big heat
Y'all run y'all knowledge down, send your Rolex down to Big Pete
Lipstick is smeared on, your Pele shirt, get your fear on
Hard rappers with stockings and tunafish, smell like Starkist
I call him Miss, rappers tampons, I bought it for Christmas
I call you Anna make you sniff balls, back to Atlanta
Change all your grammar and have you call home, bleedin to Grandma
I run rap, tell MC's to watch their back


That's right
When you see in the mess hall
All new jacks, even if you're old, give me that respect
YouknowhatI'msayin? You might get neglected
That's right, send me all the commisary
Battlin me ain't necessary

Damn Maximus...I can't touch that post!

But, FUCK all the haters. Good article, thanks. ILLMATIC is still one of the top 20 best rap/hip hop albums EVER, and maybe NAs's new stuff will never touch the old school he is still out there doing his thing and puffin' tuff. Digable, Tribe, Big Daddy, and that fat boy Biggie all make my head bob when I listen still. J5 and the Roots are STILL BLOWING UP, so maybe Nas's new shit sucks...but that doesn't mean a genre a 'dead.'

Umm i find this funny! Jambase and the whole idea behind this site to me has always been Jambands for the most part. NAS as a lot of people have said doesnt have a band etc and with all the big bands in the jam scene touring what is this article doing on here? How about a article on Wide Spread Panic (they just played Albany NY) or RATDOG who just did a grate tour of music this spring with barly any mention on here. I dunno i really dont care if i offended anyone but as a musician and big fan of JAMBANDS this is just whacked.
-Walt B

great article, great questions.. Liquid Soul from Chi is aiight, kind of hit or miss, Nas is dope, Illmatic is a masterpiece. I would say top 5 in the genre. Belly is also solid movie...I disagree hiphop is dead. The club bangers out right now are pretty good as far as rap/ hiphop goes...when i turn on BET,i usually leave the countdowns on b/c some the shit is good. beats the hell out of the nerd shit like def jux/ atmosphere, ect...

great article, great questions.. Liquid Soul from Chi is aiight, kind of hit or miss, Nas is dope, Illmatic is a masterpiece. I would say top 5 in the genre. Belly is also solid movie...I disagree hiphop is dead. The club bangers out right now are pretty good as far as rap/ hiphop goes...when i turn on BET,i usually leave the countdowns on b/c some the shit is good. beats the hell out of the nerd shit like def jux/ atmosphere, ect...

Isn't this site called jambase? For you people who don't like jam music read elsewhere. As for this article, if I wanted to read about some guy who tries to pull off what he puts on a cd as music and who would probably sell his mother for a dollar to get the opportunity I would go to mtv.com. Hip-hop was never alive to begin with. Mtv and clear channel just made some of you idiots think so.

nice way to branch out kayce. great read

WOW!

yo yo yo, what up nigga, bling bling, keep it real. people listen to this music and shoot each other, and everyone seems to think its ok? wtf?

"He dropped out of school in the eighth grade yet developed a highly educated mentality he would later use to build his remarkably literate music."

One of the more ridiculous statements I've ever read. He may be able to grasp the English language, but with an 8th grade education he is by no means a learned man. "Highly educated MENTALITY," what a load of crap.

I agree with Sizlunt...who the fuck does this guy think he's kidding?

All of yall like sizlint, jp22 need to stop saying the same thing over and over again and pay attention to what the rest of you are posting. The Jamband scene, I always thought, was diverse. Many bands thought of to be jambands are influenced by many types of music. One band that fuzes jazz, reggae, and funk, and another band that mixes blues and electronica with bluegrass can both be considered jambands. Incase you guys havent picked up on it, theres a great deal of hiphop influence in the jamband scene today. Im glad that Jambase features articals that evolve all around the musical spectrum, instead of revolve around the same thing. I mean, how many articals do you need about a Panic show for godsakes!!

maybe if Nas had 20 minute guitar solos to PhIsH out on this article would be more accepted...and by the way it seems that his type of hip hop has more to say about the human condition than the jam seen does...golgi apparatus for heavens sakes...what the hell does that have to do with anything. plus if i am correct Nas amongst many other rap artists give back to the people and that should be enough to be "allowed" to be in this "jam"band world

noone ever got shot or stabbed at a phish show....

Has nothing to do with jams or anything, I listen to a wide variety of music, from punk to rap, and everything between. Here is your awesome Nas:

"
Rock the same gear daily, like a soldier in my squadron
I heard she let Jake investigate from her window
cause she's a nympho, suckin dick and coughin up info
So now it's set up, her and the beast to get wet up
I know he vest up, we blazin from the neck up
(Yo let me knock first) Soon as he open it your glock burst
They had the chains on, son hit the lock first
We busted in the cop jerked
Jungle popped one in his shirt
I grabbed the bitch by her tits, she tried to say she Earth
We saw the cameras, tape recorders, and the monitors
They eyein us (Nas yo he survived one from the fo'-five)
Pull his shades down, they seen his last days now
There's no way now, we can be treated just like a slave now
Two in the dome, he's laid down, aiyyo the bitch is saved now
She's living in a snitch grave now
"

It is so good how he gives back, it's a little like the fireman who goes and starts fires so he can look good when he arrives to extinguish them. I mean, just look at the very first picture of him in this article. Every single one of these guys has to stand there with the half-shut lazy eyes, out-thrust chin, and arms folded across their chests, trying as hard as they possibly can to look like a hardened criminal. I mean, just be the lyrics and that picture, I can totally see what they mean by his "educated mentality." How is Nas different?

If you dont like it then dont listen to it and dont read the articals, I dont care. Who the hell are you sizlunt, bill o'rielly? If you hate Nas so much then why are you quoting an entire one of his versus?

I was reinforcing my opinion. I have never commented on an artist I didn't like on here before. That said, in this case, I don't think people like this should be euphemized. I am all for Jambase showcasing hip-hop/rap acts. In this case, this guy has pretty much spoken in favor of things that I am strongly against, that I think every rational person should be strongly against, and I wish Jambase wouldn't have catered to it.

In retrospect I private communication to Jambase would have been more appropriate.

From Nasty to Nas, Nas to Escobar... Nasir had the potential to be the greatest MC of all time. Illmatic stands as the best rap album ever recorded, a landmark in the genre. But somewhere, amidst the women, the weed, and the silly rap beefs, Nas lost his way. Though there are great songs on HHID, as a whole it is disheartening and disappointing what happened to Nas, his skills, his steez. Almost sad. Kudos to Aaron for getting this interview, I just wish that some of the questions really pursued some of these avenues. Dude has been on a steady decline for some time, and I was hoping to see some of Nas perspective as to how/why he thinks the mediocrity that he releases nowadays is sufficient for fans of the Illmatic/It Was Written mc who took rap by its throat and didnt relent.

Nonetheless this was a nice article/interview. Just a little to surface for a longtime Esco fan.

Good article. I like what he had to say. IMO, t's too bad so many people on here quickly dismiss hip hop as not being music. Although all too often hip hop artists do not use live instrumentation, there does exist a tremendous amount of musicality in much of hip hop, whether it be in the sampled loops, beats made, or the lyricism. But I must agree, most of the "hip hop" you hear in the mainstream is not music, lacks soul, lacks lyricism, poeticism, and musicality, and since this is what most people are exposed to, especially the youth (teens, pre-teens), then it becomes evident of what Nas says about being embarassed of saying he makes hip hop music. I look forward to hearing his new tracks.

Sizlunt, Nas wrote those type of lyrics because they are a story from his life. I think those lyrics are very powerful.
Great article.

Nas is the shit kidz!!! But there are plenty of good MC's on the underground Jedi Mind Tricks what what!!! MTV sucks and i wish it would dissapear

Great article!

A waste of writing. Nas is wack, period.

"One hot album every ten year average"
-Jay Hova

Thank you for this article :D

I am grateful that Jambase (everyone involoved,
writers, etc) recognizes that their members
have eclectic tastes, doesn't limit themselves, & keeps
their journalism objective.

Whether you hate rap, don't even know or understand that their are different sub genres of hip-hop (just like most music-- ex: heavy metal rock, hair rock, death metal, etc), have some hip-hop head/backpacker in ya (like myself), and/or whatever your feelings on hip hop...personally, I am
glad you all took the time to read this article.

It looks as though we can all agree one one
thing--that we trust Jambase to
report to us about good music! PLUR

Keep up the good work!

i thought NAS was going to do a show with Jerry and Trey maannnnn 4/20 mannnmnnn

1st to kayce,
i may have dissed on your articles in the past (nothing personal), but this interview is nice. i'm glad people that write for jambase understand that everyone who uses this website are not "hippies". good music is good music, and although nas is not underground hip hop, he represents the real. i love that so many people read and are commenting on this article, it just proves that not all heads are dreads and patchuli.
word.