Nas: “I missed my mark with Hip-Hop Is Dead“
Nas has been giving us plenty to yap about lately, since he has an album to promote.
First he tells Rolling Stone magazine that he used to smoke weed with his old man when he was only 9. Now, he’s opening up about the impact his last album had on the likes of Lil Wayne.
Nas on Hip-Hop Is Dead:
“I heard that I kind of missed the mark with that album. I can agree a little bit. Musically, yes, but the statement has done more than I ever would have imagined. Lil Wayne’s whole thing is to prove that hip-hop is not dead. I would have never known that my album would affect Lil Wayne. I’m amazied and I’m so overjoyed by that shit. So any artists have addressed my statement that I know I didn’t miss my mark.” [via Billboard magazine, 7/5/08]
I absolutely agree with Nas on this one. Inasmuch as I enjoyed the concept and lyrics on Hip-Hop Is Dead, the production was clearly uneven. But that’s not news to Nas fans. He simply hasn’t been able to string together a musically consistent album in 6 years. Thankfully, he was able to rectify his “production problem” on the new, untitled album. Frankly, I need at least 3 more days to form an early opinion on that album, but I can tell that they made an effort to ensure musical continuity this time. If this doesn’t make you go, “Ahh, finally a Nas album that doesn’t suck on the production end,” then nothing will. Let’s face it, that collaborative album with DJ Premier will never happen.
Sidebar: I won’t be posting any tracks from Untitled. Not to knock those who do, but I’m not interested in polluting the listening experience for you. Do yourself a favor and go listen to the album in its entirety. You’ll get a better perspective that way.
Tags: Nas
