i am

Nas Reflects On Making “Hip Hop Is Dead” In Excerpt From “The Streets Win”

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Nas discusses the making of his 2006 album, Hip Hop Is Dead, as well as the advice he’d give to his younger self in an excerpt from LL COOL J Presents The Streets Win: 50 Years of Hip-Hop Greatness. Rock The Bells posted the piece from the iconic New York rapper on Friday.

“I never wanted to give it up. There were times when I felt there was nothing else to say musically,” he admitted. “In my twenties, I felt like the business was boring and too cutthroat. And I felt I was the best at what I did. I watched fellow artists succumb to violence. I saw the art form dominated by people who didn’t love the art form. Instead of quitting, I got reenergized and gave people what I felt with my album Hip Hop Is Dead. I forced people to think about that and prove me wrong—at least, I got them talking.”

Read More: Nas Will Finally Release Long-Lost “I AM… THE AUTOBIOGRAPHY” In Original Form

Nas On The “NY State Of Mind” Tour

ATLANTA, GEORGIA – SEPTEMBER 22: Nas performs onstage during the “NY State Of Mind” tour at Cellairis Amphitheatre at Lakewood on September 22, 2022, in Atlanta, Georgia. (Photo by Paras Griffin/Getty Images)

Later, Nas shared the advice he’d give his younger self. “If I could give my younger self advice, it would be, ‘You have it all together. Keep doing what you’re doing and focus. People hear you. Say more. Do more. Keep helping people around you. And make sure you know it’s great for you to enjoy it all. And take more vacations,’” he shared. “I realize being a Black man is being a part of an incredibly hidden lineage. There is so much more of myself to give to the world.”

The except arrives just months after Nas completed his Magic and King’s Disease trilogies with Hit-Boy. The two dropped their sixth and final collaboration back on September 14. It also comes as Nas gears up for the release of his own book, I Am… The Autobiography. That will be dropping on November 24, 2023. Be on the lookout for further updates on the book on HotNewHipHop in the coming weeks.

Read More: Nas & Hit-Boy’s “Magic” Trilogy Albums, Ranked

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Nas Will Finally Release Long-Lost “I AM… THE AUTOBIOGRAPHY” In Original Form

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Nas’ third studio album, I Am marked a shift in technology. Per Apple Music, the Queensbridge rapper was forced to scrap dozens of songs after his album was bootlegged via MP3 in one of the first major leaks to impact the music industry. Many of those records would land on projects like Lost Tapes Vol. 1 and Nastradamus. Still, he still had a vault of songs from that album we hoped would surface sooner rather than later.

It’s seemingly been guarded to prevent another leak from occurring but finally, Nas appears ready to release I AM… THE AUTOBIOGRAPHY in its original form. Per HipHopDX, the 1999 double-disc effort will drop as a vinyl on November 24th during Record Store Day’s Black Friday event. According to RSD’s official website, the vinyl “features 2 unreleased tracks, as well as many other rarities that have been on limited vinyl and 12″ previously, as well as deluxe packaging.” 

Read More: Nas & Hit-Boy’s “Magic” Trilogy Albums, Ranked

Nas Prolific Run Continues With I AM… THE AUTOBIOGRAPHY

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Nas during Nas in Concert at Verizon in Irvine, California. (Photo by L. Cohen/WireImage/Getty Images)

There’s plenty of mystique surrounding I AM… THE AUTOBIOGRAPHY. The album was originally intended to be a conceptual effort following Nas’ life from birth to death and later, rebirth. The rapper and Columbia later rearranged the album to what we know now as I Am. The project boasted singles like “Hate Me Now” ft. Diddy and “Nas Is Like.” The former actually served as the inspiration behind “Young N***a” by Nipsey Hussle, whom the Queensbridge artist revealed was planning a documentary surrounding the album prior to his death.

For I AM…. THE AUTOBIOGRAPHY to come out will undoubtedly be a treat for Nas fans. That’s especially the case after his prolific run these past few years. Following the release of the Ye-produced Nasir, he asserted his dominance with two trilogies: King’s Disease and Magic, both produced entirely by Hit-Boy. Nas unleashed Magic 3, their final album together, on September 14th, 2023. Are you going to cop I AM… THE AUTOBIOGRAPHY? Let us know in the comments below.

Read More: Nas & Hit-Boy’s “King’s Disease” Trilogy Albums, Ranked

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The post Nas Will Finally Release Long-Lost “I AM… THE AUTOBIOGRAPHY” In Original Form appeared first on HotNewHipHop.