Nas

Nas Boards The NFT Train, Offering The Publishing Rights To Two Of His Songs

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Nas
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It was probably only a matter of time before Nas jumped on the NFT trend. He’s invested heavily in blockchain before and has often been on the cutting edge when it comes to his investments in tech. Today, he announced his partnership with blockchain platform Royal to offer 50 percent of the streaming rights from two of his songs as NFTs. According to a press release, a limited number of tokens will be offered on January 11, granting holders a portion of the publishing rights to “Ultra Black” and “Rare” from King’s Disease I and II, respectively.

Of the partnership, Nas said, “I am always looking for new and unique ways to connect with the people. So I am excited to partner with Royal on their new endeavor in order for the world to connect with my music in a new way.” Meanwhile, Royal’s co-founder and CEO Justin “3LAU” Blau said, “Having Nas be the first artist to sell royalty rights through Royal is an incredible affirmation of our mission. It’s proof that artists across genres feel strongly about democratizing ownership of their music, and that they want to be connected to their listeners on a deeper level.”

Royal’s investors also include 3LAU’s fellow electronic artists The Chainsmokers, Disclosure, and Kygo, while hip-hop artists involved include Joyner Lucas, Logic, and Stefflon Don.

SOHH’s 12 Most Anticipated Hip Hop Albums of 2022: Nas, Cordae, Kendrick Lamar, Roddy Ricch, and More!

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It’s a brand new year. That means brand new releases and projects from your favorite rappers. Here are the 12 we’re anticipating. 12 Hip Hop Albums Coming In 2022 Unfortunately in today’s day and age trying to predict new releases is almost pointless. Many artists like to do surprise album releases or they set deadlines […]

SOHH’s Most Anticipated Hip Hop Albums in 2022: Nas, Cordae, Kendrick Lamar, Roddy Ricch, and More!

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It’s a brand new year. That means brand new releases and projects from your favorite rappers. Here are the 12 we’re anticipating. 12 Hip Hop Albums Coming Next Year Unfortunately in today’s day and age trying to predict new releases is almost pointless. Many artists like to do surprise album releases or they set deadlines […]

New Music Monday: New Music From Kodak Black, Nas, Twista, Ski Mask, RJAE And More.

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New Music Mondays

Christmas may have come and gone, but not without some special gifts from some of your favorite artists including Kodak Black, Nas, Twista, Frank Ocean, and more. New Kodak Black Kodak Black just released his new single “The Nightmare Before Christmas.”  After a year of highs and lows in drug treatment, i’s good to see […]

Nas And Hit-Boy Confirm That ‘King’s Disease III’ Is On The Way

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For the third time in sixteen months, Nas and Hit-Boy joined forces to deliver a new project to the world. Their latest effort is titled Magic and it comes four months after the duo came together for King’s Disease II. Magic presents nine songs with features from ASAP Rocky and DJ Premier. A highlight moment on the project comes on “Ugly” when Nas uses the Hit-Boy produced beat to share some news. “I’m on offense every day until I see the love,” he raps on the song’s first verse. “KD3 on the way, this just to feed the buzz.”

KD3 is of course an abbreviation for King’s Disease III, which would be the third installment in Nas and Hit-Boy’s album series that they began in August 2020. The first installment gave Nas his long-awaited Grammy award as the project won in the Best Rap Album category earlier this year. It’s not the first time that Nas has spoken about the possibility of a King’s Disease III. He previously did so during an interview with Apple Music’s Ebro Darden earlier this year.

“He’s like my Quincy [Jones], you know what I mean?” Nas said. “So I feel like the next thing I do, if I was to work with Hit-Boy on the next thing I do, I think that we might do something that is going to be magical.”

You can listen to “Ugly” in the video above.

Magic is out now via Mass Appeal. Get it here.

Nas Says His ‘Hip-Hop Is Dead’ Album Was ‘Mainly’ Talking About New York Rap

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Anytime you label a genre as “dead,” there’s sure to be a sizeable amount backlash from its supporters. We see this happen nowdays with R&B, but fifteen years ago, Nas attempted to place this label on rap with his 2006 album Hip-Hop Is Dead. As expected, the title received a lot of criticism, but the rapper was undeterred by the comments as it arrived without change and much delay. Fast forward to today and the album, as well as its concept, were the center of discussion during a recent episode of Nas’ Spotify podcast, The Bridge: 50 Years Of Hip-Hop. It featured an appearance from Jeezy who spoke about his feelings towards the album’s title.

“When he did Hip Hop [Is] Dead, I thought he was talking about us,” Jeezy said. “I wanted to be the front guy and say what I said. At the time, you gotta think, I’m just getting on. I’m just seeing my first legitimate money. I’m just getting my shows going. And then you got the Don in New York saying ‘hip-hop is dead!’” In response, Nas clarified his intentions with Hip-Hop Is Dead.

“I didn’t think about that part,” Nas admitted. “I didn’t think that certain people would think I’m talking about them.” He added, “I’m talking about mainly New York! Mainly New York. I’m talking to everybody, but I didn’t explain it thorough enough.”

The episode arrives as Nas prepares to release Magic, his third consecutive project produced by Hit-Boy. It follows this year’s King’s Disease II and 2020’s King’s Disease.

You can listen to the full episode of The Bridge: 50 Years Of Hip-Hop with Jeezy here.

Nas And Hit-Boy Surprise Christmas Album Drops Tonight In Honor of The Legendary Radio Host, Mr. Magic

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Nas appears to have found a groove with Hit-Boy – the prolific duo are coming through for fans with a surprise album announcement dropping just in time for Christmas. Nas And Hit Boy To Drop Album “Magic” Tonight Nas and Hit-Boy have a special type of chemistry and a hit-making formula they are reprising again […]

Best Hip-Hop Projects of 2021

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2021 will be remembered for these projects. Continue reading…

Erykah Badu, Nas, And The Roots Are Headlining The Unreal Smokin Grooves Festival Lineup

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Ready for one of the best, most comprehensive hip-hop and soul music festival lineups ever? Formerly taking place at the Queen Mary Ship & Events Park in Long Beach, CA, Smokin Grooves Fest has moved to Downtown Los Angeles and the lineup is unreal.

Going down on Saturday, March 19th at LA’s State Historic Park, Smokin Grooves has Erykah Badu, Nas, and The Roots leading the way for it’s flat out spectacular lineup. Miguel, Jhene Aiko, The Internet, Flying Lotus, and Kamasi Washington are also on the festival’s top slates and also all happen to be from the Los Angeles area. But don’t be fooled, this is much more than a regional fest and is on par with the biggest and best hip-hop culture festivals around the nation.

The names on this bill from top to bottom are impressive. From the eclectic indie sounds of Toro y Moi, Little Dragon, and Hiatus Kaiyote, to a legend like composer and vibraphonist Roy Ayers, to the vital lyricism of Talib Kweli and millennial backpack hip-hop of Slum Village and Dead Prez. There’s a stellar R&B slate with Macy Gray, India.Arie, Musiq Soulchild, and Angie Stone, plus sneaky awesome names on the rise at the bottom of the bill like Toronto’s Charlotte Day Wilson and Chicago’s Ravyn Lenae.

Pre-sale ticketing sign-ups for this extravaganza go on sale this Friday 12/03 at 10 am PT. Any unsold tickets will be made available to the general public at 2 pm PT on the same day. Register/purchase tickets and check out the full lineup and info at https://www.smokingroovesfestival.com/.

Smokin Grooves
Smokin Grooves