According to Hollywood Reporter, Nas is helping to develop a musical adaptation of Beat Street for Broadway. During the 2024 Tribeca Film Festival, a 40th anniversary screening was held to revisit, Beat Street, the 1984 dramatic deep dive into hip-hop’s origins.
But that event was just the beginning. Nas reportedly delivered a speech about its importance and why he signed onto the adaption. “Beat Street wasn’t just a film,” he said. “It spread the revolution of hip-hop culture throughout the country and the world. It left an indelible mark, inspiring generations of young artists and creating new hip-hop fans alike. It’s a thrill for me to join the creative team of Beat Street, bringing the raw energy of hip-hop into the fabric of Broadway. It’s an honor to breathe new life into this iconic work and celebrate its enduring legacy.”
As far as Nas’ role with the forthcoming production, the emcee will reportedly “expand and create new material from the film’s soundtrack for the musical” in addition to his responsibilities as producer alongside Arthur Baker. Baker originally served as a composer and music producer for the original film.
The timeline for the project hasn’t been shared. But this professional endeavors marks a trend in musicians’ domination on Broadway. Both Alicia Keys’ Hell’s Kitchen and the Sufjan Stevens-inspired Illinoise, snagged several 2024 Tony Award nominations.
On this date in 1996, Nas released the monumental “If I Ruled The World” single featuring the illustrious Lauryn Hill, which appeared on his sophomore album It Was Written on the Columbia label. If I Ruled The World was a remake of Kurtis Blow’s 1985 hit with the same name, which spawned from the Krush Groove movie soundtrack.
Produced by Trackmasters, If I Ruled The World was sampled directly from Whodini’s “Friends” song, was actually the very first song that Lauryn Hill performed outside of The Fugees camp.
Commercially, If I Ruled The World was a mainstream success, reaching number 53 on the Billboard Hot 100 chart, while it also peaked in the top 20 on the Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Singles & Tracks chart. In total, the single reached the top ten in eight countries. It received a nominated for Best Rap Solo Performance at the 39th Annual Grammy Awards. “If I Ruled the World” also became Nas’ first platinum single, receiving its certification in June 2021.
Salute to NAs, Ms. Hill, The Trackmasters, Hype Williams for the video and everyone else responsible for help making this a piece of Hip Hop history!
Kelis is apparently not very forgiving of Nas despite their romantic history, and maybe she shouldn’t be if he really does owe her money as she claims. Moreover, she responded to some Instagram comments involving the New York rapper, making it clear that she’s not interested in burying the hatchet. “NAS & Kelis y’all need to double back, give love another chance. Blessings,” one fan wrote. “Stop, it was 15 years ago. Do you want your ex from almost 2 decades ago?” the singer-songwriter and chef clapped back. Then, in another comment, she made the specific claim about Esco owing her money.
“Give Nas his bread back,” another user commented to Kelis. “Lol he owes me actually, get outa her [sic] only a loser is worried about somebody else’s money lol please,” she retorted in her reply. Of course, the Manhattan native has a lot of other things to worry about apart from the money that Nas allegedly owes her. For example, she also got into it with the Beyhive back in 2022 due to Beyoncé sampling her on the RENAISSANCE cut “ENERGY,” which opened up the can of worms around her publishing rights once more.
As for the Nas situation, it’s unclear whether Kelis is referring to some music industry-related dealings or the couple’s previous custody battle over their son. That was a pretty nasty back-and-forth in court, albeit one that seems mostly resolved at this point since not much else has come out about it. Hopefully things are at least clear and amicable behind the scenes and in the family dynamic even if some bad blood remains. If nothing else, it seems like she has more to say about what went down here, but chose not to get into it.
Meanwhile, their relationship ended on a serious and damning note as Kelis accused Nas of abuse, which he denied. This all went down years ago, and there’s no telling whether these Instagram comments will reopen parts of that conversation. However, it doesn’t seem like something they couldn’t resolve privately, so here’s hoping that goes well. After all, the Kaleidoscope artist faced a lot of hardships and injustices already in the game.
Dame Dash has had a lot to say regarding rap battles as of late. The Roc-A-Fella co-founder gave his thoughts on the Drake vs. Kendrick Lamar situation, and how it compared to the one he was directly involved in between Jay-Z and Nas. Dash claimed that the the former was actually the best battle he ever saw, and part of the reason why is because of how intense it got. The mogul was surprised by the things Drake and Lamar said to each other. When it came to the Jay vs. Nas situation, however, he was confident as to how it would go from the start.
Dame Dash discussed the Jay and Nas battle during a recent appearance on the Moguls In the Making podcast. He was asked to reflect on the back-and-forth between the iconic rappers, which led the mogul to assert that he never feared for his life. Or Jay-Z’s life, for that matter. He was positive that Nas was not going to push things in a violent direction. “There was no fear of us getting hurt when it came to Nas,” he told the hosts. “I’m telling you right now, there was no fear of any violence when it came to that. There was no fear when it came to us of any battle that we had when it came to violence. We were never worried about that.”
Dame Dash Recalled Having “No Fear” About Bloodshed
When asked to elaborate on the point of violence, Dash compared the battle to the one that predated it by several years: Biggie vs. 2Pac. “Now, ‘Pac and Biggie, n**gas got killed,” he asserted. “But n**gas get killed in Hip Hop now. They be battling and then they end up dead. It’s a little more serious now.” Dash’s comment about Nas not being the type to resort to violence was a compliment, as he knew the rapper to be a stand-up person. If anything, Dame Dash has been more critical of Jay-Z in the years since the beef blew over.
Dash was furious when Jay-Z apologized to Nas following the release of the diss “Super Ugly.” He told the hosts of the CEO Show in 2023. “I was hitting him from the thing like, ‘Get off the radio! We looking crazy!’ And Irv [Gotti] did that sh*t,” he recalled. “A Queens n**ga, he gave him — pause — the banana in the tailpipe. That was a Queens thing — he didn’t even see that. Yo Irv, stay out my business.” Thankfully, to Dash’s point, everybody involved has lived to reflect on the beef.
Drake’s had a controversial history with reference tracks. The 2015 reference track for “10 Bands” was what sparked the rumor that the rapper used ghostwriters, and he has struggled to live them down ever since. Kendrick Lamar mentioned ghostwriters during his recent battle with Drake, and every couple of months, it seems as though another reference track for a Drake song makes its way online. The latest is “Mob Ties,” which was a single on his 2018 double album, Scorpion.
“Mob Ties” has multiple credited songwriters. Drake is one of them, then Allen Ritter and Boi-1da, both of whom produce the song. The Firm and the Trackmasters are also credited, which makes sense given that “Mob Ties” samples the 1996 Nas single “Affirmative Action.” Vory is the only one songwriter who isn’t part of OVO or the artists who made “Affirmative Action.” His involvement in “Mob Ties” was never made clear, but if the leaked reference is to be believed, Vory wrote the bulk of the song. The version he did has a very similar structure, and only a few differences in terms of lyrics.
— Pusha Thanos !!! (new acc) (@PushaThanos__) May 28, 2024
To be clear, this is not a ghostwriting situation. Vory is credited on the final version of “Mob Ties,” just like he is on Bryson Tiller’s 2015 single “Don’t.” Vory also pops up all over Kanye West’s 2021 album Donda. The artist is a frequent behind-the-scenes presence for some of the biggest names in rap. The notion of him penning a song for Drizzy is, consequently, not a surprise.
Vory’s involvement with “Mob Ties” has been debated in the past. DJ Akademiks claimed Vory didn’t have any involvement with the song during a Twitch stream, only to look it up and realize he was wrong. “[Vory] is credited,” he asserted. “But he ain’t write nothing.” This reference track upends DJ Akademiks’ theory outright. That being said, Vory has not yet verified that the reference is real.
A reference track for Drake’s 2023 song “Calling for You” was leaked online, only for the artist credited on the reference track, Cash Cobain, to refute it. The rapper/producer hopped on Instagram to post an image of Allen Iverson. In other words, the reference was as fake as Iverson’s famous fake pass move. AI-generated content is making it harder than ever to determine what’s real. Ironic, given Drake’s own use of AI for his “Taylor Made Freestyle.”
On this date in 2010, Queensbridge king Nas and reggae royalty Damian Marley dropped their collaborative album Distant Relatives on the Universal Republic/Def Jam imprint.
This Hip Hop/reggae collabo album was the first of its kind, with its release coming after Nas’ controversial Untitled album and Marley’s landmark Welcome To Jamrock LP. The production was very organic and exempt of super producers except for Jr. Gong and Stephen Marley, having Marley explain , “We’re trying to have a sound that’s reminiscent of both of us, but not exactly like either… A lot of charity albums come off corny. We want this to be something you’d play in your car.”
The album did daily well commercially, entering the Billboard 200 at number five and selling over 125,000 in its premiere month. Distant Relatives also served as a refreshing alternative that was a vehicle of consciousness to younger listeners captivated by the more popular gangster-themed music. Features boasted the likes of Joss Stone, Junior Reid, Lil Wayne, and others.
Salute to Damian and Nas for this pivotal piece of Hip Hop history!
Nas was one of the quintessential mafioso rappers during the 1990s. He dove headfirst into mobster iconography during the second half of the decade, so it makes perfect sense that he’d have an affinity for one of the most iconic mobster actors of all time: Robert De Niro. Nas and De Niro have worked on a project together, but they have crossed paths several times over the years. They’ll do so again at De Niro Con, an upcoming festival dedicated to the actor’s career.
De Niro Con is an event put on by the Tribeca Film Festival, which was co-founded by the actor. It will take place June 14-16 in New York and feature Q&As moderated by some of De Niro’s peers and fans. This is where Nas fits in. The Queens rapper has been tapped to moderate a Q&A between De Niro and Martin Scorsese for a screening of their 1973 film Mean Streets.
It’s a full circle moment for both Nas and De Niro, as Tribeca introduced the Nas documentary Time Is Illmatic back in 2014. Nas praised De Niro during the doc’s after party, claiming that he played scenes that were close to some of the rapper’s own experiences. “I want to thank Robert De Niro,” he stated. “He plays me in the movies.” De Niro returned the praise, though he admitted that he was not familiar with Nas songs. He’d undoubtedly be touched by the number of time he’s popped up in the rapper’s music. It’s difficult to keep count.
Casino, directed by Scorsese and starring De Niro, was the template for Nas’ “Street Dreams” video. Then there’s Once Upon a Time In America starring De Niro, which was sampled on the Nas-led Firm album. His most acclaimed film role, 1998’s Belly, saw him and DMX play criminals who were lifelong friends, much like the central dynamic in Mean Streets. That’s not even getting into all the Goodfellas references that appear in the rapper’s lyrics. The Q&A takes place June 15 at the Beacon Theater.
Gayle King interviewed Fat Joe last year, where he opened up about how a rapper’s lyrics lie. His statement came after King asked Fat Joe what he thought about Young Thung’s lyrics being used against him in court. His response caught King off-guard: “I’ve been rapping for 30 years – I’ve lied in almost 95 percent of my songs.” No one was expecting to hear this, but it begs the question: how many rappers have been lying on record? How many have lied in a diss song? Quite a few, it turns out.
In the ongoing Drake-Kendrick Lamar beef, the media and fans have been skeptical about Lamar’s claims on “Meet the Grahams.” The track dropped on May 3, raising eyebrows when Lamar rapped, “Dear baby girl, I’m sorry that your father not active inside your world.” Lamar is obviously taking his cue from Pusha T, who exposed Drake’s son Adonis back in 2018 with “The Story of Adidon.”
The difference is that when Pusha’s track dropped, Drake owned the truth and started showing his son publicly. In the case of Lamar’s track, however, Drake immediately responded on Instagram, writing, “Nahhhh hold on can somebody find my hidden daughter pls and send her to me…these guys are in shambles.” The difference in response–plus Fat Joe’s reveal with Gayle King–makes you wonder if Lamar is just making stuff up. Are the rapper’s lyrics lies? It certainly wouldn’t be the first time a rapper has bent the truth in a diss song.
1. Jay-Z Vs. Nas: Baby Seat Claims On “Super Ugly”
Everyone knows Nas burned a hole through Jay-Z on his record “Ether.” It was so powerful that the song title became a verb used in lingo: “You ethered him.” When Hov dropped The Blueprint in 2001, he included a couple of comebacks, notably “Super Ugly.” Jay-Z fired shots at Nas by trying to trash talk his now-ex Carmen Bryan, with whom Nas has a daughter. He raps, “I came in your Bentley backseat (Damn) / Skeeted in your Jeep (Woo) / Left condoms on your baby seat (Woo).” Were this rapper’s lyrics lies, too?
Speaking with VladTV in 2017, Carmen Bryan addressed the diss song and its dishonesty. She pointed out the fact that her daughter was nine or 10 years old when “Super Ugly” dropped, so she’d outgrown baby seats by that point in time. Bryan believes the track was an impulsive, emotional reaction on Hov’s part. The rapper was trying to bounce back quickly and was simply grasping for whatever he could. Bryan also claims that a mutual friend later told her that Jay-Z ultimately regretted dropping the track.
2. Ma$e Vs. Cam’ron: Family Intimacy Claims On “The Oracle”
Back in 2017, Jacksonville-born Bad Boy Records rapper Ma$e dropped “The Oracle.” The track was a scathing diss aimed directly at Cam’ron’s neck. The two had run together in the ’90s in Children of the Corn, a group they formed with Big L and Herb McGruff. But on Hot97 in 2004, Ma$e and Cam’ron had a heated argument after which Cam’ron swore he’d never speak to his old friend again. After that, Cam’ron dropped diss song after diss song against Ma$e.
When “The Oracle” came out in 2017, it was a full-on assault. Ma$e commented on Cam’ron’s ulcers, lambasted him for selling Sizzurp liquor, and then went for the throat. He claimed Cam’ron was intimate with his own sister. Ma$e raps, “Every since 10 you was a thirsty n**** / I ain’t gone talk about the time you f***** your sister.” In a later interview on The Breakfast Club, however, Cam’ron stated that he doesn’t even have a sister. The interviewers prodded for possibilities, but Cam’ron was steadfast.
3. Gucci Mane Vs. Young Jeezy: Rapper’s Lyrics Lie About Keyshia Cole
Gucci Mane and Young Jeezy started beefing way back in 2005 when the two collaborated on the track “Icy.” Young Jeezy had been under the false impression that the track was meant for his debut record. What actually happened was that it ended up on Gucci Mane’s first independent album, Trap House. To add fuel to the fire, Gucci Mane never even paid Jeezy for his appearance on the record (or so Jeezy claims).
Over the 2000s and 2010s, the two would continue to beef. In 2012, Gucci Mane dropped the critically acclaimed album Trap God. A fiery sling at Jeezy, “Truth,” was on the record. This time Mane brought Keyshia Cole into the mix, whom Jeezy had been in a relationship with from 2005 to 2007. On “Truth” Mane raps, “I did a song with Keyshia Cole, and I know you still miss her (Yeah) / But Puff was f****** her while you was falling in love with her (Wow).” Keyshia Cole would make a stand against the record, tweeting, “That ain’t my business!! he’s lying! its all G tho.” Mane would respond with an apology and tell Cole that it was simply meant to add fuel to the fire between him and Jeezy.
4. Nas vs. Jay-Z: The Foxy Brown Claims
Earlier in the article we covered Nas’s beef with Jay-Z. It was on the track “Ether” that Nas systematically dismantled Hov. One of the enduring digs Nas made was regarding Foxy Brown. On “Ether,” Nas raps, “Foxy got you hot ’cause you kept your face in her p*** / What you think, you getting girls now ’cause of your looks?”
It’s true that some believe Jay-Z was involved with Foxy Brown when she was underage. Jay-Z mentored Brown after she signed with Def Jam in 1996 and helped her create the platinum Ill Nana album. But these rumors have never been confirmed, and Brown herself has recently denied them once again. On Instagram in 2023, she made a post calling the allegations “Fake fairytale news.” She went on to say, “The Fox and Hov flies are pathetic at this point.” It’s hard to say whether the Illmatic rapper’s lyrics are lies, but Brown has a point. It’s been almost 30 years, and no one has provided sufficient evidence.
50 Cent released “Life’s on the Line” in 1999 as an attack against Ja Rule and Murder Inc. The motivation came from Ja claiming that one of 50’s associates robbed him of his chain while shooting a music video. The beef simmered between the two, and when Ja dropped “Murda 4 Life,” 50 felt he was snubbed during the shoot for the video. “Life’s on the Line” was a straightforward attack, but Ja has continuously claimed that the entire beef between him and 50 was a gimmick. In a 2023 interview with Math Hoffa, Ja claimed that creating a beef was 50’s plan from the beginning. Apparently, 50 fabricated the beef to garner attention and explode upward in the industry. So, it seems the rapper’s lyrics on “Life’s on the Line” were a rapper’s lies.
6. Tupac vs. Biggie: “Hit ‘Em Up” & Faith Evans
Tupac’s “Hit ‘Em Up” might be the most famous diss song of all time. The song is a direct attack on The Notorious B.I.G. and Bad Boy Records. It also famously spawned The Outlawz, who provided backup on the track. Tupac’s track was a scathing attack crafted after Tupac interpreted Biggie’s “Who Shot Ya” as a shot at him. It all started in the lobby of Bigge’s Manhattan Quad Studios. Tupac was coming to do a verse after receiving an invite. Unknown assailants jumped, robbed, and shot him in the studio’s lobby. When “Who Shot Ya” dropped, Tupac believed it to be about him. This series of events would ignite the entire East Coast-West Coast rivalry of the ’90s hip-hop scene.
Early on in “Hit ‘Em Up,” Tupac shouts at Biggie, “You claim to be a player but I f***** your wife,” a direct hit on Biggie’s wife Faith Evans. Biggie’s widow has repeatedly denied the claims for decades, most notably in her 2009 memoir Keep the Faith. In an interview with VladTV in 2014, Faith spoke candidly about what really went down. Apparently, when she joined Tupac in the studio to record on his track “Wonda Why They Call U B****” she was unaware of the brewing beef between Tupac’s label and her husband’s.
Evans said the situation was strange in the studio, and the tension was palpable. After finishing the session, she went to collect her payment from Tupac at his hotel, where he allegedly asked her for oral sex. Tupac offended her, and she declined. Once she was there, she says, she realized it might’ve been part of Pac’s plan from the get-go. Though fans still speculate, this is one of the most famous instances where a rapper’s lyrics lie.
