Denz
02-14-2003, 02:57 PM
Speaking at a press conference in London Nas claimed that hip-hop is undergoing a rebirth and said that the time is now for new talent to come through as the old guard fall from their perch.
"I think that rap is open now for new artists to come out, it's more open than it was last year and the year before because the ones that are on top now, some of them seem to be slipping away," he told European media assembled in West London.
He likened the mood in current hip-hop to a return to the radical polemics of Public Enemy and KRS-One, saying: "I saw it disappear, that era of Public Enemy had so much to say.
"They were 'real' and really spoke up for real things and not just about themselves. So I wanted to bring that back in hip-hop and I think that's coming back in the music now.
"After 'Stillmatic' rap music was kinda' lost because it wasn't prepared for a 'street' album to be so successful... I definitely wanted to put a real stamp on it with 'God's Son'."
Nas also addressed the recent war of words between The Source magazine co-owner/rapper Benzino and Eminem, who the former referred to as 'the rap Hiltler'.
"It's in the air that hip-hop is changing and everybody wants to be a part of it including The Source and if that means that they're gonna' make controversy off of dissing Eminem, then they're gonna' do it," he said.
"It's really stupid though because, we have someone like Elvis who stole black music...it's a crime. But here you have Eminem who is signed to Aftermath, a black record label, who puts on other blacks and is not ashamed of who he is but he's educating blacks and whites on how to communicate with each other...
"We're learning about his life, that's major right there, so how could you really come down on him?"
Nas refuted the suggestion that he was headed for an early retirement but admitted that he had given the idea some thought during his well-publicised 'battle' with Jay-Z and whilst his mother, who recently died, was fighting cancer.
"I was [thinking of retirement] before but not now," he said. "I feel like I got some responsibilities now and it does become a burden, it does become kinda hard. It makes you kinda just wanna chill out because of all the s**t that comes with it, people expect so much out of you and even hate you...
"There comes a time when you just want to relax and stay home with your family but I manage to do it, I don't live my life fulltime as a rapper. I don't go to sleep with a Rolls Royce in my bed, I don't talk to my daughter like 'yo, whassup?'
"I'm a human being and I do this because I have a passion for it - you just have to learn how to separate the two."
Asked his thoughts on recent British political debate, sparked by MP Kim Howells, about the connection between hip-hop and crime he said: "A lot of people want rap to be responsible for so many things but just ten years ago these same people didn't even consider rap music 'music'...
"I think it's best that rappers don't listen to anyone except our own community 'cause that's the people we're making the music for, we're painting a picture of our community so that our elders see what's happening with the youth."
"I think that rap is open now for new artists to come out, it's more open than it was last year and the year before because the ones that are on top now, some of them seem to be slipping away," he told European media assembled in West London.
He likened the mood in current hip-hop to a return to the radical polemics of Public Enemy and KRS-One, saying: "I saw it disappear, that era of Public Enemy had so much to say.
"They were 'real' and really spoke up for real things and not just about themselves. So I wanted to bring that back in hip-hop and I think that's coming back in the music now.
"After 'Stillmatic' rap music was kinda' lost because it wasn't prepared for a 'street' album to be so successful... I definitely wanted to put a real stamp on it with 'God's Son'."
Nas also addressed the recent war of words between The Source magazine co-owner/rapper Benzino and Eminem, who the former referred to as 'the rap Hiltler'.
"It's in the air that hip-hop is changing and everybody wants to be a part of it including The Source and if that means that they're gonna' make controversy off of dissing Eminem, then they're gonna' do it," he said.
"It's really stupid though because, we have someone like Elvis who stole black music...it's a crime. But here you have Eminem who is signed to Aftermath, a black record label, who puts on other blacks and is not ashamed of who he is but he's educating blacks and whites on how to communicate with each other...
"We're learning about his life, that's major right there, so how could you really come down on him?"
Nas refuted the suggestion that he was headed for an early retirement but admitted that he had given the idea some thought during his well-publicised 'battle' with Jay-Z and whilst his mother, who recently died, was fighting cancer.
"I was [thinking of retirement] before but not now," he said. "I feel like I got some responsibilities now and it does become a burden, it does become kinda hard. It makes you kinda just wanna chill out because of all the s**t that comes with it, people expect so much out of you and even hate you...
"There comes a time when you just want to relax and stay home with your family but I manage to do it, I don't live my life fulltime as a rapper. I don't go to sleep with a Rolls Royce in my bed, I don't talk to my daughter like 'yo, whassup?'
"I'm a human being and I do this because I have a passion for it - you just have to learn how to separate the two."
Asked his thoughts on recent British political debate, sparked by MP Kim Howells, about the connection between hip-hop and crime he said: "A lot of people want rap to be responsible for so many things but just ten years ago these same people didn't even consider rap music 'music'...
"I think it's best that rappers don't listen to anyone except our own community 'cause that's the people we're making the music for, we're painting a picture of our community so that our elders see what's happening with the youth."