Tuesday, September 12, 2006

Nas Says 'Hip-Hop Is Dead' Could Be His Best Album

Nas says his greatest work is ahead of him, but the veteran rapper said his fans will intimately determine if his latest album Hip-Hop Is Dead reigns over his classic albums like Illmatic (1994), It Was Written (1996), Stillmatic (2001), God's Son (2002) and others.
"It's probably the best record I ever did," Nas told AllHipHop.com. "I mean, when you work in the studio for a while, sometimes you think its great, but you don't know what it is until the people hear it. So I hope the people agree."
The Queensbridge, NY rapper signed a joint venture deal with
Def Jam/Sony Music in January 2006, ending a long-running feud between he and Def Jam president Jay-Z.
The two rappers engaged in a lyrical feud which exploded with
Jay-Z's 2001 diss track "The Takeover." Nas answered with the equally scathing reply, "Ether."
The two men settled their differences in Oct. of 2005, when Jay-Z brought Nas out for a performance during his "I Declare War"
concert at Continental Airlines Arena in East Rutherford, NJ.
Under terms of the Def Jam/Sony
Music union, Nas will produce four albums, with Hip-Hop is Dead being the first release on his own label, the Jones Experience.
The rapper hinted that fans may finally receive the long-awaited collaboration between the lyrical giants.
"I'm just with Def Jam," Nas said. "I haven't worked with anybody but myself. A little bit of work with Jay [Z], just for the fans out there and just for us."
Nas said Hip-Hop is Dead will be available to retail outlets on Nov. 7.
In related news, Jay-Z is expected to release an
album of new material later in the year, but Def Jam representatives would not confirm or deny the information.