Nas Escobar
a.k.a.
Nasir Jones
TOUCHED BY A PROPHET
Sage Rapper Nas Hopes For A Better Hip-Hop Future With His Lastest, 'Nastradamus'
Nas has evolved with the times and he's got the succession of names to prove it. "Nasty Nas to Esco to Escobar, now he's Nastradamus," he proclaims, detailing his ascendance from local wunderkind to mega-rap star on the title track to his fourth album. From the early days, Queensbridge Projects' own Nasir Jones raised the art of rap lyricism to poetic heights with a legendary verse on posse cut "Live at the BBQ" from Main Source's BREAKING ATOMS (1991). It launched his star-spangled career. With his 1994 solo debut, ILLMATIC, he was knighted post-gangsta rap's underground savior and comparisons to hip-hop god Rakim ensued. Now, three albums deep and a movie role under his belt, Nas looks into his crystal ball, trying to make sense of the world, get his money on, and represent for his ghetto brethren on NASTRADAMUS, his latest autobiographical chapter in the history of hip-hop's most insightful thug rapper. Recently, Nas talked with bn.com editor Brett Johnson about his music's life altering potential on the eve of a new millennium.
barnesandnoble.com: Why did you call this album NASTRADAMUS? Are you saying you're predicting the future of hip-hop?
Nas: Because Nostradamus' last predictions ended in the 21st century, I just want to end off the 1900s the right way and Nas is Nastradamus, the new Nostradamus. Knowing my album is like knowing the future. The whole legacy will be complete now. Every rap artist predicts numerous things. I'm just showing through hip-hop that this is what we do. We all have the power to predict. Just like Nostradamus was a poet, we all poets. It was all a part of the plan to have a legacy in the '90s and do what all the other artists that I looked up to did. And even go past the level of respect and success they reached and achieve what they didn't achieve.
bn.com: With the mixed reviews of the last disc, I AM...THE AUTOBIOGRAPHY, did you approach NASTRADAMUS like you had something to prove? How is this album different?
Nas: I feel great about I AM...THE AUTOBIOGRAPHY. I feel like mission accomplished when I did the "Hate Me Now" joint and joints that are classic like "Favor For a Favor" with Scarface, or "Small World." I feel like I AM is the perfect album and my personal favorite album so far. But on this album, I got Dame Grease, L.E.S., Timbaland on production. I got the Bravehearts, Nashawn, Mobb Deep, Ron Isley and Ginuwine does something on there. This joint has a more spiritual feeling going on there for the New Year.
bn.com: Why do you feel it's important to be more spiritually based as we enter the year 2000?
Nas: It's a man versus machine thing to a point where people are lost. People don't believe in things. People don't have faith. So I'm trying to instill that faith, that sense of direction into my listeners.
bn.com: When I AM...THE AUTOBIOGRAPHY was about to be dropped, bootleggers got hold of several tracks which held up its release date. Are there any songs from the original bootleg copy that made it on this album?
Nas: The only song that made it was "Project Windows." That one right there is the pinnacle. That was going straight, straight from my heart to the music. My quest is to always make the music as real as me and watching life go by from the project windows is a part of my life.
bn.com: Through your travels how have you seen the music affecting others?
Nas: People that come up to me don't say, "Yo, I like your shit. I can dance my ass off to it." People come up to me and say "I can rhyme to songs like "Favor for a Favor."" Single parents tell me I gave them strength with my last album and stuff. That's means a whole lot to me. I don't really think about it when I'm making a song. I mean I didn't before. But now I do think about the people that I'm touching more. So I mean I care, man. I really care. I know that they get a lot out of my music. It's more of a spiritual connection than anything else but a guy the other day told me that "Life's a Bitch" changed his life for the better. When my music makes that shit happen, it's a beautiful thing.
© 2009 All Media Guide, LLC