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If you thought Nas was being controversial with an album titled %%@%**, wait until you hear some of the song titles he has for the project. The MC reached outto MTV News earlier this week to reveal a bit more about the work-in-progress.
"I have a song called 'The Fear,' " he said. "The full title of the record is 'The Fear of the Black Man'sD---.' That's some sh-- you can get comedy [from], or you can get some seriousness from it when you talk about the barbaric castrations thathappened in our past - which is very serious, nothing to laugh at."
Nas also said that despite the serious name of his project - which has already set off a firestorm of controversy - the LP will bebalanced, and he emphasized that he is not singling out any one race.
"It's not an attack on white people at all," he promised, regarding the record's content. "It's knowledge; it's understandingfor all people. It's not an attack on any race."
Nas clarified that he will be combating a myriad of racial slurs, not just the one after which he named his album.
"It's about the attacks that have happened to blacks, whites, all ethnicities," he continued. " 'Mick' ******s, 'guinea'******s, '****' ******s. I have a song called 'You a %%@%** Too.' "
"It's all over the place," he added. "Balance is so important because there's a fun level to the [album] too. There's an attractive,sexy, aspect to it; a stylish aspect, a flashy aspect. It takes negatives and makes them good."
While Nas had originally hoped to release the album next month, rather than rush the project, he decided to take his time and rescheduled the album's dropdate for February: Black History Month.
"Just to get the sh-- all the way right," Nas said of what caused the delay. "I was still working and it was a few weeks away from a releasedate. It was impossible, the timing was off. I was running into the holidays. I'm always coming out in December so I guess I was used to it, but I had toforce myself out of that. I couldn't force the album out if it wasn't done."
The album's production is almost over, however, and Nas said Jermaine Dupri and Diddy will be helping him to close out.
"It's in the developmental stages," he said of the tracks Diddy is bringing to the table. "The potential could go anywhere. I'm writinga lot of sh-- down, and it just sounds crazy. The direction is totally right. Sometimes when you sit down and write, you don't know how it will go. Butthis is totally right."
Thus far, Salaam Remi, Stargate and DJ Toomp are the most notable names who have delivered beats to Nas.
"DJ Toomp is a humble cat," he said of the Atlanta producer who has earned his biggest credits working with T.I. and more recently Jay-Z. "Hehas talent way beyond his years. He's got every style you need: rock joints, R&B joints. I don't wanna give it all away, but he's the type ofdude that can go anywhere. Toomp is my man, he's got knowledge and that's important when you're working on your umpteenth album. It meanssomething.
"Working with this music, if you don't have no knowledge of self, I can't work with you," he continued. "You have to have some knowledgeof who we are. You can't just go in there and throw on a beat like, 'Here's a hot beat.' That don't mean anything. I need a producer. Allthe tracks were made for this record - you can feel the passion in the beat-making. It's time to build, '08, this the movement we on."
Nas said that no one he reached out to was reluctant to work with him on this project, and said he has not been surprised by the support he's gotten fromhis peers, despite the controversy surrounding his choice of album names.
"They get it," he said of supporters such as Alicia Keys, Method Man, Russell Simmons, as well as Island Def Jam Music Group Chairman Antonio"L.A." Reid. "We know what time it is. This [album] is a small thing. [Making music] is what I do, so this is part of the way I fight. Butpeople all know what we been going up against this year and the year before and the year before. I ain't saying nothing that's foreign to them."
*sigh* Still no talk of Premo, what he don't know himself or somethin NaS??? He know what the fans want but anyway smart move making this album balancedcuz I coulda saw NaS being the rap version of Malcom X if this album went hard on black history's plight and only our struggles. I don't understandworking with JD at all tho hope he brings a good beat that helps the album and not hurt it, or he just might steal a beat froma lesser known producer again."Diddy" did good on AG, hopefully whoever he has as the Hitmen now whether it be LV or somebody else can direct their skill to making impactful beatsinstead of the soulful 70s type joints on AG. With NaS' poor beat choice and poor decision making of puttin crappy beats on his official album I'd hopesomebody like Diddy or anyone with an ear for good music executive produces this we all know NaS will bring it with lyrics at his level now but I just hope thebeats aint trash.
Thoughts, Discuss.
"I have a song called 'The Fear,' " he said. "The full title of the record is 'The Fear of the Black Man'sD---.' That's some sh-- you can get comedy [from], or you can get some seriousness from it when you talk about the barbaric castrations thathappened in our past - which is very serious, nothing to laugh at."
Nas also said that despite the serious name of his project - which has already set off a firestorm of controversy - the LP will bebalanced, and he emphasized that he is not singling out any one race.
"It's not an attack on white people at all," he promised, regarding the record's content. "It's knowledge; it's understandingfor all people. It's not an attack on any race."
Nas clarified that he will be combating a myriad of racial slurs, not just the one after which he named his album.
"It's about the attacks that have happened to blacks, whites, all ethnicities," he continued. " 'Mick' ******s, 'guinea'******s, '****' ******s. I have a song called 'You a %%@%** Too.' "
"It's all over the place," he added. "Balance is so important because there's a fun level to the [album] too. There's an attractive,sexy, aspect to it; a stylish aspect, a flashy aspect. It takes negatives and makes them good."
While Nas had originally hoped to release the album next month, rather than rush the project, he decided to take his time and rescheduled the album's dropdate for February: Black History Month.
"Just to get the sh-- all the way right," Nas said of what caused the delay. "I was still working and it was a few weeks away from a releasedate. It was impossible, the timing was off. I was running into the holidays. I'm always coming out in December so I guess I was used to it, but I had toforce myself out of that. I couldn't force the album out if it wasn't done."
The album's production is almost over, however, and Nas said Jermaine Dupri and Diddy will be helping him to close out.
"It's in the developmental stages," he said of the tracks Diddy is bringing to the table. "The potential could go anywhere. I'm writinga lot of sh-- down, and it just sounds crazy. The direction is totally right. Sometimes when you sit down and write, you don't know how it will go. Butthis is totally right."
Thus far, Salaam Remi, Stargate and DJ Toomp are the most notable names who have delivered beats to Nas.
"DJ Toomp is a humble cat," he said of the Atlanta producer who has earned his biggest credits working with T.I. and more recently Jay-Z. "Hehas talent way beyond his years. He's got every style you need: rock joints, R&B joints. I don't wanna give it all away, but he's the type ofdude that can go anywhere. Toomp is my man, he's got knowledge and that's important when you're working on your umpteenth album. It meanssomething.
"Working with this music, if you don't have no knowledge of self, I can't work with you," he continued. "You have to have some knowledgeof who we are. You can't just go in there and throw on a beat like, 'Here's a hot beat.' That don't mean anything. I need a producer. Allthe tracks were made for this record - you can feel the passion in the beat-making. It's time to build, '08, this the movement we on."
Nas said that no one he reached out to was reluctant to work with him on this project, and said he has not been surprised by the support he's gotten fromhis peers, despite the controversy surrounding his choice of album names.
"They get it," he said of supporters such as Alicia Keys, Method Man, Russell Simmons, as well as Island Def Jam Music Group Chairman Antonio"L.A." Reid. "We know what time it is. This [album] is a small thing. [Making music] is what I do, so this is part of the way I fight. Butpeople all know what we been going up against this year and the year before and the year before. I ain't saying nothing that's foreign to them."
*sigh* Still no talk of Premo, what he don't know himself or somethin NaS??? He know what the fans want but anyway smart move making this album balancedcuz I coulda saw NaS being the rap version of Malcom X if this album went hard on black history's plight and only our struggles. I don't understandworking with JD at all tho hope he brings a good beat that helps the album and not hurt it, or he just might steal a beat froma lesser known producer again."Diddy" did good on AG, hopefully whoever he has as the Hitmen now whether it be LV or somebody else can direct their skill to making impactful beatsinstead of the soulful 70s type joints on AG. With NaS' poor beat choice and poor decision making of puttin crappy beats on his official album I'd hopesomebody like Diddy or anyone with an ear for good music executive produces this we all know NaS will bring it with lyrics at his level now but I just hope thebeats aint trash.
Thoughts, Discuss.
