Himu am cry: Chris Webber producing on Nas' new album

[Phoenix Dark]

MTV got to preview Nas' upcoming album, "Hip-Hop Is Dead ... The N"

MTV News had a chance to preview some tracks last week — and to dispel some rumors, Nas is not leaving his roots. His LP is very much street, and there aren't really any commercial tracks. Lyrically he still commands the vocal booth.

A bulk of his criticism the last few years has been his choice of beat selection. On Hip-Hop Is Dead, he worked with the best, including Dr. Dre, Just Blaze, Kanye West and others. You can hear the excitement in the producers' music — they've given him top-grade material.

The beat has the feel of the dark party track Dre gave 50 Cent for the "Outta Control" remix, but it has a bit more bite. Nas raps on the beat that he and the Game came to "sprinkle a little bit of heaven for your ears." The Game starts his verse by rapping that over a decade ago, he was a kid in a record store and had to decide whether to buy Nas' Illmatic or Dre's The Chronic because he only had money for one purchase. He decided to steal both albums.

"Game is a megastar, man," said Nas, who appears on the Game's upcoming The Doctor's Advocate. "That n---a shut down a whole crew by himself. That's big."

Oh snaps:lol

Kanye West raps on and produced "Still Dreamin'." Nas starts one verse scolding hangers-on who are looking for handouts, and on his second verse, he tells a story of a female newscaster who gets caught up in a drug dealer's lifestyle.

" 'Ye is that n---a," Nas told. "His music is right. I wish I could've got more time in with him, actually. He comes through. N---as just be kicking it. Next thing you know, he plays me his sh-- he's working on, I play my sh--, then it comes from there. He'll play me some sh--, and I'll say, 'Let me get that.' "

The song "Blunt Ashes," where Nas talks about the missteps and betrayals of R&B legends like Prince, Alexander O'Neal and Bobby Womack, came about from the wordsmith just kicking it in the lab with another one of his friends, Philadelphia 76ers forward Chris Webber. Webber produced the track.

"We was in the studio in Kelis' session," Nas said about working with his wife. "We had a room next door, because I didn't want to mess her session up, but I wanted to listen to something. I went in the other room, we was chillin'. One of my mans told Chris to put on one of his [beat] CDs. We was in there freestylin'. I started freestylin' to one joint about sh-- we just be talking about, and I was like, 'This is my sh-- right here. This is my joint.' But Chris is my homie though. One of my closest homies."

...

"I don't wanna lose nobody with this, but what I mean by 'hip-hop is dead' is we're at a vulnerable state," he continued. "If we don't change, we gonna disappear like Rome. Let's break it down to a smaller situation. Hip-hop is Rome for the 'hood. I think hip-hop could help rebuild America, once hip-hoppers own hip-hop. ... We are our own politicians, our own government, we have something to say. We're warriors. Soldiers."

Nas hasn't yet chosen a first single for Hip-Hop Is Dead, but said he's leaning toward going with a real street record first, like the Game did with "It's Okay (One Blood)."

"Every n---a under the age of 28 that raps — except for maybe five of you — needs to shut the f--- up for eight months," he said about what some of his peers should do in preparation for this album. "Get your mind right and learn what the f--- to say. That's gonna be a wakeup call. With all respect due, because they're my comrades."

http://www.mtv.com/news/articles/1542740/20061009/nas.jhtml?headlines=true

[Vizzys]

Old school Nas is still better.

[Phoenix Dark]

Old school Nas is still better.

lol ya think?

I'd much rather see Nas get some beats from Q-Tip, DJ Premier, Hi Tek, Kanye, Just Blaze, etc than Dre. I love Dre, but Dre and Nas doesn't sound like a good fit. Just like Nas and Timbaland/Diddy isn't a good mix. The man can't make club bangers ya heard

[Saint Cornelius]

Seriously, Nas has been downhill since Illmatic

[Vizzys]

Syles of Beyond is the new hotness says rap nerd, me. I would go out on a limb and say their lyrics rival those of old-school Nas. I might be crazy though. They are kinda underground, so if popularity is a contest Nas still wins.

[Saint Cornelius]

Viz, you should check out People Under the Stairs. I can't recommend them enough.

[Vizzys]

yeah I heard that "acid raindrops" song, good stuff.

[Saint Cornelius]

Yeah, that's a good one. Everything they do is that good if not better.

If there has been a more consistent hip-hop act, I can't think of one!

[Vizzys]

As for rap groups I like Heiroglyphics, well their album "Full Circle" had some good songs.

[Saint Cornelius]

Ah man, that crew makes me sad, with the exception of Del who has always been quality

Casual's "Fear Itself" is one of my favorite hip-hop albums of all time, but everything he's made since then has been absolute shit

The less said about Souls of Mischief after "'93 'Til Infinity", the better

[Vizzys]

I think Pep Love is also one of their best. Del of course, is god-like.

But Full Circle is such a major improvement from their previous album it isnt even funny.

Still haven't listened to '93 'Til infinity.

[Saint Cornelius]

Still haven't listened to '93 'Til infinity.

OH SHIT, you need to hear that immediately.

[Vizzys]

Ill get it off Oink.

Assuming you have Oink and havent got this album yet download this: http://oink.me.uk/details.php?id=782427

[Himu]

WHAT THE FUCKING SHIT IASFJDL;SKJFA;LSJF; 

Q-tip! PLEASE! PLEASE!

Pete Rock! PLEASE! PLEASE!

JUST BLAZE!

FUCKING DRE!

KANYE!

L.E.S!

And you put fucking...fucking...FUCKING..CHRIST WEBBER ON YOUR ALBUM!? GODDAMIT NASL;DJA;LFKJ;LADSF

[Himu]

Seriously, Nas has been downhill since Illmatic

WRONG.

[Saint Cornelius]

WRONG.

Nope. Illmatic is a classic, everything else is just "eh"

"don't call it topless, say the titties is out" - dude, kill yourself already

[Phoenix Dark]

Seriously, Nas has been downhill since Illmatic

WRONG.

That song is shere brilliance. First time I heard it I was blown away.

Whatever happened to Quan?

[Himu]

WRONG. AGAIN!  Illmatic is classic but saying his other stuff is weak is wack. Nastradamous and I Am being the exception, Nas's discography is simply amazing.

We Major simply makes you wrong anyways. 

ftp://hkk:weezybaby@71.86.159.43/_HipHop/West,%20Kanye/West,%20Kanye%20-%202005%20-%20Late%20Registration/14-kanye_west-we_major_(feat_nas_and_really_doe).mp3
http://geekspace.geekspot.org/himuro/mp3/11%20War.mp3
http://geekspace.geekspot.org/himuro/mp3/01%20Stillmatic%20(Intro).mp3
http://geekspace.geekspot.org/himuro/mp3/Rewind.mp3

BLOOD OF A SLAVE. HEART OF KINNNNGGG!

Illmatic damned Nas. That album is so good he could never dream of topping it so I don't expect him to. 

[Himu]

Whatever happened to Quan?

That idiot got his ass arrested.

[Vizzys]

Street's Disciple sucked.

[Himu]

 

[Vizzys]

It sucked HARD.

[Himu]

O plz. Disc 1 was awesome, but disc 2 while flawed was still a lot of fun.

Hater.

[Phoenix Dark]

Though some of that shit ya'll pop to, I aint relating
If I don't like it, I don't like it, that dont mean that I'm hating
I just want to innovate and stimulate minds
Travel the world and penetrate the times

[The Miles Trahan Burger Experiment]

Illmatic and Stillmatic are heaven to my ears, and I don't even like rap.

(ILLMATIC IS STILL BETTA LAWLZ)