Nas: 'I Think Kanye West Saved Rap'

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Site Last Updated: 7:22 PM EDT, December 3, 2008	Make BallerStatus Your Homepage

Published: Thursday - July 10, 2008
Words by Allen Starbury

Nas dresses up like Kanye for recent <I>Complex</i> shoot

Nas dresses up like Kanye for recent Complex shoot (Photo: Complex)

Nas is the rapper who said Hip Hop Is Dead a couple years back, but according to him, someone has saved it.

In a recent interview with Complex, the Queensbridge rapper said he thinks Kanye West has saved the genre.

"I think Kanye West saved rap. I think Lil Wayne is showing there is a future for all kinds of artists to continue doing this. You know, I love it," Nas said.

So if the genre is no longer dead, who still gets Nas excited when he hears them? Kanye, Outkast, and Eminem.

He later touched on the issue with his the controversial title he chose for his upcoming album -- which was later changed from Nigger to Untitled -- and said if had had it to do over, he wouldn't.

"I think the Hip Hop Is Dead and the Nigger album, they were for that time. ... People may think it's a controversial title, but it's really what I'm feeling," he told the mag. "I'm not going to make the title less controversial because it's going to offend people."

The interview took place during a Kanye-esque photoshoot for the magazine, and while it's not usually Nas' style, he had fun with it.

"That's not how I dress, but for a magazine spread, it's out there to be fun," explained Nas. "... I always do what I do, so I just wanted to change it up a little bit. Get people talking shit, so it's cool."

Nas' upcoming untitled album hits stores July 15.

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COMMENTS (32)

Respectful Says:
Wednesday - July 30, 2008 at 10:29am

Many of you sound disrespectful to yourself and to our race! How are you going to use such language? You can communicate much better. That is the problem. None of us are n--s! It is interesting that Nas talked about our heritage of being Kings and Queens only to disrespect himself and others. Obama does not NEED this kind of support. He NEED us to discuss this topic more sensible than this. Jesse was wrong and hypocritical. I agree that he is just jealous of the possibility that his time is up. But we as a people need to express ourselves in a more intelligent way. People are reading this and laughing at us. Come on let's get it together...And I am sure that many of you are going to reply to this negatively. That is alright, you just proved my point and theirs too!

G-Root Says:
Thursday - July 17, 2008 at 10:59pm

this motherfucker is talking about ufo's and shit! that is sooo ill. and yo, blaramesh, im giving you maaddd props for calling this a concept album cuz i have for real been saying that since tuesday and i never heard that it was once or read it was. very smart n perceptive. good shit yo.

G-Root Says:
Thursday - July 17, 2008 at 10:49pm

ay, i just want to thank everyone who backed me up/feels what im saying. i was worried for a second...flippin out...had to write a book lol. anyway...what are some of ya'lls favorite songs? right now im stuck on playin that 'we're not alone' over and over and over. 'sly fox' is the shit too. 'n.i.g.g.e.r.' would probably for sure be my fave but i've heard it for like a month so i gotta let the others simmer before i can truly make judgment on that.

flogators25 Says:
Wednesday - July 16, 2008 at 11:25pm

nas is probablly the best lyricist ever. i have to disagree with wayne saving hip hop. wayne makes rap music not hip hop.if anything, he is everything that is wrong with it right now. too bad, the young black youths dont know any better. dude can rap good. but at the expense of misleading people that dont know any better.

shawn t Says:
Wednesday - July 16, 2008 at 11:21pm

kanye has saved hip hop as far as selling artistic music commercial WITH a message. he is like the only rapper with a lil bit of pricinples to sell records. most others do not make mainstream video and radio.

balaramesh Says:
Wednesday - July 16, 2008 at 11:18pm

nas's new cd is a hip hop album not a rap album. therefore, do not expect for killer basslines and catchy hooks to make up for mediorce lyrics like most albums out now. fyi, this is a concept album. nas will not sell a million in a week. he never intended to. nor has he wanted that kind of attention. dude been selling records for 16 years. holla back when your favorite rapper has 16 years in the game. yall 13 year olds need to open up your hip hop catalog. not what is just on mtv and bet rotation. that stuff is soooooo wack.

G-Root Says:
Wednesday - July 16, 2008 at 7:30pm

ay after hearing nas's new cd, if ya'll can't get with it, you ain't gonna be able to get with hip-hop for a while because its changing again and youre gonna have to think a little bit to understand it now. his new cd is just amazing. on another blog i saw someone say it's his top 3-4 best and i totally agree. i gotta get to know it still but so far its the shit. i loved hip-hop is dead but couldnt even listen to it when i tried to day cuz it really doesnt compare.

busta Says:
Sunday - July 13, 2008 at 2:33am

poop

cavadias Says:
Saturday - July 12, 2008 at 8:47am

I get it nas is mad at 2 pistols,rick ross and plies because they so nice lyrically and are caked up.nas is top 5 all time catalog 5 pages long 90 percent of the south is trash

EDGE Says:
Saturday - July 12, 2008 at 2:11am

YOU FUCKING IGNORANT NARROW MINDED BASTARDS! listen to what G-roots saying so you motherfuckers can learn something. NAS is the G.O.A.T name one fucking MC better than him. his songs wreak with knowledge... god dayum... lil ass kid saying he has 3 good songs? rofl please son your breath still smells like breast milk. fuck outa here kid. props to G-root.

nigganomous Says:
Friday - July 11, 2008 at 4:36pm

i'm so sick of deez nigguhs

dirty Says:
Friday - July 11, 2008 at 4:00pm

g-root can suck a dick too ole faggot ass muthafucka, oh yeah fuck nas and kanye!!!!

STL shorty Says:
Friday - July 11, 2008 at 3:24pm

KANYE has not saved hip-hop...he's the standard commercial artist justlike the rest of'em. Hip hop is more than just units sold. Its about your voice and message and your swagger...Kanye is a cry baby - sell out at times and does not represent the streets...he's a METRO...and big ups - butt he's a border line fudge packer if you ask me and i dont respect him because of b*tch like tendancies. Some of his song..well beats are really cool...but saved hip-hop...NI99A please!..I love NAS but he needs to get his head out the clouds and back in the streets..he need to go out and battle cats...stop smellin Kelis a$$ and go out into the streets.

ToNe Says:
Friday - July 11, 2008 at 7:29am

Naive seem

ToNe Says:
Friday - July 11, 2008 at 7:27am

You who watch

ToNe Says:
Friday - July 11, 2008 at 7:25am

Minds open, and with it I approach.

ToNe Says:
Friday - July 11, 2008 at 7:23am

Truth is what?

ToNe Says:
Friday - July 11, 2008 at 7:20am

You can have a mountain of lies and put an ounce of truth on top of it and fool the masses. G-root you seem naive. Nothing personal but watch who you say fuk you 2. Now fuk snoop, nas, kanye, and big boi. That Iran shit is interesting only to someone who doesnt know the big picture. I challenge you to watch the ring of power on you tube! (all 31 chapters) And after that check forbidden knowledge. Approach it with an open mind.

G-Root Says:
Thursday - July 10, 2008 at 7:30pm

dude what are you even talking about? nas is just doing hip hop how he knows how to do it. he aint from the south, so why in the fuck do you think the style of the south would matter at all to nas? hes from new york man! dont you know that? and how the fuck has snoop stepped his game up? sexual seduction was aight but what the fuck is this 'my medicine' shit? if that is stepping up game to you, than you got horrible taste lol.

Booya Says:
Thursday - July 10, 2008 at 6:06pm

Nas is so confused. He read too much into Hip-Hop. I mean people just can't figure out the game has changed since the 90's. It's not that damn hard to grasp. The south is on top now and their style is different plus Hip-Hop has evolved. I'm starting to get tired of these ol' niggas whinnin' about Hip-Hop. If it's such a got damn problem then step ya game up like Snoop, Jay, Kayne and the rest of dem niggas outside the south. The south ain't about to stop what their doing though to plz all dem niggas who ain't hot now.

G-Root Says:
Thursday - July 10, 2008 at 5:32pm

(cont.) but shit, i dont even know man. hip hop is my life and i defend it like i do my life. cuz it is. if you dont know what youre talking about dont be bringin that ignorant bullshit to these pages please. if ya'll wanna tryn prove me wrong i'd love to have that debate (as obama would say). im extremely curious to see what you got to say.

G-Root Says:
Thursday - July 10, 2008 at 5:31pm

. HES ONLY HAD 3 HOTT SONGS SINCE HIS FIRST CD? are you fucking joking me? you are such an idiot. go kill yourself dude for real. i dont konw if you be on soulja boys dick or the units dick or whatever, but you gotta open your fuckin ears, or at least take a q-tip to those motherfuckers. its so sick that nas is giving that many props to kanye. i saw that glow in the dark tour and this man IS hip hop right now. wayne is good, he has that flow, but dude doesnt write his own shit or make his own beats, and kanye does all three, so youre just really ignorant if you can't understand why graduation is one of the best bodies of work to be released in probably the last 10 years. i'm only 19 and i feel like i am on such a higher level when it comes to understand hip hop than ya'll little kids on this page, and most of you are probably older than me (i hope not. if you are like 15, ok, i can understand your opinions cuz you probably only listen to that radio bullshit).

G-Root Says:
Thursday - July 10, 2008 at 5:30pm

(cont.) and nas...nas nas nas. this motherfucker is amazing. i have only heard a few songs from his new cd, im waitin till i buy it on tuesday to hear most of it, but from what i've heard this dude is on point like a pen. i recently watched a video about the current state of hip hop w/ rakim and a few others and they were sayin that the game is coming back to its roots of deep lyrical content and grimy beats. nas is 100% surely the smartest rapper out today (he has been for a while, maybe his whole career). ya'll are some retards. if you actually listened to the words on the cd 'hip hop is dead' he never actually said it was dead, he said it was dying, but that it can be saved. how many motherfucking rappers came out and said 'fuck that, i aint gonna let it die' and stepped their game up. how i see it, nas single handedly saved hip hop, or at least started the movement that did. it's in the best place it's been in like 10 years.

G-Root Says:
Thursday - July 10, 2008 at 5:28pm

ay all ya'll haters on this wall are some fuckin bitches who clearly dont know good hip hop. ya'll motherfuckers are just ridiculous! graduation is a fucking classic. snoop said that graduation was better than any of jay-z's cds, and i respect snoops taste more than your small minded brains. outkast won grammy for best album, not just hip hop album, best overall, for their last cd, so it's probably just you who isnt listening to them. havnt you heard any of andres verses recently? kid is siiiick. just decemating anybody he's on a track with. listen to royal flush and you'll know that big boi still has it like he always has (slow it down to a screeching halt, impeach the president because he don't think before he talk, iraq got that, now he gunnin for iran, north korea got that shit to make LA look like japan) get the fuck outta here if you ain't smart enough to understand how hott that fuckin line is.

dirty Says:
Thursday - July 10, 2008 at 4:36pm

lol nas can lick balls and kayne is a fuckin' faggot, fuck both of em'

LastVoice.com Says:
Thursday - July 10, 2008 at 4:24pm

Kanye & Nas both blow. Nas tries to act as though he's some 'god of hip hop' even though he's maybe 3 decent songs since his first album. Kanye is decent put acts as if he is the GOAT. He's a bitch and needs to STF and stick to making beats.

Sowth Carolina Boi Says:
Thursday - July 10, 2008 at 3:23pm

did you really just dis em? He sold 19 million world wide with "Eminem Show", thats more than lil wayne has total, n don't get me wrong, lil wayne is a beast, but eminem is one of the best ever. N kanye's cd was on level with wayne's. But i do think nas is past his prime.

DREZZ Says:
Thursday - July 10, 2008 at 3:10pm

Tone said it the best.

fuck nas Says:
Thursday - July 10, 2008 at 3:09pm

haha nas is a pussy ass bitch nigga first he said hip hop is dead, now he sayin kayne saved it and wayne helped a little???? he just mad beacuse he never sold a millie like wayne did in 1 week. no disrespect 2 kayne, he raw but wayne is a beast like he said "i am hip hop..... and i aint dead im alive." and 1 more thing, who the fuck still listens 2 outkast and eminem????? lame ass

OhMyWhoDat Says:
Thursday - July 10, 2008 at 2:55pm

Nah, tone just mad cause his GUnit shit flopped.

Dj Daddy Fatt Staxx Says:
Thursday - July 10, 2008 at 2:37pm

ur just mad cuz nas iz tha best in tha game

ToNe Says:
Thursday - July 10, 2008 at 2:09pm

......Fuk NAS AND kanye