Nas has solidified himself as hip-hop royalty. More than that, the Queens legend has established a reputation of a sage. The wisdom he bequeaths through his lyricism and general persona carry an undeniable weight. Now, with a Nas album that may or may not be done in the pipeline, Escobar has sat down with Billboard for an extensive interview. The main topic of discussion centers around his upcoming Netflix series, yet his wealth of knowledge extended to several different topics. At one moment, Nas was asked to bequeath a title upon today's hip-hop era.
"Rapture." That's the mood we in right now. It's that time. We're going through magnificent change," says Nas. "This stage of rap music is the multi-dimensional artist. You can't sit back and say we don't watch the person a lot. We fiend for it on social media. We look for all the other shit outside of music." One must admit, there's a certain poetic elegance to Nas' chosen title. Rapture. Perhaps he's a Bioshock fan.
As it stands, it's also the name of Nas and Sacha Jenkins' Netflix series, which is set to chronicle the lives of rappers like T.I, 2 Chainz, Rapsody, Logic, G-Eazy, A Boogie Wit Da Hoodie, and Dave East. The documentary series drop on March 30th, and will no doubt be essential viewing for any self-styled hip-hop head.
There's also a touching moment in which Nas pays respects to one of the game's most underrated lyricists - Killer Mike. Speaking on the Run The Jewels rapper, Nas went heavy on the praise:
"I always knew Killer Mike was a lyricist, and I knew he had something to say outside of his music. That stood out to me the most. That's what made me want to work with him, because not only is he extremely talented as a lyricist, he's political. He's for the people, he's for freedom, he's for education, he's for building. I'm drawn to people like that. And I think he's a smart guy. He knows what he's talking about. He's an example of someone who has drive. I use that word a lot. That's the difference between men and the boys."