Nas called out all of the rap game on his iconic 2006 track, "Hip Hop Is Dead," off of his album of the same name. Hip Hop Is Dead was released on this day, 15 years ago.
Throughout the track, the legendary rapper reflects on the authenticity of hip-hop's origin and decries the genre's newfound commercialization.
The title of the song and subsequently, the album, stirred up a bit of controversy at the time. Nas explained how he landed on the name in an interview with MTV News back in the day:
When I say 'hip-hop is dead', basically America is dead. There is no political voice. Music is dead ... Our way of thinking is dead, our commerce is dead. Everything in this society has been done. It's like a slingshot, where you throw the muthafucka back and it starts losing speed and is about to fall down. That's where we are as a country ... what I mean by 'hip-hop is dead' is we're at a vulnerable state. If we don't change, we gonna disappear like Rome. 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.
Check out "Hip Hop Is Dead" below.
Quotable Lyrics
Everybody sounds the same, commercialize the game
Reminiscin' when it wasn't all business
It forgot where it started
So we all gather here for the dearly departed