To this day, Nas remains one of the most iconic and skilled rappers in the game. As he continues to build his catalog out with acclaimed album like his King's Disease series with Hit-Boy and Magic, the sheer value of his most celebrated album has never been questioned. Fans have even gotten closer to the process of bringing that discography to life, as the New York rapper has released a mini-documentary with the Wu-Tang Clan about their tour together. MC Serch, the legendary member of hip-hop pioneers 3rd Bass, had owned a chunk of the rights to that catalog, but he has now announced that he will be selling his portion of the rights to Nas's discography.
Serch's piece of the pie includes legendary albums that he executive-produced like It Was Written and Illmatic, which is arguably the quintessential hip-hop record. It's one of the only rap albums preserved in the Library of Congress, has been taught as course material at some of the world's most prestigious universities, and holds some of his most classic hits like "The World Is Yours" and "It Ain't Hard To Tell."
“I have decided to sell all of the rights, including the global rights,” MC Serch told AllHipHop. “I started conversations with several companies a few months ago. For 27 years, it has provided my family through good times and bad. Now it’s time for a new chapter.”
Nas's ironclad credibility as a rapper isn't solely owed to his skill, but also his sales. It Was Written was certified triple-platinum in 2021 and is his highest selling album to date, and it also gave Nas his first Billboard #1: "If I Ruled The World (Imagine That)" featuring Lauryn Hill. The album was expanded for its 25th anniversary last year.
The 3rd Bass rapper has held the executive producer rights to both albums for almost three decades as part of his companies Serchlite Publishing and Serchlite Music, which is now called 4MC MultiMedia. While he hasn't made a sale yet, it's very likely that there's a rat race unfolding for rights that include two of hip-hop's crown jewels.