Shortly after DJ Khaled confirmed that he'd be reuniting JAY-Z and Nas on Khaled Khaled single "Sorry Not Sorry," JAY came through to honor his collaborator with a personally curated TIDAL playlist. Ostensibly comprised of JAY's favorite Nas tracks, it goes a long way in showing what the Brooklyn emcee appreciates about his fellow New Yorker's craft.
Of course, it wouldn't be the friendly competition that it is without a slight assertion of dominance, hereby represented within the title: "Curated by the God, Hov." Given that one of Nas' most beloved albums is named God's Son, well, the implication speaks for itself. Still, it's clearly all love between the two legendary emcees, decades removed from their elite lyrical duel and one day removed from their latest (of many) collaborations.
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What matters most is the song curation itself, as gaining insight into JAY's favorite Nas tunes is an interesting study in itself. Clocking in at a reasonable twenty-four tracks, plenty of classic tracks are represented accordingly. Illmatic is represented through "N.Y. State Of Mind," "Life's A Bitch," "The Genesis," "Halftime," "The World Is Yours," and "It Ain't Hard To Tell" -- over half the album, and clear proof that Hov is among the many who deem it Nas' magnum opus.
That's not to say other fan favorites go unnoticed. A few of Nas' standout features are included through Raekwon's "Verbal Intercourse," Mobb Deep's "Eye For An Eye," and Kanye West's "We Major." The anthemic "Hate Me Now," featuring P. Diddy reps I Am..., while "Made You Look" holds it down for the aforementioned "God's Son." Surprisingly, Stillmatic gets a lone inclusion for "One Mic," though it might understandable given one of project's most notorious inclusions.
Though his Nas tastes aren't entirely the most varied, it's still interesting to see JAY-Z stepping up to pay homage to his fellow New York lyricist. Check out "Curated by the God, Hov," exclusively on TIDAL, and sound off if JAY's taste in Nas music mirrors your own.