Danny Hastings was the man behind the cover of Nas’ third album (as well as Big Pun’s Capital Punishment and Raekwon’s Only Built 4 Cuban Linx), and he speaks to MTV about the making of the mold (that’s actually not computer imagery like I originally thought) of that infamous cover:
In order to carry out their artistic vision, Hastings and his team had to take a complete mold of Nas’ face. This required that they put a clay-like substance over the rapper’s grill, poking little holes in the nostrils so he could breathe. However, something went terribly wrong, and the clay began to go up Nas’ nose, causing him to suffocate. “The funny part was that the first attempt, Nas was getting asphyxiated. We almost killed Nas,” Hastings said, laughing in hindsight.
In related news, Havoc revealed that their are plans for a Nas/Mobb Deep joint album. Yeah… we’ll just put that idea in our “Lowered Expectations” file, next to Detox and that Nas/DJ Premier album.
PREVIOUS: Common – Ghetto Dreams f. Nas (prod. No I.D.) [Snippet]
RELATED: The 100 Best Nas Songs [via Complex]
