To help promote the release of Illmatic XX, Nas partook in a Ask Me Anything segment on Reddit yesterday. In case you missed it, here goes a few highlights:
How did you end up (allegedly) ghostwriting for Will Smith?
+ Alright, let’s clear this up once and for all. I hung out with Will in the studio. And watched him write it. It was a fun studio session, and I said a line or two or three to him. It wasn’t that serious. Will Smith wrote that song. But seriously, I watched him have fun making that record on his own, and Will is a true MC.
What was Biggie like in person?
+ Class act. Also funny. Naturally funny. And he was a genius.
Who is someone young that you haven’t worked with in hip hop yet but would like to?
+ Bishop Nehru.
Can you give Jay Electronica a verse and tell him to release his album already?
+ I tell him almost every day.
When you were recording Illmatic, did the 19 year old you ever stop and consider the implications of what you were recording? Did you ever imagine that people would be talking about you two decades later?
+ I wanted them to talk about me that day. Two decades later was a little far ahead for me to think about.
There is a small but notable proportion of your fanbase which believes that your sophomore effort It Was Written is superior to Illmatic (me included). How do you view both albums in relation to each other today?
+ I mean, that was my point. I had to grow. So I’m happy you feel that way, because that was my goal, to make a superior record. I felt like at that point, if I didn’t, I wouldn’t be here now.
Who has been the most fun to collaborate with and who has been the most professional?
+ Damian Marley. Definitely the most fun. And very wise, a very wise guy, very talented guy. And he was professional, no ID.
Who has been your favorite musician to record with from any genre?
+ Carlos Santana
Would you mind droppin’ a couple words of wisdom my way?
+ Don’t underestimate luck.
