News: Nas "This one is gonna broaden my audience..."
Due Out: September
Recorded in New York
For his eighth studio album, Queensbridge MC Nas is taking it to the clubs, "I want it to be bangin'," he says. "And if you want it bangin', you call the dudes with the bangers." In this case, the dudes are Timbaland, Pharrell, Scott Storch and Dr. Dre and hip-hop's newest "it" producer will.i.am of the Black Eyed Peas.
"This one is gonna broaden my audience back up to where it needs to be," says Nas. It doesn't hurt that he's got rap's reigning king, Jay-Z, behind him; the former foes buried the hatchet, and Hova signed Nas to Def Jam in January.
Hard drums and crowd chants rule the Will.i.am-produced title track. On "War," a song about the politics of warfare, Nas trades verses with Damian Marley. "it has the head nod and that rocka bump," says Nas' co-manager Mark Pitts, who also confirms that Nas has been in touch with Micheal Jackson in hopes of recording with him. "It's gonna show Nas' potential to cross over from hip-hop to pop," says Pitts.
Source: RollingStone Magazine
Where will you be when hip-hop dies? Nas is hoping you'll be in the store, buying his next album, Hip-Hop Is Dead ... The N.
"September is the album," Nas said backstage at Radio City Music Hall Thursday night after his appearance at the Roots' show "It's called Hip-Hop Is Dead ... The N." The letter at the end is meant to be a play on "the end," he added.
Although he wasn't too forthcoming with info, he explained the name as a play on words.
"I didn't name it that. Fans named it that; rappers named it that," he elaborated about the title. "It's been the talk for years, so here's an album that brings ... not even the rebirth, it's just an album with that thing that everybody is talking about. I got a street look coming real soon, and more soon after. Summertime is definitely going to be Nas time."
The album will be Nas' debut for Def Jam.
|
