bigted Posted May 19, 2006 Report Share Posted May 19, 2006 Nas Declares 'Hip Hop Is Dead' Nas May 19, 2006, 11:00 AM ET His First Def Jam Disc Due In September Clover Hope, N.Y. Recent Def Jam signee Nas will deliver his first album for the label in late September. The rapper made the announcement last night (May 18) while performing on the first leg of labelmates the Roots’ two-night stand at New York's Radio City Music Hall. The album is titled "Hip-Hop Is Dead,” according to a Def Jam representative, who also confirmed the September release to Billboard.com. Nas capped off his roughly 15-minute set by pronouncing, “I'm working hard for y’all. I got an album coming out in September.” Def Jam president Jay-Z added Nas to the label’s roster in January, two months after the pair mutually dissolved their longtime feud. As previously reported, the new disc will be one of two albums to be jointly marketed by Def Jam and Columbia, Nas’ previous label. During a live chat on the Roc-A-Fella Web site in February, Jay-Z said that plans were underway to begin working on the project. Black Eyed Peas leader will.i.am also told Billboard.com that he was scheduled to record with Nas. "Hip-Hop Is Dead” will be the follow-up to 2004’s “Streets Disciple,” which peaked at No. 5 on The Billboard 200 and has sold 694,000 copies in the United States, according to Nielsen SoundScan. In his 11 years with Columbia, Nas' catalog has sold 12 million units. The Roots concert also featured Common, Talib Kweli, Big Daddy Kane and saw a brief cameo from comedian Dave Chappelle, who billed many of the same artists for his 2004 Block Party in Brooklyn, N.Y. Tonight's second round of performances will feature Erykah Badu, Mos Def, J. Davey and Angelique Kidjo. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mfuqua23 Posted May 19, 2006 Report Share Posted May 19, 2006 I'm all for Nas, but I kinda question the title of this release. I imagine that's what it's suppose to do. Hip Hop is dead? I understand where Nas is coming from, and that's just it. Where he's coming from. Hopefully, it opens up the obvious eyes and ears of certain people. For some reason, I doubt this title will stick. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bigted Posted May 20, 2006 Author Report Share Posted May 20, 2006 (edited) I guess Nas is trying to spark some controversey with this album, he was consider calling it the n word now he's calling it 'Hip-Hop Is Dead', that's definately not a good title, we all know hip-hop ain't as strong as it used to/could be but it'll never die... Edited May 20, 2006 by bigted Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Vipa Posted May 20, 2006 Report Share Posted May 20, 2006 It's just figurative speaking... I wouldn't look at the album title in a literal sense, but just nas' way of saying "Things arent the same as they were a few years back"...In his eyes, of course. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Trey Posted May 20, 2006 Report Share Posted May 20, 2006 I'm looking foward to this album. BUT, the title isn't very good. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Vipa Posted May 20, 2006 Report Share Posted May 20, 2006 Yo ted, can I get a link to the article, please? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JumpinJack AJ Posted May 20, 2006 Report Share Posted May 20, 2006 Stupid album title. And when u look back on a few of Nas' late 90's trax...he contributed 2 that statement. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mfuqua23 Posted May 20, 2006 Report Share Posted May 20, 2006 He'll be a bigger person if he admits to it on this album. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cristigolo Posted May 20, 2006 Report Share Posted May 20, 2006 i'm gonna get it as soon as i can find it Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bigted Posted May 20, 2006 Author Report Share Posted May 20, 2006 (edited) http://www.sohh.com/articles/article.php/9018 Maybe he's inspired from De La Soul, they did an album called 'De La Soul Is Dead', btw I'm looking forward to that Roots album this summer too... Edited May 20, 2006 by bigted Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
fan 4ever Posted May 20, 2006 Report Share Posted May 20, 2006 Well he is right...Hip Hop is dead! Can't wait for this album....and that Talib Kweli album that is coming this summer! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bigted Posted May 20, 2006 Author Report Share Posted May 20, 2006 (edited) Nas was killing hip-hop in the late '90s? Nas has always been one of the realest cats in hip-hop, sure what he did then wasn't on the same level as most of his stuff but every great mc has their down moments but that don't mean they're killing hip-hop, even the beloved FP says: "Found Is Esco" Edited May 20, 2006 by bigted Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JumpinJack AJ Posted May 20, 2006 Report Share Posted May 20, 2006 I'm just saying that during that 98ish-2000ish era, he waz coming out with alot of flashy type stuff that made me long 4 his early stuff. He got over it 4 the most part. Long time vets on this board will remember me dissing him alot back in that 99ish area. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bigted Posted May 20, 2006 Author Report Share Posted May 20, 2006 (edited) Well come on now sure around that time a lot of Nas' early fans were turned off by his escobar/nastradomous style but also a lot of the early JJFP fans were turned off by FP's "Jiggy" style around that time too 'cause he got away from the storytellin' JJFP stuff and did more flashy raps instead, the ironic thing about that is that Nas co-wrote songs on that album and he was going flashy himself then, before of course they were turned off from "Code Red" too 'cause they thought JJFP was going gangsta although it was JJFP's lowest selling album so that plan to keep up with the harder image at the time sell more didn't work, "Code Red" is an album though that gangsta rap fans who normally wouldn't like JJFP's lighter image like 'cause it had a harder edge to it... But a large percentage of those who bought "Big Willie Style" were kids that didn't know about JJFP, including me at that time until I learned later on about it and I found out how the JJFP stuff is leaps and bounds above most of Will's solo stuff, "Big Willie Style" still has that sentimental feel though for me 'cause it's the first time I've heard Will rapping, that's why FP went back to Philly with Jazzy to record "Willenium" 'cause he knew that he had to gain some of his original fans back and in the process those kids were turned off 'cause it wasn't Jiggy enough since it was more vintage hip-hop and some of the ol' school fans loved "So Fresh" even though it didn't catch on in airplay, but I didn't care that it was ol' school album since I appreciate good music so I've remained down, and now FP's turned it around with his "Lost and Found" and got more credability in hip-hop back even if his sales are lower which was due to poor promotion but most of those who heard the album liked it, he got a lot of old fans back and gained some new 'cause the album's a mix of his ol' school and new school styles("Scary Story" and "Loretta" which are vintage storytellin' FP songs, "If You Can't Dance" and "Switch" for the kids who liked "Big Willie Style"), now we just need that JJFP album to come soon to keep the ball rolling, and of course in the late '80s LL Cool J got a lot of heat for his "Walking With A Panther" album, his original fans thought he was selling out but he turned it around later on with "Mama Said Knock You Out" then later on they thought that he was going gangsta on "14 Shots To The Dome" and then he had to turn it around again, MC Hammer lost his original fanbase when he did "Funky Headhunter" to keep up with the harder style of rap at the time like "Code Red" and "14 Shots To The Dome", I think he's coming with a new album soon too this summer, basically it was just dumbing down to get larger audiences but it was still good music they were doing... Anytime you do something different fans diss you and I find that wack like all Nas' original fans want him to do "Illmatic" every album and the original JJFP fans want him to "He's The DJ, I'm The Rapper..." all the time LL's original fans want "Mama Said Knock You Out", MC Hammer's original fans want "Please Hammer Don't Hurt 'Em", etc.. a lot of great mcs have all done it at one point or another like when KRS did a song with Puffy which was considered since KRS always disses pop rap and Puffy is the epitome of pop rap, good music is good music though, Nas has made good music throughout his career, some better than others but he is one of those select few that keep hip-hop alive on a mainstream level but you know it's dead when Eminem's greatest hits album outsells Will's "Lost and Found" and Nas' "Street's Disciple" combined when they're both better albums than Eminem could ever do, "Hip Hop Is Dead" sounds like Nas is something I'm sure most of Nas' original fans would say, nobody ain't making anything on an "Illmatic" level anymore so hopefully it has deep meaning to it and is his best album since "Illmatic" or at least another solid Nas album, hip hop is Nas... Edited May 20, 2006 by bigted Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ash trey Posted May 21, 2006 Report Share Posted May 21, 2006 I know a lot of people think that after Illmatic Nas had no quality music but I sincerely beg to differ! I can't wait for the album but the title is rather bold and to a certain extent in my opinion wack. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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