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Will hip-hop followers ever get to listen to Nas and Kendrick Lamar on the identical track? The previous is just not ruling it out.
Sitting down with Complicated forward of his look at New York Comedian Con to advertise Mass Enchantment and Marvel’s new Legend Has It comedian guide collaboration, the Queensbridge rap legend was requested concerning the prospect of leaping on a observe with King Kenny.
“Oh, man. It’s simply all concerning the artist,” he answered. “Whenever you get the prospect to report and work collectively, for me it ought to really feel actually pure. That may be nice, I’d like to work with him.
“However I really feel prefer it must be clean the way in which it connects. Something I do with anyone, particularly somebody like [Kendrick], I simply need to take my time with it. So we’ll see. Hopefully.”
Nas then modestly joked: “All you MCs on the market, give me a name, man! I bought some verses right here and there. They’re hit and miss.”
Although Nas and Kendrick Lamar have but to work collectively on music, the mutual respect between the MCs runs deep.
After Kendrick was introduced because the headliner of the 2025 Tremendous Bowl halftime present final yr, Esco saluted him by writing on his Instagram Tales: “Congratulations to my brotha. Can’t wait to observe the social gathering die!!!!!”
Okay. Dot, in fact, referenced this submit on his GNX opener “Wacced Out Murals,” ferociosly rapping: “Gained the Tremendous Bowl and Nas the one one congratulate me / All these n*ggas agitated, I’m simply glad they showin’ they faces / Fairly frankly, loads artists, however they outdated / Previous-ass flows, tryna persuade me that you simply they favourite.”
The Compton native additionally appeared to pay homage to Nas on that album, together with his “Man on the Backyard” beat sounding eerily harking back to Nas’ equally introspective Stillmatic basic “One Mic.”
Extra not too long ago, Nas heaped excessive reward onto Kendrick in an interview with Rolling Stone, crowning him hip-hop’s “North Star” for his means to talk up when hip-hop wants it, as evidenced on final yr’s “Watch the Occasion Die.’
“Kendrick is likely one of the brightest stars we’ve ever seen, and I don’t solely imply celebrity, I imply just like the North Star — I believe he’s a type of,” he stated. “Out of the entire artists on this enterprise, there’s some that’s not right here for the artwork. After we see these folks that aren’t right here for the artwork damaging it, you’re hurting the way forward for the artwork. So I believe artists like Kendrick are going to talk out.”
Nas continued: “There’s a few ’em on the market, youthful, older that say what they are saying. I believe there was an OutKast video, a type of guys wore a “Hip Hop Is Lifeless” shirt even earlier than I stated it, I didn’t see that till later. It’s simply been within the dialog naturally, like all sport you need to thrive. You don’t need the NBA to begin slowing down. You need it to thrive. The ball gamers need it to thrive. We’re going to name out anytime we see it. Typically the remainder of us received’t see it. Typically it’ll take Kendrick to remind us the place we’re missing.
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