Interview: Nas For XXL

The big QB homie sits down with XXL and talks "Stillmatic" and "Hip-Hop Is Dead", two of his more striking albums of the aughties.. Real good interview here...he touches on everything from his relationship w/ Jay to "hounding" Dre for beats/collabs..

Did you have any reservations about sampling “Iron Butterfly” for the second time because you did it on “Thief’s Theme” before? 

No, that was the joke. Hip-hop is dead. I’m gonna do the same beat again from my last album that was my last single. This is gonna be the shit again. And will didn’t even know it at the time, will.i.am when he played it for me and I told him that’s why I have to do this record. For me it was perfect. I know people didn’t get it, but it was my little joke. 

The album also marks you working with Dre for the first time in 10 years. How did you guys reconnect? 

You know, just hounding Dre ’til you get him. I just had to hound my man, you know what I mean? Once he opened up, he had a moment. I jumped right in there. I flew right in, got in the studio. [I'm] always excited to see him in the studio. 

Game was on the track, but that was after he got kicked off Aftermath. How did that happen? 

That almost didn’t happen, but again, hounding Dre. Staying on him, staying on him, staying on him. “Come on, I need this.” You know, [I] stayed on him.

Read the rest here