Official Nas Thread

[Big Mark]

I already got silent murder on my cd, to me it's oart of the album. the street dreams alternative verse in cd quality is great. I wish they would put deja vu and teh message (scarface version) on there too

Where can I find the short documentary? I wonder if they are doing any CD’s for the collectors.

 

[Big Mark]

This new project seems like a quick and direct result of the new deal with Sony. It also makes me think he is coming back out soon. I remember when Def Jam stopped his Lost Tapes 2. He was pissed and mentioned that wanted to drop a project like LT2 first and then come out shortly after with the new album. He also did that with the first LT.

 

[Alexander Wiggin]

They wouldn’t do Dejavu because thats got Nas’s Verbal Intercourse verse on it and thats considered a very special verse as it marked Nas as the first non Wu member to be on a Wu album

Why not. When you do a reissue it's for the fans and they sure know that the fans already heard déjà vu countless of times. It won't diminish the prestige of the verbal intercourse feature

 

[Ziggiy]

This new project seems like a quick and direct result of the new deal with Sony. It also makes me think he is coming back out soon. I remember when Def Jam stopped his Lost Tapes 2. He was pissed and mentioned that wanted to drop a project like LT2 first and then come out shortly after with the new album. He also did that with the first LT.

Yep and I think its an EXCELLENT strategy.

 

[Piff Perkins]

Why not. When you do a reissue it's for the fans and they sure know that the fans already heard déjà vu countless of times. It won't diminish the prestige of the verbal intercourse feature

But that wasn’t recorded for “It Was Written.” It predates Steve Stoute. I wonder if there were recorded tracks, either with the Trackmasters or others, that didn’t make the cut…those are the tracks I’d want to see added.

 

[Alexander Wiggin]

But that wasn’t recorded for “It Was Written.” It predates Steve Stoute. I wonder if there were recorded tracks, either with the Trackmasters or others, that didn’t make the cut…those are the tracks I’d want to see added.

yes it was

Despite the bullshyt he went through with Columbia, and with the gift/ curse of producing one of Nas' best ever records - yet without the masses knowing it was made by him, I was lucky enough to get to speak with the actual producer of this record, Chris Winston, in order to finally set the record straight.

So, over 14 years after he made the track, Chris was humble enough to give me the downlow on how he came to work with Nas, when the cut was recorded, and why it was never released...

Canns - So firstly, can you confirm to everyone when you actually produced the track 'Deja Vu'? A lot of people actually thought that was an 'Illmatic' outtake, whilst others suggested it came a bit later as Nas used the same lyrics on 'Verbal Intercourse'?

Chris Winston - Yes I produced Deja Vu. It was well after Illmatic when Nas started working on It Was Written. He wrote the lyrics to Deja Vu with me then ended up using the 1st Verse on Raekwon's joint.

Canns - So how did the opportunity come about for you to get involved with working with Nas?

CW - I started working at Sony Music Studios in NYC as an assistant. I had been producing hip hop for a while already and I started to play my beats for artists after their sessions. Nas was working on something called Black Velvet I think and after the session I told him to check out a beat I was working on. This wasn't Deja Vu but another track which we ended up recording and never finishing. He was hyped and came back a couple months later to the new Hip Hop studio they had built in the basement. He saw me in there and started asking about my beats and wanted to hear more so I played him a bunch more and he was feeling Deja Vu and this other beat like crazy. Faith Newman was the chick from Columbia and he told her to set something up for us to record.

Canns ...and this was your first production right?

CW - Yes this was my first hip hop production (I was only 18 at the time)

Canns - It must have been crazy getting to work on this project, did you feel immense pressure working on the follow-up to what is considered to be one of hip-hop's best albums?

CW - I felt pressure yeah because I really respected him as an artist and thought Illmatic was the best hip hop record ever made. But once we recorded Deja Vu I felt like we had something at that caliber or better.

Canns - So, was the beat for 'Deja Vu' made specifically for Nas? That beat is crazy - It seems to fit his style perfectly - you must have felt like you struck gold with this one?

CW - I actually made that beat after the first time I met him yeah. Once he laid a verse down everyone in the room knew we had a banger.

Canns - When we spoke previously, you also mentioned that you produced another track for Nas. Is this something that got leaked, like 'Deja Vu' or did that one stay locked firmly in the vaults? Did it have a track title?

CW - Yeah, we recorded the original track he was feeling when I met him months before. This stayed locked in the vaults, he laid down a verse then wanted it erased the next day... I kept a DAT for myself and never leaked it because I respected him and I don't do people like that. Also let me say that speaking of masters, I have the only version of Deja Vu on DAT (digital tape to you youngsters) in existence. Everything I've heard on YouTube and mp3's leaked are from a cassette tape Nas took after the sessions. So when people talk about "quality of production" they are critiquing a CASSETTE tape. If they heard my DAT they would know that it was post Illmatic....

Canns - And you mention that this never made the cut due to Politics and Bullshyt with Columbia? Are you still cool with Nas after this?

CW - I ran into Nas in front of the Columbia Records building a few weeks after the session and he told me it was politics. I think they were pushing him to make more radio friendly shyt and Deja Vu was just too raw of a joint for the album.

Canns ...and I guess they didn't try and reach out to you later when 'The Lost Tapes' dropped either?

CW - They didn't reach out to me probably because they didn't know who I was or how to get at me. I never waived a flag and said "I produced this" until I saw people getting it twisted.

Canns - So i presume you weren't exactly feeling 'It Was Written' when it dropped?!! I gotta say that over the years i have grown to really like the LP, after initially being so disappointed, but had 'Deja Vu' and 'Silent Murder' been on it this LP would have been even better. ('Silent Murder' was on the Jap/ Euro CD's and US tape versions only originally)

CW - I wasn't feeling the whole record, maybe because I was a little bitter than Deja Vu didn't make it. Even today though I think it could have been a better follow up to Illmatic if some of the "fluff" wasn't there. ("If I Ruled The World") I still think Deja Vu would have made that record better, but of course I do, I produced it!

 

[Ziggiy]

yes it was

At dude calling one of Nas’s most iconic singles “fluff”.




But I get it. Dude was young at the time and could have been on one of the most anticipated albums in hip hop history.. I’d be a little bitter too

 

[kes929]

At dude calling one of Nas’s most iconic singles “fluff”.




But I get it. Dude was young at the time and could have been on one of the most anticipated albums in hip hop history.. I’d be a little bitter too

Anybody that doesn't like it was written front to back should have their hip hop card revoked. That album is hip hop in so many ways.

 

[spliz]

At dude calling one of Nas’s most iconic singles “fluff”.




But I get it. Dude was young at the time and could have been on one of the most anticipated albums in hip hop history.. I’d be a little bitter too

That nikka proved he didn’t deserve to work with Nas. The way he was talking about It Was Written u woulda thought it was Harlem World. There’s tracks on IWW far darker than Deja Vu.

 

[xiceman191]

Sucks politics got in the way of a young up and comer and some dope music. I would not be opposed to a CD with a viibe like Deja Vu

 

[spliz]

Sucks politics got in the way of a young up and comer and some dope music. I would not be opposed to a CD with a viibe like Deja Vu

Tracks from legendary producers get left on the cutting room floor. This is no different. He could’ve had another chance if he didn’t basically insult Nas’ art out of bitterness. If he was on the album he would be calling it a classic.

 

[Piff Perkins]

At dude calling one of Nas’s most iconic singles “fluff”.




But I get it. Dude was young at the time and could have been on one of the most anticipated albums in hip hop history.. I’d be a little bitter too

Nas on drink champs explained it perfect. It’s a Whoodini sample with the hook interpolated from a Kurtis Blow track. How the fukk is that “fluff” or pop? It sounds GOOD, that doesn’t make it some Vanilla Ice shyt or something. At its essence it’s pure hip hop lmao. Brehs were just mad that chicks liked it…

Dope interview besides that comment. I assumed Deja Vu was done during the Marley Marl sessions - not by Marley but around the same time, before Steve Stoute rolled into QB.

 

[Alexander Wiggin]

At dude calling one of Nas’s most iconic singles “fluff”.




But I get it. Dude was young at the time and could have been on one of the most anticipated albums in hip hop history.. I’d be a little bitter too

oh I forgot by the way this is the guy in question

Tracks from legendary producers get left on the cutting room floor. This is no different. He could’ve had another chance if he didn’t basically insult Nas’ art out of bitterness. If he was on the album he would be calling it a classic.

I think what happened was Nas was limited on the tracks he could put on the cd, because after a certain amount of tracks (I think i was 12 ) the rest of the producers wouldn't get paid right for budget reasons. that's why they cut deja vu and silent murder for the cd release

 

[kes929]

I dont care what album it was but these two songs needed to be on an album. I swear these are 2 of my favorite nas songs. Just goat level raps.

 

[Ziggiy]

I dont care what album it was but these two songs needed to be on an album. I swear these are 2 of my favorite nas songs. Just goat level raps.

BOTH of those are on the Illmatic Tenth anniversary edition