Theres been a lot of talk about the influence Marvin Gayes landmark Here, My Dear had on you during the recording of Life Is Good. How much of an impact did that album have on your creative writing process?
A lot
just Marvins overall genius. Its an album that I really love and a lot of people still have never heard it. Marvin wasnt afraid to put it all out there. He was very open with [the break up] of his marriage.
From the album cover, which highlights Kelis wedding dress, to some of the personal details you reveal about your own divorce, were you initially apprehensive about sharing personal details of your relationship?
It just came naturally. It really bothered me because we are in the Internet age. There was no way to avoid everything that was out there. To me thats what shaped this album. I couldnt escape all the stuff about my marriage or questions about [my finances]. So my answer was putting Kelis green wedding dress on the album cover. The music and the reality of my life go hand-in-hand. Life is poetry and thats what this new album is. I havent had a record out in a long time. This is the way I got it all off of my chest.
Can you talk about what the creative process was like working with No I.D.?
With No I.D. at first it took us a while to really see what train we were both on. We both seemed to agree on a lot of things, but to work together we had to make sure we were on the same page. His take on the album was for me to just be myself. Forget everything else
just do whats real. Thats always been the formula with me and Salaam [Remi]. So it was no different with No I.D. We would just spend sessions talking. Those conversations really kept me on point. No I.D. is a brilliant dude.
One of the songs on Life Is Good that showcases your fruitful collaborative relationship with No I.D. is the single Daughters, which talks about your at times rocky relationship with your teenage daughter Destiny. Can you describe the first time she heard the song?
She was there when I was recording it. We were in a big studio so Destiny was doing other things, but she walked into the room where I was recording it and heard a few words and said, Whats going on? The whole room just started laughing and she kind of smiled and walked backwards out of the room. She didnt know what it was about and she didnt want to listen to it, but later on she heard the song.
And what was the verdict?
I think she understands where I was coming from. She can hear me saying that I wasnt always around and I wasnt always the best dad, but I care. And there are a lot of fathers like me. To me, Daughters lets all those fathers out there know, Hey, dont end up like me in terms of not being there all the time. You should really pay attention to the most precious thing in the world. Destiny and I hang out all the time. She never beefs with me about it.
What did you learn from working with Swizz Beatz this go around?
Working with Swizz was great. We both have been through divorce. Me and Swizz both been through baby mama drama. We both have an undying love for hip-hop. And we are in great places in our life. Hes probably in a better place when it comes to his love life because Swizz is married to the amazing Alicia Keys. But were both in a great place in our lives.
There are some very savvy features on this album such as Rick Ross, Anthony Hamilton, and the late Amy Winehouse. Were there any other artists that you wanted to collaborate with that didnt make it on the album?
One of the only other rappers I thought about was AZ. And I wanted Eminem for a remix for Daughters, but he had already expressed that hes spoken so much about his daughter throughout his career that he had done that subject too much. And me and Jay-Z talked about doing some things, but our schedules were so crazy.
That would have been worthy of pushing back the album, huh?
[Laughs] Well, I know we both are probably going to be upset that he didnt make it onto the album because I really look forward to working with Jay. But I didnt want a lot of people on the album since its been four years for me. Next album Ill do more features, but on this one I didnt want to have a lot of people on the album. I also have Mary J. Blige on vocals. Im drawn to that soulful sound.
There seems to be a real synergy between you and Rick Ross. Were you surprised how well you complimented each other lyrically?
Not really. People see him as a Biggie
but I see him as an Isaac Hayes or a Barry White when it comes to his actual sound. He has soul. His voice is soulful. And where he raps from is very soulful. Thats how he resonates to me. So thats why I wanted him on the record.
This is probably the most stripped down Nas album fans have heard in a long time. Did you have any of the Def Jam suits complain that you werent being commercial enough with this release?
Lets be real, this is a business. Its always about money, but when it came to Life Is Good I told Salaam and No I.D. that I wanted to make music that was age appropriate and real to who I am. And that was still connecting with todays hip-hop fan. But the truth is, we dont know that market. We dont know who that consumer is. So that no longer became the focal point for this album. Now its about doing what we love. To make music with No ID and Salaam, who were both poppin in the 90s and still poppin today, they were the perfect producers to work with me. This record took on a feeling of an era thats been gone for a while.
Having worked with Nicki Minaj, what are your views on some critics who say she is not real hip-hop?
I think the hip-hop purists are purists through and through. Theyre here to criticize all of us. Thats just how it is. We as MCs criticize each other. Thats the nature of hip-hop. But to say that Nicki is not hip-hop is inaccurate. She wouldnt be here if she wasnt hip-hop. We saw her come up in the streets and virally with all the YouTube videos. She earned her position. She came up through the ranks. She came from nothing and became the one female thats holding it down for hip-hop.
Before you released your landmark album Illmatic, you were barely 18-years-old when you made your recording debut on Main Sources Live At The Barbecue in 1991. What goes through your mind when you listen to that verse decades later?
It gives me the chills. Im thinking to myself, The balls of this young man! [laughs] The curiosity in his rhyme and the heart and the voice. I was saying to the world, Its about to go down
Im about to do some things. From that point on, I would have never known that I would be the guy with probably the longest hip-hop career that has been able to stay strong and have a meaning. I feel like Ive been able to keep it diverse and creative. I think Ive had the longest career of strength, focus, and still being able to sell records. I think Im that guy.
Im still blessed with the opportunity to make music and pass out a message like life is good to the world.
) and he didn't know where it was either. But it was all good, the fellow nas brethren's pointed it out for me. Oh, and for those wondering, the shirt was a x-large.
@ that fugazi Nas fan not knowin' he was droppin' today.
