I was mainly referring to around the time when Nasir was what's released (2018)
May I get
@Ziggiy two cents on the question I asked.
Kanye was already going thoroughly off the deep end in 2018. We didn’t know it until the “slavery was a choice” shyt hit the fan but I don’t believe 2018-Current day Kanye West was/is capable of making a classic with Nas.
And this is coming from someone who likes Nasir, but even in liking it, one can admit its not the best of either of them (especially Kanye). Kanye from 06-2010 absolutely could have locked in and made a classic with Nas but it would’ve taken both of them spending alot of time together (think Kanye and Common for the making of Be/Finding Forever) and I don’t know if either of them would’ve wanted to take that time.
To directly answer the question posed, Nas has said several times he’s wanted to lock in and work with Hit-Boy for years. So whether or not Nasir would’ve been some universally regarded classic album I think he always was going to do a full album with Hit. Nas was always going to leave Def Jam and do his own thing with Mass Appeal and Hit-Boy had the right amount of acclaim/commercial success to make setting off this particular phase of his career a worthwhile endeavor.
So yea my thinking is we would’ve gotten these past 6 albums with Hit-Boy irregardless of the reception to Nasir. Kanye is verifiably insane and I can safely say Nas would have wanted absolutely NO parts of dealing with him for a successive project, let alone SIX more.
Nas is very strategic. The Hit-Boy era was inevitable if you look at it through the lens of Nas knowing exactly what and WHO he needed to make sure his sound continued to resonate.
