Nas speaks on working with Nicki Minaj

By The Hip Hop Writer
Hip Hop Vibe Staff Writer

Six years ago, Nas sparked a three year debate with four words, Hip Hop is Dead. The quality in hip hop music and the focus on lyricism had dwindled. After the debate was sparked, little was done to improve the state of hip hop in the eyes of many. However, many considered Drake and Nicki Minaj to be two up-and-comers who could save the game. The two were signed by Young Money in 2009 and had platinum albums out before the end of 2010.

Since 2008, Nas has been out of the public eye. Despite the critical acclaim surrounding his album with Damian Marley, Distant Relatives, the album did little to boost Nas’ profile. Until last summer’s release of “Nasty,” Nas was primarily in the news because of his divorce from Kelis. While Nas has been out of the spotlight, a number of new names have emerged to much success, such as Young Money and Maybach Music.

Nas began his comeback last year and now finds himself back in the spotlight. The wait continues for his new album, Life is Good, but Nas has been doing collaborations to keep himself going. Nas has been working with several members of Young Money. Earlier this year, Nas was featured on Tyga’s Careless World: Rise of the Last King album and he was also featured on Nicki Minaj’s Pink Friday: Roman Reloaded album. XXL spoke to Nas today about his collaboration with Nicki Minaj, crediting her for being the female representative in hip hop.

Discussing the collaboration, Nas spoke of how she placed him on the track with Drake and Young Jeezy. Nas said it was the recipe and called the song the perfect collaboration.