Nas didn’t become one of hip-hop’s most influential figures by design. Though he claims to have known that his introductory verse on Main Source’s “Live At the Barbecue” would invent shock rap back in 1991, the Queensbridge lyricist’s moves have since come off as instinctive, rather than calculated. Nasty Nas’s seminal 1994 debut, Illmatic, alone, birthed several trends—from the cover art picturing a younger Nas to its effect on the landscape of hip-hop production. By the time he celebrated 10 years in the game on 2001′s Stillmatic, God’s Son was fully aware of his impact. “Name a rapper I ain’t influenced,” he rhymed on the first verse of “Ether”—his scathing response to Jay-Z’s “Takeover.” Indeed. Nas’s DNA can be found in an innumerable amount of MCs that have come out in the last 20 years. With Nas celebrating two decades in the game in XXL‘s November issue, XXLMag.com looks back at the “Nasty” MC’s contributions to the game and the MCs that followed.—XXL Staff
United States Marine Corps. Sgt. Shamar Thomas from Roosevelt, NY (Long Island) verbally gave the NYPD a tongue lashing at Occupy Times Square this weekend. Thomas chastises the officers…
Come join me for the last featured performance of my 20s! SoSoon has an artist residency at Gizzi’s, and I’m honored to be featured during its tenure. I’m on a bill with some talented women,…
We—two white men—write this letter conscious of the fact that the color of our skin means we will likely be taken more seriously. We write this knowing that because people of color are thought to be too biased to speak objectively on issues of race, our perspective in this context will be…
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An amazing fact was revealed by Dr. Dyson on this program. The murder of James…
Turning his face towards the victim’s relatives, he repeated with calm determination : “May God forgive you because I did not kill him.” Troy Davis had been waiting on death row for more than twenty years, all the while proclaiming his innocence. These were his last words to those in charge…
(Source: tariqramadan.com)
Professor Bun B’s panel at Rice University includes Lupe Fiasco, and the two respond to a question from a teacher about accountability in Hip-Hop.
Bun B and Lupe speak on panel at Rice University.
“What is politically right is usually morally wrong.” - Lupe
Man Lupe is a self-educated wise brother. And much respect to Bun B too.
