S. Samuel
New York rap veteran Nas has switched up his initial game plan for releasing a follow-up to 2002's Lost Tapes compilation album and said the project could ultimately be free.
Considering the option of packaging Lost Tapes 2, which consists of unreleased tracks, within his next solo LP, Nas also admitted he is unsure what label will house the album.
“Because I kind of lost time, I really wanted to release [the album] in December,” Nas explained in an interview reflecting on his aim to drop Lost Tapes 2 last month. “But I’m starting my next album. So I feel like I’ll probably give The Lost Tapes as a deluxe, maybe, on the next album for free. I’m trying to figure that out now. It’s not safe to say that it’s gonna be on Def Jam. You know, news at 11. We coming with the information on that soon.” (MTV)
In late December, Nas fans created an online petition against Def Jam hoping to pressure the release of Lost Tapes 2.
“We the fans of Nasir Jones, have been waiting for the follow-up to the 2002 classic “Lost Tapes”. This was a record of compiled tracks that did not make Nas albums, but put together for the sake of the fans. Since its release almost a decade ago, it has received critical acclaim and quickly became a fan favorite. It has come to our attention that Nas has in fact completed the follow-up, titled “Lost Tapes 2”, and is waiting for you (Def Jam) to green-light the project and give it a release date. We do not like to go into speculation and rumors, but it seems as though you do not want to release Lost Tapes 2 because you don’t want it to count as an official album since Nas only has 2 more albums left to fulfill his contractual obligation to Def Jam.” (We Need Lost Tapes 2)
Recently, Nas said he was most focused on completing a solo follow-up to 2008’s Untitled.
“I record a lot of sh*t. I have recorded a lot of sh*t over the years, and the sh*t that I ain’t put out on albums should be on the Lost Tapes,” Nas said in an interview. “Because my album, my studio album, my new album is a priority for the label and of course me. To find the time to put out Lost Tapes and then my record, my real record, is what we’re up against. It’s all this material and trying to get it out…I got no release dates right now. Nothing to tell people about, just inner workings hopefully to get the sh*t out right and get it out soon — I’m in the studio, taking it step by step. It’s not ready yet. I’m taking it step by step because it’s so important for me and myself. I’m in a huge fight with me, so it’s important that I get this one right. I don’t want to leave no stone unturned on anything I say on this sh*t.” (The Boom Box)
Last month, Nas discussed his conflict with Def Jam and the company’s unwillingness to release Lost Tapes 2.
“You record a lot of records, and things that don’t make the album, they get put to the side and you don’t know what to do with them,” he explained. “They sit around and they start taking on a form of their own and it belongs [on] an album. That’s what I’d like to do. So of course my new album is priority for the record company people and even me, but [I’m] just trying to find time to put Lost Tapes and then this out–’cause everybody drops mixtapes and stuff like that and they don’t have a problem with it, but my sh*t comes and it’s like they’re holdin’ it with gloves…I’m like, come on, guys, I just wanna go out and play with the rest of ’em; with the n*ggas out their putting their sh*t out…We’re working that out.” (XXL Mag)
Check out some recent Nas footage down below:
