Nas Reveals What Inspired His “Life Is Good” Follow-Up, Names Biggest Competition

Rap veteran Nas is far from retiring two years after the release of his Life Is Good solo album and revealed what sparked his decision to start piecing together a new LP.

Nas admitted clocking in studio time with producer Timbaland and working on his new Time Is Illmatic documentary gave him the inspiration needed for another studio release.

“I started working with Tim, I want to say a year and a half ago. I think it was the same year I dropped my last album, Life is Good. I started with Tim and it felt really powerful; it felt like it was really powerful. And I stepped back from it. Tim’s like, “What are you doing?” and I’m like, “I just need a minute to like — I just need a minute to take it all in, just live a little and enjoy day-by-day stuff and daily stuff I’m doing.” It’s just — I didn’t want to go back in the studio that quick. I felt like I needed to be inspired. … I wasn’t really, really, really inspired, to tell you the truth, until we started to, kind of, embark on this 20th anniversary. It wasn’t ’til then that I really started to feel it.” (NPR)

God’s Son also dished on what competition he sees right in front of him.

“Me. Myself is my competition,” Nas added. “[My legacy?] You could say that. [My 19-year-old self?] 19, 20, 21, 22, 23, 24 — all of them. All of those years is my competition. Who am I making it for? I’d have to say the same people I was making it for back then, but they grew up.” (NPR)

Last fall, the rap veteran admitted he decided to fall back on announcing his forthcoming project because it may have been too premature.

“I got a little busy, and I wasn’t sure it was really a real fit for the record. It felt like I came up with it too easy. And I like that because “Life Is Good” came up on its own. It just popped in my head. So the next title came up in a similar way, but it was probably too early.” (Huffington Post)

In summer 2013, Nas said life was inspiring his next solo album’s content.

“Life. I feel like Alexander Graham Bell, knowing that he’s about to do something that’s never been done. I’m bursting with excitement, but focused more than I’ve been in the past. I’m at a place where there’s so many things that ain’t been said. Things I’ve seen that I never talked about that I wanna share. I’m so excited to tell this story because it’s real sh*t. It’s needed. I hate to sound like that–to say it’s needed for hip-hop–but f*ck it. It is.” (VIBE)