Nas Reveals Why He Hasn’t Retired Yet & What Song He Wishes He Never Released

Written By Cyrus Langhorne

New York rapper Nas doesn’t see his rap career coming to an end anytime soon. The hip-hop veteran has dished on what fuels him to keep his music-making going for years to come.

In a new “Late Show With Stephen Colbert” interview, Nasty Nas reveals his love for the genre has motivated him to remain active in a competitive rap game.

“I love hip-hop. I’ve loved it since I was a kid. It’s still like a dream and it’s still fresh to me. I still feel the love for it. I love the art of it. More than anything, I love the artform. That’s crazy [for hip-hop to be so popular now]. I remember when it was considered not even music. To see what it is today, I knew it would be that. [Younger influences,] I loved Jackson 5. I loved Rick James. I loved James Brown. Lots of different cool cats. [laughs] … Even if I did like a suburban life album, somebody would like it because there’s a world there that’s not being catered to. I think that would work, that might work, I got the fire underneath me.” (“Late Show With Stephen Colbert”)

Nasir Jones also reflected on recently recording his NASIR album with Kanye West in Jackson, Wyoming.

“The people are great. One of the most beautiful places I’ve ever been to. It was the last place I thought I would record an album but we were there and nobody bothered us. It was a good time. Kanye is the kind of guy who needed to be away from everything when he was recording I guess. He said it to me and I was like, ‘I don’t know. I’ve never been there.’ But once I got there it was a great experience. It was Jackson – I saw the mountains.” (“Late Show With Stephen Colbert”)

Nas also admitted he regretted releasing his “Dr. Knockboot” back in the late 90’s.

“I did a song called ‘Dr. Knockboot’ and knocking boots was a late 80’s term for making love or whatever. It was one of those songs I regretted doing. I regret letting people talk me into putting it on an album. The name ‘Dr. Knockboot.’ Nah. It was corny.” (“Late Show With Stephen Colbert”)

In July, Nas low-key revealed he has a new album on deck.

“It’s another album that I already had been working on before [the one with] Kanye,” he told Martinez. “Since I did this, I gotta do something that goes into another direction a little bit. I’m finishing up the next one.” Nas confirms he’s done work with Swizz Beatz and RZA (“I’m a big Wu-Tang fan”). He also acknowledged the six-year gap between 2012’s Life Is Good and this summer’s Nasir, promising the wait for his next album won’t be as long. “All the time that went by, it’s dope because now I get to do it from another level,” he said. “I get to make music from an older point of view.” (Billboard)

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Written by Cyrus Langhorne

SOHH.com Writer. You're likely to find me covering hip-hop news and music releases. Netflix is still my go-to before Disney Plus.

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