"I think there's a problem when certain artists feel like they control the whole game so they tell you when it starts and when it finishes," he laments. "In their mind they're still living something that's over with and it's hard to give up on it. I think a lot of people have a problem with saying they lost. Meanwhile, I'm moving on to different things. My album is more than talking about a rapper. It's about a lot of different issues that are really serious to me. [RealVideo]
"Everywhere I go somebody asks me about the battle," he adds. "I make sure they know this is lyrical and we're not savages and we are artists, but it is obvious — sometimes it is hard for people to deal with losses. Of course a whole team that loses to one man is gonna feel like they gotta redeem themselves forever, but unfortunately, I got other missions. Let's get past that."
"Nas is like a god," said the MC's friend Fat Joe, who was present at Hot 97 for battle day. "For years he's been educating the youth. Letting them know what's going on in society and life."
"We all love Nas," said Mary J. Blige, whose Stillmatic track with Nas, "Braveheart Party," was removed from future pressings due to what she called a "raggedy and ghetto" business matter. "We all respect Nas because of what he's saying. His album is excellent, my God!"
Nas recorded 30 songs for Stillmatic, electing to include 16, and now unreleased gems such as "Du Rags" and "Everybody's Crazy" are surfacing on mixtapes. The MC said that new tracks as well as songs from the vaults will appear on his next three albums: Death of Escobar, Nastalgia and Nas Writes No More. Hip-hop's man of mystery hasn't been this visible in years.
"I think God has big plans for me, 'cause I've definitely been cursed," he said. "Not by choosing a profession or being successful, but by doing something that I love that gives me so much fame when I'm the total opposite. I'm an introvert, and my father is the same way. I could do without the fame. It's a blessing sometimes. It gets you in places free and free food. I can't say it hasn't been great, but I really just wanna do the music."
It's pursuing his passion that finds him at peace now.
"Everything is very chill," he said with a rare smile. "Just planning and moving forward, not trying to put on a façade. I'm just straight-up running through the whole thing. It's a brand-new beginning. I feel like a brand-new artist."
