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Page 1
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"I never heard a flow like his." ...
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Page 2
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"They was calling me 'the young Rakim,' so my head got a little big." ...
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Page 3
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"It's up to brothers like me and him to keep it going." ...
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MTV: Nas, as a fan, what was that era like for you?
Nas: That was it — that was the only era. The '90s were great, I'm glad I was a part of them, but we were really emulating [the '80s]. And it was only a few dudes that spoke to us and our generation. You had a lot of dudes that were really the ultra-superstar kind of image. Then you had guys that had that ultra-superstar image but they looked like the brothers on the block — because when we looked at the Rakim album cover, we saw the suicide part [in his hair] and the money in the hand. We never saw it done before like that in hip-hop. He had the Gucci on, that was the essence of New York City that dudes are still doing today. You got chills from this dude. I don't care if you were a little kid — because I was young — or the older gods on the block. You got chills from him. You don't get that from music today — that era right there was the era.
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"When Nas came out, he started solidifying it for lyricists. He did a lot for my career. He may not know that, but he did a lot for my career." — Rakim
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MTV: Nas, I want to pose the question I asked Ra. When Illmatic came out, everyone was talking about it. Tell us about coming out to such anticipation.
Nas: It was cool for me. It was great for me. I was coming from the legacy of Marley Marl, MC Shan, Juice Crew kind of vibe. Knowing these guys out in the neighborhood. At that time, the Queensbridge scene was dead. Dropping that album right there said a lot for me to carry on the legacy of the Queensbridge pioneers. It felt amazing to be accepted by New York City in that way. Like, "I can really take this somewhere, I can really take this to the next level." Again, at the time a lot of West Coast [hip-hop] was selling; East Coast wasn't selling as much, especially for a new artist. So back then you couldn't tell in the sales, but you could tell in the streets.
Rakim: Definitely! I'd met Nas at the Power House Studios [in New York, when Nas was a teenager]. But the first thing I heard [about Nas the MC] was through the buzz on the street. "Yo, Nas is dope. Boom, boom boom! He's wildin'! He's talking about everything!" Then I went out and got [Illmatic]: The first three joints that passed [while I played the album], I was like, "Ahhh." I felt like I wasn't the only one trying to reach for something. He kind of made me feel normal. For somebody to come out and spit fire and people to look at him, it made me feel regular. When Nas came out, he started solidifying it for lyricists. Never mind what [other] people are doing, do you. He did a lot for my career. He may not know that, but he did a lot for my career.
As artists, we look to certain things to put fire in us. Sometimes it might be a drive up the avenue, but we still like to feed off of each other. When Nas goes to the studio and drops a crazy album, I want to go in the studio and drop an album. I look to brothers like this to keep my fire lit. Keep doing your thing, baby.
Nas: The thing that I got [from people in the street] was that I was the second coming of Rakim. That was the greatest comparison that I could ever dream of. You think people are going to just acknowledge you 'cause you're nice, but they was calling me "the young Rakim." So my head got a little big for a minute. You never think you're ever gonna get that kind of love. That's the top of the top. If you're getting that kind of comparison, you got a great future, so that's what they was saying to me when I first came out. I was just flowing with it, taking my time with it.
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Photo: MTV News/Getty
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