Nas Speaks On Jay-Z’s Empire State Of Mind

Nas speaking to the Wall Street Journal, also speaks on Lil Wayne

WSJ: In 1994 you put out a song called N.Y. State of Mind. Jay-Z recently had a huge hit with his anthem Empire State of Mind.”What did you think of his track?
Nas: It’s just keeping that whole thing alive—this New York thing. There are a lot of people complaining about New York hip-hop, about it not being what it was, and he stood up and now we have another anthem to be proud of.

WSJ: Do you think you’ll write another New York anthem anytime soon?
Nas: I don’t know. I think [Jay-Z] pretty much handled it. Of course, I’m always gonna talk about New York—it’s the greatest city in the world. But I’m not in the studio making a New York record now to one up anybody, no.

WSJ: Lil Wayne is serving time on Rikers Island right now on a gun charge. How did he end up on your album?

Nas: Right before he went to jail, we sent him a track.

WSJ: Has he listened to it since you finished it?

Nas: We sent him a [finished] track and wished him speedy freedom because he doesn’t deserve to be in jail for a gun found on his bus that someone else said was theirs. He’s a rock star—what’s he doing in jail? I hope he gets out of there quickly and turns that around … He’s a great artist.

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