It’s been four years since New York rapper Nas released a solo album, so his new record Life Is Good serves as a re-introduction to his fans. In a phone interview with ANDPOP’s Azra Kassam, Nas talked about collaborating with Amy Winehouse and his best prank ever (it involves a blow up doll).
Life is Good was his daily mantra before becoming his album title: These last few years have been difficult for Nas, particularly because of a high profile divorce from singer Kelis. But he rose above it all and bared his soul for his eleventh studio album Life Is Good. “Instead of looking at all the losses, I started looking at them as blessings,” he said. “I started saying ‘Life is Good’ and it became a daily mantra… It was the obvious thing to do when it was time to title my album.”
So there you have it kids, the next time you’re feeling blue, try creating a positive, daily mantra for yourself. You can thank Nas later.
He and Amy Winehouse share the same birthday: Nas recently released “Cherry Wine,” a collaboration with Amy Winehouse, which appears on Life is Good. He said it was amazing to collaborate with Winehouse before her tragic death. “She was an incredible artist, she was a pure artist, and she was someone who loved music more than most people I meet,” he said. “She had a spirit that was about being honest and being raw and not caring about what anybody thinks.” In fact, Nas said when he was putting “Cherry Wine” together, he felt Winehouse’s presence as an angel.
Coincidentally, both Nas and Winehouse shared the same birthday, Sept. 14, though he was born ten years earlier.
Listen to it here:
His best prank involved a blow up doll: Read more…
A little early for Father’s Day but thoughtful nonetheless, rapper Nas released a single called “Daughters” dedicated to his brothers with daughters. The music video includes an appearance from his 17-year-old daughter Destiny Jones, plus a look back at their relationship. Instead of relating embarrassing baby stories to new boyfriends, Nas went full-parented and released a biographical music video for the whole world.
In the track, Nas admits to both his faults and disappointments as a dad and talks about his daughter’s evolution from an adorable princess to talking about boy business. He also raps about his daughter posting a scandolous photo on Instagram: “… she planted/ A box of condoms in her dresser then she Instagrammed it/ At this point I realized I ain’t the strictest parent/ I’m too loose, I’m too cool with her.”
The track will appear on his upcoming LP, Life is Good.
Watch it here:
