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Feb/17/06------"I Got A Lot Of Love For 50"-Nas (1 Viewer)

M.I.A-187

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as is feeling a bit unsure.

The Queens MC is not only stepping into his former enemy's territory, he's heading straight into his power base: Baseline Studio in Midtown Manhattan, the same studio where Jay-Z masterfully crafted classic albums like The Blueprint and The Black Album. There isn't a more intimate setting for Hov: This is his inner sanctum, the place where he collects and conveys his innermost thoughts to the world, a spot where some of his closest friends and musical collaborators — Memphis Bleek, Pharrell Williams, Bun B, Scarface, Beanie Sigel, Just Blaze and Kanye West — have all worked and chilled.

Tonight, Nas is the guest of honor.

Five years ago, the idea of Nas and Jay-Z sitting down together — to discuss not just their personal truce but their long-term business relationship — was unthinkable.

But old wounds can heal with time. And although the blatant disrespect the two volleyed back and forth during their years-long, monumental battle — in interviews and songs like "Super Ugly," "Ether" and "Takeover" — has not been forgotten, it has been forgiven.

The two have agreed to sit down with MTV News for their first joint interview. You might expect the atmosphere in the room to be thick with tension, but it's almost the opposite. Nas enters a back room where Jay-Z is sitting, and before either one can say a word, they both burst out laughing. The two, after all, were friends years ago. But still, they can't believe how far they've come.

"It's funny," a grinning Jay said later. "It was one those things that, at the time, you would never think would happen."

"Like, 'Look where we at right here,' " Nas added with a small chuckle.

Nas is laughing all the way to the bank these days. He's signed a recording contract and a deal for his label with Jay's Def Jam that will see him rake in millions of dollars — and furthermore, give him something he said he was missing: a team to give him advice while making his albums. Nas says he's so inspired that he's ready to make the album of his life.

Meanwhile, Def Jam President and CEO Jay-Z says he has Nas' back. The two have partied together, performed together and are ready to make history together — but this time, they'll do it side by side instead of head-to-head.

On paper, the pairing of Nas and Jay-Z — arguably the two most skillful MCs in the game today, and two of the greatest ever — seems unstoppable. But whether this renewed bond will hold remains to be seen.

The two made hip-hop history by appearing onstage together at Madison Square Garden in October, and on this winter night, they are making history again, talking with MTV News' Sway about their friendship, their beef, their issues with Cam'ron and 50 Cent, and the respect for each other that withstood the heat of battle.

Sway: Hey, I'm going to interview you two like a fan today. It's a historical moment in music, the two of you coming together like this. It's not just important for music; in my opinion it's important for the streets. At one point, in the midst of your beef, I had the chance to speak with both of you individually. And I asked if there was ever the possibility that you would work with the man sitting next to you — and you both said no. Why here and why now?

Jay Z: You hear sayings when you're younger, like "Never say never" and things like that, but you think they're just sayings, you're too young to really comprehend. But even in the midst of everything that we was going through as far as battle, there was a deep respect there. To go at someone like that, you have to have respect for them. [Otherwise] you wouldn't care, you'd just brush it off like it ain't about nothing. At the time I was like "never," but you grow and then realize: Never say never. It's bigger than both of us, like you said. It's more about the culture and about showing people another way, because what we staged was something that stopped the world for a second. So now — [to Nas] if I'm talking too much just tell me! — everyone emulates the final result.

Nas: Great answer. I basically feel the same — in the midst of a battle you never know how it's going to turn out because everything is at stake. It can go either way and you know that you have to fight to the finish. But it was always respect — it wasn't a point where he wanted to gun me down or I wanted to gun him down. It was never that. That's not how I think real bosses move or how real men move. At this point of the game, this was inevitable, I feel. What direction is out there for us to follow? At the end of the day, it's bigger than both of us in this rap thing. I'm a fan of rap and I don't have to front like a lot of artists today want to front, like they want to go from zero to 60. As soon as they start their career, they come out slandering people, acting crazy. And this is another way for it to go.

Sway: There are pictures of you guys dating back to 1997, sitting together as friends. But during your beef, [Jay] even challenged Nas to a boxing match. So even though you respected each other as MCs, you didn't like each other?

Jay: Of course not. That would be —

Nas: Not to cut you off — don't get me wrong, we weren't savages about [the battle]. But around that time it was intense.

Jay: Boxing was a clean way. I wasn't on the radio saying, "I'm going to see him and whatever whatever," you know, just being ridiculous with it. But when you in it, you in it. You know what I'm saying? In the midst of battle, you trying to come out of it. All is fair in love and war.

Sway: You felt the same way?

Nas: Absolutely. There was no liking about it. I couldn't hear the song in the club — and how you not going to hear his songs in the club? I thought it was personal. So it was like it was on.
 
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M.I.A-187

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Sway: What is the nature of the deal that you guys are doing together? How do you break it down?

Nas: This industry of music goes back from the blues to now. One of the dudes that showed me [the ways of the business] was my dad [blues/jazz musician Olu Dara, featured on Nas' "Bridging the Gap"], 'cuz he's been around the world doing his music thing. He showed me this is the way to go and be your own boss and do what you do. And one thing about this industry: It gives you a freedom, but it's also controlled by people that don't really understand this music or this culture — or respect it. I saw there was a lot of opportunity for me; there was nothing better than to ride with this movement right here. Where Jay is at, Def Jam, it felt like the people that are there respect it and love the culture even more than this man. To reconcile and have redemption together and come to Def Jam, I felt that it would be better to go over there and do this for the people. So I'm on Def Jam.

Sway: So it mattered what you two said about each other? That's why it was symbolic of that respect; that's why you responded to him.

Jay: Right — somebody that's on your level.

Sway: Nas, you've also had your own company, Ill Will, so in a sense you're a boss. It doesn't bother you that people might think now that Jay is your boss?

"I can't control what people think. They know who I am."

Nas: I can't control what people think. They know who I am.

Sway: Jay, I'm not going to lie: When "Takeover" came out, I was thinking, "How is Nas going to respond to this?" You summarized Nas' career as one hot album every 10 years, and you went on to imply that the knowledge he kicks is garbage. But now you're a CEO and you signed him as an artist. What is your opinion of him now?

Jay: Like I said, when the war is going on, all you trying to do is point out things that's going to get the most of people. Like I said, it's always been a level of respect there. I, for not one second, ever said I don't believe that he's one of the best lyricists ever. And that's what it is, at the end of the day. We are not in wartime right now: We thinking with sensible minds, we're thinking bigger than what was said on the record.

Sway: As bold as it is that you came together, you still got issues coming at you. Nas, you and 50 have been at war with words for the past however long, and the same now with [Jay] and Cam'ron — Cam recently put out a dis record against you.

Nas: I have never been in a word war with 50. 50 came up with me. I brought him on tours with me. I like him a lot. I got a lot of love for him. To tell you something real, I think he was hurt by me by certain things that he thought that I did were against him in certain ways. He didn't understand the moves that I was making. He thought I was against him in certain ways, and he had a lot of love for me and looked up to me and respected me in so many ways for me bringing him on with me and giving him a lot of knowledge. I never had any words, and his thing is he's going to say whatever is on his mind. And sometimes he don't know when to stop, and I think he just got to get those things off his chest. And of course I say a little thing here and there, but at the end of the day I know it was hurtful.

Sway: [To Jay] You got an interesting dilemma, because now you wear a suit and you wear the hoodie, and you have a former artist [Cam'ron] getting at you. And the thing, to me, that got you to the position you are now is your credibility as an MC. But as you move as an MC, how does that affect your ability as a CEO?

Jay: I don't think ["You Got to Love It," Cam'ron's dis record against Jay] could ever question my credibility as a MC. It's not anything challenging enough or artistic enough. I think we all know what the record is. It's too blatant — it's not even well thought-out. So I don't think it challenges anything. But why is this a question for us? Do I have beef with 50 now and does Nas have beef with Cam now? That's the type of thinking that we are trying to get past. I know its going to take a minute. It's a very valid question and I'm not minimizing your question in any way.

Nas: This here is a threat, bottom line. I think dudes need to learn from it, man. Be men.
 

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Sway: How many times have you both said it's a competitive game? This is what you do, this is what's in your heart. There's not a [response] record sitting on your shelf?

"At some point, I feel like swinging back. Like De Niro [in 'Taxi Driver'], cleaning that garbage up."

Jay: I didn't say that. I move by what I feel. So at some point, I feel like swinging back. Like De Niro [in "Taxi Driver"], cleaning that garbage up, I might do that. I mean, there is nothing that deserves my immediate attention ...

Sway: I know [there's a Jay-Z song dissing Cam'ron] in your heart.

Jay: If you want the record, just ask for it. Just say, "Jay, give me the record." [He smiles.]

Sway: I want to know that you made it.

Jay:: No, I didn't make it. Not yet.

Sway: But there's always a possibility.

Jay: Never say never! That's how I started this whole thing off, right?

Sway: So where does that leave you? You guys are all aligned. If someone comes after Jay or comes after Nas, you're a team now: Does Jay come to Nas' defense? Does Nas come to Jay's defense?

Nas: Honestly, I don't really see no competition [that would need] me to come to his defense. I don't think he sees any competition coming my way. We haven't had one conversation, [to Jay] I haven't talked to you, really, about that. Maybe once or twice about little small things, but that's all it is. I haven't seen any real threats. I've only seen how this has threatened them. Actually, when we met we talked about who was going to jump out the window and go crazy. And now I'm watching them really go crazy. It's entertainment.

Sway: Who's "them"? Who was on the list?

Jay: We'll give it to you after we leave!

Sway: Right now, I must admit your energy seems extremely positive. I'm trying to understand the dynamic of what's going to happen between you in the studio, because both of you guys are alpha MCs! You [Jay] have to wear the hat of CEO; your [Nas] last two albums, people might argue that they weren't commercial enough. That's not necessarily good business for you.

Jay: But don't turn me into the guy with the suit — nasty, straight-up "I think we should double the chorus" type of guy. Don't turn me into that. I'm a creative guy. Same way John Lennon said, the album with "Imagine" on it [Imagine], he said he made the same album again, he just made it easy for everyone to understand and more powerful. "This album was a success; this album was a failure." That's all uptight.

Nas: Let's not forget, art can sell. You ain't gotta front all the time on your records. [Jay's] proven that, I've proven that. I think that the art is going to get really blown up a lot better, and really focused on a lot more.

Sway: Let me ask you this: There's a lot of speculation that you [Jay] are going to come back with an S. Carter album.

Jay: What's that? 'Cuz it's not a Jay-Z album, that makes me a different person?

Sway: Hey man, you a tricky guy! Is that in the works?

Jay: I don't know. That was just too deep, too profound. Who knows? Maybe work on [Nas' forthcoming] album [will be] the reason I'm inspired to do it. I didn't want to make albums to make them because it was the fourth quarter, or it was time to make them. I was making albums every year, an album and a half every year. '96, '97, '98 — I never missed a year. And then one day I look up and I'm like, what am I doing? What, I'm going to make an album this year because it's November? Or to say "eight summers," "nine summers" at some point?

Sway: The moment you guys met onstage at the "I Declare War" concert in October: I know you planned on it, but when the crowd actually got to see that for the first time — describe that feeling.

Jay: Unreal, surreal. There was a second of, like, "Are we seeing that?" And then it was pandemonium. If there was any reservation still at that point, it was all gone — like, "Yeah, we are doing the right thing."

"I went up to the radio station like, 'I declare war.' But as the days went by, I was like, 'What am I doing?' "

Nas: It was crazy. It was chilling. I thought about how I got into this business because of watching Run-DMC and all of them. Those guys made history and I felt like, "Wow, this is that moment." There may have been other times when I was like, "I sold a lot of records on that album, I made history right here." But that moment? I never saw it coming. It's hard to explain.

Sway: Why did you call it the "I Declare War" concert? Cam'ron said you did it because you are going to wage war on him and the Diplomats, that you was digging up old materials to expose onstage that day. But none of that seemed to happen.

Jay: It was one of those things that snowballed. Anybody who knows me knows that I'm thinking about that like that. To put all that effort and energy into ... whatever. There was a lot of things being said, right? So I went up to the radio station like "I declare war," and I told everybody "I hear you" and put everybody on notice. But as the days went by, I was like, "What am I doing? Why am I doing that? What do I gain by doing that?" That's me reverting, being small again. Let's do something bigger than that [instead].
 

hiphophooray123

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sway has always been a good interviewer, fuck star and bucwild.

but yeah, cant wait for that nas album, kanye said he will have a few tracks on there.

jays right too that cam diss was too weak to even care about, even though i dont mind cam'ron, that diss was really really...crap...possibly worse than 'piggybank'
 

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