Well, Nas spoke on the album change but he sure didn't say much. If one were to read between the lines of, "It's important to me that this album gets to the fans", it certainly sounds like Def Jam was going to refuse to release it under the old title. I'm sure they never flat out said no, but when you're album is delayed four times in a row, it's obvious whats happening.
Despite early reports from EW.com, the album won't be named "Nas", it will simply be untitled.
Anyways, here's the statement from Nas.
"It's important to me that this album gets to the fans," Nas told AllHipHop.com in a statement. “It's been a long time coming. I want my fans to know that creatively and lyrically, they can expect the same content and the same messages. It's that important. The streets have been waiting for this for a long time. The people will always know what the real title of this album is and what to call it."
Nas also released a new song from the album yesterday, titled "N.I.G.G.E.R (the slave and the master)", take a listen....
My Trusted MOGs
i just can't decide where i stand on this. part of me wants to applaud def jam, the other part of me feels like NAS is totally caving and should be allowed creative justice.
My Trusted MOGs
I'm tired of these kinds of moves based on the fear of offending someone. I know Def Jam is a business and all, but these kinds of strategies happen all the time in this country. If the content of the actual album is the same, what difference does it make what the front cover says? It's like people who don't curse, but use other words in place of the taboo ones. The sentiment is still the same, regardless of whether you shocked anyone or not. In other words, your message was still the same and you're not really fooling anyone.
I hate to even see this happening in hip-hop. I'd like to see Nas move to an indie or put out his own stuff. Maybe he should've called the album "Hip Hop is STILL Dead".
My Trusted MOGs
peace