Nas recently celebrated the 20th anniversary of his Illmatic debut, which must have left him inspired because now he's announced that he's working on a new record.
In an interview with NPR, Nas confirmed collaborations with Timabland, Swizz Beatz and No I.D. for a new album, which he began work on more than a year and a half ago following the release of Life is Good. He ended up taking his time with the material instead of rushing back into the studio and found inspiration working with Erik Parker and One9, who were behind his Time Is Illmatic documentary.
"I wasn't really, really, really inspired, to tell you the truth, until we started to, kind of, embark on this 20th anniversary," Nas told them. "Cause I got a chance -- and I gotta give credit to the documentary guys. Them showing me the footage and stuff really like -- it really lets you know where you come from and everything, and where you at now... [T]hat's helped me find the inspiration. I found it."
Now Nas and his trio of producers are in the process of culling through the material he started in 2012.
"I laid down ideas, so the ideas I lay down then, now, I'm kind of like going through 'em and I'm fixing 'em," he explained. "Now I'm at a place where I could play a song for somebody and they really get it and they really understand - they really feel it. At first I didn't, so I'm happy to say I'm at a place where it feels right."
With this album, he says he is competing with his own legacy. "19, 20, 21, 22, 23, 24 -- all of them," he said. "All of those years is my competition."
Read the full interview here, and let us know what you'd like to see on his new album in the comments section below!
