I’ll admit I still can’t bring myself to say that “Ether” is a better song than any one of the diss records that Jay Z made during the biggest lyrical battle Hip Hop has ever seen. In fact on that perfect Friday night, at the Carondelet House it was clear, by the deep gasp the audience made when journalist Eric Parker mentioned “Ether”, that it’s the elephant in every room Nas enters because it was that damn good!
While I am a long time Jay Z fan, I do know that Nas is one of the best emcees we will ever get to hear, so it was very fitting that Vibe decided to honor him during their second annual Vibe Impact awards during Grammy Weekend. Since I am out in LA covering a few films I made it my mission to attend the awards and witness history and it was well worth it.
The evening started off with intimate cocktails and conversation with the upper echelon of industry folks people like Steve Stoute, Busta Rhymes, Swizz Beatz, D-Nice and more. Vibe’s editor in chief kicked it, telling us a story of how Nas made him wait three days for an interview, but he waited because he knew it would be a big deal.
It was right around the time that Illmatic dropped so the story was fitting being that he introduced one of the best A&R’s in hip hop history, Faith Newman.
She got on stage, took out her notes, put on her glasses and began to tell the tale of the day she signed Nas. The story brought us back to the era when Hip Hop had a thing for Hockey Jerseys. It was 1991 he walked into her office rocking his bubble goose, he was quiet laid back and chill.
She said that the album took two years to make, it was delayed numerous times. Nowadays a label would drop a person if it took them two years to make an album, but it was when she read Nas’ lyric book that she knew this was going to be a classic, but with all that time things began to leak so they eventually had to rush the album putting it out with only 9 songs on it. Those two years birthed hip hop’s Thriller, which we know as Illmatic.
“Am I suppose to introduce the next person?” Faith asks. The legendary A&R passes the soapbox to another top executive, NO ID.
Kanye’s mentor got up on the stage and keep it brief but his words were probably my favorite. NO ID and Nas are friends. He reminded us that in this industry full of posers, snakes and shady folks that there are few people he calls a friend, but Nas is one of them. Did you know the two talk on the phone for hours. Not about music, money or business but they just talk. It was in that revelation that NO ID reminded us that Nas’ “words are like a museum.”
“My mic check is life or death, breathin a sniper’s breath I exhale the yellow smoke of buddha through righteous steps. Deep like The Shinin’, sparkle like a diamond…”
It’s never been hard to tell that the words of Nasir Jones not only make you move, but they inspire. So as NO ID wondered what he should do after he was done giving props.
“Soooooo do I introduce the next person?”
Eric Parker lights up the stage a journalist and music editor whose assigned the 20 year anniversary of Illmatic article. Eric recalled that even though that article was great it just didn’t seem like enough because Illmatic was just that dope. So he realized that “Every move Nas made seems like it was something bigger than just words.”
He recalled that even on “Ether” he still has the knowledge to tell Jay Z I love you because you’re my brother. That was Nas. He was so good, that no matter what we as journalist write about his words, our words could never amount to the things he rapped about.
J Cole came up on stage next and recalled how he became of fan of Nas. He credits Nas for making him a Hip Hop head. Jermaine said he used to go to OHHLA, the Original Hip Hop Lyric Archive, to print out Nas Lyrics and put them on his wall because he wanted to understand how someone could make lyrics that dope.
OHHLA was the playground for Hip Hop heads, “Obviously someone knows.” That person was me.
J Cole said “Asked who is your favorite rapper, because your answer tells a lot about you.”
Nas fans have always seemed different. They stand out in their own way, not like Jay Z, Diddy, 50 or Lil Wayne fan, but in a way that would leave you frozen from a rhythmic explosion, that will leave your brain stimulated.
Vibe picked a great emcee to honor and one who had a hella impact on us all.
Nas got on stage and thanked everyone who honored him. He also explained that he never wanted to be a legend, he just wanted to make the music. Well Nas you’re a living legend and you wear the title well.
