My heart is in contempt.
Ten minutes past midnight I laid in my bed reading a 1,000 word article that alleged Jay Electronica had been Nas’ ghostwriter on his Untitled album, most notably known as Nigger.
At first glance, I rolled my eyes and mumbled “all lies” as I skimmed past the closing sentence that read:
“Rap kind of died for me that day. Ironically, HOT 97′s tagline at the time was “Where Hip Hop Lives.”’
But my worst fears seemed to be confirmed when notable hip-hop lover and writer, dream hampton, confirmed that Nas had indeed enlisted the talents of Jay Electronica and stic.man of dead prez to write a good amount of Untitled.
NO!
Really? Nasty Nas?
Nasty Nas who made one of the most classic hip-hop albums of all time?
It had only been a quarter past 12 on a Tuesday morning, and I had just read an article that completely fucked up my day.
I would eventually fall asleep thinking about how my life and love for hip-hop may be built upon one big lie, and I would awake only 5 hours later to still feel a heaviness in my heart.
I never really knew how Jay-Z felt when he said: “just read a magazine that fucked up my day,” but now I do.
Is this the life hip-hop has chosen?
What’s real when you need help writing your rhymes?
How long has this been going on? Has Nas always needed a ghostwriter? Is it because his career was cold?
Or maybe he had writer’s block?
All these questions have flashed through my mind, and right now, I don’t know what to believe.
It’s like finding out you were adopted as a child, and the premise of your whole life has been a lie.
Nas’ Life Is Good is such a good album, and I always thought Nasty Nas’ rhymes were crack, but the inclination of Jay Electronica writing your rhymes?
Now explain that?!
Just a few weeks ago, I relished the presence of Nas as he celebrated the release of Life Is Good in front of a packed crowd at New York City’s Tammany Hall.
Life for Nas was good. He was happy. He was in a state of euphoria. It was special. The music was special. Nas was special.
He was filled with so much conviction as he gushed about his first love: hip-hop.
It seemed so sincere, but now I’ve been tormented by doubt and wonder if Nasty Nas is a big fat L-word (liar).
But I’m not going to get my blood pressure all the way lifted.
I DON’T quite believe the hype. I mean, I don’t think it’s possible that Nas could pull off one of the biggest lies in music history.
He can’t possibly be the Milli Vanilli of hip-hop.
There’s no way.
My biggest problem is that I would never think Nas’ name would ever be associated with such nonsense.
My mother always said, “Everything you do in the dark always comes to the light.” So if Nas is keeping this deep dark secret, I urge the choir to start singing “This Little Light Of Mine.”
IF these ghostwriting rumors have any validity, I guess Nas knew and blew a good thing: his legacy.
Brittany Lewis is the Music Editor at GlobalGrind and a Howard University Alumna. Brittany considers herself seasoned on all the pop culture ish that matters. Follow her on Twitter @Buttercup_B.
