Nas & Kelis Bring "N-gger" Talk To The Red Carpet
Feb 13,2008 00:00
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While his two Grammy nominations didn't net any awards this year, Nas' red carpet commentary and controversial attire grabbed plenty of attention for the Queens MC.Garbed in a black t-shirt with the title of his upcoming album, n*gger, emblazoned in gray across the front, Nas seemed to stump one CNN reporter who asked about the reaction he had been receiving to his red carpet attire.
"I haven't really been paying attention," Nas told the reporter, "but so far with all you guys it's been open-mindedness and I appreciate that."
Subdued as that may sound, the rapper didn't mince words when questioned about the content of his next project.
"It's all the experiences we go through every day -- all ethnicities, black white, indifferent," Nas told the CNN reporter. "We've all been discriminated at some point whether it's in the Dominican Republic, whether it's China, whether it's Iraq where soldiers get their heads blown off for reasons we don't know why. The meaning of the word is supposed to be ignorant, so there is money being made off us poor so-called ignorant people, no longer are black people n*ggers, today it's also me and you." [Watch Here]
Appearing dumbfounded by Nas' response, the reporter attempted to recoup by asking him about Hip-Hop Is Dead, which received a nomination for Best Rap Album, however Nas quickly made it clear that he's tired of talking about the subject.
"That was last year, that's been done, I appreciate all the response I got from that," Nas said. "This is a whole other channel. That train has left the station, now I want people to think about what I'm thinking about today. There is a more current issue, with the presidential election -- there is this thing that doesn't allow black people to vote in another twenty-three years."
Despite his emphasis on the election, Nas was careful not to make any public endorsements last night.
When asked which candidate he supports, Nas told the reporter, "Whoever can abolish this thing that doesn't allow black people to vote after twenty three years."
The Queens rapper isn't the only outspoken artist in the family either, after the interview concluded, his wife, the R&B star Kelis had a few more words for the reporter.
"By the way, John Lennon had a song called 'Woman Is The n*gger of the World'" Kelis added. "That was many years ago [and] it still hasn't changed."
As of press time no release date has been set for Nas' new Def Jam album.