It’s been 20 years since hip-hop first heard Nasir Jones spit a rhyme. Two decades since a 17-year-old crack dealer from the Queensbridge projects made his recording debut on “Live at the Barbecue,” from Main Source’s classic Breaking Atoms album. He was known as Nasty Nas back then, and he made an immediate splash with jaw-dropping lines like, “Kidnap the president’s wife without a plan” and “When I was 12, I went to hell for snuffin’ Jesus.” Three years later, in 1994, he dropped his first album, Illmatic, at the tender age of 20. Since then, he has blown up into a bona fide hip-hop superstar, critically revered, popularly adored, selling more than 13 million albums in his career. Several other of Nas’s landmark works also celebrate anniversaries this year: It Was Written, its 15th; Stillmatic, its 10th; and the controversial Hip Hop Is Dead, its fifth. His last disc, Untitled, dropped in July 2008, so it’s been more than three years since die-hard Nas heads have gotten their dose.

Now Nas is preparing for the release of his 10th official album, Life Is Good, which is set to hit shelves in time for holiday shopping. Released through Def Jam Recordings, it will feature guest appearances from three members of the rising Los Angeles collective Odd Future.

Odd Future, a.k.a. Odd Future Wolf Gang Kill Them All, is the brainchild of 20-year-old rapper/producer Tyler Okanma, a.k.a. Tyler, the Creator. After a year or so of building a buzz by putting free material on the microblogging platform Tumblr, Tyler and Co. exploded into the limelight in February, after a super-high-energy performance, their first ever television appearance, on Late Night With Jimmy Fallon. In April, they signed a deal with RED Distribution/Sony, for Odd Future Records, and in September landed a TV show of their own, Loiter Squad, on the cable channel Adult Swim. They also sell their own clothing line through their website.

Tyler, who taught himself to play piano when he was 14, directs all the group’s videos and designs all the album artwork, and he skateboards as much as he can in his free time. His first for-sale solo album, Goblin, came out in May, on XL Recording. It was met with praise in some circles but decried as misogynistic and homophobic in others. While Goblin has sold only 129,000 copies, Tyler’s oversized impact on the pop-culture landscape was confirmed at the MTV Video Music Awards in August, when he won the Best New Artist award for “Yonkers,” a song in which he threatens fellow MTV faves B.o.B and Bruno Mars with murderous violence.

Tyler was four months and 17 days old when “Live at the Barbecue” came out. But he’s been a huge Nas fan since childhood. So XXL thought, What better way to honor a legend with 20 years in the game than by having an upstart newbie interview him for the cover story?

On a warm afternoon, at Siren Studios, in L.A., Nas and Tyler sat in the dressing room, surrounded by racks and stacks of fancy new clothes, while breathing in fumes from Mister Cartoon’s paint cans downstairs, for part one of a three-part interview that ran over an hour and a half.

Tyler, the Creator: God’s Son is my favorite album by you.

Nas: Aw, thanks. Why? ’Cause the word “God”?

Tyler, the Creator: Nah, it’s like, I got… Okay. That came out in 2003, around the XXL issue with you and, like, Jungle and them.

Nas: Yeah.

Tyler, the Creator: The [January/February] issue. And I bought it with that. I don’t know. That shit just… Like, “Heaven” is my shit on there.

Nas: Aw, man, thanks.

Tyler, the Creator: “Zone Out.” Your verse on there was fuckin’ retarded.

Nas: Word? Thanks, man.

Tyler, the Creator: That whole album was just legit.

Nas: Appreciate it.

Tyler, the Creator: And my second is probably Street’s Disciple.

Nas: Get the fuck out of here.

Tyler, the Creator: Yeah.

Nas: Because it’s a Last Supper thing?

Tyler, the Creator: Nah, nah. It’s just, like, the beats on there. “Thief’s Theme” is my favorite fuckin’ song from that album. That shit is fuckin’ retarded. I love the video, too.

Nas: Appreciate it, man.

Tyler, the Creator: I always forget the fuckin’ name… “Nazareth Savage”?

Nas: Yeah.

Tyler, the Creator: You fuckin’—

Nas: Wow, wow.

Tyler, the Creator: You fuckin’ spazzed on that. I don’t hear people talk about it that much, so…

Nas: I was about to say nobody ever mentioned that record to me, and shit.

Tyler, the Creator: That shit is, like, legit as fuck.

Nas: Nobody ever did. Word.

Tyler, the Creator: I love that shit.

Nas: I mean, I can see how you can get that, man. That’s…your shit. I see what you’re doing, you know? Your shit is, like, honest, like, real. You feel like you question, like…religion? You feel like you’re here to say something, too. And who the hell was King James, you know? I mean, how is he different from who we are today, or whatever? So we tell our story today, the way we see it.

Tyler, the Creator: That’s legit. I think that’s why I like Street’s Disciple. Like, you just spitting on there. Like, you just fuckin’ just going in on each fuckin’ track. Even the one with Maxwell and shit. Like, that’s a party record, but you were just going in.

Nas: Yo, that’s crazy, ’cause I think I might have been the first hip-hop dude to get Maxwell on a track, man. We were label mates. And I’ve always been a fan of his shit, too.

Tyler, the Creator: It came out legit, though. It came out, then I bought Stillmatic, like, a week after it dropped. That shit was legit as fuck. It’s weird. I listen to it all the time. And now I’m, like, sitting here. It’s cool, though.

Nas: It’s crazy, dawg. ’Cause I wouldn’t think that someone your age would even have time to check some shit out from—

FOR MORE OF THIS STORY, GO TO PAGE 2

Share

1. 
   ad  | October 24, 2011 10:01 am

   this is the dumbest interview ever

   Reply
• 
  c/S AD  | October 24, 2011 12:31 pm

  Fan of both Tyler and Nas but this interview was plain dumb, I feel bad for Nas. I mean, sure it might’ve looked good paper but in reality this shit stupid retarded…XXL stop it manye

  Reply
• 
  Lilyfoy  | October 26, 2011 5:02 am

  You may try to change your life now even the life before is well. But many people want to have another new found, a new kind of dating feeling. ——sugarmingle-℃ОM—— is a great pl-ace for sugar daddy or sugar baby to get to know each other, and talk about work, sports, life, relationship, or more. I can assure you that your will be happy here.

  Reply
2. 
   T  | October 24, 2011 1:15 pm

   Tyler the Creator = All hype, no talent.

   Reply
3. 
   Rick  | October 24, 2011 2:34 pm

   I don’t know why people feel the need to be haters on here, I think this interview is perfect, I wish all interviews were this personal and casual. Keep em comin’. Chill out y’all.

   Reply
4. 
   edgar  | October 24, 2011 2:59 pm

   I think you need a more mature and intelligent person interviewing Nas. Talking about egging old ladies, wtf? I’m about to be 21 and I think that’s plain wrong.

   Reply
5. 
   Dumisani  | October 24, 2011 4:40 pm

   Weird! Shit is al fuckd up en useles!nxa/mxm, dis is a fucken joke!

   Reply
6. 
   mick  | October 24, 2011 5:32 pm

   this guy has has the worst taste in music , youngsters are idiots

   Reply
7. 
   SDK  | October 24, 2011 6:25 pm

   GREAT INTERVIEW , TYLER REAAAAAAAAAALLLLLLYYYYYYY RESPECT NAS .AND “HEAVEN” IS THE BEST FROM GOD’S SON NASIR KILLS MORDPÇAY FLOW S.MATTER……..

   GOAT

   Reply
8. 
   NaNa  | October 24, 2011 7:24 pm

   I love how they were so real with everything! No scripts, Nobody to correct them on how they speak, and just being themseleves. Just.. Great

   Reply
9. 
   Caleb  | October 25, 2011 4:48 pm

   “When I was twelve I went to hell for snuffing Jesus” haha thats big L!

   Reply
• 
  Alex  | October 25, 2011 5:05 pm

  Nah man you got it mixed up. Big L sampled that off of Nas for “Devil’s Son.” That was legit Nas line from “Live at the BBQ.”

  Reply
• 
  alex  | October 25, 2011 5:06 pm

  No its not u dumbass

  Reply
• 
  JG  | October 25, 2011 7:29 pm

  your an idiot. ever listen to illmatic? its NAS NIGGA!

  Reply
• 
  Luke  | October 25, 2011 9:05 pm

  Thank you! I was hoping I wasnt the only one that realized that. L gets no love and people are still biting his shit to this day. Dude had one album, it’s a shame what happened to him RIP

  Reply
• 
  Donte  | October 25, 2011 10:31 pm

  are you fucking stupid too, thats nas know ya dumb fuck not big l

  Reply
10. 
    Zee  | October 25, 2011 4:55 pm

    Watz Dumb Bout This Interview.. Nas is a Legend and Tyler the Creator who Everyone is Lovin Right Now Is Givin a Legend Tha Props and Respect He Deserves.. Fuck all the Hatred Against Nas.. Or Tyler for Respectin a Pioneer

    Reply

Subscribe to XXL Magazine

Subscribe to XXL news Get The Latest Hip-Hop News Delivered Daily!

Follow XXL