Nas’ honest opinion on the harmful street mentality in hip-hop
Nas’ opinions are ever-changing, and as hip-hop evolves, so do his views on the genre and its direction. That said, the Queensbridge lyricist is worried about the course rap music is currently on and has tried to help young, up-and-coming rappers navigate the music industry and eliminate the unhelpful street mentality that can hinder progress.
Nas has been in the music industry for over 30 years. Since his entry into the spotlight, he has learnt that the skills he learnt on the street can be helpful in some circumstances but can also be a hindrance to him and other artists, especially when it comes to keeping out of trouble and maintaining focus. However, during a 2023 interview, he unveiled that it may be impossible to eliminate some of the hardwiring that happens in the streets.
When asked whether some of the problems that plague hip-hop, now could ever be truly eradicated, Nas explained, “That’s a hard one for us because the streets are the streets. We listen to music from people directly from those circumstances. Young people making the hit records are telling you what’s happening: education, disease, miseducation. Life is a tough test.”
Hip-hop is awash with rappers who have either been victims or perpetrators of shootings; it is also rife with artists standing on trial for racketeering in RICO cases, where their lyrics are being used against them. However, Nas sympathises with these MCs as he knows how the streets can warp young people’s perceptions.
Speaking about his experiences in Queensbridge and why he feels sorry for a lot of the lyricists, Nas added, “The streets are the stomping grounds of warriors and good and bad people. There’s kids that come from these environments with something to say. When you ignore them, you ignore the youth. I don’t think we can stop the street mentality overnight. It’s a thing that’s in place that is strong.”
The Illmatic creator detailed how it’s understandable that new rhymers may fall into the trap of retaining a hood approach to the music industry, but admitted that more often than not they’re not taking advantage of the life-changing opportunities that are being presented to them.
As he continued, the Queens icon admitted that he doesn’t expect change overnight but wants more MCs to become aware of the magnitude of entering the music industry, stating, “For everybody to change it would take a miracle, but at the same time, once these artists get in the game and realise, ‘You’re going to change your family’s life for generations to come if you could stay alive and stay out of jail,’ that seems like an easy thing to do — but when you’re fresh from that, it’s all you know.”
The It Was Written star insisted that all too often, rap stars sacrifice their riches on the altar of stupidity. Suggesting new MCs should learn from history, Nas concluded, “When you look at Hip-Hop’s history, you see all the companies and empires that fell because of stupidity. If they see that, they have to realise they are the next one if they don’t change. There’s a lot of stories they could watch about Hip-Hop empires that made terrible mistakes that destroyed families and lives.”