Nas says his greatest
work is ahead of him, but the veteran rapper said his fans will intimately determine
if his latest album Hip-Hop Is Dead reigns over his classic albums like
Illmatic (1994), It Was Written (1996), Stillmatic (2001),
God’s Son (2002) and others. "It’s
probably the best record I ever did," Nas told AllHipHop.com. "I mean,
when you work in the studio for a while, sometimes you think its great, but you
don’t know what it is until the people hear it. So I hope the people agree."The
Queensbridge, NY rapper signed a joint venture deal with Def Jam/Sony Music in
January 2006, ending a long-running feud between he and Def Jam president Jay-Z.The
two rappers engaged in a lyrical feud which exploded with Jay-Z’s 2001 diss track
"The Takeover." Nas answered with the equally scathing reply, "Ether."The
two men settled their differences in Oct. of 2005, when Jay-Z brought Nas out
for a performance during his "I Declare War" concert at Continental
Airlines Arena in East Rutherford, NJ.Under
terms of the Def Jam/Sony Music union, Nas will produce four albums, with Hip-Hop
is Dead
being the first release on his own label, the Jones Experience. Therapper hinted that fans may finally receive the long-awaited collaboration between
the lyrical giants."I’m
just with Def Jam," Nas said. "I haven’t worked with anybody but myself.
A little bit of work with Jay [Z], just for the fans out there and just for us."Nas
said Hip-Hop is Dead will be available to retail outlets on Nov. 7.In
related news, Jay-Z is expected to release an album of new material later in the
year, but Def Jam representatives would not confirm or deny the information.
